Schtung, Awards, Enz Hassles, Heartbreakers, 1860 Band etc.

Rip It Up, Issue 5, 1 October 1977, Page 3

Schtung, Awards, Enz Hassles, Heartbreakers, 1860 Band etc.

One of the most acclaimed rock acts during the recent week-long Festival of the Arts was Wellington band Schtung! . . . they like an exclamation mark and oomlaut, but oomlauts don't come easy in this part of the world. Schtung! is a six piece band with high hopes and an almost frightening amount of initiative. They have designed, printed and distributed Schtung! posters and have bought advertising inside city council

buses. Last month, Schtung! took lo the studio and put down tracks for their debut album on Phonogram it’ll be simply called Schtung! and it'll contain totally original material.

Andy Hagen and Morton Wilson write all the Schtung! schtuff Andy plays guitar and keyboards and shares lead voca's with co-keyboardist Paul Jeffery. Morton plays guitar, Geoff Bowater plays flute and sax; Robby Sinclair, bass; and Geoff Bowdler on drums. The Schtung! album is due for release late this month or early in November it’ll be resplendent in a real Schtung! schtyle cover designed by graphic bassist, Robby. In the absence of Rata Awards this year, it was encouraging to see the New Zealand Students Arts Council incorporating a Rock Composers competition in the Festival of the Arts. Auckland musician Dave Calder won the SSOO first prize for his song "Conversation Over to You". The Australasian Performing Rights Association put up the Prize money it's in lieu of the Apra Silver Scroll which is normally associated with the Rata Awards. Apra has a big interest in the future of New Zealand music, and honour this commitment with monetary incentives. All too rare, Ray Columbus and Radio Windy D.J. Ted Seymour judged the entries and were impressed by the high standard. The Rock Composers Award was presented at a small ceremony at the Travelodge on 9th September. Tim Finn assumed the role of presenter with ease.

Dave Calder is currently in the States, where he'll stay till the new year. Before his departure, he completed the soundtrack to the movie "Sleeping Dogs". And Friday 9th September was a bad day for Split Enz. Their truck was held up at Picton, and missed not one, but two ferries. Consequently their gear didn't reach the Opera House till 7.50 pm, and the show finally started a little after 10pm. The amazing Angelo had to be dropped from the bill

he wouldn't have stood a snowballs show at that late stage. Split Enz showed their true colours with a brilliant performance, and the audience finally let the Enz leave the stage at 5 minutes to midnight. Wellington's Heartbreakers (as opposed to Tom Petty's) are also on the verge of recording an album. Guitar playing/singing/songwriting Simon Morris is optimistic about the future for the Heartbreakers they have written a lot of

new songs over the I at t few months and have over a dozen to c.iose from for the album. The Heartbreakeis have earned a reputation for being a rerr.ake band, especially since their "Romeo and Juliet" single. They'd like to lose the image but acknowledge the need for a hit. Until last year when the Heartbreakers got their residency at the Cricketers Arms, they spent a lot of time trudging up and

down the country playing the pubs. It s soul destroying and pretty tiring. Simon says "There are a handful of clubs to play now, but they're just pubs that stay open till 3." This all points to the inevitable overseas. The Heartbreakers will stay at the Cricketers until the album is completed, then they'll stay around to promote it.

The 1860 Band and the Golden Horn Big Band have just returned from a 10 day trip to Sydney where they encountered streaming sun, great press and played seven exhilarating, ego-boosting, encouraging shows.

I spoke to Peter Blake keyboardist with both bands, and he told me that, although they were all a little apprehensive before they left, once there they realised that they were as good as any Aussie band. The Golden Horn Big Band filmed the “Theme from Rocky" before they left and it was shown on network tv the week before they got there. The day of their arrival in Sydney, they played an open-air lunchtime show in Martin Place a big shopping mall with a sound shell. It was sweltering, and they played to a crowd of 5000. That night they played at the Basement, Sydney’s biggest jazz club ... it was jam-

packed and about half the audience were either New Zealanders or bands, including Supercharge. They received standing ovations and encores, and every solo was cheered. The whole night was recorded, and there’s a possibility that the tapes will be released as a double live album of the 1860 Band and the Golden Horn Big Band. The bands also played the Sydney Musicians Club and Selinas, which is a disco, but since the bands play some disco material like “Salsoul Hustle" and “Rocky”, they went down really well. Peter said that he was approached at The Basement by two guys after their first concert, and asked where the bands were from. When Peter told them that they were New Zealanders, the reply was "Oh no, not again" .. . the New Zealand musical influence is so strong there now with bands like Mother Goose, Dragon and Airlord following on the success of Split Enz. Lynne Atwood