Meet the Artists – Quiz Night: The Great New Zealand Music Challenge

1. Introduce yourself, your practice and your connection with music? 

Hi, I’m Geoff Ong and I’m a singer/songwriter, producer, and composer based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. 

2. Who or what inspires you in music? 

Good question! A lot of the inspiration for my songwriting comes from my lived experiences – often I’ll have a feeling or a thought that I need to process or work through. I find the writing process really helps me with this – with the added bonus that I have a song at the end of it! 

3. What’s the hardest thing about what you do?  

Staying motivated, preventing burnout, and continuing to trust myself. I think this is a shared difficulty in a lot of creative industries! 

4. What local or international musicians have inspired you to be a musician? 

I’m lucky to have lots of super talented musical pals who I’m very inspired by! Mazbou Q, Foley, Miriam McCombe, Tiny Ruins, Edy, and Matt Hoyles are a few of my local friends and faves. 

5. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?  

Be a good person, and be easy to work with. No matter how talented or skilled you are, it’ll be really tough to find jobs or gigs if you’re difficult to work with! 

6. What got you started in your music career? 

It’s hard to pinpoint a specific point which got me started… I feel like it’s been a long, continuous, and winding path for most of my life! But maybe the moment I got my first guitar is when I realised that music was something that I really wanted to do. 

7. What’s the best music gig you’ve seen this year?  

Miriam McCombe’s EP release show at Movespace :) 

8. What makes a great album in your opinion? 

Good question! Usually if I love an album I try not to examine it too much and just let myself enjoy it. I think it’s mostly to do with how the music makes me feel! 

9. Why is music important to you? 

Like a lot of singer-songwriters, I tend to write from a very personal place. I find it quite therapeutic – it forces me to do a lot of self-examination and to understand the root of why I’m thinking or feeling a certain way. I think in order to explain something you have to understand it really well, and to explain something in the format of a 3-minute pop song you have to understand it really REALLY well! I feel like listeners connect to authenticity in music. Music is such a powerful artistic medium because it sneaks its way into our subconscious and teaches us to be comfortable with vulnerability without us even knowing it. 

10. Tell us about your upcoming project/show. 

It's really exciting to be working with Auckland Live on this event at the Civic Wintergarden! It's my first time playing at this venue and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm excited to be sharing some new music on the night as well! 

11. What can audiences expect from the project/show? 

It'll be an awesome night filled with live music, fun trivia, and hopefully not too much yelling. 

12. What advice would you give to an up and coming NZ musician? 

Be a good person, make lots of friends, focus on craft and community rather than success and numbers :) 

13. What do you love most about performing in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland? 

I love how tight-knit the music scene is here. There's enough people and venues that it feels thriving and buzzing, but it's small enough that everyone kind of knows each other and it still feels like a community of friends. 

14. Tell us about your new single.

I wrote "Waiting On What To Say" during a prolonged bout of social anxiety when every interaction I had felt like a knife edge between trying to play it cool and coming off aloof and disinterested, and oversharing way too much and making the other person very uncomfortable! I really find that songwriting is one the most powerful tools in my mental health toolbox, and writing this song helped me work through these feelings and identify the root of it all - which was that I was so worried about how other people perceived me that I almost was paralysed by it. Despite the heavy subject matter, it’s a bright, upbeat indie pop song. I love that super poppy music can almost give you a license to be really vulnerable in your lyrics - it’s like a sugar rush to help the 
honesty medicine go down a bit smoother I think! 

15. Where can we find your new song? 

Anywhere on the internet! If you just search for my name you should be able to find me :) [also there aren't any links yet unfortunately as the song isn't available online yet - once the song is out maybe we can add them in!] 

Check out Geoff’s New song here 

1. Introduce yourself, your practice and your connection with music? 

Hey there! I’m Max Earnshaw, a rock pop artist/musician/band based in Auckland NZ. My music is a unique blend of Pop/Rock backed by a killer band and plenty of stage presence.  Music is my world and I'm lucky to be able to connect with it in many different ways. 

2. Who or what inspires you about music? 

I’d say seeing other musicians killing it either live or on a record. There’s something about that stage energy or that epic mix that inspires me to keep going! 

3. What’s the hardest thing about what you do?  

It’s well known in the biz that all of the best records and performances comes from an uber amount of work behind the scenes, and that can be quite taxing. Many hours are sunk into writing, recording, re-recording, mixing, practicing, performing. It can be hard to keep going, but a great response from an audience is always worth it! 

4. What local or international musicians have inspired you to be a musician? 

A mix of bands and solo names from quite a few genres! The likes of Kings of Leon, John Mayer, The Black Keys are the top of the international list. I love kiwi music, there’s heaps of talented acts out there that I listen to on the regular. Check out Balu Brigada, Matthew Young, Club Ruby, Kin-Kachow, Keeley Shade 

5. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?  

The gist was to keep on creating and not be so harsh on yourself. Which is something I still have a long way to go on! “Just do it” as Nike says haha.  

6. What got you started in your music career? 

I started out busking the streets of Christchurch from a young age, playing guitar and singing and have never stopped! It really helped to build my confidence as a performer.  

7. What’s the best music gig you’ve seen this year?  

Too many to name! I really enjoyed Mini Simmons with Dictaphone Blues at The Wine Cellar recently. Also Kin-Kachow and Theo Sawyer at Cassette Nine. And this is bias as I play for the band but Keeley Shade put on an amazing gig with NZ wahine artists Levyne and Isla noon the other day.  

8. What makes a great album in your opinion? 

I love to hear a great story and through line with an album, taking us different directions while being consistent. Although I’m yet to release a full album so I’d best keep that in mind! 

9. Why is music important to you? 

Music brings joy to people and I love being able to bring that out. Even just a smile or a boogie! 

10. Tell us about your upcoming project/show.  

Can’t wait to perform at The Wintergarden this year on May 11th alongside other great kiwi artists.  

You can also catch me on the Digital Buskers stage in Aotea Square this NZ Music month. 

I’m also performing live on May 20th at Cassette Nine and June 29th at The Wine Cellar. Follow my pages for more info!  

11. What can audiences expect from the project/show?  

I’ll be busting out some great originals solo, and I’ve heard the fantastic sounds of Geoff Ong and Katie-Lee Webster around the scene. Not a night to miss out on.  

And you’ll want to catch me with a band in the future which really brings the energy.  

12. What advice would you give to an up and coming NZ musician?  

Don’t be afraid to out yourself out there! Talk  and work with as many people as possible, you will gain so much knowledge from those around you 

13. What advice would you give to an up and coming NZ musician?  

Finding your favourite song of the band/artist who is on, and experiencing the one of kind thing: live music. And seeing the audience light up as the band gets cranking. It certainly beats watching TV!