Various: Brat - A Christchurch Music
Compilation<br>The Brat vision: to profile the overwhelming wealth
of musical talent in Christchurch by releasing a
compilation CD of 20 local bands. Carla, Katy, Lesley, Tara
and Monique are a dedicated gaggle of girls who
comprise Brat and who are self-confessed 'slaves to the
rhythm'. Brat grew from a radio project aired on Plains FM
showcasing and promoting local music. The show developed
into the CD project with financial help from the local
council. There are some great tracks from some cool bands
here. Even Salmonella Dub appear to Hit 'Em With the
Bomb Call. I'm real pleased to see Excellent Soul
Therapy with their song It's So Funny, a fun number from
one of New Zealand's coolest bands. More gems are
found in tracks like Rise Up by Slim, Skatearoa by
Bunyip and Peacekeeper by Fuce. There is a distinct
influence of hardcore, reggae and ska type stuff throughout
this album, from the Dub Styles of The Nomad and
longtime reggae rockers I and I to the depraved manic
behaviour of beloved cock-rockers Human. The track that
sticks in my mind is Anymore by D-Magnet. A recommended
taste of Canterbury cuts. Brat can be heard on Plains
FM between 10pm and 11pm. CDs are available from
www.brat.inet.net.nz • David Gideon

Drum and bass seems to be our most successful
export product when it comes to New Zealand made dance
music - Wellington's Breakers Wax have made inroads
into Europe with their independently released 12 inch
singles, and Christchurch's Bulletproof have attracted
wide-ranging acclaim for releases on both local and overseas
labels. Shapeshifter, a live band from Christchurch, nail
the tough breakbeat sound as well on this, their
debut EP (which, unfortunately for DJs, is available
only on compact disc). The five tracks on offer are
melodic yet hard-hitting, and perfect for the dancefloor,
where Shapeshifter have built a fearsome reputation
with live performances around the country. The group's
live impact is captured on the live recording of
"Funkcity 45", and a remix by Pylonz of the EP's title
track adds further diversity to the mix. Another top
class local release worthy of maximum exposure. -
SmokeCDs.com

well since you went to all the effort of writing
up all those reviews. i might see if I can find my
copy of this months NZ musician, cause i am sure there
is a shapeshifter reference in there...<br>I think
at least there is a mention of Redford in the Get
yer kit off section, (the column about drummers and
drum kits)<br>-ros

hehehe, that reminded me that i actually saw Bunyip for te first time at the
edge, i think it was actually before ben harper... *sigh* ahh the memories...

Salient 2001 issue 6 april 23rd.<br>Shapeshifter
DNA<br>Occupying a similar niche to Concorde dawn (whose
unreleased track cloud city has been doing the business up
at Active Towers), Shapeshifter area live NZ drum
and bass group (meaning pre-recorded loops and
samples are sequenced via computer live). It is a
different discipline from DJ’ing, in some ways closer to
the work so people like Pitch Black, and is reflected
in the recorded material, which does not strictly
obey drum and bass conventions. Tracks build rather
than drop; some softer drum sounds are used. And there
is more space around the tune. That said, some of
the material presented here (including the artwork –
how ram is that?) has contemporary influences. Mostly
of the tech variety. Of the five tracks, the Pylonz
remix of DNA and boneheads stand out. Pylonz version of
DNA was used on the Active ad- the intro is all
brooding echoes that are the supported by an unorthodox
amen. “Boneheads” kicks off like moving fusion meets
kraftwerk, just slightly disappointing due to the lack of a
monster drop. This is a solid first release that reveals
a promising sound

NZ Albums reviews Rip it up Magazine<br>April/May
2001<br>Shapeshifter <br>DNA (EP)<br>Virgin.<br><br>***<br>Another
quality release from the fertile Christchurch breaks
scene. This five-track ep, sees Shapeshifter
alternatively pounding us to a bloody pulp with three
industrial strength Drum and bass tracks (DNA, bonehead,
plus the pylon DNA remix- man they do like their
breaks hard as nails down there or what?) These tracks
would make for one hell of a frightening dance floor.
Then contrast this with two lush tracks, one being a
nice turn in funky atmospheric jungle that would make
Bukem proud and the other a live recording of half
speed breaks with fucked-up wobby bassline and vocal
snippets. Diverse, interesting and one to watch.<br>Steve
Lynch.

