Sheryl Crow. For her 52nd birthday, here’s precisely the sort of Sheryl Crow song I wish more people knew. I saw a recent interview where she said she wanted to be remembered for music that mattered so with that in mind, have a close listen to Shine Over Babylon. From her excellent 2007 LP Detours,…
RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman – A Sad, Stunning Burt Bacharach Instrumental In Tribute
Philip Seymour Hoffman. Some people mock the tributes and grief seen on social media when celebrities die, as if we kid ourselves into thinking we’ll miss people we never knew in the first place. Maybe sometimes there’s a slither of truth in that, but it overlooks our ability to be profoundly inspired by figures we…
The Time I Requested A Song At A Sly & The Family Stone Concert
Sly Stone. Crazy dream stories are much like poetry on the radio: boring and usually vaguely awkward. But I’m going to take a punt and describe last night’s possibly edam cheese-inspired drama in the hope it’s semi interesting. I dreamt I was at a Sly & The Family Stone gig at a nonexistent 1000-seater venue…
The Lorde Headline You’re Not Reading – ‘Team’ Becomes The 3rd Biggest Kiwi Hit In America Ever
Yesterday’s twin Grammys for Lorde and co-writer / producer Joel Little make it one of the most significant days in New Zealand music history. Winning Best Pop Vocal Performance and the even more prestigious Song Of The Year, Lorde also got strong reviews for her live rendition of the song in question, Royals. With Royals…
Sophie Madeleine Covers The Bee Gees ‘You Win Again’ – Why This Is Complex, Unusual Pop Music
Sophie Madeleine. To celebrate Barry Gibb’s announcement of his first solo American concert dates, here’s a charming little cover of the Bee Gees 1987 UK #1 hit You Win Again. Performed by British singer Sophie Madeleine in 2011, it was part of her 30 Covers 30 Days project. On her YouTube site she explains: “Being…
Sunset In Bali – My 10 Favourite Photos
I’ve noticed lately that some people claim to be sick of endless social media sunset photos. Well here are some more! If you’re already thinking of where to go for your winter holiday later in the year, then maybe these Bali sunset photos I took in 2012 might sway you. I love Bali, particularly…
The Beauty Of New Zealand’s Waiheke Island – 15 Must-See Photos
What kind of person describes their own photos as must-see? Apologies for the blatant attempt to hook you in. Yesterday (Monday) was the first day back at work for many, so I thought I’d ease the pain by posting some photos of one of New Zealand’s most popular holiday destinations. I took these photos on…
RIP Phil Everly – A Forgotten 80s Top 10 Hit With Cliff Richard
Single sleeve, 1983. Phil Everly – one half of pioneering rock ‘n’ roll duo The Everly Brothers – has died aged 74. My appreciation of The Everly Brothers initially came through the incredible artists they directly influenced – everyone from the Beatles to the Beach Boys to Simon and Garfunkel to Bob Dylan to the…
The Real Barry Gibb Appears On The Barry Gibb Talk Show: The Symbolism Of It All + What He Was Wearing Around His Neck
Justin Timberlake (Robin Gibb), Barry Gibb & Jimmy Fallon (Barry Gibb). *SEE JANUARY 6TH UPDATE BELOW. Christmas has come early, the real Barry Gibb has just performed on the beloved Saturday Night Live skit The Barry Gibb Talk Show. And what was he wearing around his neck? The pounamu (greenstone) he was given in New…
Alicia Keys Concert Review Vector Arena, Auckland – Plus 2 Of Her Songs Bacharach Would Be Proud Of
Alicia Keys. I tweeted last night that five years ago Alicia Keys at Vector Arena rocketed into my all-time top 10 concerts and that there was no pressure on Alicia as a result. When she was nearly 30 minutes late taking the stage, rumours* started circulating that due to my tweet she was feeling overwhelmed…
What Makes Myanmar’s Inle Lake So Remarkable – Part 2 In My NZ Herald Series + 25 Favourite Photos
Cage-net fishing, Intrepid tour of Myanmar, Inle Lake. Part two of my New Zealand Herald series of articles on Burma / Myanmar was published this week, this one on what makes Inle Lake so remarkable. Located in central Burma, this is a place where everything is floating – floating villages, floating markets, floating…
Commodores Bassist Ronald LaPread’s Powerful Tribute To Nelson Mandela – 1 Of The Commodores Most Inspiring Songs
Nelson Mandela. Last night on The Two on Newstalk ZB we paid tribute to Nelson Mandela, taking calls from listeners for the entire three hours about what the great man meant to them. One of the callers was none other than former Commodores bassist Ronald LaPread. Having grown up in Alabama during the Civil Rights…
