Look To The Stars News: Crowded House

Neil Finn's New Album Gets Crowded For Oxfam

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:15:00 -0000

Crowded House frontman Neil Finn has invited a host of well known musicians to join him in recording a new album for charity.

Finn has invited the core band – and a few special guests – from his 2001 Seven Worlds Collide series of live shows and accompanying live album to create a new album at Roundhead Studios in Auckland, New Zealand, with proceeds going to support Oxfam.

Guests confirmed so far are Radiohead’s Phil Selway and Ed O’Brien, The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, Soul Coughing’s Sebastian Steinberg, multi-instrumentalist Lisa Germano, Wilco members Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Glenn Kotche and Pat Sansone, and New Zealand musicians Liam Finn, Don McGlashan and Bic Runga.

The album will be recorded over Christmas and New Year, and will be accompanied by live performances at Auckland’s Powerstation on 5, 6 and 7 January 2009.

Previous participants in Finn’s Seven Worlds Collide shows include Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam in 2001.

Kiwi Stars Hold Charity Auction

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

World class rockers and sports stars from Down Under have donated items to a new online auction benefiting an organization that helps disabled and disadvantaged individuals develop their skills and abilities to contribute to their communities.

Past and present members of the All Blacks – New Zealand’s national rugby team – have stepped up to the mark with Olympic medalist Sarah Ulmer and Crowded House’s Neil Finn to take part in the auction, which is rasing money for the Gracelands Trust, an organization based in the North Island of New Zealand.

Founded and developed by Robyn Klos, the Gracelands Trust has developed from a small service supporting people in Te Awamutu to now offering programs throughout the greater Waikato region. It is based on a personal optimistic philosophy that it is possible to harness professional skills and knowledge with community resources and goodwill to provide a people-centered service, where everyone benefits.

The auction includes items such as a Finn Brothers poster signed by Neil and Tim Finn – both born in Te Awamutu – as well as an All Black jersey signed by Colin Meads, a rugby ball signed by Zinzan Brooke, and a cycling shirt signed by Sarah Ulmer.

Anybody interested in the auction – which can be accessed via TradeMe – had better be quick… it ends August 26 and 27.

It's Never Too Crowded For Charity

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 10:35:18 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Half of the band is American, yet they originated in Australia, and the lead singer is a New Zealander. Veteran pop band Crowded House can truly be considered as one of the most international music groups ever to grace the airwaves. And even though they are currently halfway through a world tour to promote their latest album, they still find time to be part of a new collaborative CD to raise money for Oxfam.

“The Cake Sale” ([CD] /[MP3]) is a new record featuring a loose and expansive collective of musicians and writers, including Crowded House founding member Nick Seymore, who have combined to create a 9 song CD of previously unreleased recordings. Profits from the album, which also features Nina Persson from The Cardigans, Damien Rice, and Snow Patrol, will go to Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair campaign, as well as to their overseas program work. It was released in Britain in September, where it has already raised almost $300,000, and was made available in the US on October 16.

Crowded House formed in 1984, as a result of the demise of an earlier band called Split Enz. Ex-Enz singer/songwriter Neil Finn, and drummer Paul Hester, joined bass player Nick Seymore to form the new band, then travelled to Los Angeles. There they were signed to Capital Records. Over the next 12 years, the band released four albums, and garnered a loyal fan base with a strong repertoire of hits on both sides of the Atlantic, including “Don’t Dream It’s Over”, “Weather With You”, and “Four Seasons In One Day”.

In 1996, the band called it a day, and played a final Farewell To The World concert to 120,000 people in front of the Sydney Opera House. Proceeds from what many regard as one of the most emotional gigs ever all went to the Sydney Children’s Hospital.

The following years saw the members of the group pursue new musical directions. Finn released two solo albums, and also travelled to Africa with Oxfam, a trip that resulted in him becoming an Oxfam Ambassador. In 2005, he was part of Oxfam’s Big Noise program, an international petition of more than 10 million signatures which called on decision makers to change unfair global trade rules so that people in developing countries have the chance to work their way out of poverty. He has since been part of a number of concerts to raise money for Oxfam, and also took time time entice his fellow New Zealanders to be a part of Oxjam in October 2007.

“You can do something,” said 49 year old Finn. “You can use your voice and tell the world that we won’t stand for people living in poverty any more. It’s not just about charity, it’s about justice. So stand up. Get singing, get playing. Make as much noise as you can and support Oxjam.”

Finn, who was awarded an OBE in 1993 for services to New Zealand music, also supports other charities in his native country, often contributing to celebrity auctions. One of the most popular of these is the annual auction held for the Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust, New Zealand’s only dedicated music therapy centre catering for special needs children. In 2005, the hand-written lyrics to his most popular songs raised $15,000 for the charity.

In February 2007, Neil Finn played a charity show for Scope, England’s largest organization for people living with cerebral palsy. The concert was held at Stowe School in Wales, and also featured Aussie rocker, Jimmy Barnes. The event was followed by a celebrity auction featuring items donated by Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, Elton John, and Australian cricketer, Shane Warne.

