2007 Tui Finalists

News release
December 19, 2007

Experienced artists lead folk music finalists

The finalists for New Zealand's Best Folk Music Album of 2007 have been announced with the contenders all experienced artists.

The finalists are Phil Garland, The Hobnail Boots and Owen Hugh who between them have released more than 30 CDs in careers collectively spanning more than 55 years.

Often referred to as 'the father of New Zealand folk music', Phil Garland is a finalist for 'Southern Odyssey', his 18th album.

It's the fourth time the Southland folklorist and balladeer has been a finalist for the award. His very first album "Springtime in the Mountains" took out the inaugural Folk Album of the Year Tui at the New Zealand Music Awards in 1984 as did 'Send the Boats Away' a year later - an album to which he contributed.

Following a break to raise a family, The Hobnail Boots singer/songwriter Rob Joass and partner Jo Moir have reformed the Wellington five-piece to release their fifth album, "The Fortune Horses".

The former bar band is now plying its trade at folk clubs, wineries, cafes and theatres where their songs have more space to breathe. The Hobnail Boots has toured throughout New Zealand, the US, Canada and Europe over the past decade..

Originally from Scotland, Owen Hugh recorded his first album in New Zealand in 1991. His new record called "You and I" is Hugh's first in seven years after working on archive tracks and overcoming writers' block.

The Auckland-based artist appears regularly on the city's folk circuit and recently returned to Scotland to perform there and in England.

The Tui award for Best Folk Music Album of 2007 will be announced in Kumeu at the Auckland Folk Festival on Sunday 27 Jan 2008. The winner will also be acknowledged at the New Zealand Music Awards in October 2008.

Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) CEO Campbell Smith is delighted the finalists are such experienced artists.

"Folk music has never been stronger if the quality of entries received is anything to go by," Campbell says. "And, it's great to see that some of the genre's most experienced artists are being recognised for their contributions not only in 2007 but for their work over decades."

The Auckland Folk Festival runs from Friday January 25 until Sunday January 28, 2008. The festival is in its 35th year and its 18th at the Kumeu Showgrounds. Information about the event is available at http://www.aucklandfolkfestival.co.nz/

NOTE TO EDITORS:
The Tui for Best Folk Album 2007 is for recordings released between 16 November 2006 & 15 November 2007. The Folk category was introduced to the awards in 1984.

Recent previous winners of the Tui for Best Folk Album
2004 - Bob McNeill for his album 'Turn the Diesels'
2005 - Lorina Harding for the album 'Clean Break'
2006 - Ben the Hoose (Kenny Ritch and Bob McNeill) for 'The Little Cascade'.
Or refer to http://www.nzmusicawards/ (see history section).

Finalists' websites
http://www.philgarland.co.nz/
http://www.hobnailboots.co.nz/
http://www.owenhugh.co.nz/

About RIANZ: The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand Inc (RIANZ) is a non-profit organisation representing major and independent record producers, distributors and recording artists throughout New Zealand. RIANZ works to protect the rights and promote the interests of creative people involved in the New Zealand recording industry.

Issued for the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand by Pead PR

Contacts:
Bonnie Smail, Pead PR, Tel: 0-9-918 5581; Mob: 021 722 276, bonnie@peadpr.co.nz

Phil Garland at Nut Point Gallery

Phil Garland seeks Kiwi Rhetoric

Phil writes:

Greetings all,
This is a call for any Kiwi sayings, ditties, drinking toasts, farewell toasts, backblocks rhymes and simple ditties. If you know of anything appropriate to this subject would you please contact me either on or off list.

I have collected many such pieces of folklore over the years and should anything of note come to light I would like to feature it in my almost completed book of Kiwi folklore and music. Acknowledgements and sources will be given wherever appropriate. I look forward to hearing from you in due course.
Many thanks.
Phil Garland
pgarland_at_xtra.co.nz
http://www.philgarland.co.nz/

Folk and Country

A while ago, somewhat unintentionally, I chucked a hand-grenade into the nz-folk list. There was a post, mentioned in an earlier blog:

"Folk? The Warratahs? They are listed as a Country band."

To which I somewhat rashly replied,

"Something I notice that we have trouble getting our heads around is that country music is the folk music of this country."

The response was astounding, from those who thought I was joking to those who were indignant and miffed (and those who agreed and told me so quietly in the background).