Goodtime sounds<br>Christchurch Mail 1998
(?)<br>Preview for Audio Overload June 27th<br>Formed only two
years ago, dynamic trio Bunyip, have charmed the south
island with their original goodtime sounds. <br>Oakley
Grennell on guitar and vocals with brother Redford on drum
and Sasha Marks on bass guitar have performed over 60
gigs with their mixture of reggae, ska and dub
influenced by Bob Marley, and ex-Christchurch band EST. Last
year the talented bend opened for international act
Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals and have
supported many local acts including salmonella dub, I&I and
The puffins. The Band have just finished recording a
seven track EP which they hope to release later this
year. Bunyip Perform Friday at the Dux-de-lux with the
New Druid Society Quartet and at Audio Overload at
the Caledonian Hall on June 27th

Bunyip despite having started as a reggae band,
now include much ska and dub in their music. <br>-Do
you still consider yourselves a reggae
band?<br>“Definitely, we have about thirty reggae songs, ska and
dub.”<br>-Why reggae?<br>“We have noticed that there aren’t a
lot of bands with a happy vibe that people can get
down and dance to in Christchurch. A lot of its pretty
loud, distorted kind of stuff. All the gigs we have
played we have had heaps of people up and dancing and
grooving along, with big smiles everywhere. The sort of
thing we like to see. You get the bouncers dancing and
the bar tenders dancing.”<br>-Are you doing it for
Rastafarian reasons?<br>“I’m not really into that, I think my
brother knows a bit more about it than me, for em it’s
more musical side.<br>-What about influences?<br>“ I
am influenced by Ben Harper, and Bob Marley. Sasha
is into the Specials and bands like that. Redford is
into roots and reggae.”<br><br>Bunyip opened for Ben
Harper last year at the Edge, a gig Oakley looks at as
“the best”. <br>“ We got told about it only two days
before. We practised hard for two days before and
performed well. The crowd got really into it. It was good
exposure for us with the older crowd. The Ben Harper
crowd.”<br>-How about the Stein?<br>“ it should be good, I
remember going to last years one and just sitting on the
bank listening to Billy TK. Everyone just getting
pissed.”<br><br>Because god favours Canterbury students with fine weather
and cold lager this Friday combined with the smooth
sounds of Bunyip will ensure the stein will be one to
remember. Remember to get your tickets before Friday and
listen to Bunyip, trust me, you will dance.<br>SAM

Bunyip For Beginners:<br>When you are looking for
a good time out on the town, there can be so many
choices. There are hundreds of places to drink a skinful,
and make a tit out of yourself. But when such heroism
is required it is often a good idea to see which of
the hundred odd Christchurch bands playing and where.
Choosing the band that best suits your particular mood on
the particular night is more difficult than first
anticipated. Fear not, however if you are looking for a band
to dance to, something a bit more soulful than
guitar pop, and a bit more class than rock. The Band,
Bunyip. For two years now the three piece have been
getting people up to dance with their engaging style, a
mixture of some of the finer things in life, reggae, ska,
and dub. The Band is Oakley Grennell, on guitar and
voice, brother Redford on drums and BV’s (backing
vocals) and Sasha Marks on Bass and BV’s. <br>Bunyip are
playing the end of lectures festival (stein), and with
that in mind ( and the fact that I have done
everything else to get these guys for an interview this year
except ask them) I met up with young Oakley last
Saturday at ground zero to talk about the band. <br>-How
did you guys start out?<br>“Two years ago in rock
quest 1996. I kinda thought it would be good to do
something different at rock quest, apart from the same old
grunge stuff. So we formed a reggae band, as we really
dig EST, and other bands like that. So I got my
brother playing drums, I played guitar and started to
sing and I got a friend of ours, Sasha, who had just
moved from the coast to Christchurch, to play bass. We
got third in the regionals and everyone said it was
really cool. So we just kept going after that. Now we
are playing heaps of gigs, we have just made a demo
to send up to venues. Hopefully we will get some
gigs up north.”<br>-Are you playing a bit around
town?<br>“Actually most of our gigs have been out of town, at
Methven, Lincoln University, we went up to do a bit of a
tour of nelson at the weekend.”<br>-How was
that?<br>“That was wicked”<br>It’s amazing how many times I have
heard that word “wicked” when Bunyip are playing.

