Latest news from Moana...

We love Germany! (3 Jul)
German people are very cool. Very hospitable and really dedicated. We have performed in the grounds of a castle (Frankfurt), in a cool club (Bonn) and in the Rex Theatre (Wuppertal). Along the way, we have been given chocolates, organic breads, wine, a football - and lots of smiles. At the same time, we are sweltering! It is hot as anything here. Yesterday was 31 degrees! Now we head into the former East Germany to Leipzig...

Trina will put some photos up on the blog later on so scroll below and click on the link.

WHA, New album release by Moana & the Tribe (6 Jun)
(Black Pearl/Ode Records)

"Another diverse, informed and quite moving album....by one of our finest."
- GRAHAM REID (www.elsewhere.co.nz, May)

"Updating and broadening her sound without compromise to the mana of a lifetime lived at one with exquisite and sensual musical warmth and passion." ****
- MARTYN PEPPERALL, (Groove Guide, May)

"It is one record which is really stretching musical boundaries, I think and presenting styles which have a much broader open appeal to a world ear - a more international thing. It is really, really good."
- MANU TAYLOR, (National Radio, June)

"..the mix of traditional Maori sounds, karanga and haka, classical and dub, among many others, come together effortlessly. Te Apo, a militant, haka-driven call to arms is one of the best local songs of the year..." ****
- SCOTT KARA (NZ Herald, June)

Back from Bonn (22 May)
It was a whirlwind trip - we left Auckland on the Saturday, arrived into Frankfurt on the Sunday, played on the Monday and departed from Europe on the Tuesday. We shared the stage with Hugh Masekela and Bob Geldofs bands in front of a 5000 strong audience of delegates to the United Nations Conference on Biodiversity.

Kia ora from Toronto (6 May)
We had a dramatic last night in Toronto getting rescued from an elevator at 4am by 6 burly firemen! Yes, 9 of us were trapped in the elevator - me, Trina and Cadz with about 6 local native Canadians. Our mates are a seriously entertaining bumch - but got really hot and we were in there for over 30 minutes. We had to ring 911. It was so embarassing! They were very nice to us (thought I noticed them counting as we got out of the lift - let that be a warning, people!)

We had a fantastic response to our performance at the Toronto University with real keen and serious interest in us returning to Canada in 2009. Not bad considering it was just the 4 of us. I asked a native American musician John Carlos Perea to play flute on a number of our songs (sounded just as great as Horo) and he did that really amazingly intense indian chanting over the Ancestors outro where the haka usually comes in. It really worked musically and culturally. Just wonderful and a real honour that these musicians performed with us.

Big Thrill (29 Nov)
I joined four other artists who were made Art Laureates recently, a big thrill for me. It was overwhelming as the recipients are chosen without ever knowing that they are being considered. A group of artists and art patrons makes a decision on behalf of the Arts Foundation, an independent Trust set up to support the arts through providing recognition and awards.

(14 Sep)
Check out these - our page on MySpace site. A clip from the Campbell Live show featuring a story about our trip to Vladivostok is available for you to look at on our blog . Also you can watch on YouTube the songs AEIOU and Te Kohu - and also a short docu called >My home< about Maori culture, my own whanau etc

A Clip from our trip! (8 Aug)
Our band recently spent a wonderful 3 weeks in RUSSIA. We did 12 concerts in venues ranging from theatres to private gardens to a hotel ballroom and a ritzy club. It was wonderful!

Watch out for the October edition of NEXT in which I am writing an article about our time in Vladivostok.