Buy the ticket and take the ride – The Laon are here to take you on that ride, through psychedelic rock, blues and beyond. Forming in Christchurch, New Zealand in early 2010, this four piece never fails to impress, combining their highly original songwriting prowess with flamboyant live performances sure to leave you writhing with joy. Their latest conquest, winning the 2011 Battle of the Bands competition, reaffirms their elevating musical journey. Be sure to see them live in action and let the music do the talking.

CHART's Nick Vassar caught up with the Laon for a brief chat about the band, the win and the future...

1 You've won the UCSA Battle of Bands last month, you seem to be on a roll?
Yeah, we can feel some definite momentum happening, it feels great to have our foot in the door.

2 How would you guys describe your style and sound?
It's quite hard to describe, but we would say that It's a blend of 60's/70's psychedelic sounds, our own laon energy, and a touch of something that we feel is new and different.

3 What are you listening to at the moment?
We are all inspired by similar but slightly different things so, we share music all the time when we hang out. It ranges from John Lee Hooker to Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin through to The Datsuns.

4. What does The Laon mean and where did it come from?
Laon means happiness, joyful and cheerful. It's an old Korean word that isn't used by people these days, but to us, it's more than a word, it's a way of life.

5 Do you guys have any pre gig rituals?
If a gig falls on a weekday we tend to face magnetic south and sip on goat's blood, but if it's a weekend finding a goat can be hard so we make do with a rat or other small rodent.

6 Plans for 2012?
We are planning to have a lot of gigs in and out of Christchurch next year. we'd like to head up north and see what people think. We'll be releasing our EP and Album, and a few sneaky surprises. We'd also love to try our hand at a few festivals.

The Swarm is a colaboration of musical connections from around ChCh, driven by Gallagher / Thorpe from Ian Costello's legendary Celtic combo The Black Velvet Band. The lads crank out some of the high energy hooch rock they have been brewing in garages, sheds and spare rooms over the shaky months.

The Swarm aim to build some good times and fun into Christchurch’s world cup experience and beyond and have recently released the supporters song and video 'Back the Blacks'  to support the province and inspire the ABs on their winning way.

Seeing a parallel between the AB's rugby campaigns and their city, they are promoting a message of determination, resilience, strength and positivity - we get knocked down but we get back up again. 75% of profits from audio downloads of 'Back the Blacks' go to the Christchurch Earthquake Mayoral Fund.
 

The Swarm had the great opportunity to be the opening act at the Fanzone on the first day of the tournament and of late we have been taking that 30 minute live show around some of the Christchurch schools to boost a bit of morale after what has been a pretty tough year

The Swarm want you to sing loud and sing proud. New Zealand, let's feel your dedication.

Proceeds from audio downloads go to Christchurch Earthquake Mayoral Fund.

100% New Zealand Music

Watch the video and download it now from www.amplifier.co.nz or iTunes.

“Psych Tigers” is the solo music project of 16 year old Sam Perry. The idea was conceived in 2011 whilst in the studio recording an EP with his surf punk band “Beach Arab”. Whilst writing songs for the EP, strange musical ideas began to form. What started out as 13-minute psychedelic delay heavy jams, quickly started to form songs.

Many a song was written and he decided to take the project seriously.  He made a Facebook page and a Bandcamp page under the moniker “Psych Tigers” and recorded and released his first song “Glitter”.

To his surprise the song received a fair deal of attention in the blogosphere and was played on numerous New Zealand “indie” radio stations. Driven by this unexpected success he recorded a 7 track EP in his bedroom over the course of a few weeks.

The EP is laced with numerous influences and genres from psychedelic/surf/pop to aggressive lo-fi/garage punk.

Listen to their first single 'Glitter' here.
 

Download and stream "Psych Tigers" from Psych Tigers Bandcamp

Led by virtuosic flutist and composer Tamara Smith, Mundi features an exciting array of instruments including flute, sax, banjo, marimba, voice, bass and world percussion. This original world-jazz band is not to be missed!

A well travelled bunch, they have covered almost every continent on the globe between them, taking the pulse and flavour of some very exotic regions. Mundi has toured and performed widely including in Sri Lanka, where they recorded part of their debut album in collaboration with traditional Sri Lankan artists and had a TV special devoted to them.

Their music is often heard on National Radio, has been featured on the Air New Zealand play list and on Australia’s ABC network as well as being showcased on Concert FM’s hour long show “Global Sounds” and recently "Indie album of the week" on Kiwi FM.