Bunyip<br>The promo ep review:<br>Christchurch’s
best band has finally made it into the recording
studio, the result being this seven track promotional
disc, its not being sold to the public, so you will
have t go and see them play live to appreciate their
music. Having Just returned from a tour around nelson
and Motueka playing with the New Druids Society
Quartet, the three-piece will be performing at the end of
lectures stein this Friday and will be well worth the
look. Singer/Guitarist, Oakley, bassist, Sasha, and
drummer Redford are planning a New Zealand tour in
December, so you can be sure to catch them while you can.
Bunyip’s blend of ska, dub, and reggae has been skanking
crowds throughout the country for more than two years
now and the band has built up a reputation as one of
the premier live acts around. Hopefully in the not
too distant future there will be a commercial release
to cement their place as one of the top bands in New
Zealand. Having opened for Ben Harper, and Swervedriver,
as well as New Zealand legends Che Fu and Salmonella
Dub, it may not be long before other bands are
boasting they have opened for Bunyip. Lyrically, Bob
Marley’s concept of One Love is touched upon in
International Community. “We’re all Friends in this world, just
one friendly community, we’re all friends in this
world, brothers and sisters united” and Long Long Way
“Segregation can turn into unity.” However, it is the songs
themselves, the energy, the sound, and good times that Bunyip
are really about. And the skanking. So come and see
them on Friday and shake your booty.<br>-Rodrigo.

And the finalists are:<br>(chch press) Kelly
Cooper<br>…Third equal: Vaawise –Misha Marks, Brendon Doig,
Redford Grennell, John Va’afusuaga; Linwood High school,
Christchurch Boys High, Hagley community college. Style:
reggae/ rock<br>Where did the name come from?<br>“We
where mucking around with words while we where driving
up to the heats and came up with vaa-wise.”
–Misha<br>Why did you go to Rockquest?<br>“The older guys
wanted to go because it was their last year and we all
wanted a bit of fun.” –Misha

Xtra Smokefree Rockquest 1998<br>Regional Finals
August 8<br><br>…. The rockquest is an annual
competition which has launched a number of top bands.
Christchurch bands the Psycho Puppets and Bunyip originally
formed for the Rockquest and have kept on playing for a
long time. ….<br><br>… other bands where more cautious
with their set up, with the exception of Vaa-wise,
whose guitarist played the didgeridoo for part of their
second song and the vocalist for six days who played
some flute. While most bands played two original
songs, King Zog, played one original, Falling Up, and a
cover of Black Sabbath number, Paranoid. <br>King Zog’s
overall Flair, and superiority in musicianship and
tightness was contested only by Vaa-wise, this probably a
result of the jazz training that members of both bands
have received. Johnny Lawrence, King Zog’s bass player
, received acknowledgment of his virtuosity in the
form of the musicianship award. …<br><br>Vaa-wise and
flume were placed third equal and their musical styles,
again where different to the other placegetters. The
four gifted musicians that make up vaa-wise played
rock in the style of old faith no more, ie, when Jim
martin was still around. Their stage act involved beach
balls being thrown into the crowd. Unfortnatly, this
ended up distracting from their performance…. _canta
1998

