4 December 2008

I'm really excited to be playing my first Auckland gig in a long time with Kelly Ann .
10 December , 8pm, at The Wine Cellar .

23 November 2008

A song called Emptiness from my new album is now up on myspace.

5 September 2008

Hi everyone. My new album is finished.
It's called Endearance.

1. At the Bottom of the Ocean
2. Emptiness
3. The Jaws of Life
4. Me and Billy T.
5. Nobility
6. Please Elvis
7. The Crossroads
8. Rise and Shine
9. Endearance
10. My Pearl

Release details to follow as they come to hand.

6 June 2008

Dale is mixing my new album. 4 down, 6 to go.

1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4

6 June 2008

Go here to watch the Kiwi FM live to air. I play solo acoustic versions of 2 songs from the new album: "Emptiness" and "Nobility."

15 May 2008

Tracking for the new album is finished!
Recording vocal layers was way too much fun.
I think I might be addicted.
I went to Scotia with my hosts to celebrate.
Boy did I need it.
Now I'm back in Auckland waiting on mixes.

May 1, 2008

I fly back down Dunedin to finish the record at Dale's house next week. Cannot wait!

1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4

April 18, 2008

I took a few photos when I was down south and you can view them here.

11 April 2008

Woke up to the tranquil Ambient 2 today. Then Dale put on No Pussyfooting!
Fripp's first solo and my coffee kicked in at the same time.
All the tracking is finished for the band songs.
I've been fighting a Dunedin cold so have had to delay doing vocals, and thus delay finishing the album.
This is a good thing as we spent a lot more time on the arrangements.
Everything has blossomed beyond my expectations.
Desperate to get the vocals done, but apparently patience is a virtue.

6 April 2008

I am recording in Port Chalmers with Darren Stedman, Tom Healy and Dale Cotton.
Darren nailed the drums for Jaws of Life today.
We are recording in an old masonic lodge.
There is a black cat, and rosary beads hanging on the toilet door.
Perfect.

12 March 2008

OK. One more show to post.
March 22, 8:30 pm, at the Wine Cellar
This show is part of the Borderline Music Festival held at both The Wine Cellar and The Whammy Bar from 20 to 23 March. Details for the whole event are here.
Then I fly south to record a new album in Port Chalmers!

2 February 2008

New show: with Dylan Storey and Sarah from Batrider.
February 10, 3:00pm at The Kings Arms.
Next time you hear from me I'll be recording. And not a minute too soon!

21 November 2007

Myself and the Steve Abel Band are playing support for The Broken Heartbreakers debut album release. This show is at the Dogs Bollix on November 30.

This fellow cloned an MXR Phase 45 for me.

6 October 2007

2 cool shows coming up:
12 October- Leigh Sawmill Cafe w/ George & Queen and The Low Spark (G & Q album release show)
14 October- Afternoon show at The Kings Arms w/ the Sami's (it's Anjis birthday)

14 August 2007 -- Hot damn

I am playing with my heroes Haunted Love on 30 August at ye olde Wine Cellar.
Anji Sami is joining us. The future looks bright.

27 July 2007

Hmmmmm.....

July 24 2007

Back from Wellington. Managed to not buy a single thing from Slow Boat. (But I got these for dirt cheap somewhere else and felt heaven smiling: 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4)
I had so much fun with Hannah and Tom. Thanks dudes.

July 19 2007

Hejira and The River and Murray St. and Ready to Die kept us company down State Highway 1 today en route to Napier. Cops almost mowed us down speeding to catch speeders. Tom threw a metaphorical T.V (apple core) out of a metaphorical hotel window (moving car). If there weren't so many crosses on the bends, and if I didn't have such a paranoid distrust of ALL drivers (why discriminate??!) then life on the road would just be one merrily neverending roll along.

Hannah: "Look at the cows taking themselves in to get milked Si Si."
Tom: "The voodoo lab is DEFINITELY the most versatile tremolo for the price."
Simon: "I KNEW I shouldn't have had that caramel latte."
Joni:"I slept on the strange pillows of my wanderlust."
Tom: "Wanker establishment on the left." (as we drive by Taupo's gated community).

23 June 2007
I'm playing some North Island gigs with Hannah Curwood. She is my good friend. We are even myspace friends. I don't know how we're gonna find room for instruments what with all the multivitamins we're taking on this little mid-winter jaunt, but we'll find a way.

12 July -- Wine Cellar, Auckland (w/ The Gladeyes)
14 July -- La Commune, Hamilton
19 July -- Latitude Live, Napier
20 July -- Happy, Wellington

30 May 2007
Eve Gordon, with much help and generous time from Sam Hamilton, has made a music video for the song High Plains Drifter. You can watch it on myspace. Thankyou Eve and Sam!!
I got real sick and had to cancel gigs in the South Island. It sucks, but I WILL be back.
I miss you Dunedin.
Meanwhile, amazing friends and all kinds of great art is
what's-- seeing--me-- through .

