Hamilton bands end NZ music month on a high note

New Zealand music month may have ended and yet with debut gigs, new albums and opening acts, it appears Hamilton musicians have just started.

Sweet Sarcasmwas among those Hamilton musicians who ended NZ music month on a high with their debut performance at Digger’s bar last night, which saw former drummer for 48 May, Vegas Brown as the MC.

“It was a very good first performance, it’s all about finding a good rhythm section to back a good singer guitarist and Scotty Stone has done that,” Mr Brown said.

After a year of planning the band and thinking up a couple of grooves and melodies, front man for Sweet Sarcasm, Scotty Stone believes he has found the perfect combination with Geoff Painter on bass and Matthew Mooney on drums.

“Doing our first gig is like Christmas when I was five years old,” Mr Stone said, “it’s like it was meant to be.”

Being invited by Vegas Brown as the opening act for the Rock The Lair show last night, Sweet Sarcasm hit their audience with a new style of music they’ve labelled grunge-ska.

“It’s amazing to share a stage with such awesome musicians, everyone told us they enjoyed our music. It was a good crowd response. We even got Player of the Day from Vegas Brown,” Mr Stone said.

Sweet Sarcasm are not the only ones with a hopeful music career ahead of them, The Spiritz is another Hamilton band proving that the Waikato has an impressive array of talents to showcase.

The Spiritz are a nine piece reggae-funk band who are well on their way to making it in the music industry with hit songs on radio around the country.

They are another Hamilton-based band that now have the privilege of opening for major New Zealand acts such as  well known reggae band 1814, at the RSA in Ngaruawahia, on August 4.

The Spiritz were one of three opening acts for TastyBrown, who held their album release party last week.

Fans had a massive response to the album release party with an estimated 400 in house at The Gables, and more than 300 watching an online stream of the concert.

TastyBrown manager Bob Pohatu is proud of the band’s achievements.

“The band is still on a high. We well exceeded our expectations that night. Our CD’s are still selling, we have a lot of interest for upcoming events. Opening acts like The Spiritz lifted their game and it made us lift ours more as the headliner,” he said.

TastyBrown is currently organising events for the rest of the year with expected appearances on the Good Morning Show (TVNZ 1) and Code (Maori Television).