Transcription of Interview with Stickmen Studios' CEO Wil McLellan

Stickmen’s goal, your internet site claims, is “breakthrough gaming”. Has this always been the case since Stickmen was formed in 2006? And how do you aim to maintain this goal?

It has always been the case, we didn’t want to make a company that followed a more traditional model which is I guess doing lots of projects for other people. Most of our projects we fund ourselves and as such we get to work on our own ideas, so our real drive is to make new original IP. It’s a real hard model to do because you’ve got to fund the whole thing yourself but it’s a real exciting one because the guys are creating genuinely new games. However, this model is high risk, because the newer the game concept, the more untried and untested it is, whereas if you take a well-loved franchise and put it out there there’s already a following. But we do like this approach because it was this desire to create new innovative and exciting entertainment that is behind Stickmen. Hence the first project Dragon Master [Spell Caster] is an original very bold project.

Breakthrough for Dragon Master is that it is one of the first fully 3D titles made for WiiWare so we really pushed the boundary there as a brand new studio. Another component we added into that particular product that was breakthrough: unlike a lot of games where the characters’ offensive weapons were like missiles, it doesn’t matter if they were like weapons or magic, they just fly past each other. Well we really liked the idea that when magic collided it does something magical. So in that particular title when a fireball hits an ice bolt it will turn into steam, and if you then hit that with an earth bolt something else will happen, and with a lightning bolt something else will happen, so you get all these magical combinations going on that players can then use to their advantage. So we went for a couple of breakthroughs there: one which was involving your characters magic; the other was the full 3D for our first WiiWare project, I don’t know if it was unique but it was certainly an ambitious move for a new studio.

We are working hard to ensure that all the games that we are currently working on at the moment have a new angle or breakthrough in them. What we didn’t want to do was follow the herd. We want to make original titles that will excite and entertain, which is a real challenge but it’s what why we’re into games.

Speaking of Dragon Master Spell Caster: when will that be available for release?

It’s in final stages of testing at the moment. With it being our first project we’re learning all the technical processes you have to go through.

Yeah I guess it would be a funny use of the word I know, testing time for you guys seeing as this is your first IP. This is your first real go at it, so it’d be quite important for you guys.

Dragon Master Spell Caster is our first complete project so you’ve just got to learn how it’s done first time round and that always takes time. Obviously what you hope is that the second one is faster and a lot smoother, and the third one and the fourth one... and you get better at it. It’s like anything I guess: provided you learn from your mistakes, the more you do it the better you get.

So tell me about ‘Project I’ and ‘Project F’, how will these contribute to ‘breakthrough gaming’.

Unfortunately I can’t say too much about the projects, but what I can say about them is that they’re both again original products. I can also say that we will be announcing a third project which will probably beat ‘Project F’ to market, and that one we’re just keeping really tightly under-wraps at the moment which is a very exciting collaboration that we’re doing. I’ll be releasing details in November. They [Projects I and F] do follow the lines of breakthrough and I think the exciting thing about them is that each one is very different. It’s not as if we’ve set up and just said “alright we’re just going to make one type of game”. Whilst there is a lot of merit in that because you create a fantastic asset base and you get a lot of experience making them, what we’re really trying to do is test what we can get out there that’s new and innovative and exciting and keeps pushing the boundaries. So for example Project I – as it is codenamed – is very, very different when you see the concept art shots on our website, from Dragon Master Spell Caster which is a 3D dragon flying game casting spells. Project I interestingly, even though it looks 2D, has actually been made using some 3D assets that have been rendered to made to look 2D. The actual gameplay behind it is very puzzle-based even though it looks like a platformer. So we hope people will be really blown away when they actually do get to play it and everything comes together; with a great story, humour, interesting sort of puzzles and challenges and really a fantastic main character. Actually there are two main characters which have a great dynamic and we hope that people will really enjoy some of the banter that goes on between them. So we’re trying to create something that people can sample for the first time and get excited about. Project F is going to be a little way off development. That’s actually looking more into the fantasy genre, and it will be a more strategically-based product. And there’s this new product that we’re actually bringing out which is substantially through development at the moment but we’ll be releasing details about it in November, and again: very different look and feel from all of them.