31 March 2007 -- The Cakekitchen
Who played the one chord guitar guitar riff on The Rips's masterpiece "Starless Road"?
Who wrote "Left Rurns Right", my favourite song on the third This Kind of Punishment album?
Who is The Cakekitchen??
The answer to all these questions is, of course dear reader, Graeme Jefferies.
He is playing at the Wine Cellar on Saturday April 7 and I am honoured to be supporting him.

10 March 07
Gig! Saturday March 17 at K' Rd's Wine Cellar. AK
With Peneloping ( neoligisming up from Wellington)
and The Gladeyes (still inconspicuously taking AK by storm)

22 February 2007
--the gospel according to John
--some haikus on the mespace blog, quick before I get paranoid and delete them (incidentally, does anyone actually come to this page beFORE the mespace...don't answer that)
--OMG does anyone else remember this??
--the porta02 is out from under the bed ...

05 January 07 -- Who needs to play anywhere else
Jan 18: Wine Cellar, AK, w/ Pumice and Matthew De Genarro.
I swear that someday I will play somewhere else but damn I'm stoked to be on this lineup.

07 December 06
Solo show: 19 December, Wine Cellar, K Rd. Auckland
Pulsar pedal, tele, inhouse keyboard amp, blues harp (though we will try and avoid blue notes)
--with Conway

--does anyone else have white knuckles from clinging too hard to their poker face??

4 December 06
Stuck on what music to buy yourself to help make the silly season more bearable?? Why not just download stuff you can't afford! All of us here at simoncomber-dot-com officially endorse the soulseeking of the folllowing brilliant out of print/overpriced 2nd hand albums: 1 -- 2 -- 3 (just don't quote us on it).

26 October 06
OK so it was a little unprofessional of me not to post the show I played last week with The Gladeyes, which by the way was fantastic. In fact I guess it was selfish of me, wanting to keep Jade's unveiling of her new blue acoustic guitar all to myself, but if it makes you feel better, I'm feeling very guilty.I promise to share them next time (and there WILL be a next time). I am making progress. I have new songs...

Jaws of Life
At the Bottom of the Ocean
God Still Shines
Me and Billy T
Deja Vu

to name a few. All rights to change my mind on any or all of them are strongly reserved. I have an album title too, but I have learn't from experience that the minute you go touting that around everything goes wrong. EVERYTHING. But I will say that the electric/acoustic ratio will be rather modified. That's almost a promise. I'm excited.
p.s I saw Robyn Hitchcock at the Kings Arms the other night. I am SO getting his new album.

11 September 06
on -- the -- jukebox
(p.s. I'm presuming you've all read this??)

03 August 06
Go here to listen to a live perfomance I did for National Radio's Music 101 programme.

06 July 06
2 shows with Anji Sami
13 July, Odeon Lounge, Auckland
14 July, Wine Cellar, Auckland

12 June 06
I got sent home from my, ahem, "job" early today owing to the power cut all over Auckland. There was a parcel waiting for me when I got home. I could tell from the size it was something to listen to. It was Bill Fay's Time of The Last Persecution. Not having much else to do I put it in my discman and pressed play. 14 songs later the wind was still up, ripping the leaves from the trees, and the power was still out. It was perfect.

"Satan's in the garden shed, he'd like to screw you all"

07 June 06
Just posted Uncharted Interview to the downloads section. courtesy of Miles at Base 2.
Have I told you lately that I---- LOVE---- YOUTUBE

25 April 06
Roy Colbert's "Sill life" feature in Sunday Star Times.

23 March 06: K' Rd Gigs
May 4 at the Wine Cellar
St. Kevins Arcade, Karangahape Rd, Auckland
w/ George D. Henderson (The Puddle), who penned this great lyric by the way: "I need you to look out for me, 'cos I can't see a thing today."--Monogamy

May 5 at Brazil Cafe
Karangahape Rd, Auckland
as part of The Alleluya Noise Festival: 5:30pm, $2 The Lineup: NIGEL WRIGHT -cavernous laptop, ANDREW CLIFFORD -static carving of the ether plain, SIMON COMBER -guitar,voice and actual words! UN CIEGO -pyschedelic is not a dirty word

08 April 06: Post-album launch post
Wow. Happy in Wellington is the coolest venue ever. Thanks to everyone who made the last few weeks pretty damn special. Most of them are named in the previous two posts, but you'd wanna add Paul Raine from The Tomahawks and Ashley Gestalt to that list for getting up onstage for a few songs in Dunedin, thereby enabling me to say with some legitimacy, "We were a 5-piece in Dunedin." Also Thomas Bell, Marley McGreevy and Warwick at Happy for making everything sound pretty, and Scott Muir for being a walking talking Dummies Guide to Touring. Gotta few more exciting gigs lined up in Auckland which I'll post soon. Tonight I'm going to this with my sister. Then I'm checking myself into "Link Fetishist Anonymous". See you on the outside.
ON THE JUKEBOX

30 March 06
Re:BFM interview: you owe me one Snoop
Re:Myspace: forgive me Lord...I know not what I do

I'm down in Dunedin. My South Island rhythm section is Tom Healy and Darren Stedman from the Tomahawks. They are totally boss. We play April 1st at Arc Cafe. Then I've got a solo show April 6 at Happy in Wellington with Tessa and Ryan.

