Playing their first number, "I've Smoked Too Much" at Waterloo Records.
Technically, the name is really an pseudonym for singer/songwriter (above in the red clothes) James Milne, a fellow New Zealander opening for Crowded House during their North American tour. James is a friend of Liam Finn too and he’s expected to appear on the upcoming BARB thing which includes him, Liam, EJ Barnes and a couple other young artists. Like an ANZAC supergroup; when speaking to him about it, he laughed and said all supergroups are nonsense.
I’m glad I caught the in-store performance. My once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet Crowded House was during their set.
How are they? Great. What do they sound like? My immediate answer is a combination of Islands and solo-era John Lennon, listen to “Apple Pie Bed.” James has the vocal sound which draws the comparison which I don’t throw out lightly because I feel the Beatles are overused, as Paul McCartney once asked Glenn Tilbrook when they met for the first time, “Which one are you supposed to be? Me or John?” However, I told James how much he has the Lennon vibe while singing. He thanked me and said he’s a big fan of Lennon’s work.
Check out the current album Chant Darling, it’s available at better, independent record stores like Waterloo in Austin (physically or online) or iTunes.