Rockers doing things differently

SJD are breaking new ground.

Luke Buda from Wellington six-piece the Phoenix Foundation says the band were pleasantly surprised to get a best album nomination at last year's New Zealand Music Awards.

Their album, Horsepower, had sold only about 3000 copies. It was another pleasure - but less of a surprise - when their second album, Pegasus, was nominated in the same category of the same awards last month.

The album has just reached gold status and spent time in the local charts, but commercial radio stations have largely steered clear of the songs.

"They won't play it until they all start playing it," Buda says. "Sheep."

He was tongue-in-cheek when told Pegasus had gone gold in New Zealand.

"This is great. Hey, thanks and all, but how come no one's noticed we sound just like the Strokes."

He admits it would be nice to be able to make a living out of making music, but doesn't sound too concerned that it probably won't happen.

Like SJD's Southern Lights album, which won two Tuis at last month's music awards, the songs don't fall easily into the categories of music that commercial radio gravitates towards.

The sound is a mixture of instrument-dominated soundscapes, pop tunes and general musical experiments. It's complex and takes several listens to appreciate.

Music enthusiasts rave about it and are no doubt looking forward to watching both outfits perform in a seated theatre.

Supporting the Finn brothers on tour this year gave the Phoenix Foundation a taste for theatres and big audiences, and Buda says they are looking forward to performing in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch .

"They were completely different audiences," Buda says of the tour. "I've always thought that the Phoenix is really not necessarily a teenagers' kind of band at all and we'd go down quite well with the oldies - the dads that like Neil Young and Pink Floyd.

"We really enjoyed playing big venues, sit-down audiences - attentive audiences - and that's why we're doing this new tour."

The pub gigs are enjoyable, he says, but with a totally different vibe.

"The problem with pubs is that you play something quiet and beautiful and everyone talks over the top of it, and it doesn't matter how it sounds. If it's loud, they're going to cheer at the end.

"We thought a theatre tour would be more conducive to what we're trying to do."

Buda says it turned out that Split Enz had always played in theatres as opposed to pubs while in New Zealand. "So we found that kind of inspiring."

SJD's Sean Donnelly agrees.

"It makes a nice change to go into a setting where you can play the type of dynamic you want," he says.

Donnelly will be with his five-piece band, playing a mix of music which - like the Phoenix Foundation - will include some new material. Visuals and lighting will add to the experience.

An "anything goes" approach from SJD means there could be a bit of experimenting.

"A lot of the preparation has been done because we have played together quite a bit lately, the preparation is with the things we will be doing a little bit differently."


* The Phoenix Foundation and SJD play at the St James, Auckland, tomorrow night

- NZPA