Marianne Dissard – Lucha Lounge, 16 April 2011
French-born, but now living in Tuscon, Arizona, Marianne Dissard has been a frequent visitor to New Zealand. Her latest tour took her to Dunedin, Napier and even Lyttelton, where she put on a couple of benefit shows.
Funky Meters Rock The Powerstation, 15 April 2017
The Funky Meters, featuring Art Neville (keyboards) and George Porter (bass), two original Meters, played a set at Auckland’s Powerstation on Friday, April 15th. As would be expected, the band’s set consisted of New Orleans-style instrumental classics like Fire In The Bayou and Hey Pocky A-Way. In addition to Neville and Porter, the group consists […]
Down On The Farm with Holly Golightly
London-born Holly Golightly now resides on a farm in the southern U.S. state of Georgia. You may remember Holly from her recordings with The White Stripes and The Greenhornes. Along with various horses, chickens and assorted farm animals, she lives with her musical partner Lawyer Dave. Together they make music as Holly Golightly and […]
Eli’s Coming: On The Road With Eli “Paperboy” Reed
American soul singer Eli “Paperboy” Reed is due to make his New Zealand debut later in April with two shows, one in Auckland and one in Wellington. The 13th Floor spoke to Eli just as he wrapped up his most recent tour of The States and got him to discuss a few of his […]
Dodos Interview
The indie-rock band Dodos is back to being a duo after vibraphonist Keaton Snyder left during the making of their new album No Color. The 13th Floor spoke with head Dodo Meric Long about the split and how Neko Case came to contribute backing vocals on half the album. Click here to listen to […]
Justin Townes Earle, Powerstation, 26 March 2011
Justin Townes Earle has a reputation…as a hard-drinking, drug-taking troublemaker (he spent a short time in jail last year) and as an incisive, heartfelt songwriter with an instinctive feel for American folk, blues and country music (his opening slot at last year’s Wilco concert at the Civic left many folks impressed). Of course the same […]
Elbow Interview
Manchester quintet Elbow have just released the follow-up to their 2008 Mercury Prize winning album, The Seldom Seen Kid. The new album is called Build A Rocket Boys! and it’s their best one yet. The 13th Floor spoke to drummer Richard Jupp about the making of this extraordinary album just as their first-ever arena […]
Santana Concert Review – Vector Arena 20 March 2011
I first saw Santana in 1974. They played at a huge outdoor stadium in upstate New York. It was the middle of summer and it was a blistering hot day. So I, along with 80,000 other fans, revelled in Carlos Santana’s exquisite guitar licks as they floated through the muggy air and over the simmering […]
From Punk To Folk: Introducing Tim Barry
Richmond, Virginia native Tim Barry fronted the hard core punk band Avail since 1990. Over the past 5 years, Tim has concentrated on a solo career that finds him brandishing an acoustic guitar. He still sings with the passion and urgency of punk, but his musical palette has expanded. The 13th Floor spoke to […]
A Chat With Gomez’s Ben Ottewell
Ben Ottewell is one of three singer-songwriters in Gomez (he’s the guy with the raspy voice). Ben has just released his first solo album entitled Shapes & Shadows. The 13th Floor spoke to Ben recently about the making of Shapes & Shadows and got some news about a new Gomez album in the process. […]
Leon Russell Interview
Leon Russell has been making music for almost 50 years, first as one of the premiere LA session players, then as a singer/songwriter and performer. His piano playing can be heard on classic hits by The Byrds and The Beach Boys while his live performances in the early 70s electrified audiences. He has also written […]
Meet Ruthie Foster: 13th Floor Interview
Texas-born blues singer Ruthie Foster will be performing in New Zealand in April as part of the Grass Roots Festival.
Roxy Music Live: Villa Maria Estate Winery Mar. 6, 2011
While the idea of having Roxy Music perform outdoors in the middle of one of New Zealand’s premiere wineries might seem like a good idea on paper, the reality was a bit different. Fortunately the torrential rain that fell during most of the weekend in Auckland let up on Sunday afternoon and the sun actually […]
Aaron Neville Interview
Aaron Neville has one of the most beautiful voices in popular music. He has been recording either as a solo artist or a member of The Neville Brothers for over 50 years. In preparation for his appearances in New Zealand with The Blind Boys Of Alabama and Mavis Staples, Aaron spoke to The 13th […]
Michelle Shocked Interview
During the 1980s Michelle Shocked established herself as one of music’s loudest political voices. Along with British counterpart Billy Bragg she fused traditional folk with punk attitude. In true punk tradition, her first album, The Texas Campfire Tapes was recorded and released almost by accident in 1986. Now, Michelle is touring New Zealand in […]
Derek Trucks Interview
In addition to being a member of The Allman Brothers Band, slide guitarist Derek Trucks has been touring with his own band for a number of years. Last year he teamed up with his wife, singer Susan Tedeschi, and recorded a new album that will see its release in the next few months. Derek […]
Liam Finn & The Come Agains at Tabac
Liam Finn made his public debut with his new band The Come Agains, Wednesday night at Tabac. In addition to Liam on guitar and vocals, the band consists of Joel Mulholland, Jeremy Toy and brother Elroy Finn. Liam and his new band are playing two very intimate gigs at Tabac before they set off to […]
Doobie Brothers Interview
With a new album out (World Gone Crazy) and a show coming up at the end of March in Auckland, it seems like a good time to talk to The Doobie Brothers. The 13th Floor spoke to singer/guitarist Pat Simmons about making a new album with an old friend, and how they keep that […]
Neil Diamond – Auckland’s Vector Arena 26 February 2011
After a week of live music from Queens Of The Stone Age, Tricky, Amanda Palmer, Gang Of Four and Don McLean, Neil Diamond may not be the hippest ticket in town, but it certainly featured the most hits. I went along to see Diamond (for the first time) expecting to know just about every song […]
Don McLean – Aotea Centre, 24 February 2011
It’s rather incredible to think that it’s been 40 years since Don McLean’s American Pie was released on the public, instantly becoming one of the iconic songs of the 1970s and coining the phrase, “the day the music died”. I first saw McLean play live in 1976 when I was at University. He was an […]