Despite setbacks of an earth shaking variety, a birth and other life changing events, the new Mundi album is finally here! While utterly original, it is a synthesis of many global colours and influences. It takes the listener on a musical journey... traversing landscapes rich with texture and surprise; allowing them to experience through their own imagination other vignettes of the world.

“Unique and bursting with creative genius”  Presto Arts & Culture

"...Fresh...funky. Intricate, multi-layered works...dynamic solos”  The Press

“They give us their all, and send us home with an indubitable sense of passion and conviction, giving us a taste that we’ll certainly not be soon to forget.”  Craccum

Prepare to be transported! With inspiration from as far afield as the deserts of North Africa to the Amazon basin and beyond Mundi takes you on an unforgettable journey...

Celebrating the release of their second album “In the Blink of an Eye”, Mundi has expanded to feature an exciting array of instruments including flute, sax, banjo, marimba, voice, bass and world percussion. This original world-jazz band is not to be missed!

The Haze are a young rock band from Christchurch made up five year 9 students from St Andrews College and Christchurch Boys High School.

Since forming in 2010 The Haze have already played all over Christchurch including Rangiora Muscle Car Madness, the Addington Fair, What Now? and they're in the semi finals of the Erin Simpson Shows' Band competition.

The Haze also took out CHARTFEST 2011 Band Search with a high energy performance, impressing judges with their ability and potential. As part of their prize pack the had the opportunity to open for Tainted at Zebedees and pick up a slot at the Youth Week 2011 National Launch Event at the Ilam Supertop. As well as some great shows, the band won a prize pack from CJ Musicworks and the trophy and title of Christchurch’s best school band.

The Haze performed exceptionally in the high pressure and rapid environment of a TV studio. They were professional and efficient throughout their sound check, rehearsal (even at 6:30am!) and performance. I'd gladly recommend them to anyone looking for a fresh, young act for any occasion. - Joseph Veale, Senior Sound, What Now, Whitebait TV

"As an event organiser I was pleasantly surprised at the confidence and musical ability of this young band....they played some all time rock classics with proficiency you would not expect at this age. Will definitely be booking The Haze for future events" - Ken Howat, Christchurch City Council

"The youthful exuberance of The Haze coupled with their solid performance of classic rock songs make for musical entertainment that can't help bring a smile to one's face. The enjoyment these young boys get from playing and performing is infectious. Support The Haze!" - Coralie Winn, Gap Filler Director and Co-Creator

We caught up with The Haze after their win at CHARTFEST 2011 for a quick Q&A...

1. Well done on winning Chartfest 2011, how was it for you guys?
Real good, this is the first competition we had entered, so to win against older bands with a couple of our brand new original songs was real cool.

2. How did you guys get together and what are your influences?
We met early in 2010 at Heaton Intermediate. We found that we had all been born in the wrong century. We are all really in to good solid classic rock. Our originals are definitely influenced by the covers that we play.

3. Who are your favourite bands and artists?
Led Zeppelin, Guns 'n Roses, Queen, Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Dance Exponents, Feelers and all rock anthem artists.

4. Whats the best show you've played and why?
Addington Fair and Concert. We organised it with Gap Filler and Addington Action to cheer up the locals after the Feb quake. We got The Eastern, La Petite Manouche, the A Capellago World Choir and Mark Humpage to come and play with us.

5. If you could play with any band/artist in the world (alive or dead) who would it be?
Max: Queen, Guns 'n Roses
Cameron: Queen, Led Zep
Jacob: Jimmy Page, Led Zep
Sam: Bon Jovi
Chris: Kings of Leon

6. You scored a great prize pack for Chartfest launching National Youth Week and opening for Tainted. How did you get on playing for the metal crowd at the Tainted gig?
It was a heavy, heavy metal night. We thought we might be too light for them, but we played hard and they really got in to our stuff particularly Deranged Child and our cover of Sweet Child Of Mine

7. Any shows coming up?
We are booked for ten gigs as The Haze Unplugged during Kidsfest. Another fair and concert at St Mary's Addington and we are already set to play again at the Rangiora Muscle Car Madness early next year.

8. Plans for the future?
Just had a band meeting and we decided, we want to play plenty more live gigs, write some more originals, go on a South Island tour over summer, print band t-shirts, put out an EP, get some air play and improve our rehearsal gear (we like to be busy).

