HOT DONNAS TAKE YOU AROUND THEIR FAVOURITE LOCAL NZ HANGS
We spoke to the guys who were able to give us the run down on a few local spots in Dunedin that were never a bad decision for all the good foods, check out the must do’s below.
HOT DONNAS TOP DUNEDIN EATS
Well we know a few things for certain… Since making their debut in 2017 with the Greek Yoghurt album, Hot Donnas have been releasing music and touring consistently throughout NZ and even out to Australia in the three years since. Their energy on stage is unmatched and with their new music ready to go, the band is champing at the bit for their return to touring. The Dunedin four-piece have been creating music primed to get bodies moving, heads banging and brains hooked on their infectious melodies and fired up rock attitude. Having just released their latest single ‘Two Brains’ the guys are gearing up to drop their EP ‘The Adventures of E-WAN’ on Friday the 13th of November. The last thing we know is that they love food. We mean all of the food. Plus a sneaky bev or 10.
‘Two Brains’ is the sort of track that could exist in the same sonic landscape as early Arctic Monkeys as it could Queens of the Stone Age. A song about indecision, overthinking and figuring out which way is best to proceed, ‘Two Brains’ is three minutes, fifteen seconds of shredding guitars, thrashing percussion and strangely hypnotic vocals. The perfect dose of rock serotonin for any fan.
“I wrote the hook for ‘Two Brains’ in my head at the end of a big night of foolishness, when I found myself facing a decision of what to do next. The ultimate suggestion throughout the song being that whichever choice I make throughout my life, I will face the nagging pressure from both good and bad influences. And forever be lost bouncing between the consequences of my judgement.”
Jacob King, Hot Donnas
We spoke to the guys who were able to give us the run down on a few local spots in Dunedin that were never a bad decision for all the good foods, check out the must do’s below.
Mornington Tavern
This pub is the local watering hole for the Hot Donnas and a very quick 5 minute stumble from their flat. The taphouse is the perfect place to start your weekend with large pizzas and cheap pints.
Eureka Cafe & Bar
This bar is for when the Hot Donnas lads are feeling fancy. Eureka supplies an ever changing range of the best New Zealand craft beer and cider. Their food is also some of the best you can buy in Dunedin. If it’s a business meeting, it’s a Eureka meeting.
Cafe Tokyo
This Japanese takeaway is God's gift to the human race. Their crispy chicken rice balls are a thing of beauty. This team never disappoint and are a must-have whilst stopping into the city of Dunedin. Jacob has spent many hundreds of his hard earned dollars at this fine establishment, with not one regret.
North Dunedin Dominoes
You know what it is. It's cheap, it's nasty, but boy does it fill a gap on a sunday after you've spent your last penny in catacombs. hawaiian with a peri-peri swirl is one of the boys' go to choices. The wings here are a thing of beauty too.
Location classified
Last but certainly not least is our good mate and neighbours house. This is one of the greatest spots that Dunedin has to offer. Whether you're starting the party or kicking on at the crack of dawn, this is the place you want to be. DM the boys for the address!
FOLLOW HOT DONNAS
Website Facebook Instagram YouTube
RECORDING RITUALS WITH JACK DAVIES & THE BUSH CHOOKS
Jack Davies and the Bush Chooks gave us a run down on their usual ‘recording rituals and their creative process behind their funky folky tracks.
Jack Davies and the Bush Chooks gave us a run down on their usual ‘recording rituals and their creative process behind their funky folky tracks.
Our ritual for recording generally involves lots of snacking and jamming and pacing around. We’ll try to get there at around 11am (We’re not morning people). We never really plan for lunch and usually end up getting a burrito, which in the confined space that is a recording studio can be a bit of a challenge. Dinner then usually gets left till whenever we stumble home.
Some days, when we’re treating ourselves, we’d also do a coffee run in the morning, and a bottle-o run in the evening. Otherwise we’re stuck with instant coffee and whatever five dollar bottle of wine we can find hiding away in one of our backpacks. Also a kilo tub of hummus and turkish bread was a frequent sight, snacks in the afternoon functioned well as a sustainer of the good mood… Snacks aside, we started off early in the year by live tracking seven songs; mostly older songs but a few new ones too.
After lock down we came back and recorded a whole bunch of new songs and dropped some of the older tunes, I guess it was our way of moving forward when things changed, and it felt like the right thing. We didn’t keep all the new ones either though. But I would be keen to come back to all those songs at some point in time, when we have more resources I guess. Maybe in an album.
Anyway, back to recording… We never really had much of a warm up ritual, generally Elise would have a cuppa tea and play through the melodies a few times, George would have a beer and turn the amp up real loud, Chet would hang in the car park and I’d go find somewhere to yell. Sounds chaotic but actually it was really calm, usually it’s just one person recording at a time so the rest of the crew get to hang out and keep the good energy going.
CHECK OUT LATEST RELEASE ‘HALF FROZEN BEER’
SOUNDS FROM THE SOUTH: TYLER JENKE ON THE SOUTH AUSTRALIA MUSIC AWARDS 2020
The South Australian Music Awards (SAMs) are set to go ahead in November, celebrating another incredible year of both up-and-coming and established South Australian musicians. Amongst the judges of the SAMs, ex-Adelaide local and Editor of Rolling Stone Australia, Tyler Jenke has a personal conn…
The South Australian Music Awards (SAMs) are set to go ahead in November, celebrating another incredible year of both up-and-coming and established South Australian musicians.
