Tokyo again plz

we got given a video camera..

and have been making some sweet videos with it, so gonna put them up as soon as we figure out how, cos we dont know what we're doing and the files take way too long to upload at the moment. But we even made a video for Nostalgia so now we dont have to pay money hngry Kefali ;)

here's some photos from olden days:

FRENCH KISS meets CUT OFF YOUR HANDS

Back when we were starting this band i went through all the CD's that i thought were awesome, made a list of all their record companies, and attempted to mail everyone of them in a completely naive attempt to get our songs released in countries like the States, UK, Europe, Japan etc.
At the top of that list was a company based out of New York, that i discovered on the back of my favorite record of the time, a record which pretty much inspired me to create a band in the first place. It was 'Zoo Psychology' by Ex Models, and the record company was French Kiss Records. A label i became familiar with as i aquired a collection of recordings by Less Savy Fav, another pivotal band for me and alot of my friends from back home, in NZ.

So you can imagine my excitement when we received an email from them back in late 2006 saying that they loved our songs and wanted to know if we had a label in the States yet. It's now been close to 2 years since that initial contact, and i'm extremely excited to now announce that early next year French Kiss Records will be releasing the debut Cut Off Your Hands record 'You and I'!!!!!!!!!!!

...........In the mean time, we've prepared a little 5 track ep that -on release next week- will become our first FKR's release, (incidentally in time for CMJ)
The Ep is titled 'Happy As Can Be' and the track list is as follows:

1.You Still love me (previously unreleased)
2. Happy As Can Be (from 'You and I')
3. Shorelines (previously unreleased)
4. Nostalgia (from 'You and I')
5. An Iron Sleep (previously unreleased)

Digital format of Happy As Can Be ep AVAILABLE NOW!!!! in USA from the following retailers:
Itunes:
emusic
Napster
Amazon
Physical format is available from Tueday 21st October.

We're also pretty stoked to be playing at CMJ in New York again from next week, last year was great so we're very much looking forward to the repeat. Here are the dates from the French Kiss site:

Thank you, xo
Nick

Identity

I think its really important that we as a band clarify a few things regarding who we represent and what we call our 'home'. Having been back in New Zealand only a couple days I've managed to read a couple pieces on us (my mum collects all our press) in the local magazines etc, and there seems to have been a misunderstanding in the way that we've been portrayed in the media as the band that doesn't care about NZ or would like to be anywhere BUT NZ.

Auckland, NZ is very much what we still call 'home', it has shaped us in both the way we conduct ourselves to the way we write songs (both sounds and particularly lyrics) to the way we perform. Without bands NZ bands like So So Modern, the Mint Chicks, This Night Creeps, D!D!D! the Vacants, Teenwolf/brand new math, Shocking Pinks the whipping Cats, etc we could not exist...Since Nova Echo in 2004 we've played and toured stacks up and down the country, these bands mentioned and way more inspiring and pushing us to where we are now. 

Our motivation to leave these shores from the beginning was primarily to do with our desire to play as many shows as we possibly could. With only about 10 feasible places (at a pinch) to play in this country it only made sense to head to Australia, and subsequently USA, Europe and the UK. In the latest issue of Idealog, former AUT lecturer Andrew Dubber talks of the pros and cons of NZ musicians abroad and concludes: "we can be rightly proud of COYH for making a mark internationally, but as far as creating NZ music goes its at a loss because they are probably not coming back anytime soon''. 

We are a band of New Zealanders who happen to spend most of our time outside of our home country and mostly in the UK. Sure, we have been reluctant to adopt the 100% pure KIWI pride brand- attitude but thats due to the awfully cliched connotations that come hand in hand ie rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrugby and Walkabout bars; things that have nothing to do with who we are as people. We are a young country and quite often it is hard to see past the aforementioned cliche's in affirming an identity as New Zealanders, but I see myself as part of a new generation of New Zealanders forging a whole new distinction of what it means to be from this country. I am proud to be a New Zealander, in the sense that i am proud to be from the same country and culture as heroes such as the Clean, the Chills, The Bats, the Gordons, Bailterspace, Skeptics, Dead C, 3D's, Verlaines, Split Enz, Headless Chickens, the Subliminals, Toy Love, StraightJacket Fits, and all the bands we've played with here. 

p.s shame on us we didnt win the breakthrough award last night ;)

Fugazi

I was asked recently to write a little piece on a personal hero of mine music related - for the artrocker online site. I chose to write about Ian Mackaye and Fugazi as i think punk rock and independant music is indebted to him/them in a big way.
Whilst the music of Fugazi is incredible and innovative, what im most inspired by is the staunchly positive approach with which Mackaye has seemingly applied to all his pursuits. Whether that be his strong influence in the rise of Hardcore in the late 70's early 80's with Minor Threat - coining the phrase 'straight edge' a movement of clean living that rebelled against the cliche's of rock n roll excess:

Straight Edge - from Minor Threat The First Demo

"I'm a person just like you
But I've got better things to do
Than sit around and fuck my head
Hang out with the living dead
Snort white shit up my nose
Pass out at the shows
I don't even think about speed
That's something I just don't need

I've got the straight edge

I'm a person just like you
But I've got better things to do
Than sit around and smoke dope
'Cause I know I can cope
Laugh at the thought of eating ludes
Laugh at the thought of sniffing glue
Always gonna keep in touch
Never want to use a crutch

I've got the straight edge

- or the establishment of DISCHORD records, a massively forward thinking DC based label, with a purpose of documenting local DC area bands...A label that has been responsible for the release of quantities of groundbreaking groups since 1980...some of the roster include:
Minor Threat, Fugazi and the Evens,
Rites of Spring,
Bad Brains
El Guapo,
Edie Sedgewick,
Faraquet,
Black Eyes,
Nation of Ulysses
Embrace,
Q and Not U,
the Beauty Pill, to name a few.
All this achieved with a strong foundation of hard working Do it yourself ethics.

Fugazi became infamous for shows charging only the cheapest possible profitable price, often no more than $5, and pretty much always under $10
...Unlike most of their independant contempories they were able to maintain sustainable tours and make profits due to their low overhead touring costs. An example is how instead of paying for light rigs etc, they'd just turn on the house lights at the venue.
Mackaye was well known for his disgust for violent slam dancing at fugazi shows, often escorting repeat offenders to the door where he'd give them an envelope containg a $5 bill, before sending them on their way..Apparently a bunch of these envelopes were carried on tour in case of such incidents.

Fugazi represent to me a real attitude of cutting the bullshit that's so often present in music and more to the point the music industry, they were able to sell hundreds of thousands of records and maintain hectic touring schedules throughout the world for over 18 years, without radio singles or corporate backing.


I know this is a very crude and brief account of an incredible group of musicians, and i havnt even touched on the music or other important personalities that have made up these groups, so im sorry about that, but im not attempting to forge some sort of in depth Ian Mackaye bio. For that kind of thing i can recomend a book called 'Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981–1991'. by Michael Azerrad, (2001)
or watch:
'American Hardcore: The History of American Punk 1980-86' (2006)
or
'the Instrument' a documentary on the band from 1987-1997