To help us do this we are putting lots of money aside from our paid gigs and asking everyone we know to vote for us to win gear and get funds from the Erin Simpson Band Battle and get an AMP scholarship.

www.erinsimpsonhow.tv - We have made it to the semi final, they will allow semi final voting during second week of June. AMP Scholarship - www.doyourthing.co.nz/2011-03304/max-earnshaw

9. Anything else you want to say?
The Christchurch music scene is great, it's cool being part of it.

A collective with the idea of collectin'....trading songs for donations is the plan...songs of heart swung with the warmest acoustic instruments and the sharpest electrics sung with guts and hope....
 

Cause albums, charity records whatever you wish to call them are often fraught affairs. The Grand Gesture is always the hardest to manage, and the participants while good intentioned often suffer when they find themselves in an Irony free zone. It’s a place where musicians individual self obsessions are meant to be subsumed by the greater good. The problem is a musicians self obsession is really at the crux of their being, it is their gift and I guess also their curse. In the context of their individual performance, songs or records those obsessions are in their right place, expected even. However when they collectively unite to offer their response to an issue, an event or a cause its common to hear a collective groan and whisper among their audience and critics, suddenly we are meant to believe that these self mythologizers actually…gulp…’care’. It can be laughable, it can be sad yet now and again it can work.

The motley band of lyttelton musicians who have gathered under the moniker “The Harbour Union”, hope that in their case at least the concept will work, at least on a small, local and community orientated scale, which considering the independent nature of the artists present is one very close to their hearts. They’ve done away with the grand gesture, this (in relation to all of the work happening for chch) is small and hopefully like the best ideas, simple. Hunker down together, record some songs and hopefully hustle them into as many hands who want them, in exchange for cash. It’s that word that’s key here, cash. Like it not when confronted with the events and challenges faced by their city and community the harbour union knew cash would help keep things running. From schools to business to rent payers and workers lots of folks are struggling around their way, and not ones to ask for something for nothing the strummers, singers and writers who make up the harbour union figured they’d trade that which they make (songs) for donations of the financial kind.

So that’s what they did, they made a record of, for, and about their community, the profits and proceeds of which will find their way back to lyttelton and to the folks who need it. Simple.

Thirteen new or reimagined songs from a collective featuring some of the harbour basin’s best known, and best kept secrets.

FEATURING

THE EASTERN
The Eastern are string band that roars like a punk band, that swings like a gospel band, that drinks like a country band, that works like a bar band, that hopes like folk singers, and sings love songs like union songs, and writes union songs like love songs, and wants to slow dance and stand on tables, all at the same time. Continually described as NZ’s hardest workin’ band they’ve spent the last few years playing over 200 nights a year up and down nz and beyond. They’ve toured with and opened for Fleetwood Mac, Steve Earle, Old Crow Medicine Show, The Jay hawks, Jimmy Barnes amongst others but are just as happy on a street corner or in a backyard singin and kickin’ their heels. Happiest on tour and with two well selling records and three e.p.’s to their credit they show no signs of quittin’ or tagging out. With their second record ‘Arrows’ out in Australia in may the eastern have been glad to be muckin in at home and having a chance to take part in the ‘Harbour Union’ Project.

DELANEY DAVIDSON
Part man, part wheel, All one man renegade ghost orchestra. Whereas to most people homelesness means failure, Davidson has embraced it as a career choice and seems to turn it into some sort of success. He has, for the last ten years at least, been winding up his world tour machine joining forces with folks like Holly Golightly and Voodoo Rhythms Reverend Beatman. Beginning with gatecrashing the legendary Funeral Orchestra, "Dead Brothers" and ending up as restless as a ferret he spends less than 24 hours in each place he travels through, he spends most of his time on the road, and touring a relentless circuit encompassing Western Europe and North America. 2010 saw him release his 3rd solo Album "Self Decapitation" tour from march til end of december, and create two videos to support the release. We asked Davidson to give us a few words about his lifestyle:
"Well theres not much to say really, to most people homelessness means destitution and terror, to me it is a sign of successful tour planning..."
Davidson is well recieved in USA aswell as Europe , and has played from Moscow to Texas and from Ireland to Tasmania.