Also.. a live performance that was recorded at Radio NZ a few weeks ago is scheduled for broadcast this same Saturday on National Radio's NZ music programme Music 101. The first part of the session will go out in the first hour of the programme between 2-3pm, and the second part in the last hour between 4-5pm. At least this is what they're telling me. Don't forget to tune in.

13 March 06 -Pre-Pill Love Album Launch
March 24 -- Odeon Lounge, Auckland -- w/ Renee-Louise Carafice
April 1-- Arc Cafe, Dunedin -- w/ Martin Phillipps & Anji Sami
April 6 -- Happy, Wellington -- w/ Tessa Rain & Ryan Prebble

I've got a band for the Auckland show:
Gareth Shute: guitar, percussion
Li-Ming Hu: keyboards
Nick Buckton: bass

not to mention...

Sami Sisters: backing vocals, stage presence

Should have some friends helping out in Dunners too. The Wellington show will be solo.

11 March 06
The Groove Guide asked me for my "Top 5 albums of the moment."

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5

06.03.06
I'm opening for Wellington based improv. guitarist Ben Spiers on Friday 10th March at (where else) The Wine Cellar. He will be helped by a legion of Wine Cellar improv. regulars, including Andrew Scott and Sam Hamilton. I will be completely.........and...utterly...........solo.

03 March 06
I went to the Kings Arms the other night 'cos I really needed to buy The Gladeyes EP "Hearts N Amour" and I couldn't find it in the record stores. I'd been listening to their myspace page so much that the sandman was starting to spike my dreams. I love them times infinity....

01 March 06
I'm opening for The Posies on Tuesday, March 7. It's at The Studio on K' Rd, AK City. Doors open 7pm. Tickets are $39 through www.liveinconcert.co.nz (or $49 at Real Groovey and Ticketmaster) P.S. Voom are playing too!

27 February 06
Tomorrow (Tues, Feb 28) I'm doing an interview on 95bfm at 8:40 am. Gonna test out my early morning singing voice too. That night you'll be able to hear some of my songs at the Eavesdrop Listening Party. Its at the Wine Cellar (St Kevin's Arcade, K Rd Auckland) from 7-11pm.

20 February 06
This Saturday, Feb 25, Ryan McPhun and the Ruby Suns are having a fundraising gig before jetting off to SXSW. Renee-Louise Carafice and myself are playing sets too. A real good line-up for a real good cause!
Fordes Irish Bar, Anzac Ave, AK City

By the way, my debut album should slowly start to trickle into stores this week (though if you can't find it feel free to email me at simoncomber@gmail.com and order it DIRECT.) I'll be having a release party to celebrate this fact, not to mention more gigs all round the country. Details posted real soon!

12 February 06
Check out the main musical projects of some of the people who helped me make Pre-Pill Love:
Edmund
Li-Ming
Graeme and Darren

10 Febraury 06
Judee Sill
I read SO much about her before finally tracking down her albums. Nothing prepared me for those Heart Food harmonies.
"Kyrie Eleison, Kyrie Eleison........"

12 December 05
I'll be playing a last '05 gig at the Wine Cellar on K. Rd on Dec 17th. I'll be on after the Late Night Choreographers perform a series of short experimental dance works. I may even bust some moves myself.

10 December 05
Ok. Now that I've got that first post thing out of the way, allow me to add that the good folk at Elite will be distributing Pre-Pill Love throughout New Zealand next year. A March/April album release tour is in the works. I can hardly wait.
p.s. Dunedin-based artist (and much loved friend) Rainy McMaster took the photo's for PPL's artwork. Just wait till you see the view of Dunedin from Heriot Row shot.

08 December 05- FIRST POST
T1/1 AK GX1 RECD LATE
TELE BOX AUCKLAND
=THE WORLD WIDE WEB

PRE-PILL LOVE OUT ON CARPATHIAN EARLY 06 (STOP) ABOUT BLOODY TIME (STOP)
MAX RESPECT TO JACK THE LAD FOR THIS SITE (STOP) PLEASE COME AGAIN SOON (STOP) LOVE

=SC+