Our next performance is at Marchfest in Nelson on the 6th of April. The last time the Bellbirds played there, I was about 3 weeks away from delivering twins, so I stayed in Auckland to be on the safe side. (It was the right decision... I was the size of a house and I probably wouldn't … Continue reading The Bellbirds / Nelson Marchfest
Sola Rosa / Promise (feat. Olivier Daysoul)
A few months ago, I teamed up again with Andrew Spraggon / Sola Rosa, to arrange strings for his new album "Low and Behold, High and Beyond" Just released... here's a video of one of my absolute favourite songs from the album - "Promise" - featuring the gorgeous vocals of Olivier Daysoul.
Toi Huarewa / The Suspended Way
I'm thrilled to announce that the phenomenal NZTrio have commissioned me to compose a 20 minute work for Piano Trio and Taonga Puoro (traditional Maori instruments). It will be premiered on the 24th of March as part of NZTrio's 'Convergence' programme at the Auckland Arts Festival, 2013. Horomona Horo (Nga Puhi / Taranaki / Ngati Porou), master practitioner … Continue reading Toi Huarewa / The Suspended Way
Neil Finn – Solo Album
For the past few weeks I've had the great pleasure of working with Neil Finn on his upcoming solo album, which is being produced by Dave Fridmann - producer of that extraordinary band, The Flaming Lips. It's going to be a gorgeous album. The songs, the sounds and the textures are amazing (as you might expect) and I'm … Continue reading Neil Finn – Solo Album
The Almighty Johnsons – Series 3
Rumours of its death were greatly exaggerated. The Almighty Johnsons have risen again and Sean Donnelly (who, I'm morally obliged to tell you, has just released yet another stunning album called Elastic Wasteland - which is an absolutely essential addition to any music lover's collection!) and I will be returning as the composers for the show. We … Continue reading The Almighty Johnsons – Series 3
It’s coming… any minute now… a Bellbirds Album!
Meanwhile, the Bellbirds have been working towards an album which we expect to release a little later on this year. We've been playing festivals and adding to our repertoire and our recordings, perhaps a little slower than we would have liked, mostly due to our busy and conflicting schedules. Don McGlashan has been touring and … Continue reading It’s coming… any minute now… a Bellbirds Album!
The Hobbit Premiere
After finishing The Song of the Lonely Mountain, Neil was asked to perform a 30 minute set on the red carpet at the Wellington Premiere of The Hobbit. He assembled quite an hirsute bunch - facial hair being a pre-requisite for NZ male musicians - which included members of superlative Wellington band The Phoenix Foundation, Conan … Continue reading The Hobbit Premiere
Song Of The Lonely Mountain
Towards the end of last year, Neil Finn asked me to orchestrate the song he wrote for the closing credits of The Hobbit. It was a wonderful experience. We recorded at Abbey Road - in Studio 2 - with the London Metropolitan Orchestra. I was in Auckland, Neil was in Buffalo, the Music Supervisor (Mark … Continue reading Song Of The Lonely Mountain
New Bellbirds Shows
The Bellbirds have two festival performances coming up... The first is at the Christchurch Arts Festival on September the 30th. The second is at the Tauranga Arts Festival on October the 26th. Somewhere in amongst the outrageously busy lives we all seem to be leading at the moment - what with children and tours and work and … Continue reading New Bellbirds Shows
Rugby World Cup 2011 – Opening Ceremony
In February this year I was appointed as the Music Director for the Opening Ceremony of the Rugby World Cup 2011. This is by far the largest scale production I've ever been involved with. My initial impression, that it couldn't be too dissimilar to composing and assembling music for a film, has been disproved on a … Continue reading Rugby World Cup 2011 – Opening Ceremony