We want people to be excited about the products that are coming out. Regarding what’s coming out next; we don’t want to be predictable, and I think that’s why a lot of the guys really enjoy working here because everybody gets a shot at pitching their ideas, it’s not like they’re part of a big machine. I mean when we work on a project the whole team pitches in and gets involved in the storyline, it’s not just the writers. So in a writing meeting we’ll have the programmers, the artists, the animators, the sound guys, the music guys, the compliance guys, the usability, the testers. They’re really one team and so the project becomes theirs – it’s very much their creation. I think that’s actually quite exciting because you don’t just get artists who only want to do the art, they do want to have some say in the characters, the development, the story; the same with the programmers, it’s just the same with everyone. I don’t know if it’s unique, but it’s certainly a very enjoyable way to work.

I’ve noticed that you guys have recently gained development status for Sony’s PlayStation 3 and for the PlayStation Network. This could be too early to ask you this but how will this compare to developing for the Wii due to the power differences between the machines. Would you guys also be aiming to pursue a different audience because of the Wii is obviously more aimed towards the more casual markets whereas the PlayStation is going towards the more blockbuster feel of these big powerhouses. Are you guys chasing after a new market or are you simply trying to do something different?

That’s a good question because as you correctly say a lot of the consoles are directed at different audiences. What we are looking to do is to have the option to move the products across onto platforms where appropriate because gaming isn’t standing still, the markets are evolving. The PlayStation is a very exciting platform for us and obviously our guys are looking forward to learning about it and getting hands-on. I think it will be nice for people to experience our products in different ways as well because we can obviously customise them to suit those platforms. Why did we do it? It boils down to the fact that if you’re going to have a really good opportunity moving forward then it pays to have as many open doors as possible.

In the global scheme of things NZ game developers have never really featured globally until earlier this year when Sidhe released Shatter. Do you think kiwi developers like Stickmen Studios will increasingly step into the spotlight, and thus get NZ as a game development base out into the global industry?

The NZ gaming industry is really just limited to a handful of players. There’s some embarrassing stats which are like Scotland employs 11,000 people in the industry, Canada employs 14,000, New Zealand: probably a couple of hundred people. That’s a real loss for New Zealand because these other countries are receiving literally billions of dollars a year towards their economy, New Zealand’s making a few million. And the real sad thing is that New Zealand is a great innovative country: there’s kids leaving university with the right qualifications and they’ve got nowhere to go. They’ve got a handful of organisations and if they don’t get the jobs there they have to leave the country or, as we found one of our lead developers, one of our great guys with a first-class degree, stacking shelves because there wasn’t an industry to employ him. They kind of jump out after education and go “Great I want to get a job!” and it’s either do you want to join corporate web design or graphic design? “No, I want to get into gaming” right well here’s a couple of companies to apply at and if they don’t have a job you can either join the queue and get a temporary part-time job or leave the country, or go into the corporate world and do a different career. So in regards to are we going to step out there: very, very much so. We have grown dramatically and that’s because there’s a lot of people around really, really keen to get into this industry. And Sidhe, who we work with very closely, they’re really driving the industry, trying to help people get out there, enormously helpful to me personally and to the company. Mario and the guys are excellent, so we are going to do everything we can to support that. And it goes without saying that if we get products out there we promote them correctly and publish them correctly then news will spread that people are actually making games in New Zealand. What I would like to see is some more government support for the industry. New Zealand’s embraced the movie industry because a few people did things the hard way and total respect to those guys. They’ve shown New Zealand can be a great place for movie-making, and Mario’s showing that you can make good games here. I mean Shatter is superb, it’s been very hard for New Zealand, or anyone in New Zealand, to achieve that. The incentives that are offered to studios opening up in New Zealand are non-existent when you compare to those in Scotland and Canada. So I think the answer to your question is two-fold. One is: yes absolutely, we’re going to do what we can to raise the profile of gaming in New Zealand and to show that it’s a fantastic place to make games. And why that is, is because you’ve got an educated population, a very attractive exchange rate, the games made in New Zealand are almost 100% export product; and you’ve got a Western culture so there’s no language-barrier when working with Europe and America which are two of the major markets. So you’ve got several enormous strengths and almost no companies here doing it. I really think the piece that’s missing is for the government to sort of sit back and go okay yeah this has got real potential and we should get behind this and see where it goes, because for an absolute miniscule investment and some incentives they could really develop a very exciting industry.

