BEATS AT THE BRICKWORKS LINE-UP

Bossa Nova

Vini and Mari bring the grooves of Samba and the sophistication of Jazz together in the form of Brazilian Bossa Nova, playing classic tunes that have gone far beyond Brazil and gained the world with their charm and style. Holding over 15 years of experience performing for different crowds in Brazil and around the world Mari and Vini now bring their vibes to New Zealand with music that couldn’t be any more summery, taking the crowd for a trip like they were sipping cocktails by the Copacabana Beach at the sound of famous Bohemians such as Vinicius de Morais, Tom Jobin and João Gilberto.

Cameron McCurdy

Cameron McCurdy performs a range of acoustic folk-rock music with a powerful voice and an ear for melody – like poetry sung over an acoustic guitar. His songs range from upbeat and fast-paced to emotional and profound, but all are thought-provoking and satirical. His solo work sees him taking a break from playing drums, trumpet and singing in the indie rock band Blu Fish to give an acoustic but just as passionate performance.

CampbellMack

CampbellMack is an acoustic singer-songwriter, currently studying Popular Music at the University of Auckland. He is a two time finalist for the Play It Strange Lion Foundation Songwriting Competition and in 2017 received the Best Song Award at the Auckland Solo/Duo Regional Final of SmokeFreeRockQuest.

Most recently, CampbellMack gained 1st place in the Open Section of the Mount Maunganui Busking Festival, and he has been a well-received performer at venues such as the Burning Lamb Festival, Whammy Bar, Wine Cellar and the Waihi Beach Hotel.

@campbellmackmusic

Emma Cooper-Williams

Emma is a singer songwriter who has been writing and performing her own music for the past nine years. Her biggest achievement has been winning the Play It Strange Peace Competition in 2014, which gave her the opportunity to spend 6 weeks playing music in Japan. In February she released her debut EP titled ‘A Reminder’, and has played at numerous events, including the Arts Access Awards held at the New Zealand Parliament in August 2018.

Geoff Ong

‘Geoff Ong wants to be a pop star for dorks. “I love all the sounds and melodies of pop music, but I never really felt like I was cool enough to relate to the people performing it,” he says. “I figure there must be other people out there who feel the same way – my music is for them.”

Geoff’s 2018 single, ‘Fingerprints’, a shimmering slice of soulful indie pop, was recorded in his bedroom in Kingsland, with production, mixing and mastering by Phil Levine of the illustrious Igloo Music Studios in Los Angeles, who won two Grammy Awards for their work on 2016’s box office hit, La La Land.

‘Fingerprints’ made an immediate impact, peaking at #3 on the Hot NZ Singles Chart and #25 on the overall Hot Singles Top 40 Chart. It was also featured on ZM, The Edge, The Edge TV, and Radio New Zealand.

Away from the music scene, Geoff is also passionate about social justice issues, particularly those surrounding race and cultural identity, which are issues close to his heart.’

Helen Corry

Helen Corry has been a constant presence in the NZ music scene over the last six years. These days you can’t turn on the radio without hearing one of her chart topping tunes, be it Jetski Safari’s ‘Like a Lie’, Jupiter Project’s ‘With You’ (GOLD), Stack and Piece’s ‘Burning Out’, and ‘She Said’ with Ryan Enzed.

In October 2017 Helen released the first single, ‘Strike’, from her upcoming EP which featured on Spotify’s New Music Friday and spent a number of weeks in George FM’s Top 5. ‘Strike’ combines a killer beat and an infectious hook with Corry’s flawless vocals.

Helen’s latest single  ‘La Femme’ released in February 2018 and also featured on Spotify’s New Music Friday.  A darling of the NZ festival scene Helen has showcased her dynamic live performance at Rhythm and Vines, New Zealand Beer Fest, Our House, Deep Hard ‘N’ Funky, SpringBreak Fiji and Homegrown among others.

With her own EP due out in September 2018, she’s at the very top of her game right now.

Iris G

Iris G is an upcoming pop and folk singer/songwriter based in Auckland, New Zealand. Her unique talent earned her 1st place in the Solo/Duo category of Smokefree Rockquest 2016. She is a self-taught musician who started songwriting at the age of 12 and has worked with esteemed artists such as Ruby Frost and Djeisan Suskov from the band LEISURE on her pop single, Supernova. Iris G uses her music as a platform to speak up about the tough issues we face – earning her the Whau Youth LGBT Award in 2018, a nomination for the 2018 NZ LGBTI Awards in the music category, and was featured on two TVNZ documentary series “Neighbourhood” and “Atittude” for her activism on womens’ rights and youth mental health.

Jarni Blair

Jarni Blair is a New Zealand based Musician & Singer-songwriter.

Brought up by a creative family, it was only natural that Jarni developed a passion for music.

After learning to sing and play the guitar at age ten, he went on to nurture his abilities by performing in several bands throughout his school years, and in his last year at high school he made the transition into solo performance and songwriting.

Inspired by his father’s record collection and a mixture of modern artists, Jarni’s writing style is heavily influenced by The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, John Mayer, Ed Sheeran and many others.

Jarni released his debut E.P. “Between Two Dreams” in December 2016 and is currently in the process of recording his second E.P. He is now living and playing music in Auckland, New Zealand.

Jinan

Creating a feel for performing at a young age, Jinan has been in the music scene for over 5 years. He brings a sound that combines inspiration from old school rhythm & blues to the modern feel of today.

