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CHARTFEST 2011 — new venue, new spirit

by Nicole Reddington and Laura De HaroChartfest 2011

Held at CPIT for the first time, this year's CHARTFEST buzzed with the enthusiasm of hundreds of young musicians sharing a passion for music.

The day kicked off with a performance by The Feelers to a packed Students Association building. The afternoon sessions were held in the glassy foyer of the Rakaia building for people to wander past and enjoy at their leisure. There was an awesome array of performers.

Amy Bowie Trio

Check out our interview — Nicole started by asking Amy about how the group got together. [1 min 50 sec .MP3, 1.7Mb]

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First up was the Amy Bowie Trio. They played a mixture of original material and covers, including an ode to Dave Dobbyn, one of the powerhouse figures behind the current New Zealand music scene.

They also performed “Anchor Me” as a tribute to Don McGlashan who has recently been injured in an altercation with a car door while travelling past on his bicycle. One of their original pieces, “The Big Parade”, is about New Brighton. You can watch one of their covers on YouTube.

Singer songwriters shine

Next up were two talented female singer-songwriters: Becky Jordan and Nadia Reid. Then Hera treated us to a sneak preview of her forthcoming album which, like many other things, has been delayed by the February earthquake.

Hip hop

There’s no better way to share music than to do it with dance, and that’s exactly what SWARM Hip Hop Dance Showcase was all about; loud, brash, fast and fun! It was also an open invite to learn some moves.

Lupus Lunar

Last up was Lupus Lunar, with influences ranging from muddy Mississippi sounds through New Orleans blues to subtle and seductive Chris Isaak-like gentle country jazz. The singers could do anything from a Howlin’ Wolf roar to a smooth falsetto to match some amazing slide guitar work. Some of their singles are available in iTunes.

We learnt tons about songwriting from L. A. Mitchell. She reminded us that a song needs to carry a story or a message and be able to get it across to the audience.

School band search

The afternoon ended with the School Band Search Finals and a yummy barbeque put on by the White Elephant Trust. There were five finalists up for the prize of:

And the winner was … The Haze from St Andrew's College and Christchurch Boys' High. Thorrington School of Rock, The Valets, Echo Park and Mindtrap provided tough competition and it was captivating to watch the energy of these bands.

Chartfest the best!

What we really liked about this year’s Chartfest is that it was free and if you were interested in any aspect of the music industry from song writing to production, learning new styles to discovering different drumming techniques, there was someone to help you with this. Where else can you get such a great event?

If you want a better idea of what we got up to, check out our Flickr photos.

June 2011