The Phoenix Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Phoenix Foundation are an progressive indie rock band formed in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...

, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

.

Early years and China Cove

Founded by Conrad Wedde, Samuel Flynn Scott, and Luke Buda in 1997 while students at Wellington High School, they were joined by Tim Hansen (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

), Richie Singleton (drums) and Will Ricketts (percussion) in 2001. The band gets their name from a fictional organization on the popular television show MacGyver
MacGyver
MacGyver is an American action-adventure television series created by Lee David Zlotoff. Henry Winkler and John Rich were the executive producers. The show ran for seven seasons on ABC in the United States and various other networks abroad from 1985 to 1992. The series was filmed in Los Angeles...

.
After playing for several years they released the China Cove EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

.

Horsepower

Their first full length album Horsepower
Horsepower (album)
Horsepower is an album released by The Phoenix Foundation in 2003.-Track listing:#"Sister Risk" – 4:50#"Let Me Die A Woman" – 3:53#"This Charming Van" – 3:56#"The Swarm" – 2:42#"St Kevin"  – 4:18#"Bruiser " – 4:15...

was released by Capital Recordings
Capital Recordings
Capital Recordings is a small record label formed in November 2001 based in Wellington, New Zealand. Their aim is to help musicians recording in their bedrooms, apartments and beach houses around Wellington and New Zealand reach a wider audience . They have released albums for such New Zealand...

 in mid 2003 to critical acclaim, and was moderately successful. Horsepower included such singles as "This Charming Van" and "Let Me Die A Woman", which received extensive airplay on alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 radio stations such as 95bFM and RDU-FM.

Pegasus

The Phoenix Foundation's second album Pegasus
Pegasus (album)
-Track listing:#"Morning Pages" – 2:13#"All In An Afternoon" – 3:14#"Hitchcock" – 3:28#"The Posh Tiger" – 2:42#"Through The Woods"  – 4:18#"Cars Of Eden" – 7:14#"Damn The River" – 2:07#"Sea World" – 3:40...

was released in early 2005 and again gathered further plaudits. The album was met with some commercial success, eventually obtaining Gold status in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. Warner Emery replaced Tim on bass before the recording of Pegasus. The album reached Gold status for sales in New Zealand. It was released by Remote Control Records
Remote Control Records
Remote Control Records was established by Harvey Saward and Steve Cross in early 2001, with the intention of supporting under-represented music...

 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 in October 2006.

In 2005, the Phoenix Foundation toured with the Finn Brothers
Finn Brothers
The Finn Brothers is a New Zealand Rock musical duo consisting of brothers Neil and Tim Finn. In June 1993 both members were awarded the OBE for their contribution to music....

 and put on their own theatre tour which included shows at the Wellington Opera House and Auckland's grand St. James Theatre
St. James Theatre, Auckland
The St James Theatre is a heritage stage theatre and cinema located on Queen Street in Auckland, New Zealand. Built in 1928, it was a replacement for the older Fuller's Opera house and was originally designed for vaudeville acts...

.

In June 2005 producer Jet Jaguar released remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....

es of songs from Horsepower on his website which are available for download.

Luke Buda was the first of the group to release solo material. His 2003
2003 in music
-January:* January – following an investigation by The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and London detectives, police raids in England and the Netherlands recover nearly 500 original Beatles studio tapes, recorded during the Let It Be sessions. Five people are arrested...

 EP The C-Sides met with unabashed critical acclaim in local music reviews. This recording features the long time live favourite from the early days of The Phoenix Foundation "Television Songs". Band members Luke Buda and Samuel Flynn Scott both released solo records in 2006. Buda's Special Surprise came out on Arch Hill Recordings
Arch Hill Recordings
Arch Hill Recordings, formerly Arch Hill Studios, is a New Zealand recording studio and record label in Auckland. It was founded in 1998.Artists include David Kilgour The Clean, The Bats, Don McGlashan, Bachelorette, The Boxcar Guitars, Luke Buda, Dappled Cities Fly, Fang, Ghostplane, Grand Prix,...

, and showcases his love of synth pop and carefully crafted melody. Scott's record The Hunt Brings Us Life was released on Loop. It has a more ramshackle
Ramshackle
Ramshackle was an electronic dub group that released two albums and collaborated with such artists as Steve Winwood, Jah Wobble, and Maxi Jazz. They released two albums, "Depthology" and "Chin on the Kerb" in the 1990s and a remixed version of their song, "Eyes, Lips, Body" was included on the...

 feel than the music of The Phoenix Foundation and delves deeper into the Americana
Americana (music)
Americana is an amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles...

 that Scott's songs on Pegasus hinted at.

