Herbs to Tour with UB40

•24-June-2010 • 2 Comments

INNER CITY NELOS 12  JULY 1983

Herbs to Tour with UB40

By Simon Johnson

 

 

Herbs And UB40

Reggae band Herbs may tour with the English group UB4O later this year.

Herb’s manager Will Ilolahia says UB40 wants the Auckland-based band as its support group when ‘it tours Europe in November.

“But whether we can go hinges on finance,” says Will. “If we can get it organised,we’ll be off.” This year has been an exciting one for Herbs. Following hot on the heels of the UB40 request, is an Announcement from the Department of Foreign Affairs that Herbs has been chosen to represent New Zealand in the Asian Arts Festival.

Hong Kong is hosting this year’s festival in late October. Herb’s appearanee in Hong Kong will follow close behind their Pacific tour. The group is leaving for the Pacific on August 25 where it is scheduled to visit six Islands, ending with performances in Tahiti.

“We can’t wait to get up there,” says Ilolahia. “They think we’re all country musicians down here. They’ve only ever seen Brendan Dugan.”

Ilolahia believes the climax of the tour will be the band’s visit to Tahiti. Continue reading ‘Herbs to Tour with UB40’

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Genesis follow lead of Phil Collins

•24-June-2010 • Leave a Comment

THE STAR, Saturday, November 28 , 1981


Genesis follow lead of Phil Collins


Genesis : “ Abacab” ( vertigo).   Tony banks and Mike Rutherford are not stupid – or proud. If Phil Collins can be much more success ful than they are quick enough to capitalise on his success for Genesis.

If Genesis’s latest epic is not the son of  “In The Air Tonight” it’s at least the illegitimate offspring.   Those huge drum beats which  crashed out of Collins’s album echo in “Abacab,” although the irony is that it was the influence of ex-Genesis leader Peter Gabriel that got them on  to Collins’s record in the first place.

Instrumentation by the other two is kept to the minimum so as not to overshadow the vocals of Collins, while they even repeat his use of the Earth, Wind and Fire horns for “ No Replay At All” and his composition “Man On The Corner” could have been an “In The Air Tonight” track.

But the most important feature is that “ Abacab “ is much simpler than the normal overblown Genesis effort – again a Collins influence. They’ve actually tired to sound as if they are improvising too ( sample “Who Dunnit?”), something which will shock their fans who are used to the strict disipline of the old days.

They still write little Scenarios, which either iritate or spellbind depending on whether you are a dedicated enough fan (try “Me And Sarah Jane,” which goes on ad nauseum).

Genesis have managed to play safe. By repeating bits of Collins’s solo effort and at the same time put on abrave face of at  at least attempting to break the old ground rules.

That virtually equal amounts of “Abacab” fail and succed is due to what  seems to be at least an attempt to progress, throwing out various curves in the hope that a few are caught.   I can’t see it stopping the rot that set in a few albums back, but I at least salute their attempt in trying. Meanwhile when is the next Phil Colins solo coming out?

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Herbs headed straight up

•24-June-2010 • Leave a Comment

Wanganui Herald 1984

Time out Rock Music With Dave Rogerson

Herbs headed straight up

When “Pacific reggae” band Herbs formed late in 1980 after a musicians’ meeting  in a south Auckland classroom, they decided top plan for international recognition.


Time Out Rock Music with Dave Rogerson

Sure,  we’d heard it all before – there probably isn’t a band in New Zealand that hasn’t dreamed Of fame. But Herbs suceeded where many others failed.

Now, after four succes sive appearances at Sweetwaters, support gigs for Stevie Wonder,Black Slate and UB40 various singles, two albums, national tours ‘and two Pacihc itineraries (one including HongKong), the band can say it has achieved its aim.

And it shows no sign of quitting now. Herbs recently finished recording a third album “Long Ago”, at Auckland’s Mascot Studios, The album is for summer  release and the band is currently on a ” Long Ago NZ” national tour to publicise it.

Over the past couple of years, the band has had some line-up changes, but the founding duo of Dillworth Karaka (rhythm guitar, vocals) and fred Faleuauto (drums, vocals) is still there to provide continuity.

Other member  are Jack Allen (bass,Vocals), Tama Lunden (Keyboards, vokals) Carl Perkins (percussion , vocals), Willie Hona (lead guitar, vocals) and Morrie Watini (saxophone) Any song written and recorded by New Zealanders and released in this country between August 17, 1984, was eligible for nomination by record companies.

There were 26 nomination, which were for warded to all commercial radio stations, where local panels selected their top 10 songs.

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America’s bad boys are here

•24-June-2010 • 1 Comment

The Waikata Times 15-Dec-1988

America’s bad boys are here

Rebellious hits shot raunchy rockers to top

By STEVE SCOTT

Guns ‘N’ Roses, America’s  bad boys of  hard rock who will perform in Auckland  on Monday night, are a  bunch of rowdy, raunchy, gut-level  rockers who live  on the streets  of Hollywood and put their experience to music.

