Mark Bruce and Leroy Brown of The Advocators have just released their debut album Songs from An Endless Night.
Mark Bruce and Leroy Brown of The Advocators have just released their debut album Songs from An Endless Night.
When Northland musicians Leroy Brown and Mark Bruce formed a band several years ago, it was initially meant to be a wedding band.
The friends, who had known each other for years and went to school together, wanted to get serious about their music and earn a little money.
But once they started practicing as The Advocators – an original style of “raw, gritty music” that draws inspiration from blues, folk, gospel and rock n roll - their plan collapsed as they realised that they couldn’t stay faithful to cover songs.
They never played a single wedding.
“We started practicing covers, and the covers started to venture into songs that were never acceptable to be played at a wedding anyway,” Brown said.
The songs were written largely in isolation by the duo including Dreams, Bad Girls, Elijah and Waitin’ Round to Die.
Releasing the album, available on streaming platforms including Apple music and Spotify, was “a bit surreal”, Brown said.
“It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was 17 or 18 ... but then life gets in the way.
“When you’re in it with someone else you’re forced to keep up your end of the deal and get it done.”
Brown and Bruce were born and raised in the small rural towns of Kaiwaka and Maungaturoto and had written and performed music sporadically throughout their lives.
The Advocators play an original style of “raw, gritty music” that draws inspiration from blues, folk, gospel and rock n roll.
Brown, who works in an office job, is the lead vocalist in the band and plays guitar and banjo, while Bruce, a Waipu-based arborist, plays guitar and melodica and does backing vocals.
The recordings were supported by William Jackson (Sharpie Crows, Erny Belle) on drums, and Anita Clark (Motte, The Phoenix Foundation, Nadia Reid) on violin.
They were recorded in a barn-studio at Jackson’s place in Tomarata and mastered by Chris Chetland of Kog Studio.
“We wanted to record it somewhere relatively humble,” Brown said.
“We wanted them [the songs] to remain a bit raw, not too polished or refined.”
While Bruce is more influenced by rock music, Brown was brought up in a family with a folk music background.
“The amalgamation of those influences is the result,” Brown said.
“You write all the songs and put all the effort into creating something, and there’s that moment of sharing it with the world. That’s the most difficult piece.”
The Advocators plan to tour their album around New Zealand and will announce the dates in the next couple of months.
Jenny Ling is a news reporter and features writer for the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering roading, lifestyle, business, and animal welfare issues.