I agree because gaming is such a new form of entertainment people aren’t really catching onto how potentially powerful the industry is.

Well some industry statistics show now that gaming is growing at twice the speed of TVs and movies, it’s not bigger than TVs and movies. But you can look at stats all over the place, you can’t really hang your hat on any particular statistic because what’s the old joke: 95% of statistics are made up. But there are those out there that seem to show it at around $60billion a year at the moment, but that’s due to grow $100billion soon because it’s growing at 10.5%, allegedly, per year, whereas I think TVs and movies are growing at 5% a year so it’s growing at twice the speed. That’s because it’s not seen as a restricted medium anymore. Lots of different people are starting to game, casual gaming now, if not the majority of casual gamers are female. You’ve got a number of different platforms: iPhones, DS, PSP, all the WiiWare, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, PC. There all these different ways of playing games and also the type of gaming is changing. The actual casual game market ranges from maybe 7 to 70 in all sexes because you’ve got things like Brain Training coming out and Wii Fit. So traditional non-gamers, or non-traditional people, are moving into and getting into games, they’re getting engaged, so it’s an enormously exciting market.

What, for you, makes a great game? Is it the fun factor, the immersion, or are you one of these high-brow types that argues that gaming can technically be viewed as a legitimate form of art because it is an expression?

I wouldn’t say I’m high-brow. I do believe that all the guys that work for us are artists: whether they’re a programmer or if they work in the art core because it is very creative, they’re using the tools available to them to make something new and exciting and I really do believe that it’s art. However I do believe that every game should be designed for the purpose that it is intended. So for example there are very different types of games: you’ve got the sort of AAA games where you might expect to sit and play it for say eighty hours in six hour sessions. I enjoy those games as well and there are some cracking ones out there, but then there are the casual games as well: which [appeals to] people sitting on the bus wanting a ten minute experience. My key sort of games test is does it make me smile, is there a moment in there where I get a bit of a smile or a laugh? It doesn’t mean that it necessarily has to be funny but it needs to be a sense of achievement or there needs to be a sense of immersion – these are the things that you are mentioning. I mean, overall people need to put the game down and get a sense of enjoyment. It comes down to the whole experience that you take away from it has to be enjoyable, and the way that you deliver that depends on the platform and the type of game that you’re making.

How did you get into gaming yourself?

I’ve been gaming for twenty, twenty-five years. I got involved in the arcades when there weren’t home consoles. I remember the very first Atari console with the...I don’t remember what the game was but it was basically two wooden blocks and you bounce a square block between them.

Pong?

Yeah it might have been Pong. And I remember sitting on my Gran’s kitchen floor playing against my sister on that game. And that was just enjoyable and addictive and very, very simplistic and really the game mechanic was just fantastic. So I got into gaming from a very, very early age so when the arcades started opening up with the games there, got very into those. I remember the very first multiplayer games like Gauntlet which would have queues of people at the arcade queuing up just to a get a game on a 4-player game and it was absolutely superb. And then the home consoles and PCs started to open up. So I’ve been into gaming all the way through. It’s superb when you look back and see how gaming is evolving and how it’s becoming more appealing to everybody. It’s really sort of breaking the mould of gaming. Even the term ‘gaming’ these days, when you look at the introduction of edu-gaming products, the boundaries are being smashed. But it’s great to look back. It was really nice because my sort of background, and then I went into university, got a job and I got into corporate IT. And then when I was over in New Zealand I had met these other software developers and sort of started a company in our spare time, working evenings and weekends and thought eventually “Right, well are we crazy? Better check now”. That’s when I talked to a few people in the industry who were all very, very helpful who said “Actually you guys have got some reasonably good ideas about a business here” and they were very supportive and we took a step, left the corporate world, branched out on our own. It was one of the really exciting things for me when after working really hard in New Zealand and building the studio to go out and meet my heroes in the gaming world and actually chat to people. Talking to some of the big names and thinking “Wow I used to play your games and here I am actually talking to you”. The guys who made the original Ghosts’n’Goblins, Commando – I mean these are the sort of old ZX Spectrum and arcade games. These companies are now huge, and these guys just sort of sit there and go “yeah I did the artwork for that game”. And now we get to do that ourselves and you realise just how hard it is, but you also experience the joy of creating something that’s genuinely new and that’s what we’re working to do.

So that hobby-on-the-side you had, was that the beginnings of Stickmen?

