Music Compilation Album Worth The Search

News Release
For immediate release
July 2, 2009

Original New Zealand ‘Roots With Attitude’ Music Compilation Album Worth The Search

The recently released Troubadours double disk collection is something to go and search out. It fits within a relatively under-exposed original New Zealand roots or country music genre championed over the past two decades by Al Hunter, Glen Moffatt and Red McKelvie, the artists appearing on this compilation album released by SDL Music.

Glen Moffatt laments that New Zealanders are practically prevented from knowing this important form of musical expression about the land and experience of being in New Zealand written by New Zealanders.

“Because it is original music, it is very hard to get any radio airplay or TV, so people have to know to look for it.

Not that the three are completely unknown. There was a strong country music scene in Auckland that lasted six or seven years in the early 1990s. During that time Red McKelvie had a residency at the Kings Arms Tavern in Newton and Moffatt was at Ponsonby café Java Jive on Sundays. There are many who will remember those days.

Originally from Napier, Moffatt came across McKelvie’s album Beyond Cowboy “in the days when you could still hear local music.”

“Red McKelvie played steel guitar and I went to see Red and Al and then knew I had to move to Auckland to be part of that. It began from there.”

Moffatt says country music was big in New Zealand in the early 1980s because of the television programme That’s Country, which in his view, did as much harm as it did good for country music. He says the producers didn’t allow the artists to perform any of their original music. It was all songs about the Black Hills of Dakota or the blue moon of Kentucky, all American songs that he says turned a lot of his generation off country music.

“But people still survive on the strength of that programme. The problem is the crowds they attract, who still remember that programme, are getting older and older.

“What Al, Red and I do is write and perform songs about where we are from, this place, New Zealand. Not many people get to hear them as we were not part of that time, but we forged on by ourselves.”

He says Red creates songs about places and the history of those places. Moffatt also writes about places and times he has experienced. For example, Praying For Rain is about farmers going to see government ministers looking for emergency funding during a drought.

“Experiences rural and urban New Zealanders can relate to. It’s real and about us.”

Red plays lead guitar, keyboards, harmonica, peddle steel and button accordion; Glen and Al rhythm guitar. First and foremost they are songwriters.

Producer Neil Hannan of SDL Music also has a history with the three. Hannan played with Al Hunter and also with Moffatt’s Guns for Hire band in the early 1990s.

Moffatt says that is important because he doesn’t tend to use country music players.

“Neil has been in some of the best original local rock bands over the years and is a great bass player. We go for rockers who approach country music with a hard ass rock attitude.

“My bands have always had people like Neil, Gordon Joll who was in Herbs and Ricky Ball who was in Hello Sailor with Neil for a while. They bring a bit more edge to what we are doing and is why we have been embraced by rock listeners as well as country.”

The Troubadours album is $24.99 and can be ordered from SDL Music’s website www.sdlmusic.co.nz

Hard Copy Distribution : info@exilemusic.co.nz

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