The ceremony will be in line with COVID-19 restrictions, with the winners being announced on 3 November 2020.
In 2019, the SAMs made waves as they encountered a record-breaking number of votes in the lead up to the event.
Amongst the judges of the SAMs, ex-Adelaide local and Editor of Rolling Stone Australia, Tyler Jenke has a personal connection to the sounds which are emerging from South Australia.
“I’m originally from Adelaide, so I’ve always had that really close experience and relationship with South Australian musicians,” he said.
“I think from a personal point of view that’s the big thing that really appeals to me, it’s just giving back to the music scene that gave so much to me.”
Adelaide, a city which at times was overlooked on tour schedules by bigger artists, has been coined as the first and only UNESCO City of Music in Australia. Jenke found this to be a great step in the right direction for Adelaide musicians and fans.
“As an Adelaide music fan, you would always miss out a little bit,” he said. “To have this sort of distinction like a UNESCO City of Music I feel that would really help for putting Adelaide on the map as more of a music city… it’ll mean that a lot more bands and artists have much more of a platform to show their stuff and end up as huge Australian names in the future.”
Something which draws Jenke to the South Australian music scene is a sense of realness and vulnerability, with artists such as Wing Defence and Triple J Unearthed High Winners, Teenage Joans developing and distinguishing the South Australian sound. Jenke found the songwriting abilities of South Australian’s to be something which draws him to that scene.
“And that shines true in their storytelling – they don’t necessarily sort of want to better all the other states or anything like that, they’re just sort of blazing their own trail,” he said.
“It’s something to really be proud of, I feel.”
Artists such as TOWNS, Horror My Friend, and Stellie are amongst the nominees for this year's SAMs. Jenke has a feeling that the bar will be raised yet again at the SAMs.
“Every year it’s always such an amazing example of everything that artists have done off of their own back, there’s always so much creativity and innovation that comes out from these artists,” he said.
“So I think if anything I’m still just expecting more of the same - just expecting the next level to be reached once again as they do every year.”
In regards to COVID-19’s impact on the South Australian music scene, Jenke said 2020 will serve as a reminder of South Australia’s sheer determination to revive the scene.
“I really feel it’ll highlight the tenacity of the South Australian music scene and hopefully a lot of outside states will be looking over and saying, ‘Wow, Adelaide have really got it,’” he said.
“South Australian musicians really know how to survive under pressure.”
2020 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN MUSIC AWARDS
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020
Further details to come
The SAM Awards is looking ahead to the future in continuing their commitment to celebrating the thriving community of musicians that really make SA Great.
FOLLOW TYLER JENKE
ROLLING STONE TWITTER INSTAGRAM ALL THE OTHER COOL STUFF
FOLLOW THE SAMS
WEBSITE FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM YOUTUBE
FEATURE: EVIE CHATS TO BEC SYKES ON EDITHVALE AND GIVES US HER RUNDOWN ON THE SINGLE
Every so often you hear a song that completely transports you to somewhere else. It is engulfing, wholesome, and wounding all at the same time. It is that final puzzle piece that makes the end of a relationship make so much sense. It is a memory.
Every so often you hear a song that completely transports you to somewhere else. It is engulfing, wholesome, and wounding all at the same time. It is that final puzzle piece that makes the end of a relationship make so much sense. It is a memory.
Yet Bec Syke’s debut single, whilst seemingly relatable in so many ways, captures a time unique to the beholder. Through the simplistic beauty of stripped-back melodic vocals, Melbourne based singer-songwriter shares Edithvale, a story about the end to a relationship realised by the torching of a car.
“My ex-boyfriend [and I] used to drive down to Edithvale beach in summer,” Bec says. “My ex’s car got stolen and set on fire just after we broke up, so I was thinking about how much of our relationship took place in his car. The car being set on fire was like a symbol of our relationship going up in flames.”
Symbolic to its core, Bec explains the how writing process came to her organically.
“I wrote the song on my family’s upright piano and the chords, melody and first few lines poured out of me so naturally. It was quite cathartic to write.”
The sombre piano chords Bec describes initially set the tone for the song, but it is her opening vocals which induce multiple emotions, many of which I was not prepared for…
I want to be in love again. I don’t want to be friends
It is that line – honest and raw – which takes the listener on a journey told from the front seat of a car in a hot summer’s night. Whilst the song resonates with the pain of a relationship’s end, it doesn’t simply park in the heartbreak, instead it reflects the complex emotions of happier times.
Bec’s vocals are flawless, her storytelling abilities showcased as she draws her listener in to glimpse a memory with intimate closeness. This song doesn’t include all the flashy bells and whistles- nor does it need to, with vocals as mesmerising as hers.
Although a relative newcomer to the music biz, Bec’s talent scored her the chance to work in the studio with Tom Iansek (Big Scary and #1 Dads) which led to the creation of Edithvale. Recently presented with the Josh Pyke Partnership – a yearly grant whose previous winners include Angie McMahon and Gordi – it is safe to say this artist is making headway in the world of music. Bec Sykes is clearly a name to remember, and I cannot wait to hear what is next in store for her.
FOLLOW BEC SYKES
INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK TRIPLE J UNEARTHED SPOTIFY
