New music, again, innit, East FM, Saturday from high noon...

Phil from Farm Cove

New music by outstanding Kiwi singer-songwriters Rob Joass, Claudia Robin Gunn, and Dan Sharp feature on tomorrow’s She’ll Be Right on Saturdays Show with PJ Taylor, midday to 4pm (NZ time) on East FM.

As well as putting in the spotlight their latest recorded compositions, we’ll be talking live with Rob Joass at 1pm, Claudia Robin Gunn in-studio at 2pm, and Dan Sharp at 3pm, while spinning new tracks by recent featured artists Merv Pinny and Flaxxies respectively, and there’ll be news of the Greg Johnson tour in March, the Auckland Folk Festival, and local summer concerts including Groove in the Grapes, and Music in Parks.

Rob Joass is one of SBR’s favourite artists and songwriters, having played his tracks by Hobnail and solo releases down the years, and it’s an exciting time for him with a new single out, Faultlines, and albums on the way.

His press department says: ‘In 2018, Rob wasn’t sure he’d ever write another song. Independent and self-managed, he’d released and toured solo album Pencarrow, as well as a 25th anniversary Best Of album and tour with Hobnail, in the space of six months.
‘That on top of a busy career as a guitar teacher, and being father to two teenage boys, Rob ended the year burnt out.
‘The next step was to take a good long break. Covid, then, almost uniquely for a musician, didn’t make much difference. It did provide some peace and quiet while he pondered what to do next.
‘In 2020, Rob decided to do some mentoring sessions with long-time friend and fellow traveller Charlotte Yates. These served to remind Rob that he needed to get back in touch with why he picked up a guitar to write songs in the first place: For the simple joy of creating something. Forget about the business side of things and just create.
‘Coming soon will be the album that has resulted, and he’s ready to release the first single into the wild. Faultlines was produced by legendary Auckland producer and musician Wayne Bell (also contributing drums and keyboards), while Mark Hughes added bass guitar.
‘Whatever you bring, leave only your footprints’ was a sign Rob saw at a beach that stayed with him as an excellent metaphor.
‘We all make a mess sometimes, but the important thing is to clean up after yourself.
‘Faultlines ponders the fragility of our lives while simultaneously exclaiming “I’m not losing sleep over what hasn’t happened yet”.

Claudia Robin Gunn is one of the nation’s beloved children’s music creators and a much-admired Howick performance artist and community contributor.
Her new album Firefly is a sweet and smart collection of kids’ songs highlighting values such as courage, perseverance, optimism, teamwork and self-belief, she says.
“Take some powerful messages you want your kids to grow up with, shake them in the musical blender with a bunch of sweet and spicy ingredients, and make them into songs about things that go together like dancing lettuces and best friend superheroes battling the school bullies. Fun, thoughtful, memorable, hummable.
“Fireflies have evolved to create their own biological light sources using a chemical reaction involving luciferase, oxygen, and ATP. Take that as a metaphor to signify the inner glow in every child, powered by love and belief in themselves, and you have the essence of this children's music album, Firefly.”

Firefly was crafted across the seas in a studio collaboration with producer and featured artist, Grammy Award winner Dean Jones.
“We began in late 2021 with a single Little by Little and then progressed, much like the song suggests, inch by inch until we had this album done. My lead vocals and harmonies, plus demo guitars, were tracked here in New Zealand at the Little Wild Music Studio, while all instrumentation and arrangements were engineered and produced by Dean at No Parking Studios in New York,” Claudia says.
“Alan Douches at West West Side took the mastering honours for both the digital release and upcoming vinyl run. Jason Sarubbi features on bass for Hope is a Verb, and Jessica and Tony Jones contribute sax for Winning.
“I'm delighted to also have worked with two artists I respect and appreciate, Suzi Shelton and Little Miss Ann, sharing lead vocals on the song Colours. Suzi and Ann both recorded their vocals from their bases, respectively in Chicago and Brooklyn. I designed the album covers.”

NZ On Air supported the creation of Firefly through the New Music Kids programme. Firefly is available on limited edition vinyl, printed at Holiday Records in Auckland. Flying Out will be stocking it. Firefly is also available on download at www.claudiarobingunn.com... and streaming everywhere.

Armed with his guitar, an inimitable knack for writing unifying songs, and captivating crowds from festival stages to small clubs, Dan Sharp is skilled in the art of creating thoughtful, considered music with an impact that leaves audiences wanting more.
“I always aspire to be authentic in the pursuit of something beautiful. That can mean being vulnerable at times, but if it’s not real, then it’s not worth it,” says Sharp.

Blackout Music says following the release of two EPs and numerous singles in recent years, resulting in more than a million streams on Spotify alone, Sharp is gearing up towards the next stage of his career, with debut album Between the Brave, Bold and Given Up, set to arrive in early 2024.

From early years as a solo singer-songwriter, Dan Sharp has spent years honing his skills to evolve into an accomplished, dedicated musician and producer who approaches the craft with integrity and authenticity.
Self-funded and self-produced, Dan drew together a band of accomplished musicians to play on his new project: Stan Bicknell on drums, Brad Craig on bass, Will Henderson on keys, and Johnny Mclean on horns and percussion.

“The song felt important to me as it touched on something real. The cyclical nature of damage and misunderstanding that is unresolved, passed down through generations and permeating outwards. I thought of some of the men I knew and something clicked. It’s everywhere. We carry our wounds in the way we talk and walk. Overlay our societies’ stoic approach to masculinity, and we’re where we are in terms of suffering mental health and the tragic implications that has.”

East FM is East Auckland’s fair-dinkum community-powered public service radio station, on 88.1FM and 107.1FM on local frequencies, nationally and globally at www.eastfm.nz... and on app iHeart Radio.
She’ll Be Right - it’s all about the vibe; it’s all about the groove. And this Saturday, it’s all about the new. – PJ