LINDON PUFFIN
New Zealand musician Lindon Puffin first rose to national prominence as frontman & songwriter of glam rock band ‘The Puffins’ in the mid 1990’s. The Puffin’s toured relentlessly, receiving widespread student radio air time, eventually topping the charts with a Roxy Music-esqe single called ‘Lighthouse’ before Lindon left the band to take up a job as the RDU 98.5fm breakfast show host in 2000. A couple of years later he relaunched his career as a solo folk-punk act supporting international artists such as Tenacious D and Billy Bragg. He has released two solo albums to date, the last of which reached no. 22 in the NZ charts. He’s twice been awarded ‘Live Act Of The Year’ (04 & 07) and in 2005 he produced a hilarious feature length music touring documentary called ‘Figure 8000’ that screened on NZ Music TV as well as an 18 month rotation on Sky TV’s Documentary Channel! 2008 saw him undertake a comprehensive world tour of 12 countries & 36 cities cementing his reputation as one of NZ’s hardest working independent self managed musicians. Late last year, Lindon returned to the studio with highly respected producer Wayne Bell and an all-star band of iconic NZ musicians to record his third solo album called ‘Hope Holiday’ slated for release in winter 2011. His high energy performance, comedic banter and soaring vocals make him an unforgettable live act.

THE UNFAITHFUL WAYS
The Unfaithful Ways are a band built around the firm belief that the song is all that matters. Blending the mystical lyricism of writers like Townes Van Zandt and Gene Clark with an inborn flair for strong melodies and three-part harmony, their music stays true to the age-old themes of "love and loss and everything in between". Since forming in 2008, they have garnered a healthy reputation in their native New Zealand, issuing an EP, Four First Songs in 2009, supporting international acts such as Band of Horses and Justin Townes Earle, featuring on the Townes Van Zandt tribute album More Townes Van Zandt By The Great Unknown released on Forthesakeofthesong Records in 2010, and appearing in 2011's Big Day Out lineup. On the back of a publishing deal with Native Tongue, their debut album is set to be released this year.

THE TINY LIES-
Charlotte Ivey and Harley Williams are 'the Tiny Lies', a New Zealand Alt-Folk-Country act who have been writing and performing songs together since mid 2009.  Since their very first live to air performance in May 2009 on Volcano Radio, the Tiny Lies have performed a number of live shows in and around the Christchurch area. The live sound of the Tiny Lies is beguilingly simple: Williams plays acoustic guitar, Ivey plays harmonica, both contribute to vocals. But, as with any good musical duo, the product is far more than the sum of its parts. Described by friend and fellow songwriter Adam McGrath (The Eastern) as having a "twisted gentleness" embodied in their music, the duo tend to write more about loss, loneliness and the frustrations of relationships rather than the opposing. That said, the band are not adverse to love songs either, with love itself often being the underlying motive behind their subject matter. Their sound isn't necessarily depressing though, more melencholic and reflective. They write songs that tell stories, like any typical folk act, but often write songs that are short, sweet, simple and with minimal lyrics....

AL PARK
Al Park is perhaps one of chch musics most enduring icons, from his days as a leading light in the c-city punk scene as founder of the mighty Vapour and the Trails as well as holding the keys to chch most famous punk venues Mollet St. Al is also familiar as the leader of the infamous Louie and the Hotsticks, chch’s ‘80’s ska, rock’roll kings, the man behind the well remembered echo records secondhand counter and more recently as the brains and name behind Al’s Bar one of the citys biggest and most popular live music venues, who has hosted everyone from Black Rebel Motor Cycle Club to Amanda Palmer to Justin Townes Earle. Al’s belief in live music, independent spirit and the thrill of a great song has seen him as one of the lytteltons most well thought of residents and a god father to most young musicians in the town and city beyond. Post earthquake a basketball stadium has been required to host the amount of bands wanting to hold a benefit in for Al and his bar.

RUNAROUND SUE
Lyttelton's newest country singers have thrilled audiences all over the city with their gospel infused country twang. The Vicars daughter sings but keeps the band supplied with liquor and the audience with soaring vocals and a shimmy to put even the most flexible juke jointer to shame. Having lost their debut album in the earthquake they’re thrilled to offer up ‘Weeping Willow’ in tribute for the Harbour Union record.

'Pocket full Of Rain' is the new E.P. recorded over summer at local scene studio All Plastic Records. Mustard regrouped and found themselves in the classic line up of two guitars, bass and drums.

A conscious decision was made to record their new material as live as possible, together in one room. A rare way to record in modern times but an essential way to capture the energy of the songs, the sweat of the band and heat of the valve amps.

Five songs were recorded, four of which include a newly acquired acoustic guitar, a new sound and direction the band had not explored before, that with the three part harmony provide a strong folk-rock flavour. The fifth track is what Mustard have been known for, a gutsy blues track, this time with overdriven guitars in stereo, trading solos. A nice, diverse mix of songs have been put down here, tied all together with the sound of that small Phillipstown room.

A preview of the EP is available to listen to here: mustard.bandcamp.com