The company started literally just through a conversation with two friends and we decided “Yeah we can probably make a game in our spare time and see what we can do”, and that evolved into something where we thought we might have something to actually go at here. Through meeting a lot of different people in the industry we thought we could actually form a company. And obviously we formed the company and then kept on doing research for a couple of years on exactly what’s smart, what’s not smart, meeting people, learning from their lessons, and then we opened the studio a couple of years later. So it was a couple of years of really hard work, evenings and weekends. And then the real hard work started, because then you go into your sort of eighty, hundred hour weeks and you realise just what a big challenge the industry is. It changes from then that hobby into your life, it really takes over.

Despite the massive technological advancements achieved in this current generation such as hyper-realistic graphics and blockbuster experiences, do you think that gamers could be distracted from what makes a game genuinely good?

I think a good game will never rely on fancy graphics. Because gamers are smart enough to figure that out in the first few seconds: if it doesn’t play well then it doesn’t sell well. There’s lots of examples of games out there that look amazing and the screen shots are fantastic but it falls over once people have played it. So I think the most important thing in games, and it sounds obvious, is gameplay. It really has to be an enjoyable experience and to do that you need to understand what people want from the experience, in your market, and design your gameplay mechanic around that, and if you can enhance that by making it look great with great graphics then that’s fantastic. Obviously there’s genres like FPS that are really enhanced by fantastic graphics, but then there are other games out there that are still classics like Tetris, the new Bejewelled and things like that that have nothing like those types of graphics but they’re enormously popular because they are delivering what people want from that experience and doing it really, really well. So I think a game that tries to cover itself up with fancy graphics will fall on its face, but a good game can be enhanced by nice graphics.

Your site says that Stickmen have done PC gaming as well, what projects have you done for the PC and have you guys done applications for, say, iPhones etc in the past?

We have worked with our business partners and done a couple of iPhone games. Working with partners such as Cerebral Fix, we’ve done two games with them called Swarm and Love Share Nurture, which are two very different games. Swarm is a retro arcade game and that’s actually out now. Love Share Nurture is actually a family game which is matching animal noises and cute pictures to words, which is designed for parents to play with their young kids. It’s a very fun little application where children can have fun with pictures and hear the noises and match it – it’s a great learning experience. So we’ve worked with our business partners there to deliver those products. We’ve also worked with partners on a number of Flash game projects for PC. We haven’t released any commercial, what I’d class as mainstream PC games but we’ve only been around a short time and have been focussed on console. We’ve got three main WiiWare titles in development and they’re really occupying the majority of our time.

The N Word

What I am to talk about in this column today can be boiled down to one word. The N word has a lot of history and heritage which commands not only respect and courtesy but also to some fear and a sense of longing for days long past.

I am talking, of course, about Nintendo. And you thought I was going to say something bad.

Nintendo is to gaming what laughtracks are to bad 80s sitcoms, it has always been there and whether contemporary gamers like to admit it or not Nintendo’s prevailing legacy will always remind us of how to make sense of an industry that has matured into a mainstream form of entertainment in the last few years. The big N has been around since the stone-ages of gaming with the Nintendo Famicon in 1984 and has arguably been at the forefront of the industry healthily holding its own with the heavyweights Sony and Microsoft. In the last generation of gaming consoles Nintendo have taken a remarkably different direction that has proven to be commercially successful on a ridiculous scale, but has also resulted in a feeling of alienation for certain core gamers.

The Nintendo Wii and the handheld DS both incorporate technology that until recently could not be matched by their competitors: the use of two screens and controls incorporating a stylus pen of the DS and the motion controlled waggling of the Wii have allowed Nintendo almost unmatched access to the casual gaming market. However in the wake of the recent E3 conference in LA the Nintendo appear is increasingly looking stale – the Wii’s motion controls (albeit enhanced by the Motion Plus) appears to be outclassed by Sony’s showcase of similar hardware for the PS3 and the announcement of a new Metroid and Super Mario Galaxy barely seemed enough to steal the show from Sony and Microsoft. However all is not lost for the company that at one time defined console gaming, a DS title turned so many heads that it became for some the game of the show.

