Music 101 for Saturday 9 March 2024

 

1.20  Teddy Swims on heartbreak: ‘My pain was necessary’ 

American soul singer Teddy Swims may have blown up on the charts, but he knows New Zealand loved him first. 

His breakout song ‘Losing Control’ was the number 1 radio song here for 11 weeks running and reached the top ten across Europe including the US and UK, taking with it his debut album I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1)

It’s a bittersweet success of an album written while his relationship was breaking down, Swims tells Charlotte Ryan.

“It wasn't until after the album came out, and all these things started coming to fruition, I quickly realised that, oh, my gosh, I started hearing my album from a whole new standpoint.

“Like somehow my heart knew this the whole time and it was trying to tell me this and I wasn't listening to myself, even though I was writing songs about what I needed to do.

“It’s quite strange how life, or art, can just really give you so much therapy in life and how your consciousness can speak openly through music and can really heal you in a lot of ways. And this album continues to heal me.”

Although a painful episode in his life, Swims says it was something he had to go through.

“I think my pain was necessary, you know, and it wasn't in vain at all. And so, I'm very grateful for everything that has happened in my life.”

Performing the songs live is cathartic, he tells Music 101.

“It's kind of painful to sing some of that stuff sometimes but I think in the best way. I always say it's a good day to cry, you know, and it's a good day to just let it out and just get it all out and, remind yourself of where you come from and what happened and keep yourself just accepting of that at all times.”

He’s always been a heart-on-sleeve person, he says.

“I was an emotional little boy. You know, a cry baby, for sure.

“I'm still the same emotional toddler I was when I was probably four years old. But I grateful to be sensitive man. I was lucky to have people in my life that let me be sensitive.

“And let me love, nothing's ever changed in my heart, I mean, what I say.”

Without the power of social media, he wouldn’t be where he is today, he says.

“I know a lot of people will be like, I'm an artist, not an entertainer and I think it's very important to be both in this climate, because you get to control the narrative and people get to decide. It was one point, with music especially, that the only people that were getting seen or heard were the people that were getting seen or heard. 

“And now everybody's got this open opportunity, this shot, and this chance.”

 Being directly accessible to his fans, and being so honest about his life, makes him relatable, he says.

 “I'm an insecure person and I get to wear all those insecurities and I don't have to be perfect - and it's great.”

Teddy Swims NZ tour dates
Thu 4 Jul 2024, Christchurch Town Hall
Sat 6 Jul 2024 Spark Arena, Auckland
Sun 7 Jul 2024, Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington

 

2.00 The state of today’s dance scene with pioneer Jeff Mills

From his cult radio show as The Wizard in the 1980s to forming the techno collective Underground Resistance, then Axis Records, many call Jeff Mills a dance music legend.

He’s performing at the Auckland Town Hall with his improv group Tomorrow Comes The Harvest, creating brand new sounds on the night with veteran keyboardist Jean-Phi Dary and tabla virtuoso Prabhu Edouard.

Jeff Mills speaks to Charlotte Ryan from his home in Paris about how his new show works, and the state of today's dance music scene.

Jeff Mills performs at the Auckland Town Hall on Wed 13th March in the Great Hall.
 

 

 

2.40  Polynesian metal band Shepherds Reign has everyone talking

When Shepherds Reign, a five piece band from South Auckland, were nominated for the prestigious Taite Music Prize this week their Pacific metal music was broadcast on Breakfast television and radio stations across the nation.  

Often side-lined in the mainstream, the New Zealand metal scene is thriving, and about to converge at Spark Arena for DISTURBED, where Shepherds Reign will play support.

Oliver Leupolu (guitar/production) and Filiva’a James (vocals and keytar) join Charlotte Ryan in the RNZ studio. 

If you’re not heading to DISTURBED, you can catch Shepherds Reign at Wellington's CubaDupa festival Saturday, March 23rd.

 

3:20 Bug Week's Airini Beautrais on the soundtrack to her new book

In the background of Airini Beautrais' new collection of essays A Beautiful Afternoon a soundtrack of Destiny's Child, Kanye West, Radiohead and Beck’s Loser is playing.  

Airini won an Ockham award for her collection of short stories Bug Week. She speaks to Charlotte Ryan about the music that inspired her writing from her home in Whanganui.

3:30 Witch: the resurrection of 70s Zambian rock 

Tony Stamp speaks with Emanuel ‘Jagari’ Chanda about the early days of Zambian rock, and the resurrection of his band Witch.

 

4pm The Mixtape - Mohamed Hassan: creator of the first Kiwi-Muslim TV comedy

Our guest picking the music this week is award-winning journalist, writer and poet Mohamed Hassan.

You may have heard, read or seen his work – he previously worked at RNZ as a journalist, is the host of The Big Picture Podcast, and wrote a book How to be a Bad Muslim and an award-winning collection of poetry called National Anthem.

Mohamed’s created the first Kiwi-Muslim TV show that’s released this month, Miles From Nowhere - a six-part drama-comedy series about the everyday and not-so-everyday experiences of Muslims in Aotearoa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J53J-xsGOwI 

Mohamed's songs

Cat Stevens - Miles from Nowhere
47Soul - Dabke Systems
French for Rabbits - The Outsider
Rue Tiay - My Demons keep me company
Abdul Kay - Right Now
Hakim - Efred
Songs played on the show

1-2
King Kapisi - Sub Crainum Feeling (instrumental)
RAYE - Worth It
Keith Richards - I’m waiting for the man 
Tom Lark - Brave Star
Norah Jones - Paradise
Teddy Swims - Losing Control 
Iron & Wine & Fiona Apple - All in Good Time
Byllie-jean - E moko (feat. Marlon Williams)
Nick Cave - Wild God 
David Bowie - Sound and Vision 2013 version
Kiri Te Kanawa & The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra- E Te Iwi E

2-3
David Kilgour and the Heavy Eights - Smoke you right out of here 
Grace Cummings - Common Man
Notorious B.I.G. With Puff Daddy & Mase - Mo Money Mo Problems [Remix] 
St Vincent – broken Man
Nitin Sawhney - Sunset
Angus and Julia Stone – Cape Forestier
AIR - La Femme d’Argent

3-4
L'Eclair & The Mauskovic Dance Band - Homo Sapiens
Sherryl Crow – Digging In The Dirt (feat. Peter Gabriel)
Sonic Youth - Kool Thing
Nina Simone - The Human Touch
TLC - No Scrubs
Georgia Lines - Grow Old Without You 
The Clash - Should I Stay Or Should I Go
Molly Lewis - Porque Te Vas