Outward Sound Recipients Round 1 2013

Outward Sound Recipients Round 1 2013

Outward Sound is pleased to announce the 1st round of grant recipients for 2013.

Four Stage Ones, three Stage Twos and four Business Development grants were awarded.

Cairo Knife Fight – Stage 2.

Two guys who whip up a melodic storm of riff-fired power that takes your mind, body and soul on a hallucinatory rock 'n' roll ride. That's Cairo Knife Fight.

Made up of Nick Gaffaney, who sings, drums, and plays bass synth (all at the same time), and guitarist and loop pedal guru Aaron Tokona, they build a groove and intensity so strong you can, in the words of Gaffaney, "build a house on it".

With performances at CMJ in 2010 and again in 2011, 2012 saw the band build on the profile previously generated by performing standout showcases at SXSW 2012 which resulted in the band receiving a deluge of critical praise both from online and traditional press as well as catching the ears of noted UK label Cooking Vinyl (The Prodigy, Marilyn Manson and Amanda Palmer) and X-Ray Touring (Coldplay, Queens of the Stone Age and Eminem etc).

The band are now preparing the UK release of their EPs through Cooking Vinyl and setting up the release of their debut album. They will be performing at The Great Escape in Brighton as well as several London dates.

Cairo Knife Fight’s music whips up a melodic storm of riff-fired power that takes your mind, body and soul on a hallucinatory rock ‘n’ roll ride. Think: Radiohead meets Kyuss meets Sigur Ros. – www.athousandguitars.com

Sola Rosa – Stage 2.

Since Andrew Spraggon’s first formative releases as Sola Rosa at the turn of the 21st century, he’s steadily built a reputation for his deft synthesis of styles and quiet disregard for the niceties of genre boundaries. With a catch-all sound encompassing the best of hip hop, reggae, jazz, latin, soul and funk, all six of Sola Rosa’s critically acclaimed albums are a potent distillation of the music that’s influenced Spraggon over the course of his decade long career as a musician and producer.

2012 saw the release of Get It Together Remix album in Europe, and the US backed up by the band’s tour of both territories. Highlights from the release include the Jeremy Soles Love Alone remix being selected as LA based radio station KCRW’s track of the week, and being licensed to Oliver Peoples 25th anniversary compilation album.

Sola Rosa are currently readying the US, UK and European release of their album Low and Behold High and Beyond. The band will be following the release with a full band tour building on the successes of the previous year. The UK/European leg of the tour will include an appearance at Glastonbury.

Die!Die!Die! – Stage 2.

Hailing from what is considered NZ’s iconic music city, Dunedin, founding members Andrew Wilson and Michael Prain cut their teeth in the live music scene by playing in noise bands around town. It wasn’t until 2003 that they formed Die! Die! Die!, but they already had the hard working DIY ethos which carries through to this day.

Taking their inspiration from like-minded artists HDU, Bailterspace and the Dead C, the band have always given their all at every show, a band that brings persistent ferocity and energy to their live performances and leaves their fans with an intense, euphoric feeling post show.

Never a band to rest, Die! Die! Die! continue to live the true rock n roll lifestyle – racking up over a thousand gigs during the band’s decade long existence. Their last tour took them throughout the US, UK and Europe including a blistering performance at CMJ 2012.

Die!Die!Die! are now preparing to head off again supporting the UK release of the Harmony album – with stunning limited edition packaging – through Smalltown America Records, taking in festival dates in Europe and showcasing in and around SXSW 2013.

Ghost Wave – Stage 1.

Having recently signed to US independent music company +1 Music, Ghost Wave released their debut EP in the US this past August and supported the release through showcases at CMJ 2012. The band are now setting up the release of their debut album in that territory and performing in and around SXSW 2013.

+1 are a company with a reputation for taking on artists who are relatively unknown at the time, and introducing them to the music industry and music fans. Artists +1 have worked with include TV on the Radio, Basement Jaxx, The Kooks and Editors.

Sounds Like: The Ramones retired to Auckland, New Zealand.
Listen To: "Hippy" which is basically the best thing we've heard all fall. – Nylon Magazine

Mel Parsons – Stage 1.

Mel Parsons is an indie/folk artist on the rise. Following the success of her debut record ‘Over My Shoulder’ in 2009, the Kiwi singer/songwriter and two time Tui-award finalist for Folk Album of the Year recently released her sophomore album ‘Red Grey Blue’ to widespread critical acclaim, and has recently signed to Native Tongue Publishing following demand for her songs in both film and television.

With a voice that “could work any night in Nashville, yet somehow sounds intrinsically New Zealand” (Black Magazine), Parsons draws on the folk tradition of telling stories, and blends it with pop hooks and a unique sensibility to melody and harmony. In her element onstage, Parsons is known for ‘pin-drop’ performances, drawing in her audiences and keeping them all night with a live show ranging from quiet and heartfelt ballads to rollicking country-inspired numbers.

Mel heads to Brighton in the UK to showcase at Europe’s leading festival for new music The Great Escape Festival. She then heads off on her own tour of Germany, Ireland, and the UK.

Titanium – Stage 1.

There are six reasons why New Zealand’s pop music aficionados have been screaming their faces off lately and they are - Zac, Andrew, Jordi, Shaquille, TK and Haydn… Also known as New Zealand’s record-breaking new group, Titanium.

The first single, ‘Come on Home’, debuted at #1 and went Platinum within a few weeks before it was joined by the cover of Jason Mraz’s ‘I Won’t Give Up’ and, then, the second official single, ‘Sky’, making Titanium the first New Zealand artist to ever have three songs in the New Zealand Top 40 at the same time.

Signed to Warner Music Australia the boys have already starting making waves over the ditch having gained significant radio airplay and selling over twenty thousand singles. With all this early success the band are not allowed to rest on their laurels quite yet. They are now heading over to Australia for an intense 10-day media blitz.

Popstrangers – Stage 1.

2012 saw Popstrangers sign with Carpark records, which released Heaven, the first single from their debut album, in October. Heaven premiered on the influential music site Pitchfork, it was also featured on Brooklyn Vegan, Stereogum, This Is Fake Diy (UK), NME magazine (UK) and the band received rave reviews from their CMJ performance that year.

Popstrangers debut album Antipodes will be released on March 1st 2013 in Australia and New Zealand via Spunk Records and the rest of the world via Carpark Records. The band will support the release in Australia with a tour with US band Wild Nothing. They will then relocate to the UK where they will be basing themselves for the next four months in order to capitalize on the touring and press opportunities available there.

Like their pals Splashh, Popstrangers exude and effortless but irrestatable attitude, and excel in grungy, swirling guitars, fizzing, fierce energy and huge hooks. With a trip to the UK in the pipeline for next year, 2013 just got a hell of a lot more exciting - NME

Business Support Grants

The Outward Sound Business Development grant enables up to 2 representatives to undertake a market development visit. This involves traveling to the desired market (or markets) and meeting with companies/individuals and to capitalise on opportunities created. It supports managers, artists, and companies undertaking business-to-business meetings as well as attending tradeshows and associated events.

Recipients for Business Development Grants this round were:

Marc Royal for CHART – SXSW

Ben Howe for Flying Nun Records/Arch Hill Recordings – SXSW/USA

Callum August for Frequency Media Group - UK

Tim Youngston for Saiko Ltd - USA

Applications for the next round of Outward Sound grants close on April 22nd 2013 at 5pm.

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