Happy Ending

The band recorded the original score to the Taika Waititi
Taika Waititi
Taika Waititi , also known as Taika Cohen, is a New Zealand-born film director, writer, painter, comedian and actor named as one of Varietys "ten new directors to watch" in 2007....

 film Eagle vs Shark
Eagle vs Shark
Eagle vs Shark is a 2007 New Zealand romantic comedy film directed by Taika Waititi and financed by the New Zealand Film Commission. The screenplay was also written by Waititi, based on the character of Lily created by Loren Horsley....

in early 2006. The film was released world-wide on Miramax at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...

 in 2007. Following this success they also provided the score to Waititi's 2010 film, Boy
Boy (2010 film)
Boy is a 2010 New Zealand coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Taika Waititi and financed by the New Zealand Film Commission. In New Zealand, the film has eclipsed previous records for a first week's box office takings for a local production...

.

The Phoenix Foundation signed a deal with US label Young American Recordings
Young American Recordings
Young American Recordings is a New York City based record label founded in 2005 by partners Rocco Giordano and Josh Swade who met in the late 90's as interns as seminal hip-hop label Loud Records...

 to release their records. The first American release was Horsepower, released March 13, 2007.

The Phoenix Foundation released Happy Ending
Happy Ending (The Phoenix Foundation album)
Happy Ending is an album released by The Phoenix Foundation in 2007.-Track listing:#"Bright Grey" – 5:03#"Bleaching Sun" – 4:29#"Slumber Party" – 4:20#"Gandalf" – 6:02#"40 Years"  – 4:33#"Irrelevant Noise" – 3:59...

, their third album, in New Zealand in September 2007. This release was a switch from the Festival
Festival Records (Australia)
Festival Records was an Australian music recording and publishing company which was founded in Sydney in 1952 and operated until 2005....

 arm of Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...

 to Flying Nun
Flying Nun Records
Flying Nun Records is an independent record label formed in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1981 by music-store proprietor Roger Shepherd.-History:The label was formed in the flurry of new punk rock-inspired labels forming in the early 1980s...

, and features the single "Bright Grey".

After the release of Happy Ending, Scott and Buda again pursued solo projects. In 2008 Scott released Straight Answer Machine under the name Samuel F. Scott and the B.O.P. and Buda released Vesuvius. Wedde also released his debut solo album, Bronze. In 2009, Scott and Buda composed the soundtrack for the film Separation City
Separation City
Separation City is a film starring Joel Edgerton, Rhona Mitra, Danielle Cormack, and Les Hill. It is directed by Paul Middleditch. Filming concluded in June, 2009, after 5 weeks of shooting....

, written by Scott's father, the well-known New Zealand cartoonist Tom Scott
Tom Scott (cartoonist)
Tom Scott is a New Zealand cartoonist, and is regarded by some as one of the best New Zealand cartoonists since the 1970s.Scott has been the regular cartoonist, initially for the New Zealand Listener magazine and then for the Evening Post newspaper and its successor the Dominion Post, for most of...

. Also in 2009, Ricketts released his debut solo album under the name Wild Bill Ricketts, entitled John Dryden and Singleton, under the name Rebel Peasant, his debiut solo album as well, entitled The Walls of the Well.

The Phoenix Foundation played support to the Split Enz
Split Enz
Split Enz were a New Zealand band of the 1970s and early 1980s featuring Phil Judd and brothers Tim Finn and Neil Finn. They achieved chart success in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada during the early 1980s ‒ most notably with the single "I Got You", and built a cult following elsewhere...

 tour of 2008.

Buffalo

The material The Phoenix Foundation collected between Happy Ending and Buffalo was large enough to release the Merry Kriskmass EP in December 2009. It included songs that, according to the band, wouldn't fit in to the atmosphere of their then soon to be released LP. The Phoenix Foundation's fourth album, entitled Buffalo
Buffalo (The Phoenix Foundation album)
Buffalo is an album released by The Phoenix Foundation in 2010.-Track listing:#"Eventually" – 5:28#"Buffalo" – 4:14#"Flock of Hearts" – 3:18#"Pot" – 3:24#"Bitte Bitte" – 4:32#"Skeleton" – 3:53#"Orange & Mango" – 3:53#"Bailey's Beach" – 4:06...