Scribblenauts sees the player controlling Maxwell whose task on every one of the 220 levels is to collect stars by using the stylus to spell out objects to spawn. Sounds simple enough right? The beauty of Scribblenauts lies in the sheer amount of objects, both inanimate and very much alive, available to you. For example you could spawn a ladder to climb up a tree to get that star, alternatively you could burn the tree down with a flamethrower...or flagging that completely you could spawn a time machine to travel back to medieval times whereupon you can summon a Kraken to terrorise the poor folk.

Save for my Pokemon days, I have never been a fan of Nintendo – Sony and Microsoft have always captured my attention with their pretty lights and loud noises – but if Scribblenauts has taught me anything it’s that one game’s charm can far surpass another’s action. It’s the possibilities that games like Scribblenauts presents to the gamer, whether they be casual or a seasoned COD4 vet, that defines the current generation of gaming. Gaming is currently going through a transformation hardware and software wise that allows the player to increasingly express themselves, titles like Little Big Planet and Spore too are evidence to this, that fits well with the social networking of Facebook and Twitter.

The reason for me writing this particular blog is to raise the question: After being in the game for so long will Nintendo’s focus on the casual gamer be the end of them? By the time the next generation of consoles roll out will the Wii’s successor even stand a chance now that it is increasingly probable that both Sony and Microsoft will incorporate motion sensing technology? Or will Nintendo focus exclusively on the casual market, further alienating their core gamers?

'Sold Out' - Blindspott

In their ten years together West Auckland’s favourite sons, Blindspott, have had an impressive career. After releasing their debut self-titled album to critical and commercial acclaim the band capitalised by selling out shows in Japan and Indonesia before returning their focus to our shores for their follow-up release. In short, they enjoyed one hell of a career, and one that will always be remembered in New Zealand music. ‘Sold Out’ is Blindspott’s thank you to their fans who have supported them unconditionally and wholeheartedly throughout their ten year, two album career.

This CD/DVD package is a must for any Blindspott fan, acting as a sort of Greatest Hits with a great mix of their biggest songs of their two albums – Blindspott and End the Silence. The selection of songs, while being a steady mix of their two studio releases, wisely pays more attention to their debut which showcases the band’s own recognition of what made them a powerhouse of music that could sell out any venue in the country.

As well as the show caught live on the CD and DVD for fans’ oral and visual pleasure, a selection of clips provided by the band showcase their antics on the road ranging from pranks and drunken mischief to interviews of the band by the band. While the DVD itself is great value it’s only let down by the fact that Shelton forgot how to use a microphone, resulting in the viewer at times straining to hear what is being said before being blasted by a wall of noise when the DVD abruptly cuts to a screaming bourbon-fuelled crowd.

Apart from some questionable sound levels and editing in the bonus section of the DVD, Blindspott’s ‘Sold Out’ is a superb CD/DVD compilation that showcases the band’s live intensity. While officially claiming that the existence of this package was not confirmed until the night of the show, it was clear that Blindspott’s final official performance was going to be special – ‘Sold Out’ is evidence to this.

4.5 stars

I Feel Cream – Peaches

Feminists, as their stereotype dictates, are the evil side of the male lesbian vision. Thanks to the rise of feminism in the last century male chauvinism has more or less become impotent as chicks get fat and get piercings that announce to the world “I hate penises and I’ll eat yours if you look at me funny”. However as much as I personally dislike active feminists they have made a great addition to the music industry by blurring boundaries in their music and performance. Enter Merrill Beth Nisker, or as many know her as: Peaches

For almost fifteen years Peaches has been a notable force in the electronica scene with her music and stage antics blurring the line between gender identities with a large dose of sexual energy thrown in for good measure. I Feel Cream is a more tender offering that long-time Peaches fans may feel a tad uneasy about, in particular ‘Lose You’ and the title track ‘I Feel Cream’ which bring about a new side to the teaches of Peaches while also incorporating a newfound melodic groove.

However this album is far from soft, Peaches still retains the same bite that she has become renowned for which is evident in the opener ‘Serpentine (i don’t give a...)’ and ‘Trick Or Treat’ featuring the charming lyric “Never go to bed without a piece of raw meat”. Also present in the album is a strong hip-hop influence, taking its rawest form in ‘Billionaire’ where Shunda K, of Yo Majesty fame, joins in to turn the tables of gender dominance and sexuality on its head.
With this being a Peaches record there are some truly pumping electro songs that’ll get anyone’s ass on the floor, of particular mention is the peculiar Freudian themed ‘Mommy Complex’ and the bass-heavy ‘Take You On’.

