Off The Tracks

Off The Tracks
  • Blog
    • Interviews
    • Miscellany
    • Special Guests
    • Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • The Vinyl Countdown
  • Back Catalogue
  • About
    • About
    • About the banner image
    • On Song

Posts Tagged NZ

Archive

July 4, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

The Rodger Fox Big Band: REIMAGINED! The Rodger Fox Big Band plays Sir Dave Dobbyn

The Rodger Fox Big Band REIMAGINED! The Rodger Fox Big Band plays Sir Dave Dobbyn T-Bone Records I always call The Rodger Fox Big Band the hardest working group in New Zealand – with Rodger at the helm tirelessly pushing, as conductor, arranger, wrangler, promoter, deal-maker and overall advocate for the art of the big […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album Review, Big Band, CD, Covers, Dave Dbbbyn, Greg Bissonette, Interpretations, Jazz, Kiwi, NZ, Reimagined, REIMAGINED! The Rodger Fox Big Band plays Sir Dave Dobbyn, Rodger Fox, Rodger Fox Big Band, Sir Dave Dobbyn, T-Bone Records, The Rodger Fox Big Band, The Rodger Fox Big Band plays Sir Dave Dobbyn, The Rodger Fox Big Band: REIMAGINED! The Rodger Fox Big Band plays Sir Dave Dobbyn, To follow me in all the right places check out the Linktree right here. And to subscribe to my Substack newsletter “Sounds Good” click here ·

Archive

May 16, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Where Have All The Kiwi Soundtracks Gone?

My fascination with film scores – listening to them, collecting them – began with a New Zealand movie. But you wouldn’t have such luck now. When I was a kid the Footrot Flats movie, A Dog’s Tail Tale, was a local blockbuster. It was at the cinemas, at a time when not every Kiwi film […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged [OST], Albums, Blog, Dave Dobbyn, Film, Jane Campion, Jonathan Crayford, Kiwi, Kiwi Soundtracks, Michael Nyman, NZ, NZTECHNO Magazine, NZTECHO, Reissue, Rhian Sheehan, Score, Soundtrack, The Piano, Vinyl, Where Have All The Kiwi Soundtracks Gone? ·

Archive

April 15, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Short Story: The Gladstone, 1982

The Gladstone, 1982. It was better than anything you ever saw, and most things you’ve gone on to do I can tell you that right now. For free. We were up front and the microphone hit me in the face and when I tasted the sweat of the singer it went down like the coldest […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 1982, Bands, Christchurch, Fiction, Music, NZ, Short Story, Short Story: The Gladstone 1982, Story, The Gladstone, The Gladstone 1982 ·

Archive

April 1, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Noelle McCarthy: Grand

Grand: Becoming My Mother’s Daughter Noelle McCarthy Penguin It’s quite possible that Grand by Noelle McCarthy is the best memoir of 2022. One of the best books. It is brand new. Out this week. There has been much hype. All of it justified. There will be more hype. And so there should.
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Alcohol, Alcoholism, Auckland, bFM, Book, Book Review, Featherston, Grand: Becoming My Mother’s Daughter, Ireland, Memoir, Noelle McCarthy, Noelle McCarthy: Grand, NZ, Radio, RNZ, To follow me in all the right places check out the Linktree right here. And to subscribe to my Substack newsletter “Sounds Good” click here ·

Archive

March 20, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Steve Braunias: Cover Story

Cover Story: 100 Beautiful, Strange and Frankly Incredible New Zealand LP Covers Steve Braunias Oratia Books Designed to show replica-sized prints of the album covers, and therefore itself the size of a 12” record (or boxset of them) and ready to be shelved alongside your record collection, Cover Story is, like many of the very […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged 100 Beautiful, 12", Book, Book Review, Cover Story, Cover Story: 100 Beautiful, Kiwi, LP, NZ, Oratia Books, Record, Steve Braunias, Steve Braunias: Cover Story, Strange and Frankly Incredible New Zealand LP Covers, To follow me in all the right places check out the Linktree right here. And to subscribe to my Substack newsletter “Sounds Good” click here, Vinyl ·

Archive

March 2, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Poem: After A Month Of Cosplay-Protest Some Shitty-Fucks Set Fire To A Slide On Our Parliament’s Front Lawn

The battle is still raging, though the war of stupidity might seem to be at a temporary end – all endings are temporary, apart from one. They gave it their all – it’s so sad to say. And their all was so small and so careless and dressed up as carefree. But there’s a difference. […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged After A Month Of Cosplay-Protest Some Shitty-Fucks Set Fire To A Slide On Our Parliament’s Front Lawn, Coronavirus, Covid, Covid-19, Government, Kiwi, Mandate, NZ, Parliament, Poem, Protest ·

Archive

February 23, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Stubs: # 290 – Come Together: Abbey Road, Wellington, 2020

I wrote a review of this gig – and it was a nice surprise. I wasn’t sure they could pull it off. The world doesn’t really need any more Beatles tributes – but I say that, and I’ve been to several, so I was probably always going to go to this… And anyway, a good […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 20/20, Abbey Road, Beatles, Come Together, December, Gig, Kiwi, Live Gig, Local, NZ, Opera House, Oscar, Stubs, Stubs: # 290, Stubs: # 290 – Come Together: Abbey Road, The Beatles, Tribute, Tribute Act, Wellington, Wgtn ·