, was released in New Zealand on 26 April 2010. For the first time in the history of the band, their album was released on vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...

 and as digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...

 together with the The Do Son EP.

Warner Emery left the band during the recording of Buffalo on amicable terms. He was replaced by Tom Callwood, who had previously provided double bass on the 'Merry Kriskmass' track 'Forget It', and cello on Happy Ending
Happy Ending (The Phoenix Foundation album)
Happy Ending is an album released by The Phoenix Foundation in 2007.-Track listing:#"Bright Grey" – 5:03#"Bleaching Sun" – 4:29#"Slumber Party" – 4:20#"Gandalf" – 6:02#"40 Years"  – 4:33#"Irrelevant Noise" – 3:59...

.

At the end of September, 2010 The Phoenix Foundation had announced signing a record deal with UK record label Memphis Industries
Memphis Industries
Memphis Industries is a British independent record label.Memphis Industries was established as a record label in 1998 by the brothers Ollie and Matt Jacob with the first release being Blue States' Forever EP...

, which released their award winning album Buffalo worldwide on January 24, 2011. The band toured the UK and Europe in January and February and returned again in May-July 2011.

Their third visit to the UK this year was short. They came to perform live on BBC’s ‘Later with... Jools Holland‘. It was their UK TV debut and the show was broadcast on 25th and then 28th October. The band played two songs, "Buffalo" and "Flock of Hearts". They also gave one-off show at the Garage in London that week.

Early reviews for Buffalo in Europe have been strong with The Guardian Newspaper giving the album a 5-star rating on January 7, 2011.

"Pot" was the first single released from the album. The second single and album title track Buffalo is currently receiving airtime on the BBC's 6 Music, and XFM.

Awards

The Phoenix Foundation started to receive awards with the song "The Drinker", which won Best Unreleased Song at the 2002 bNet
BNET
BNET was an online magazine dedicated to issues of business management.It was owned by CBS Interactive and was a part of its business portfolio alongside ZDNet, TechRepublic, SmartPlanet before it was folded into CBS MoneyWatch, a sister personal finance site that was launched on April 6, 2009.BNET...

 Awards. Their first album, Horsepower
Horsepower (album)
Horsepower is an album released by The Phoenix Foundation in 2003.-Track listing:#"Sister Risk" – 4:50#"Let Me Die A Woman" – 3:53#"This Charming Van" – 3:56#"The Swarm" – 2:42#"St Kevin"  – 4:18#"Bruiser " – 4:15...

was one of the most acclaimed New Zealand albums of the 2003. It was the only album to be nominated for 'Best Album' at both the Vodafone NZ Music Awards
New Zealand Music Awards
The New Zealand Music Awards show, is a major annual New Zealand music event where musical acts and singers are awarded each year. It has occurred every year since 1965 to outstanding New Zealand musicians and groups....

 (aka the Tuis) and the bNet Awards. It was also voted the 'Best NZ Album' of 2003 by nzmusic.com and was the only New Zealand album selected in The Listener's 'Top Ten Albums of 2003' by Nick Bollinger.

The video for the album's first single "Let Me Die A Woman" was made by Richard Bell and went on to win the 'Knack Award' (best video made for under $5000) at the 2003 NZ Kodak Music Clip Awards. The follow-up video for "Going Fishing", also directed by Richard Bell, again went on to win the 'Knack Award' at the 2004 NZ Kodak Music Clip Awards as well as 'Best Cinematography' at the 2004 Handle The Jandal Awards
Handle the jandal
Handle the Jandal is an annual ceremony in New Zealand that celebrates New Zealand film, music and the Do It Yourself culture. The competition is for music videos of New Zealand music, made by New Zealand filmmakers with no external funding assistance....

. The band's second, NZ Music Award nominated, album Pegasus
Pegasus (album)
-Track listing:#"Morning Pages" – 2:13#"All In An Afternoon" – 3:14#"Hitchcock" – 3:28#"The Posh Tiger" – 2:42#"Through The Woods"  – 4:18#"Cars Of Eden" – 7:14#"Damn The River" – 2:07#"Sea World" – 3:40...

has achieved Gold status sales in New Zealand and "Damn the River" won Best Pop Track at the 2006 bNet Awards.