The fifth album of her influential career I Feel Cream sees a slightly new direction in Peaches music while still retaining the same bite that she has become well known for, resulting in a great introduction to anyone who is in the need for some teaches of Peaches.

3.5 stars

All The Stupid Smiling Faces – The Insurgents

As a late-comer to the Indie genre I have to admit I was sketchy about reviewing an album labelled indie-pop. I was afraid if I listened to it from a subjective point of view then I would not like it and thus incur the wrath of the nuveau-chic indie darlings that this town holds so close to its creative heart. But an amazing thing happened, I realised that there is some Indie music that I like, and it’s all thanks to The Insurgents’ debut All The Stupid Smiling Faces.

Scattered throughout the record there are hints of inspiration from the Checks, The Kaiser Cheifs and other contemporary indie-rock success stories, but in saying that this album is far from a carbon-copy of other bands. The Insurgents have this great musical quality that allows them to effectively collect together different styles together to create a special breed of indie that is effectively theirs. This ranges from the juxtaposing vocals of album opener ‘Rather Be Dead’ and ‘Feeling Put Out’ to the slow-burning ‘None Of Us Are Getting Out Alive’. However the true strength of The Insurgents lies in their ability to make music to dance to in that special indie fashion – that style that those op-shop obsessed indie chicks dance like, you know what I mean. Bad descriptions this album is laden with great dancey tunes to bop along to most notably ‘Pop Sensation’ and the great closing track ‘Ezi Luvas 69’. Though I have to say the track that stands out most has got to be ‘Playing Guitars’ that, despite starting off like a certain cringe-worthy pop song ripped from an 80s teen movie, actually becomes a great song with a definite charm that builds into a great closing chorus.

As stubborn as I was in resisting the Indie genre’s grip upon the local music industry The Insurgents’ have effectively swayed my opinion with their great charm, convincing me that New Zealand’s indie scene isn’t all just too-alternative-for-you kids with little talent in their suede boots. Now, if you’ll excuse me I have to board myself in my flat before the indie hoards come to claim my soul for that last little comment.

4.5 stars

Big Gary's-A-Palooza '09

To those hapless bastards with their heads under the sand Big Gary’s-A-Palooza is the unofficial re-orientation week party for Canterbury that is quickly gathering enough momentum to rival even Otago’s mighty Agnew Street keg party. Following the tradition set down by last year, copious amounts of homebrew flowed with vessels ranging from the strange (toy hip flasks) to the downright stupendous (2-litre Just Juice bottles anyone?) as well as a DJ being set up in the living room of the to-be-trashed Big Gary’s flat. With an ‘Attending’ facebook count of around 300 that eventuated to pack out the entire property save the driveway it was obvious that the frontlawn would suffer. However smart planning proved to save the day with carpet strewn about which (mostly) kept punters’ shoes clean and lessened the damage. Speaking of damage the inclusion of a large bonfire provided adequate warmth before antics took hold of the revellers and a competition to see who could jump said-bonfire. Only a brave-few took part in this competition of might (or stupidity, you decide) before the stakes were raised significantly with the addition of couches and a former park bench. The bonfire was probably the main event of the night as it held many functions: warmth, entertainment, and unfortunately the parties demise. This was due to the fact that once the couches were introduced enough flame and smoke was introduced to land a 747…or, as was the case, the attention of the authorities. After staring dumbfounded at the dying flames the community firefighters took to the flames before, some time later, the Goodafterble Constanoons made their gracious appearance forcing attendees onto the cold hard street of Riccarton Rd – cue Semisonic’s ‘Closing Time’.

Altogether Big Gary’s A-Palooza ’09 lived up to last year’s glory while pushing the boundaries of bonfire and attendance, in fact so well was said attendance that there was a constant theme of 3 degrees of separation present with everyone seeming to know someone…who further knew someone. Despite all the glory that was the bonfire this Sasquash believes that thanks to the premature addition of all the couches at once from the pack mentality of certain individuals the party warranted the attention of authorities too early than would have normally occurred. Regardless, Big Gary’s A-Palooza turned out to be everything that was expected: an epic night that will be remembered as arguably the biggest party of the year.