Jo Hilario

Jo Hilario thinks that there ought to be no ‘guilty pleasure’ when it comes to music. Her originals primarily stick to the folk-pop genre. However, she also loves rearranging top hits so that listeners can experience the song in a different way while still being able to feel nostalgic about the familiar tune

Levi Sesega

Samoan born and raised, Michael Levin Sesega (Levi) is the musical architect and songwriter for the ‘Lights On’ project.  Levi assigns musical movements which lead the listener through sincere and dramatic emotions.  This has resulted in many repeat performances across Auckland’s live music scene, where listeners can be immersed in the feeling of oneness between themselves and the music.

Think of a harmonious, classical twist on folk music with a very gentle infusion of rock.  Now add a songsmith who is capable of profound story telling.  Combine these elements and you glimpse the genuine nature of this genre-spanning ensemble.

Levi’s charismatic and captivating stage presence is somewhat juxtaposed to his intensely private and reserved off-stage nature, which makes him a rather mysterious and alluring character.  In the midst of all this, however, he harnesses to great effect his beautiful poetic imagery, brought about as a young teen in Samoa.

The music is guided by the hugely talented Timothy Shacklock on cello, Andrew Miller on saxophone and Igor Shnayderman on cajon.  With Jason Slade and Michael Sesega each on acoustic guitar and vocals, this makes for a well-crafted show of original tunes which will entertain people from all walks of life.

Avid fans of this 5-piece line up describe the music as ‘powerful, emotive, intriguing and evoking self-reflective thoughts’.  This is the stuff that keeps you on the edge of your seat and leaves you eager to hear more!

Lucky May

Lucky May are an Auckland-based acoustic trio, performing sassy originals to a wide range of classic covers with their own distinctive soul-pop twist.

They cater for a variety of music vibes from jazzy background sounds to high-energy dance floor bangers.  Equipped with 2 guitars, a stomp box, vocals and now a double-bass; Lucky May can create a surprisingly full sound and are a great addition to any live event.

L.M. started as a duo in 2016 but can expand to a trio since working on cruise ships in 2018. Members consist of Ema Barton: Vocals/Guitar and Windon Bradfield: Guitar/Percussion/BV’s and as trio with Eamon Edmundson: Double Bass or Electric Bass / BV’s.

Max Earnshaw

Max is a young, dynamic, seasoned, performer who plays a mixture of covers and original blues, jazz, rock and pop numbers. He grew up in Christchurch where he played extensively on the street, in bars and at large events like Christmas in the Park and the Rugby World Cup.

Mema Wilda

Mema draws inspiration for her music directly from her own personal experience of love, positivity, dreams, fear, Mother Nature and all the other emotions and journeys we all encounter as humans. This is what makes her music so relatable to each and every one of us.

Mema has an ever-growing catalog of original songs which will captivate you and leave you wanting to hear more. Her beautiful melodies will leave you soaring and her touching lyrics will capture your heart. Mema’s voice is simply stunning and she delivers every song with such passion and conviction that you will be totally mesmerised. This star is definitely on the rise so catch her now while you still can!

MGN – My Greatest Now

RAYMOND BISHOP: Wow, making music, is there anything better? Since the age of five in my grandparents house, I have wanted nothing more than to sing.

My fascination with vocal performance made me fall in love with the greats such as, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Elvis, MJ, Bob Marley, and probably every music artist since, and every musical style from yesteryear up til today.

My desire to develop my vocal performance, drives me every day to be better in every way possible. Making music with Denis enables me to pursue this goal.

DENIS HEPI: Hi music lovers.I have a performance background in Jazz vocal/guitar[Stanford University Jazz Workshop].I grew up listening to the wonderful music choices of both my parents; Dad – Soul/Rnb and Jazz; Mother – British Pop 60s and Jazz.

I have worked and are still active with Aucklands finest musicians including masters of there instrument and craft Alex Griffith,Kevin Field,Dr Mark Baynes,Miguel Fuentes,Dixon Nacey,Nathan Haines.   It is a joy to be working alongside Ray Bishop,a fine singer-percussionist and most importantly,a fine human being and artiste.

Sax and the city

Evan started playing the saxophone when he was just 16. He was tutored by his father, an accomplished musician, then went on to graduate from the NZ Royal School of Music. Evan has been playing the saxophone for over 30 years and is equally experienced on guitar and vocals.

Evan shares the distinction of excellence as both a successful musician and a sought after music teacher. During the nineties and first half of this decade, Evan performed at various jazz festivals and gigs as a member of the duo ‘Easy Vibes’. His recent live engagements have included work with some of NZ and the USA’s top musicians.

WorryWort

Teuila Brown, known as WorryWort, plays guitar and sings songs about various things. Just a singer songwriter trying to capitalise on her anxiety and terrible mistakes. Will play at your nana’s 80th!

@teuilalomusic

THE RVMES

The RVMES! Yes you may be wondering how to pronounce this strange name. If yes, say it with us ‘The Rooms’. Excellent! We are a fresh act in the heart of Auckland, New Zealand. Our focus is pretty broad, we tackle most genres that come to mind like Reggae, Jazz, Blues, Psychedelic, Gypsy Jazz and many more that will come with each rehearsal. Our line-up is vocals, two guitars, bass and drums all with our own styles and backgrounds.

Alex & Rachel

Alex and Rachel are an upcoming New Zealand duo.  With Rachel being a Jazz performance student, she has gathered ideas and techniques used in Jazz to create the dynamic Indie-folk music that your ears, heart and soul will love.