Happy Ending
Happy Ending (The Phoenix Foundation album)
Happy Ending is an album released by The Phoenix Foundation in 2007.-Track listing:#"Bright Grey" – 5:03#"Bleaching Sun" – 4:29#"Slumber Party" – 4:20#"Gandalf" – 6:02#"40 Years"  – 4:33#"Irrelevant Noise" – 3:59...

brought more nominations and awards. The Phoenix Foundation got five nominations for the 2008 VNZMA
New Zealand Music Awards
The New Zealand Music Awards show, is a major annual New Zealand music event where musical acts and singers are awarded each year. It has occurred every year since 1965 to outstanding New Zealand musicians and groups....

 (in Single of the Year - for the song "Bright Grey", Best Group, Best Rock Album, Best Engineer and Best Producer) out of which they received two Technical Awards. Both went to Lee Prebble
Lee Prebble
Lee Prebble is a producer and engineer at Wellington, New Zealand recording studio The Surgery. He has produced and co-produced platinum selling records for Trinity Roots and The Black Seeds as well as albums by The Phoenix Foundation, Spartacus R, Cornerstone Roots, Fly My Pretties and The...

 of The Surgery.

Buffalo
Buffalo (The Phoenix Foundation album)
Buffalo is an album released by The Phoenix Foundation in 2010.-Track listing:#"Eventually" – 5:28#"Buffalo" – 4:14#"Flock of Hearts" – 3:18#"Pot" – 3:24#"Bitte Bitte" – 4:32#"Skeleton" – 3:53#"Orange & Mango" – 3:53#"Bailey's Beach" – 4:06...

, the most recent album, was nominated for 8 'Tuis'. They won all three Technical Awards announced on September 1, 2010: Best Producer (the band for producing the album Buffalo), Best Engineer (Lee Prebble for the album Buffalo) and Best Album Cover (Paul Johnson for Buffalo). On October 7, The Phoenix Foundation won the NZ Music Award
2010 New Zealand Music Awards
The 2010 New Zealand Music Awards was the 45th holding of the annual ceremony featuring awards for musical artists based in or originating from New Zealand. Finalists for the three technical awards were announced on 16 August 2010 with winners announced on 1 September, the date on which finalists...

 for Best Group (they were also nominated in Album of the Year, Single of the Year - for the song Buffalo, Best Rock Album and Best Music Video - Nathan Hickey for the music video Buffalo).

The band's soundtrack for Boy
Boy (2010 film)
Boy is a 2010 New Zealand coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Taika Waititi and financed by the New Zealand Film Commission. In New Zealand, the film has eclipsed previous records for a first week's box office takings for a local production...

won Best Original Music in a Feature Film at the Qantas Film and Television Awards 2010
Qantas Television Awards
The Aotearoa Film & Television Awards, formerly known as the Qantas Television Awards, are presented by the New Zealand Television Broadcasters' Council...

.

Albums

  • Horsepower
    Horsepower (album)
    Horsepower is an album released by The Phoenix Foundation in 2003.-Track listing:#"Sister Risk" – 4:50#"Let Me Die A Woman" – 3:53#"This Charming Van" – 3:56#"The Swarm" – 2:42#"St Kevin"  – 4:18#"Bruiser " – 4:15...

    (2003)
  • Pegasus
    Pegasus (album)
    -Track listing:#"Morning Pages" – 2:13#"All In An Afternoon" – 3:14#"Hitchcock" – 3:28#"The Posh Tiger" – 2:42#"Through The Woods"  – 4:18#"Cars Of Eden" – 7:14#"Damn The River" – 2:07#"Sea World" – 3:40...

    (2005)
  • Happy Ending
    Happy Ending (The Phoenix Foundation album)
    Happy Ending is an album released by The Phoenix Foundation in 2007.-Track listing:#"Bright Grey" – 5:03#"Bleaching Sun" – 4:29#"Slumber Party" – 4:20#"Gandalf" – 6:02#"40 Years"  – 4:33#"Irrelevant Noise" – 3:59...

    (2007)
  • Buffalo
    Buffalo (The Phoenix Foundation album)
    Buffalo is an album released by The Phoenix Foundation in 2010.-Track listing:#"Eventually" – 5:28#"Buffalo" – 4:14#"Flock of Hearts" – 3:18#"Pot" – 3:24#"Bitte Bitte" – 4:32#"Skeleton" – 3:53#"Orange & Mango" – 3:53#"Bailey's Beach" – 4:06...

    (2010)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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