2007 also saw the reforming of Crowded House as a band, with the release of their new album, “Time On Earth”. The album, dedicated to the memory of drummer Paul Hester, went straight to the top of the charts in Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, and was in the top twenty in many parts of Europe. One of the first gigs the band played together to promote the album was Hyde Park Calling, a benefit concert festival held in London on June 23 and 24. Organized in conjunction with Hard Rock Cafe, it was the first concert in the second annual Ambassadors of Rock Tour, a global concert series featuring top artists and bands, benefitting charities worldwide. The London concert, which also featured Peter Gabriel, Chris Cornell, and Aerosmith, raised funds for the Nordoff-Robbins Foundation, a charitable organization that provides music therapy to autistic children, and Global Angels, a charity that acts as an umbrella fundraising mechanism for children’s projects throughout the world.

A few weeks later, Crowded House played at the Live Earth concert in Sydney, closing the show in memorable fashion, despite a power failure that meant most of their set was played in the dark.

“It feels right to us that the band should re-emerge at this time,” said Finn before the Live Earth concert. “We aim to make this show as vital and spirited as what has come before.”

More information about “The Cake Sale” album, which Hot Press describes as being “the album other charity records aspire to be”, can be found at www.thecakesale.com, and the official Crowded House website can be viewed at www.crowdedhouse.com.

Live Earth Rocks the Planet

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 13:16:25 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

They came, they rocked, they conquered. 07/07/07 saw the Live Earth concerts take place on 7 continents, and the event will go down in history and in people’s hearts as one of the greatest spectacles ever staged.

The nine concerts held around the globe attracted hundreds of thousands of music lovers, and another 9 million internet streams – a world record internet audience. Many more are expected to watch replays over the next few weeks. Concert-goers partied for a total of 22 hours at the events organized by Al Gore to raise awareness of climate change and environmental issues.

“You are Live Earth,” Gore told the crowd in New Jersey, on a stage made from recycled tires. “Today 2 billion of us have come together in over 130 countries… Times like these demand action.”

Despite the rain and low temperatures, 30,000 fans in Hamburg enjoyed stunning and energetic performances by Yusuf – formerly known as Cat Stevens – Shakira, Snoop Dogg, Enrique Iglesias, and former Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell. German comedian Elton joked about the inclement conditions with the comment “We’re here to fight against global warming in such c—p weather.”

It was also a cold affair in Antarctica, where a previously unknown band Nunatak – made up of polar researchers – played for 17 fellow scientists, allowing Gore to keep his promise to hold concerts in all seven continents.

45,000 people turned out in warmer circumstances in Sydney, where they were treated to performances by Jack Johnson, Toni Collette’s band The Finish, and a newly reformed Crowded House. Sydney was the first of the concerts to open, and was followed by Japan, where thousands rocked to performances by Linkin Park, Rihanna, and a host of local acts.

Johannesburg, experiencing its first snow in ten years, swayed to the rhythms of some of their best known local acts, as well as an intense performance by Joss Stone.

It was a smaller and quieter affair in Washington, where a subdued crowd was entertained by a few lesser known blues and hip hop acts.

The most popular concerts were held in London and New York. The newly refurbished Wembley Stadium was rocking under the weight of 70,000 concert-goers, all enthralled by stellar performances from the Beastie Boys, Kasabian, Metallica, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. 1980’s comedy rock act Spinal Tap reformed for the event to perform their new single, “Warmer Than Hell”, and there was also a touching performance by singer/songwriter Terra Naomi. Naomi wrote the track “Say It’s Possible” after seeing An Inconvenient Truth, and was asked personally by Al Gore to perform it at Live Earth.

The finale of the Wembley show was a set by Madonna, which included “Hey You”, the song she wrote especially for Live Earth. She also thanked Gore “for giving the world the wake-up call it so badly needs, and for starting the avalanche of awareness that we are running out of time.”

Over 50,000 people crammed Giants Stadium in New Jersey to join Al Gore, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, and Kevin Bacon for a night to remember. Cool rhythms from Alicia Keys and the Dave Matthews Band gave way to rockier beats later in the evening from Kelly Clarkson, Melissa Etheridge, and Jon Bon Jovi. The show ended with Sting and The Police performing a duet of their hit, “Message In A Bottle”, with rapper Kanye West . The free show in Rio De Janeiro, almost cancelled over security concerns, drew a crowd of 600,000 to listen to sun-drenched performances by Lenny Kravitz and Macy Gray, and the show in Shanghai was also a success.

The Chinese crowd were made aware of the International Energy Agency warning that China could become the top emitter of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, by later this year.

The Live Earth concerts were a great day’s entertainment for those who witnessed them, and only time will tell if they achieved their goals.

“Thank you for coming to Live Earth,” said Al Gore as the concerts ended. “Harness the energy in your hearts and help us solve the climate crisis.”

Look To The Stars News: Crowded House

Neil Finn's New Album Gets Crowded For Oxfam

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