"Mike, I am guessing that you are teasing when you say that country is the real NZ folk music, but I'll react just for fun... Country has always been a small, but welcome part of our folk music, but is hardly the folk music of New Zealand because it has always so commonly featured American culture: All that fake rolled-r accent emulating Texas, the whiny nasal singing about county jails and horses, the Stetson hats & braided clothes and boots with spurs. Contrast that with our our Swandris, stockmen's hats & oilskins & gumboots."

"I find it rather interesting that Bluegrass music is seen as part of the folk scene, whereas 'whinge and cringe' country isnt."

"There's been no mention of Victorian palour music or classical music which I think has had a huge influence of NZ music from the early days right through to the Verlaines and beyond."

"But to say it's THE main influence? I don't think country is quite a 'national' music here in the same way as in Australia. It's big and been around for a while, but so have brass bands and Highland piping."

"I tend to agree with Mike, Phil and Alan that country music has had a strong influence on 'homemade' songwriting in NZ, ever since it was the latest trendy music back in the 1930s."

"And as far as I´m concerned, country music stemmed from this celtic stuff anyway... don´t believe me?? Go out and rent Songcatcher."

I have no problem with any of this. I was talking somewhat historically. Back in the 50s and 60s as the folk revival burgeoned, folkies started looking at their own rich traditions; Ireland and Scotland had their celtic musics, America had its dust-bowl ballads and blues and appalachan traditions and so forth. New Zealand folkies, NZ being a much younger country, struggled a bit to find a traditional identity in their music. We tended to look straight past characters like Tex Morton and Cole Wilson because they were a bit recent, a bit twee and maybe, a bit naff. Paul Metsers wrote Farewell to the Gold to get the ball rolling in the NZ folk songwriters' camp, Neil Colquhoun collected some songs of a young country. Phil Garland wrote, resurrected and reconstructed contemporary and other material and so did Martin Curtis (these are the most noteable I can think of, there were heaps of others). We looked at our fields of gold and gum for old songs. But meanwhile, perhaps from as early as the 20's, there was a mainstream music that was being played in parlours, theatres, pubs and shanties that was "ordinary" and played with instruments of the day. A lot of formal music was based around the piano, but those songs that were based around more portable stringed instruments were undeniably "country" in sound.

Now whatever you choose as your folk music is absolutely fine by me whether it's based on a tradition or not. But when you're talking about the indigenous music of this country (with a respectful nod to the tangata whenua), it's country music that has been the mainstream music of the dock worker, the stockman, the tramp, the soldier, the miner and the digger.

An Interview with Phil Garland

I shared the stage with Phil at the Hokonui Moonshiner's Festival in Gore last weekend and I took the oportunity to ask him a few questions:

Perhaps more than Neil Colquhoun or any of the other veteran collectors of NZ folk songs and lore, you are the most well known and respected. What do you credit this to?

Stickability is the buzz word! Hopefully it's because I've been steadily collecting, researching, recording and performing for over 40 years now and if one keeps persisting with something you really love, then eventually you must get noticed. I do maintain a high profile and consequently manage to entertain all manner of audiences throughout New Zealand and Australia. Fortunately most of them all seem to like what I do.

Tell us about your recording label, Kiwi Pacific and your relationship with them. How many albums have you recorded?

It's an interesting relationship. I first joined forces with them back in the early 1970s - the original deal was done with the shake of a hand and they've been looking after me for some 35 years or more. They used to pick up the expense tab for all my recordings, but that changed after "How Are You. Mate?" in 1990. Since then I've either had to self finance all my projects or find sponsorship from other sources. Kiwi still take care of cover design, packaging and pressing, so I consider myself quite fortunate in this regard. If the albums didn't turn a profit, then I'm sure I'd have been an indie artist long ago.

I've recorded some 16 albums in all mostly with Kiwi Pacific bar one and been involved with or contributed to a further 6 with other companies over the years.

Your latest CD has a Southland theme. What brought this on? How much of this material is your own?

I was commissioned by Creative Southland to research and write appropriate material related to a tourism package combining arts and heritage trails around Southland. I wrote 8 songs for the Southern Odyssey project, and included a couple of trad songs plus some appropriate material from the likes of Paul Metsers, Dusty Spittle, Helen Henderson and Brendon Fairbairn.
The project isn't finished yet - I understand there are still another seven trails to come on board, which means I may well have to write some more songs in the near future.

