Interview with Erika Grant & Gerard Crewdson, creators of "Before the Beginning".

"Before the Beginning" is an immersive sound experience, taking audiences/participants back to a time before the universe, before space and time itself, into the "Great Void"—a place of endless night and infinite stillness. Within this vast nothingness exists a single tear drop, holding a tiny, unknown world within. Visitors are invited to step out of their daily lives and into this enigmatic realm, guided by an intricate and immersive soundscape that brings the unseen to life.

Following the success of "The Ringing Tree," this new project once again seeks to create magical experiences in our central city. Whether people know & turn up expectedly or whether they stumble across this magical performance, either way it will provide a unique way to look & listen to our inner city.

Interview with Jeiel.

Jeiel (Jay-El), born Jeiel Veloria, is a singer-songwriter based in Auckland, New Zealand.

His latest EP, Rabbit Hole, released on 24 May 2025, explores themes of love, heartbreak, and personal growth. Spanning multiple genres, the project highlights Jeiel’s vocal range, songwriting depth, and artistic versatility. The EP was launched with Into The Rabbit Hole, an immersive, Matrix-inspired event featuring DJ sets from RNGsus, Npeezy, and Emmxuvel, alongside performances by CaraWei and ray leslie.

Interview with James of Jim Wisp fame.

Jim Wisp weaves lush, immersive soundscapes that shift from delicate, fragile moments to soaring, cathartic releases. With a unique blend of violin, cello, bass, drums, guitar, and tabla, their music is a cinematic experience—emotional, intricate, and powerful.

We chat about the release of ELIANA, Jim Wisp’s latest album, with a night of rich, dynamic sound where every performance is a journey.

Interview with Serebii.

Serebii is a Kiwi composer, producer, mixing engineer, and multi-instrumentalist residing in Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa (Auckland, New Zealand).

Interview with Phoebe Rings' band.

Phoebe Rings are a dream pop quartet from Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland, New Zealand). While Phoebe Rings was originally a solo project of Crystal Choi, their new album Aseurai marks a shift with contributing songwriting credits from the whole band, which includes guitar/synthesist Simeon Kavanagh-Vincent, bassist Benjamin Locke and drummer/producer Alex Freer.

You can find Phoebe Rings on Instagram at:

instagram.com/phoeberings/

Interview with Dreamtone

A project fostered by five individuals who have met ritualistically with a weekly cadence to create original music for over three years.

Find them on Instagram at:

instagram.com/dreamtone.nz/

We are joined by Miles Sutton the main songwriter and bandleader of the Poneke based 5 piece ‘Welcomer’. Miles spent his early career touring and playing festivals both in New Zealand and internationally. After signing with Papaiti Records Miles began collaborating with its roster of artists, touring with Lontalius and contributing lyrics to the Tiny Engines Records’ artist Yon Loader and her acclaimed debut record. ‘Welcomer’ released their self-titled debut EP in late 2022, a release which explored, among other themes, the concept of “the weight of memory”. This EP also featured collaborations with several other artists on their record label. In this episode of Local Culture we chat with Miles about Welcomer’s recently released single ‘Nothing of You Remaining’. The single is part of Welcomer’s debut album, set for release in 2025.

This podcast is live on Wellington Access Radio 106.1FM. Hosted by Solomon. Thanks to NZ on Air for funding Access Media.

We are joined by Matthew Bannister to chat about his recently released album: ‘The Dark Backward’. Matthew was a founding member of the much loved Flying Nun band ‘Sneaky Feelings’. Matthew then went on to found ‘The Dribbling Darts of Love’, also known as ‘Dribbling Darts’. He has also released several albums with his on-going band ‘The Changing Same’. Furthermore, Matthew has released two Beatles reinterpretation/cover albums, respectively titled ‘Evolver’ and ‘Rubber Solo’, under the moniker ‘One Man Bannister’.

In 1999 Matthew published his memoir ‘Positively George Street’, in which Matthew re-tells, and in the process challenges the somewhat mythologised image of both Flying Nun and the “Dunedin Sound”. The book was met with some controversy upon its release.

Matthew’s new album ‘The Dark Backward’, deals with the theme of time, although Matthew clarifies about the work: “this isn’t a retrospective”.

This podcast is live on Wellington Access Radio 106.1FM. Hosted by Solomon. Thanks to NZ on Air for funding Access Media.