Fuce and Bunyip rip it up 1998<br>Bunyip where on
first, and my only whinge about the dux is the bands
have to start too early due to the restriction of the
venues liquor license and the incessant noise complaints
from that old bugger on Worchester boulevard. But
having seen Bunyip on many occasion, four songs was
better than nothing. Reminiscing of Excellent Soul
Therapy, Bunyip play a blend of reggae and but with a less
serious tone than the aforementioned. They’re talented
young muso’s and without wanting to give individual
praise the drummer is fucking hot…<br><br>Carla Rotta

Carla Rotta Alchemy Sat 11 July Lumiere theatre
<br>Psycho Puppets, Mountains of Murray, Bunyip, Fuce,
Pistol Grip, The Centre will hold, Fargus, Fuel and sun
toi. <br>(From RIU)<br><br>Sporting the “who wears
short shorts?” Mountains Of Murray where stylin’,
Original, dynamic and refreshing, these duderoones have got
a cool attitude. Can’t wait to hear a recording
from them. ….<br><br>…. A Band that seems to be
everywhere at the moment, Bunyip have been gigging locally
and out of town, drawing huge crowds. A tight quad
who are sending out the happy reggae vibes to all
who’ll embrace them. A total Crowd pleaser.<br> Two
bands left to go, and still lots of energy left in the
weak flesh but willing soul. Psycho Puppets blew on to
the stage and turned the cinderella crowd (midnight)
into thriller night. Funky, rocky and alive.<br>….

A friend and i have collected together some reviews of bunyip shapeshifter
stuff, so for people that don't know what bunyip is about musically can find out
this way....

hi! <br><br>I'd just like to say that bunyip are
one of the best live acts i have seen in ages...
:)<br>i saw them first at the gathering in 1999, and well
i would have seen them play at 2000, if the drum
and bass zone hadn't been rained out, although
(d)readford did pull out some lovely tunes, which made up for
the fact i was sinking in the mud <br>:D<br>~Ros

<a href=http://www.bands.co.nz/suburbchristchurch.htm
target=new>http://www.bands.co.nz/suburbchristchurch.htm</a>

nice to see some good christchurch acts getting
the dollars... <br><br>Pine<br>Sheelaroc...<br>Dark
Tower....<br><br>hopefully it shouldn't be long before bunyip are totally
realised for their great work....

NZ ON AIR ANNOUNCES LATEST GRANTS<br>Out of the
April meeting - 18 new Music Videos and 8 new Phase
Four New Recording projects. No Radio Hits
(significant airplay) results from this round because the
March quarter airplay logs are still coming in. Next
Radio Hits decisions (based on airplay in the
January-March 2001 quarter) will be announced in June.
<br><br>MUSIC VIDEOS Another 18 projects at $5,000 apiece -
<br>* Antenna Records/Dam Native/Terminal Illness <br>*
Antenna Records/Tadpole/Better Days <br>* Arch Hill
Records/Pine/Speeding <br>* Effex Music/Colliding Traits/Alright <br>*
Flying Nun Records/The D4/Party <br>* Footnote
Records/Sheelahroc/If I Gave You The Mic <br>* Frique
Productions/Pierced/Painted Angels <br>* Fuze Music/Evermore/Oil & Water
<br>* Kog Transmissions/P Money/Sunshine <br>* Lowdown
Records/Total Magenta/Kamikaze <br>* Paydirt
Music/Cassette/Don't Let Anyone <br>* She'll Be Right/Dark
Tower/Alright Now <br>* Stinkbuzz/Letterbox Lambs/Not A Private
Joke <br>* Sumo Music/Steriogram/All I Ever <br>*
Taylortalk Productions/Augustino/Say <br>* Tenvor
Productions/Jester/Eyes For Xmas <br>* Universal Music/The Ross
Brothers/Yippie Ki Yay <br>* Warm Earth Records/Te Vaka/Pate Pate
Welcome back to Dam Native. <br><br>Lots of these bands
are on the latest hit discs - Kiwi Hit Disc 47 and
the new [heatseekers] Indie Hit Disc 14 - Pine,
Cassette, Total Magenta, Letterbox Lambs, The Ross
Brothers, Jester, Dark Tower - at radio now. Five have come
through earlier New Recording rounds - Colliding Traits,
Sheelahroc, Evermore, Jester, The Ross Brothers