Members of the band Duff  “Rose”  McKagan,  Slash, W  Axl Rose, Steven  Adler and  Izzy  Stradlin admit  that tension is part of  their daily lifestyle.

From the confinement of dressing  rooms to the luxury of hotel rooms  “mood swings”  can happen  at any  time resulting in bottle of vodka being thrwon  from  wall to wall as tempers  explode.

Somehow, their  tension, which forces lead singer Axl to travel  separately to and from concerts to avoid  friction, spills over into their music. And  It’ s the  Gunners’  rebel lious  music that in  October,  shot them to the  top of the Billboards album and single chart.

The album Appetite For De struction was originally released in  July last year, along with their single Welcome To  The  Jungle,  but both  were  rejected  by   Continue reading ‘America’s bad boys are here’

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David Bowie Teeshirts

•24-June-2010 • Leave a Comment

The Cronicle  24th Novembr

David Bowie teeshirts


“Fashion turn to the left, fashion turn to the right” – and these teeshirts are sure to be the lates fashion with David Bowie fans. The shirts have been printed by the Levin firm, Classic Textile print Ltd. David Bowie opens the New Zealand part of his seriuos  Moonlight Tour Tonight at Atlethic Park in Wellington.

David Bowie teeshirt

Mr Les Jensen (holding the finished teeshirt) and Mr Les Thomson worked around the clock to finish the order of 5000 teeshirt in two days.

Made in Levin

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Special train for rock fans

•24-June-2010 • Leave a Comment

Taranaki Herald 22nd November

Special train for rock fans

When 250 David Bowie fans from the South Island arrive in Wellington for his concert on Thursday the train that brought them will wait in Picton to take them back

David Bowie TwoSheet Poster

for this is no ordinary train. It is the Otago Excursion Train – the only train in New Zealand that can be hired. Though hiring a train may seem a costly exercise, it is becoming increasingly popular clubs or large groups of people, according  to the Otago Excursion Train Trust.

It has carried Young  Farmers to their annual conference, Scouts to their jamboree, and now – for the first time – rock fans will be its passengers.  Seven years ago,it was impossible to hire a train in New Zealand. But train enthusiasts believed there was a market for private hire. So they got together to try e make their dream a reality.

It took three years of negotiation to get the unconventional idea of hiring a train “on the rails”, But it happened.  Since then the enthu siastic members of the Otago Excursion Train Trust have been working to renovate old carriages. Most of these were built about 1920 – Continue reading ‘Special train for rock fans’

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Rock Fans Hire Excursion Train

•24-June-2010 • Leave a Comment

THE ENSIGN 21st November

Rock Fans Hire Excursion Train

When 250 David Bowie fans the South Island arrive in Wellington for his concert on Thursday the train that brought them north will wait in Picton to take them back.


For this is no ordinary train it is the Otago Excursion Train, the only one in New Zealand that can be hired.Though hiring a train may seem a costly exercise,  it is becoming  increasingly  popular for clubs or large group of people, according  to the  Otago Excursion  Train Trust. it has carried  Young  farmers  to their  annual conference,  scout  to their  jamboree,  and now – for the firs time – rock fans will be its passengers.

Seven years  ago  it was impossible  to hire a train in  New Zealand.  But  train enthusiats  believed  there  was  a  market  for private hire. So they  got together  to try, to make  their dream a reality. It  took  three  years  of negotiation to get  the unconventional idea of hiring a train “on the rails.”  But it happened.

RENOVATION

Since then  the  enthusiastic  members  of  the  Otago Excursion Train  Trust  have  been working to  renovate  old  carriages. Most of  these  were  built  about  1920. Some are  as old as 1912. Many had been written off  as  too decrepit,  But after month of work,  and around $20.000 a carriage, each one of them was  gradually  given a new  lease of  life.

The trust has 11 carriages and a buffet  car,  and can carry 480 people in all. Its home is  the railway  station, Where it is hoped to  build  a  covered  workshop eventually. Now  the  trust  is  also building new carriages on old rail chassis. They are not as romantic as the old  carriages, but more comfortable.

The lates venture is building a carriage for disabled passengers.  This should be finished about Christmas, and will be the first railway carriage for the disabled in the country. it has utilised an old  chassis,  but is otherwise entirely designed and built by the trust.  Outside, steel  cladding is used for easy maintenance  insaide,  it will look rather  like a classy tour buss,  with upholestered  seats. There are large windows, lower than usual, for a wide view of the country side.

But  there  the resemblance to a tour coach ends.  Some of the seats can be removed to allow wheelchair  to  be used and anchored by a clamping device. If the disabled person prefers to transfer from Continue reading ‘Rock Fans Hire Excursion Train’

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