Mysterious band associated with Powertool Records.
Discography (picks in bold)
- Numbers And Mubles [2003 Pf00679]
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Mysterious band associated with Powertool Records.
Discography (picks in bold)
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The Shrugs originally got together as the Hamilton trio of Richie Ranum, Neil Ramsey and Geoff Doube in 2000, after several line-up changes (cHris Metcalfe came and went after replacing Ranum, and Ramsey’s replacement Rob Smith eventually gave way to Natalie McKelvey) the line-up finally settled on central figure Geoff Doube (Guitar / Vocals), Gordon Bassett (Bass) and Natalie Mckelvey (Drums).
A simple, no-frills approach to power-pop rock, the trio have recorded a series of low-key releases in quick succession on their own Waysafe inprint and recently signed to Auckland label Powertool Records for A Slight Hitch – their 2nd full-length. They followed this up with the release of 3rd album An Awkward Silence, with new drummer (ex-Trucker) Paul Tregilgas.
Discography (picks in bold)
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A Christchurch institution of absent idols (only John Christoffels still resides in the garden city from the classic line-up), dating back to 1993 but seldom surfacing more than a single gig every couple of years. The group was original formed by Duane Zarakov, Mick Elborado and Brother Love – with Zarakov’s sister Violet up-front in her first band, and Christoffels on bass.
A series of guitarists and organists came and went over a productive period during the mid 1990’s, with the group recording 3 albums and cutting a number of releases on vinyl for both American (18 Wheeler, Carburetor) and New Zealand (Kato, Homebacon, Stink Magnetic) labels.
The debut ‘Beatle!’ got stuck unreleased for a period as the label behind the release (18 Wheeler) went on an unexpected hiatus.
The group managed to tour the United States with a make-shift line-up comprising the core trio of Violet Faigan, Duane Zarakov and Brother Love, with Doug Pearson and John Allen joining the line-up – without Violet they became the Brother Love band.
The group enjoyed some visibility with their songs included on the New Zealand feature film ‘Snakeskin’, which coincided with the release of their 1999 CD ‘No Kissing In Public’. The single ‘Too Much Action’ was given a video and his probably their most well-known song. The album was reissued by Powertool Records in 2014.
Violet Faigan moved to Auckland, so for a period the group was comprised of Faigan, Zarakov and the Constant Pain duo of Roddy Pain and Cameron Bain, though further line-up changes continued up their too (Sean O’Reilly on bass and occasionally Brother Love would venture North from his new home of Wellington to complete the line-up).
Chris (vox, gtr, theremin) / Charlotte (electric vn, org) / Thomas (vox, electric vn, org) / Caleb (drums). Wellington-based 3-piece 60s / Dunedin-Sound influenced pop group. With 2 albums on Powertool records.
Discography (picks in bold)
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Forming in 2004 the Wellington-based trio of Will Rattray (Guitar and Vocals), Danny Brady (Bass, Synth) and Peter Copeland (Electronic Drums) started out as an slack-vocaled Surf-Rock group, however their sound has changed quite a lot over the years.
After releasing their popular ‘Your Telepathy’ EP back in 2005, and album ‘Teleport Palace’ in 2008, the group spent some time in Berlin, lost long-time drummer Copeland, and turned more and more electronic. The group have recorded with Bevan Smith and Dale Cotton, and have been associated with A Low Hum, Powertool Records and Frase Austin’s Crystal Magic label.
Discography (picks in bold)
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The most recognized of Bill Direen’s many underground projects, The Builders recordings are as varied as they are numerous, and litter his discography (often with infuriating spelling variations – The Bilders, Bildirene, Die Bilder etc).
Check Direen’s Main Entry for more detail.
Fuzzy guitar rock out of Auckland formed in 2003 after the demise of Mallet and Emery’s former band Dozer.
Fuzzy, bluesy Rock’n’Roll from Martin Henderson, aka Brother Love. Henderson has lent his name to a number of groups (‘The Homebacon Gang’, ‘The Second Hand Emotions’, The Free Association’, His Dark Horses’, ‘His Far Out Space Nuts’ etc), featuring an array of similarly minded musicians (Mick Elborado, John ‘Segovia’ Markie, John Christoffels etc) and in a line-up that often parallels the group Space Dust – which Henderson is a long-time member of.
initially started as a method for releasing the recordings of joed out and feyodor (joed out’s ben barritt), and run by band-memberandrew maitai, the label took a step towards becoming a fully fledged independent in mid 2003 with the bands 2nd ep, which was mixed and mastered by finish producer (and soon to be powertools artist) mikeal h., and the release of popular compilation here come the bulletholes.
these releases, plus the kaleidoscope world series of live performances hastily converted into recorded compilations, saw the labels profile rise dramatically. in 2004 the label increased its roster with releases from hamilton weirdo ed gains, the ever-popular rob scott, the shrugs 2004 release and the debut of daisy chain halo.
compilation discography
picks in bold
contact details
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The popular 4-piece of Glen Ross (guitar/vocals), Karen McLean (bass/guitar/vocals), Ants Anema (drums/vocals) and Donald Ferns (guitar/bass/vocals) have been making what they describe as a mix of ‘The Clean, The 3Ds and Bailter Space and the DIY punk ethic of the early days of Flying Nun Records to spew forth their own greasy amalgam of guitar noise, catchy melody, and distinctive weirdness’, and their excellent performances so far certainly point in that direction.
They self released a CDr EP, before an album proper in 2004, and have been associated with Aucklands’Â Powertool Records label (though their releases have come out on their own ‘Madfishwish’ imprint). The group took what may be a permanent break some time around 2009.