Songs can be deceptive; songs can mess up your mind. Because pretty much everything, however dark and dangerous, however sad and tragic, can sound good... Read More

There are two sides to Tauranga. It often seems – possibly with good reason – that we're locked in the musical mainstream, an unthreatening... Read More

Time to celebrate, boogie-lovers - Jan Preston is coming to town! Or should I say, Jan Preston is coming back to town, since the woman they call Australia's... Read More

Walking along Devonport Road is a sad experience these days. Perhaps it was a couple of weeks since I'd been in town but a few days ago when I strolled... Read More

Let's check in with the old fellas today. It's something I do from time to time and specifically this week we're talking about Bruce and... Read More

Ever wondered what happened to soul music? The stuff that makes you dance like an uninhibited child? It's on the comeback, as three local lads and... Read More

As Matariki events continue, calls are out to create a public holiday. This isn’t a new thing. Just as Matariki rolls round annually so do voices... Read More

Music Plus is the name of the column so I tend to skip between a solid diet of music and a smorgasbord of related cultural food groups. This week we’re... Read More

So here we are on the long road back from winter; it’ll be summer before you know it... Yep, last weekend marked the year’s shortest day... Read More

I write this just as the first line-up announcement for next year’s One Love Festival has been made. And very impressive it is too. You’ve... Read More

I’ve written about Shirley Ryder a lot this year; today I’m writing about her again. Shirley is a singer, songwriter, YouTube presenter... Read More

Perhaps everyone was waiting for the Queen to have her birthday before organising gigs; whatever the reason, there’s a lot of music about to occur. That’s... Read More

Though I listen to music in all the ways one listens to music nowadays, I still have a preference for CDs. So colour me old-fashioned, stuck in my ways... Read More

It seems to be that the colder it gets the more likely bands are to release new albums. Which actually makes a certain amount of sense. When it’s... Read More

As New Zealand hems and haws over the efficacy of legalising marijuana, musicians and songwriters face a different conundrum: What happens to the future... Read More