Archive

February 21, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

How I Feel About Tall Dwarfs

When I first heard Tall Dwarfs I hadn’t heard very much like it (apart from The Beatles). And if that’s not entirely true it’s because we’re talking feelings, not facts. And that is an important distinction – and actually it’s the important truth when it comes to music. I wasn’t in on the ground floor […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Alec Bathgate, Blog, Chris Knox, Flying Nun, How I Feel, How I Feel About Tall Dwarfs, Kiwi, NZ, Tall Dwarfs, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

October 3, 2021 by Simon Sweetman

The Great Kiwi Love Song

I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. E Ipo by Prince Tui Teka is The Great New Zealand Love Song. E Ipo was written by Tui with the help of Ngoi Pewhairangi, a Maori educator, translator, teacher, custodian for the culture. She also wrote the lyrics for Poi-E for The Patea Maori Club. But Pewhairangi wrote […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged E Ipo, Love Song, Missy, New Zealand, Ngoi Pewhairangi, NZ, Prince Tui Teka, The Great Kiwi Long Song, Tui Teka, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

September 13, 2021 by Simon Sweetman

Poem: There’s No Name Suppression In New Zealand

There’s no name suppression in New Zealand There are no privileged without charms There’s no name suppression in New Zealand We all know who you are But everybody’s talking about Covid-19 Cause everybody’s talking about Covid-19 But we’re as safe as can be so move us to level three! We have no restrictions We have […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Blam Blam Blam, Kiwi, Name Suppression, New Zealand, NZ, Poem, Poem: There’s no name suppression in New Zealand, Song, There Is No Depression in New Zealand, There’s no name suppression in New Zealand ·

Archive

May 30, 2021 by Simon Sweetman

Poem: It’s Sunday Morning.

A bath, read some poems (Jim Harrison) listened to Enya (Dark Sky Island) alright, so it’s not “Did you watch the game last night?” And just as bloody well. I have middle NZ to thank for that. I’ll never host the BBQ.  
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Enya, It’s Sunday Morning., Jim Harrison, Kiwi, Music, NZ, Poem, Poem: It’s Sunday Morning., Poetry, Rugby, Sunday ·

Archive

May 19, 2021 by Simon Sweetman

Sweetman Podcast # 258: Caitlin Smith

Hello, welcome to episode 258 of Sweetman Podcast with support from our sponsors – T Leaf T and Yeastie Boys  and thanks to you readers and listeners. Now – as you probably know, as well as the usual platforms (this site, soundcloud, iTunes/Apple) you can get to Sweetman Podcast on Spotify – follow it there […]
Posted in Blog, Podcasts · Tagged "Singer", Acast, Auckland, Band, blind, Brave Caitlin Smith and Her Imaginary Band, Covers, ep.258, Imaginary Band, Jazz, Joan As Police Woman, Joni Mitchell, Kiwi, Legally, Legally Blind, Leonard Cohen, NZ, Pianist, Piano, Pip Adam, Poem, Poet, Poetry, Pop Stars, Simon Sweetman, Songs, Songwriter, Soundcloud, Spotify, Sweetman Podcast, Sweetman Podcast # 258, Sweetman Podcast # 258: Caitlin Smith, Sweetman Podcast: Caitlin Smith, T Leaf T, The Fondue Set, True Bliss, Vision, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron, Yeastie Boys, You Have Reached Your Destination ·
← Older posts

Popular

  • The Sad Story of Bob Welch: Fleetwood Mac’s Most Undervalued Member
  • Janna Lapidus Leblanc: Four Years In Pictures
  • The Best Guitarist in The World: # 8 – Mark Knopfler
  • Neil Peart Was The World’s Most Overrated Drummer
  • Try Three: # 1 – Roots, Reggae, Soul
  • Revisiting Live at Knebworth (1990)
  • Short Story: The Year of The Rat
  • What A Good Score! – #17: Dead Man Walking by Various Artists
  • Going Back To Lou Reed: Time To Revisit His Strange, Wonderful, Weird Catalogue
  • R.I.P. Ronny Jordan

Archives

Tags

Album Review Auckland Blog Book Book Review Chat Compilation DJ Drums DVD DVD Review EP Film Film Review Gig Gig Review Guest Blog Guitar Interview Jazz Live Live Gig LP Movie Music NZ Podcast Poem Poetry Record Records Simon Sweetman Soundtrack Spotify Stub Stubs Sweetman Podcast The Vinyl Countdown Vinyl Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron Wellington Wgtn Writing You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron [OST]

Categories

  • Back Catalogue
  • Blog
  • Interviews
  • Miscellany
  • Mixtapes
  • Playlists
  • Podcasts
  • Reviews
  • Scene Of The Day
  • Special Guests
  • The Vinyl Countdown

Off The Tracks is the home of Sweetman Podcast, a weekly interview/chat-based pod. It's also home to my reviews across film, TV, music and books and some creative writing as well.

Off The Tracks aims to provide quality reviews and essays, regular blog updates about the shows, albums, books and movies you should be experiencing.

It's a passion project. Your support will help to keep Off The Tracks online.

All content © 2022 by Off The Tracks. WordPress Themes by Graph Paper Press