4 stars

By Sammy the Sociable Sasquatch

Interview with Mel Parsons

Your debut album Over My Shoulder has been praised almost universally by critics across the land for its traditional take on folk and an underestimated charm no doubt brought about by, among other things, your refusal to mask your kiwi accent. What are your thoughts on kiwi musicians putting on American accents?

Well it’s funny aye, I don’t know if it’s so much put on as it’s so much of what we hear and what we’re influenced by just sounds like that so that’s just what you naturally go to. I think some of my stuff is a bit like that but it’s a hard one I don’t think anyone sets out to go “Hey guys we’re totally not from NZ” . But yeah it’s an interesting one for sure. I don’t know, I can’t think of any. I try not to think about it I guess whatever comes out comes out, if it sounds a bit kiwi then sweet as and if it doesn’t then that’s the influences. I guess that we all just about universally just grew up listening to it you know it’s kind of what we know.

You lyrics focus on love, loss and heartbreak, was expressing these feelings through music a type of therapy for you?

Yea definitely I think it’s an outlet for sure you know song writing in general and lyrics and yea sometimes what comes out can be umm what’s a good word for it (laughs) ... it’s definitely a way to get the bad stuff out I suppose. In my normal life I’m a pretty happy person sometimes in my lyrics (laughs) I can get a little bit down. I think music is a therapeutic thing for both sides, for me as a writer it’s pretty therapeutic and hopefully for listeners too. And people I don’t know listen to it when they’re sad or whatever you know. Like you know everyone has a heartbreak album aye whenever we’re really gutted about something we put it on.

So going back to the album what was it like to have the help and support from the big names of David Long (of The Mutton Birds, but also produced Fur Patrol’s Pet), Don McGlashan (The Plague, The Mutton Birds) and Neil Watson for the record?

It was pretty awesome actually I was really lucky to have both those guys helping out. Don McGlashan was great, he was the person that hooked me up with David Long in the first place and Don was just a (crackle of ski radio) sorry that’s just my hut radio going (laughs) umm yea Don was just a go-to guy I suppose he was just there supporting. I mean because he’s been doing it for so long and he knows, I mean it wasn’t new to him and it was for me making an album and stuff it was awesome actually and David Long was just the same you know he’s just he’s got super ears and he’s just a cool guy and it was just awesome. And Neil was just amazing and is a good friend of mine for a long time so yea I am pretty chuffed really with the people that turned up to play.

And how did you come across the Rhythm Kings from Welly, so you going from Westport up to Auckland did you kind of come across them along the way up or?

The Rhythm Kings: I suppose the base of them was Shaun Elley who I actually went to music school with ten years ago in Nelson and we had sort of played together on and off so we had always wanted to get together at some point. We finally got the opportunity and he’s now based in Wellington and he’s just been around the jazz school in that scene up there. The other guys Aaron Stuart the bass player and Ennon Keys, they’re both friends of Shaun’s and musical colleagues I suppose you’d say and so yea I kind of got into that Welly musical scene through Shaun.

So far this year you’ve been a pretty busy girl: your album was released in March jostling with a large amount of kiwi releases leading up to NZ music month and even taking part in Kiwi FM’s 31 Bands in a Box as well as the Redbull Sessions. How was that?.

That’s funny that Band in a Box it’s a tiny, tiny studio (laughs) and the Redbull Sessions one was awesome just in a sense that it’s got a really cool set up like they’ve got a huge studio and we’ve got the whole band in the room with a bunch of backup singers.

And I’ve noticed with this upcoming August/October tour you’re mainly doing small bars particularly through of small town Otago and Canterbury and also going up to the Nelson Arts Festival. Do you feel that these more intimate the gigs and the audiences that they attract do you think that they better suit who you’re aiming your music at or is your music more broad based.

Yea probably a bit of both really I mean for sure those smaller venues have a real charm and a nice ambience that it’s hard to get in big places and you know I’m not a rock band really and I’m not a huge reggae act, but there’s definitely advantages to the smaller places, like often the Nelson shows are the bigger venues. But this wee tour it’s kind of like a, because I’m down here skiing for the winter so it’s shit you know (laughs) I have to work as well completely skive off for the winter. I guess it was a bit: there are some cool places I want to go, like I want to go to Oamaru and I love Wanaka, I’m a skier so it was a bit of both. We don’t have the full line up, it’s just myself and Aron the bass player and Neil on guitar, it’s more of a broken down acoustic kind of set than the full monty.