You have a fairly simple, no nonsense approach to recording your songs. Do you worry that your recordings may become dated or is that consistency a plus for your audience?

Yes I try keep things as simple as possible in the studio. I normally record my voice and guitar at the same time, which I think helps give it a better feel of "live" performance - it sometimes requires a little more effort in miking up to obtain the best results, but it is the way I work best. I have had some very understanding musicians working alongside me over the years and I'm very grateful for their ongoingsupport.

I do my best to work within the parameters and boundaries of the tradition. I don't want to compromise my ideals too much, although I must admit I have made use of modern techniques when recording my backing artists. My feelings are that if the technology is available then why not use it.

I have never worried about my recordings becoming dated - I'm sure they must do over time, especially given the rate of modern technological advancements. If I started to worry unduly about such things then I'd probably never get anything started or finished. Regarding 'consistency' it's not something I've consciously thought about, but there may well be a stream of consistency lurking within!

I really can't answer for my audiences, although to be fair I have had the occsional person say they preferred an earlier and simpler arrangement of a song, to a more modern up to date treatment of the same piece.

I know you sell albums overseas. Is there a good level of interest in your material outside of New Zealand? What other artists recorded your songs?

There is a good level of interest overseas and in this regard a number of people make contact searching out my recordings of New Zealand songs. This has certainly been helped by the world wide presence of my website,enabling me to sell to people in countries I've never been to. Interestingly, whenever I perform at specialised outdoor events and a queue forms to buy albums afterwards - I can guarantee that over 90% of those purchasers are from overseas - In many ways I feel the cultural cringe is still alive and well in Aotearoa New Zealand.

There are a number of overseas artists, who have either incorporated my songs into their performing reperotires or in some instances even recorded them. A few that immediately come to mind are Gordon Bok and Schooner Fare in the USA - Martyn Wyndham Read and The McCalmans in the UK as well as such artists as Wongawilli Bush Band, Leaping Lizards, The Pioneers, Denis & Lynne Tracey, all of whom are from Australia. Graham Wilson - Mike Harding - The Worsfolds - Shona Lang and The Pog Band [oh yeah, that's right - Ed] all recorded something of mine down the years for which I'm eternally grateful as well.

What is your vision for New Zealand folk music and folklore?

I would like to see New Zealand folklore and music incorporated into the education syllabus and eventually made available as a fully fledged folklore studies unit in the Universities. I long to see more Kiwi songs being sung in schools and more people being exposed to our wonderful musical heritage. Radio NZ is the only network that does lend real support to the music via The National Programme. I'm convinced that if more people were made aware of the music it would start achieving better listening levels Maybe even better use of such music at overseas promotions marketing New Zealand. I live in hopes!

=========

Thanks Phil. You can see Phil on YouTube here and visit his website here.

New Festival in the South

BARDS, BALLADS 'n' BULLDUST FESTIVAL
Naseby High Country Festival.
EASTER WEEKEND
6th , 7th, & 8th April

A weekend celebration of high country life via music, poetry, song, dance, busking, arts & crafts, sheep shearing, dog trialing & much more.
Friday 6th:April - Kay G B playing at the Ancient Briton Hotel

Sat 7th - morning: High Country & Musterers breakfast at the Ancient Briton Hotel.with speeches, song and poetry.
Live mini concert performances throughout the day.
Sat night: - Barn Dance at Town Hall with Phil Garland & Bush Telegraph plus guest performers.

Sunday 8th - live mini concert performances throughout the day.
Open Poetry night at Ancient Briton Hotel. All welcome.

Guest artists & poets:
Bush Telegraph band
Phil Garland
Dusty Spittle
Martin Curtis (Cardrona)
Michael Brown (Wellington)
Robert Scott (Dunedin)
Ross (Blue Jeans) McMillan - Naseby
Des Styles - Naseby
Brian Turner - Oturehua
Jim Morris – Ahuriri

Bring the whole family and discover Naseby and all its secrets.

Naseby is the original capital of the High Country and promotes itself as "2000 feet above worry level!" See you there!

Roch Sullivan
Box 688 37, Newton
mob (021) 972303
ph (09) 3744211
fax (09) 3744214
email: roch@thoroughbred.co.nz