The Dives: The 13th Floor Interview
Its time for you to meet The Dives, an up-and-coming New York City-based rock & roll band that just happened to include Evan Stanley, son of Kiss frontman Paul Stanley. The quartet has just released their debut EP, Everybody’s Talkin’ and are keen to turn fans on to their sound…a sound that is built on […]
Public Service Broadcasting: The 13th Floor Interview
UK band Public Service Broadcasting is known for their unorthodox approach to music-making…essentially they tell stories using old films clips and sampled dialogue often sourced from historical footage. Their 2015 album, The Race For Space, revised the Soviet/American space race from the late 1950s through to the 1969 moon landing. This time around, they take […]
Polish Club: The 13th Floor Interview
Sydney-based duo Polish Club head across the Tasman for their first-ever gigs outside their native Australia when they perform at Auckland’s Whammy! Bar this Friday, June 30th, and then in Wellington at Meow on Saturday, July 1st. The band consists of singer/guitarist David Novak and drummer John-Henry and their sound has been described as “high-octane […]
Steve Hackett: The 13th Floor Interview Part 2
Yesterday we brought you the first part of Marty Duda’s recent interview with former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. Today, it’s part two, in which Hackett discusses his feelings about the various permutations Genesis went through, his favourite contemporary bands, and to start things off, an insight into how he views playing in front of a […]
Steve Hackett: The 13th Floor Interview Part 1
Steve Hackett was the guitarist for Genesis from 1971 until 1977, playing on albums such as Selling England By The Pound, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway and A Trick Of The Tail…spanning both the Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins-led versions of the band. Since then, he has released a staggering 25 solo albums, the […]
The Wedding Present: The 13th Floor Interview
David Gedge has been leading The Wedding Present for over 30 years and he’s getting ready to lead the band to New Zealand for a five-date touring beginning in Auckland with a show at The Kings Arms on July 4th. The band is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of their acclaimed debut album […]
Ben Ottewell: The 13th Floor Interview 2017
With his band Gomez on an extended hiatus, Ben Ottewell refuses to slow down, releasing his third solo album, A Man Apart just a few weeks ago and setting out on the road, with a show at Auckland’s Tuning Fork scheduled for Friday, June 23rd. The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda chatted with the gravelly-voiced musician […]
Kirin J Callinan: The 13th Floor Interview
Kirin J Callinan’s new album, Bravado, is released today. For fans, of which we here at 13th Floor certainly are, Kirin has taken a bit of a musical detour, taking a wildly eclectic group of collaborators with him. Who else would have Jimmy Barnes and James Chance on the same record. Additionally, there are contributions […]
The Comet Is Coming – The 13th Floor Interview
Playing the Wellington Jazz Festival this weekend are the London-based psychedelic funk-meisters The Comet is Coming. They mix sounds from the universe including snippets of Parliament, Sun Ra and Afro-funk pioneers like Fela Kuti – all channelled through a digital dashboard of synths and crazy sax.
Phoenix: The 13th Floor Interview
French quartet Phoenix is about to roll out their sixth studio album tomorrow. As the title Ti Amo would suggest, the band has based its lyrics, if not the music itself around an imaginary day in Italy. The new album was recorded in Paris over the past two years, a time and a place that […]
Evan Dando: The 13th Floor Interview
Despite missing last night’s show in Christchurch due to “unforeseen circumstances”, Evan Dando is expected to perform tonight at Auckland’s Tuning Fork in celebration of the reissue of his only solo album, 2003’s Baby I’m Bored. Dando has always had a somewhat “erratic” reputation which made the prospect of interviewing him all that more interesting. […]
John Moreland: The 13th Floor Interview
Born in Texas and living in Tulsa, Oklahoma, John Moreland is a big, burly guy who makes big, burly music. Moreland’s new album, Big Bad Luv finds the roots-rocker in a celebratory mood after the success of his 2015 album, High On Tulsa Heat. While that record was a mostly solo effort, this new one […]
Benjamin Booker – The 13th Floor Interview
Benjamin Booker is about to release his second album later this week. It’s called Witness, and after listening to an advance copy of it over the past few weeks, I can safely say that its going to be one of the highlights of 2017. The title track features a guest vocal by Mavis Staples, but […]
Beth Orton: The 13th Floor Interview
UK singer/songwriter Beth Orton is returning to our shores on late June for three shows. The last time she was here, back in 2013, her focus was on Folk music, but this time she’s returning with a new work, her sixth studio album Kidsticks, which was released last May, an album that marks a distinct […]
Radical Face: The 13th Floor Interview
Radical Face is the nome de plume of Florida-based musician Ben Cooper. Having just completed his epic, 3-disc trilogy, The Family Tree, Radical Face has just released his latest EP, SunnMoonnEclippse. Now, for the very first time, Radical Face will perform in New Zealand, at Auckland’s Tuning Fork, on Saturday, June 3rd. The 13th Floor’s Marty […]
Hazel English: The 13th Floor Interview
Having moved from Australia to the US, Hazel English is due to release her first full-length album tomorrow. The new release is actually a combination of her first EP, Never Going Home, bundled with a set of new songs titled Just Give In. Hazel English’s music has been described as “sunkissed” while her lyrics deal […]
Slowdive: The 13th Floor Interview
After a brief, 22-year break, English shoegaze band Slowdive are back with a new album. Their self-titled fourth long-player was released this past Friday. The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda spoke to Slowdive guitarist Christian Savill just ahead of the release date to find out how the band is feeling about releasing new material after such […]
Booga Beazley – The 13th Floor Interview
Hard to believe it, but Head Like A Hole are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the release of their album, 13, with a nationwide tour. The band had split up in 2000, but reformed eight years later, releasing two albums since then, with a third on the way. The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda spoke to […]
John Steel of The Animals – The 13th Floor Interview
The Animals begin their two-date tour of New Zealand with a show in Christchurch tonight, followed by another at Auckland’s Tuning Fork tomorrow. This version of the band features original drummer John Steel and Mickey Gallagher, who replaced Alan Price on keyboards in 1965 and went on to be a member of Ian Dury & […]
Perfume Genius: The 13th Floor Interview 2017
Mike Hadreas, aka Perfume Genius, is just about to release his fourth album, titled, No Shape. Hadreas, who was in Auckland performing at The Kings Arms back in 2015, is a resident of Seattle, Washington although he and his partner Alan Wyffels have plans to move to LA, where No Shape was recorded.