Watch Ciaran McMeekan’s 13th Floor Video Session
As promised earlier, here is Ciaran McMeekan’s complete 13th Floor Video Session. In addition to playing a tune from his latest EP, Screaming Man, Ciaran introduces two brand new songs and talks to Marty Duda about moving from Dunedin to Auckland. Save
French Toast & Kurt Vile (Interview)
It’s a beautiful, sunny autumn day in New York City as I make my way along Broadway in Brooklyn. I have an appointment to meet with Kurt Vile at a café in the trendy area of South Williamsburg to discuss his new album, B’lieve I’m Goin’ Down, which was just released a week or two […]
Ed Sheeran – Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland, 12/12/2015
Ed Sheeran, perhaps to make up for the fact that his show comprised only one musician, packed the undercard at his tour-ending show at Auckland’s Mount Smart Stadium last night. Or perhaps, given that this would be the last performance in, as he repeatedly reminded us, a four-and-a-half-year tour, he was minded to depart with […]
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – St James Theatre 12 December 2015
Ruban Nielson and his bandmates took their fans on a fanciful musical journey that took quite a few unexpected detours as Unknown Mortal Orchestra played to a sold-out crowd at Auckland’s St James Theatre. There was a good energy in the old St James tonight, perhaps left over from the previous evening’s Save The St […]
Mono – Kings Arms December 10, 2015
The music did the talking last night at the Kings Arms as Mono played a blinding set proving that you don’t need a vocalist to tell a story when it comes to music. Before the Japanese quartet took the stage, a couple of Auckland’s finest got things started. Unfortunately I missed Greenfog’s set, but arrived […]
Ratatat – The Studio December 10, 2015
Ratatat – onomatopoeic moniker for a duo of rock-tronica musicians from Brooklyn NYC – is in my view an apt emblem for their beat-powered brand of instrumental neo-prog-experimental-rock. Ratatat started from humble beginnings, two guys – Evan Mast and Mike Stroud – started making music in their Brooklyn apartment just after the turn of the […]
Watch Will Wood’s 13th Floor Video Session
Fresh from a four and a half month tour of Europe, Will Wood stopped by The 13th Floor to talk about his adventures overseas and his upcoming show at Auckland’s Wine Cellar. The show…”Gunslinger’s Ball Presents…Last Minute Christmas…will find Will sharing the stage with Hopetoun Brown, Reb Fountain, Dave Khan, Tom Cunliffe and others for […]
Macy Gray: All She Wants For Christmas (Interview)
A couple of months before she’s due to perform in New Zealand as part of the Raggamuffin Festival, Macy Gray has created a bit of controversy by recording, of all things, a Christmas single. The song, an original composition titled All I Want For Christmas, addresses current political and social issues such as the US […]
Watch Parabola West at The 13th Floor
Parabola West moved to New Zealand from her native New Jersey a little more than a decade ago. Now she’s living off the grid in Raglan, gardening and making music. She traveled up to Auckland recently to visit the 13th Floor and play a few songs. We’ll have the complete video session ready soon. In […]
Watch Ash Grunwald’s 13th Floor Video Session
Australian blues rocker Ash Grunwald just completed his latest tour of New Zealand. While he was here he stopped into The 13th Floor to chat with Marty Duda and lay down a few tracks including a couple of old favourites by Howlin’ Wolf and Son House. Watch here as Ash Grunwald rocks the house Save
Check Out These Concert Photos of Gin Wigmore & Tami Neilson
Gig Wigmore performed last night at the Auckland Town Hall, ably supported by Tami Neilson. 13th Floor photographer David Watson was on the scene and captured these shots. Click on any image to view a photo gallery by David Watson:
Lucinda Williams – Vector Arena December 4, 2015
With a new album in the can, and a back catalogue of songs that is second to none, Lucinda Williams performed a stunning set at a pared-down version of the Vector Arena, leaving fans beaming. I’ve seen Lucinda Williams a number of times over the past twenty years and her shows always seem to […]
In Defence – Whammy! (Concert Review)
Walking down Krd on a Thursday night is like walking through the worst of the 90s, bad clothes, bad facial hair and push bikes everywhere, I finally get to the blissful dank of Whammy bar. It’s pretty empty, as to be expected with a Thursday in Auckland, but disappointing all the same. By nine there’s […]
Thurston Moore – Tuning Fork December 3, 2015
In 2005, Rolling Stone rated Thurston Moore the 34th greatest guitarist of all time. The man’s musical CV ranges from Sonic Youth to, occasionally, REM. He’s clearly a very talented and highly accomplished musician. All of which simply makes the unremitting dreadfulness of last night’s show at Auckland’s Tuning Fork all the harder to bear. […]
Father John Misty – St James Theatre December 3, 2015
When Josh Tillman last performed in Auckland, he was keeping the beat for Fleet Foxes at the Town Hall. But that was almost four years ago. Since then, he has come out from behind the drum kit and taken on the alter-ego of Father John Misty, a complex songwriter and an explosive performer. Those […]
Watch Ciaran McMeeken Perform ‘City’ at The 13th Floor
Ciaran McMeekan is a Kiwi singer-songwriter who has recently moved from Dunedin to Auckland. His most recent EP is titled Screaming Man and he his performing at The Kings Arms this Thursday, December 3rd. Ciaran stopped by The 13th Floor to play a few songs and talk to Marty Duda. We’ll have the entire session […]
JD McPherson: Weird Stuff Is Going To Happen (Interview)
Hailing from the rural town of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, JD McPherson is fast-becoming one of the most exciting artists on the roots-rock scene. Citing influences from Little Richard to Led Zeppelin to the Wu-Tang Clan, McPherson has been tearing up the US with his latest tour in support of his second album, Let The Good […]
Muzai Annual – Whammy! & Wine Cellar November 28, 2015
Auckland-based indie label Muzai Records took over Whammy! and The Wine Cellar this Saturday night. Bands like Climate Change, God Bows To Math and Girls Pissing On Girls Pissing alternated between the two venues beginning at about 9pm and stretching into the wee hours. The All Seeing Hand made a particularly glorious racket in the […]
Ash Grunwald – Back Beat Bar (Concert Review)
When you’re a blues singer you pretty much have two options when you start a song, either, “woke up this mornin’” or, “well, well, well”. Australian blues man Ash Grunwald opted for the latter as he began his set at Auckland’s Back Beat Bar. The attending crowd was small, but they were treated to a […]
Watch Ash Grunwald Perform How Many More Years at The 13th Floor
Australian blues-rocker Ash Grunwald kicks off his New Zealand tour tonight at Auckland’s Back Beat Bar. Ash stopped by The 13th Floor earlier today to chat with Marty Duda and to play a few tunes. We’ll have the entire video session ready for you soon. In the meantime, here is Ash Grunwald playing Howlin’ Wolf’s […]