I see on youtube you’ve got a video for Darlin Darlin, that’s a cool video, it’s got the whole 1940s/1950s periods leading up to the 1970s when the Dad comes home and sees just so many kids it’s not funny. Was Darlin Darlin written with this kind of thing in mind?

No not really, the video was made by a guy called Murray Keen who he does lots of stuff but he directs Outrageous Fortune and bits and pieces of TV and film in New Zealand. The whole concept and everything was all his, he pitched the idea and I was like “cool sounds great let’s go for it”. It was pretty full on but it was really quite different from where the song came from but I think that’s fine, I suppose I try not to take myself too seriously it’s like you know it’s a song and what people get out of it people get out of it. I think it’s kind of nice to have a video, and you know it’s a piss-take it’s supposed to be a bit comedy really.

You grew up banging and plucking on your mum’s musical instruments, was your mum a performer like you in her day?

No my mum and my grandmother played the piano just for enjoyment I suppose but never too seriously. Mum was very into us getting into music we had this big table with all these different instruments so that when you’re kids you can march round the house banging and yea there was always music at home. We all played the piano from when we were quite young and I was crap at the piano but never mind (laughs).

So when did you pick up the old guitar?

Umm when I was about 14 I just stumbled across it and it’s funny because as you are when you start off with something you’re pretty average, like quite bad, but there was still something in it that still kind of grabbed me and that was it I just couldn’t put it down (laughs).

So what inspired you to make your move up to Auckland, the home of hustle and bustle, when you grew up just outside of Cape Foulwind a town I’ve been told is well known for its rugged beauty and sealions?

Well I went right through high school on the coast and it was an experience (laughs). Nah I can’t complain it was all good and I spent a year in Nelson at the music school and I took a year off sort of teaching and you know went around Australia bumming around as you do and just did stuff that you do and I wanted to go to music school in Auckland. I think it was 2001 just put my life into my van and drove up. I spent a year at MAINZ the music and audio institute, it was a super good place actually, it was definitely my best, it’s the place I recommend people to go. And then I spent a couple of years over at Auckland Uni after being transferred over there which was interesting you know great and all that but I still think MAINZ is a bit more real and practical.

So where were you first based, and where are you subsequently based when you return, to Auckland? With your sound I imagine that you’d be sort of Muriwai, Piha or Bethells, somewhere very surfy out west to suit your music, or are you more city based?

Actually to be honest I’m more of a city girl but all those places that you mentioned I love it out there but I think that they have a lot of similarities to where I grew up like that wild west coasty kind of stuff but yeah when I’m in Auckland, because I’m usually there for a few months at a time, usually somewhere pretty close to the city. I used to live in Parnell which is the antithesis to the West Coast. But where I’m based that’s a sort of interesting question sometimes it’s out the back of my Hilux (laughs) – I’m trying to steer away from the clichés but they just keep on coming. But I suppose that since we’ve put the album out I’ve spent quite a lot of time in Wellington putting out the album and back and forwards and then of course there’s the ski season down here for 4 months or so. But yea a lot of my friends, my musical colleagues, are in Auckland so yea I guess I get around a little bit (laughs) – I’m desperately trying not to grow up really.

So while you were at Auckland Uni you were doing a Bachelor of Performing Arts, I understand that you’re a very spur of the moment type of musician. Was this quite a bit of a clash, like with the academic study there’s a process of dividing a song into parts etc.

Yea absolutely, it was interesting the theory the technical stuff behind it but where my music comes from is sort of probably more intuitive like just kind of blank out everything and whatever comes, comes out you know. I definitely think you can get too caught up in all the technical bits and pieces, and that can take away the special thing. I found that while I was at university the analysis was fascinating on that level but at the same time trying to be creative but I don’t think I really agree with forcing creativity, I think if it’s there it’s there, if you can do it it’s cool but if you’re not it’s not worth trying to squeeze something out. I think the potential for things to become really contrived is there with that kind of thing, but having said that that’s the way some people write and some people write some amazing songs from the really theoretical point of view. I guess for me it doesn’t really get me going.

Mel Parsons is performing at Lyttelton Harbour Light Theatre on the Friday the 7th of August. Doors open at 7.30pm. Tickets available from www.harbourlight.co.nz ‘What’s On’, and door sales.