She's Insane: Schiet <br>Salmonella Dub: Hit 'e m
with the Bombacall <br>Mountains of Murray: Beefcake
<br>Slim: Rise Up <br>Submerge: Out of Space <br>Bunyip:
Skatearoa <br>Fuce: Peacekeeper <br>The Nomad: Dub Styles
<br>Excellent Soul Therapy: Its so Funny <br>D-Magnet: Anymore
<br>Human: Bright Green Body in a Black Coffin <br>The
Steffan Van Soest Hit Machine: Sweet Breeze <br>Grief: Mt
Christ <br>M'juica: Copper Girl <br>I and I: Lota Nu'u
<br>Parsec: G <br>The Dialtones: Solstice <br>Seven Tongues:
Rabbit Foot <br>Dogrol: Krunk <br>Rezin: EWM3

As far as releases go, i know they released a
promotional disc back in 1999, which had long long way, and
skateroa on it amongst others... but that was for radio
stations only... i have a copy of it somewhere in
chch....<br> and last year they released "Routes" which is a
single, i think you can hassle the people at Echo in
christchurch if you want it... it has two versions of Routes,
and two loose chickens...<br><br>they also appear on
the Brat Cd with Skateroa, and two loose chickens is
on the Bride of Brat.. <br><br>On the second Bride
of Brat Cd, there are also tracks by Mea Grenell,
and Oakley's Side Project "OG" which has also
realeased a single, but i have never seen it in shops... i
actually only know there is a single, because i saw the
video on tv2 video hits one morning....

I've only ever seen Bunyip play once and I
totally loved it:D I'm not sure if they played at the
J-Day concert. I was gonna go, but woke up that morning
and couldn't be bothered.<br>Have they actually
released stuff?? If they have do you know where I can get
it? I haven't seen anything around.

The Drummer from Shapeshifter.... redford is in
bunyip amongst many other things he is involved with
musically.....<br><br>I wish i had been able to go to leviathan.... mmmmm
bouncy castles.... ferris wheel.... <br>i heard that
Shapeshifter and dj psilo where the things that where best on
the night....

hey!!!<br>thanks for joining.....<br><br>I
managed to catch the last part of bunyips set at outdoor
styles in chch.... i haven't seen them play in a while
(apart from at the gathering) so it was a real
treat....<br>did any of you go to J-Day in the cathedral Sq? i
heard they played then, but i don't live in chch at
present so i couldn't...

Hey! Bunyip totally rock! Saw them in february at Outdoor Styles with Salmonella
Dub and King Kapisi. Missed Shapeshifter at Leviathan though, too busy dancing
outside.<br><br>See ya:D

SO I'm the second member am I?...I am not familiar with Bunyip, but I did see
Shapeshifter play @ Lwviatan a while ago..they went off.<br><br>Later

Also they have recently been on a Tour of the country to promote this stunning
piece of work....<br>:)

The Brand New Shapeshifter ep is out
now...<br>titled DNA <br>nice cover art, and an impressive remix
by Pylon from Fable records in christchurch in there
too...<br><br>Sweet as! and its only $9.95 on smoke cds... or about
$14.95 from most funky record stores...

Hello everyone in the big wide web world,
<br>this is the Bunyip Club, for those who either like
Bunyip, Shapeshifter, Mea Grenell, OG, (if you can
remember far back enough) Psycho Puppets... and any of the
other amazing acts these guys have been a part of....

Welcome to the Yahoo! Message Board for Bunyip