Howick lad recording in LA, story on East FM, Saturday from midday
NZ EXCLUSIVE: Justin Deveraux is an adventurous Kiwi working in the Los Angeles film industry, and releasing his music to the world for the first time – recording with big-name session musicians and producer, and we’re excited to be the first radio station in Aotearoa to play his tracks and talk with him live on tomorrow’s She’ll Be Right on Saturday’s Show with PJ Taylor, EARLIER time of midday to 4pm (NZ time, September 2) on East FM.
We’ll be chatting with Justin Deveraux at 1pm / 6pm in California, where he’ll be, to hear his journey to the release of his new single, Cotton Wool, out September 1. Then, for the first time on New Zealand radio, we’ll play Cotton Wool.
Recorded at Studio City Sound in LA by Grammy Award-winning producer Tom Weir, Cotton Wool was played by highly-credentialed – keyboardist Jeff Babko (Jimmy Kimmel Live), drummer Gregg Bissonette (Ringo Starr, David Lee Roth), guitarist Laurence Juber (Sir Paul McCartney’s Wings, Cleo Laine, Charles Aznavour), bassist Lance Morrison (Alanis Morissette), Luanne Homzy on violin, and even a tap-dancing percussionist Stevie Lekaszewski.
Justin Deveraux is from Howick, Auckland, and moved from NZ to California with his family over the past year, to, as he says, “follow dreams”. There are more singles coming soon and an album due for release in the new year.
I know Justin because he was an enthusiastic AUT journalist intern at East Auckland’s Times Media and Newspapers in 2012, when I was editor. He later moved into producing advertising content and working on film productions such as The Meg (2016), Ash vs Evil Dead, and Amazon Prime’s record-breaking budget and Emmy-award winning, Lord of the Rings (The Ring of Power, 2022).
The Covid era gave him time to “reassess and regret missed opportunities”, choosing to “jump-in and chase down” his goal of being a singer-songwriter. “What started off as a box to tick-off suddenly started to sound good,” says Deveraux.
“Cotton Wool is a song about a child losing their innocence and the struggles associated with knowing too much. When you’re young and innocent, hopefully you get a chance to grow up in a safe and ‘Disney-like world’.
“But when you grow up and lose your innocence, you can’t return to that bubble, even though you wish you could.
“The chorus lyric comes from the term ‘wrapping someone in cotton wool’, referring to that protection layer parents often create for their children, and by softening the blow with cotton wool.
“Cotton wool is a plea to return to your parents’ arms even as they grow old,” says Deveraux.
As well as putting the spotlight on Justin Deveraux, it’ll be a regular early-arvo She’ll Be Right set – concert news and tour of a few musical neighbourhoods.
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 we celebrate an exciting time for a Howick lad abroad – Justin Deveraux. – PJ
Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?
What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?
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36.3% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
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63.7% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
Scam Alert: Bank cold calls
ASB is warning customers about reports of cold calls from scammers claiming to be from ASB. These scammers are trying to obtain personal information, including usernames, dates of birth, and verification codes sent to your mobile phone.
🛡️ The "Caller Check" Test
If you get a call from someone claiming to be from ASB and you’re unsure, just ask them for a Caller Check. You will then be able to verify the call through the app.
Remember, banks will:
❌ Never ask for your banking passwords, PINs, or verification codes
❌ Never need to know your full credit card number – especially the CVC
❌ Never ask you to download software or remotely access your device
❌ Never ask you to purchase gift cards or transfer funds.
If you have received a phone call and think your account has been compromised, call ASB on 0800 ASB FRAUD (0800 272 372), or visit your local branch.
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
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