Chatterbox: The guest list

So Neil Finn invites famous friends to town and gives us an interesting idea. We asked a few other local musicians: if it were you, who would you invite for your all-star band? Diplomacy dictates they should say, "The people I already play with" ("No it doesn't," says Greg Johnson) but here's who they'd really like to share a sweaty dressing room with.

Greg Johnson: "On piano I'd have Tom Waits because he's brilliant and has personality to kill. What duet with him? Whatever the man wanted to do would be fine by me. On guitar it would be an American, definitely. Tom Petty. Why not? On the drums, that chick who used to play for Prince, Sheila E. Did she play drums? She's gorgeous anyway so that's got to help - and you always need a girl in your band. On bass, that big fat guy from Porno For Pyros, can't think of his name [Mike Watt]. Maybe I'd get a jazz player, get Charles Mingus out of the grave. And Kylie Minogue just for decorative purposes. Oh, and any one of the Corrs girls - as long as they don't play any of their songs."

Andy Lynch of Zed: "On vocals and guitar I'd have Stephen Marley, Jeff Buckley - I can't really have him though, can I? - Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots for the kind of explosive rock element, Chad Smith and Flea from the Chili Peppers. But I'd put them on a diet of kava tablets so they don't steal the show and so they're a little bit relaxed. And I'd have Reuben Gonzalez, the 80-year-old Cuban piano player from the Buena Vista Social Club, and the Buena Vista Social Club percussion ensemble as well."

Renee Brennan of Tadpole: "On drums I'd get Matt Cameron from Soundgarden. I'd get Ed O'Brien on guitar, so I agree with Neil on that one. As a vocalist, if I'm putting in vocalists as well, I'd get Ani DiFranco, and on bass I'd have Sting, and he could also do backing vocals. And I'm thinking if I got any loops or programming done, I'd get Butch Vig [Garbage] and I'd have Maceo Parker doing a guest on sax. If I was getting a songwriter in for the band though, I'd definitely ask Neil Finn."

Peter Urlich:"I'd stay away from dead guys. On bass I'd have Walter Becker from Steely Dan, I'm very old school. On drums, Clive Stubblefield, who was James Brown's drummer, the original funky drummer. On piano, a guy from Auckland, Kevin Field. He just gives me goosebumps when he puts his hands on the keys. On guitar, George Benson. That's a lovely band. I might also have the Steely Dan girls on backing vocals. I'd throw another local lad in too - Nathan Haines, who plays sax, and he's going to be in town soon. Hey, how much will tickets be?"

Funny, no one asked for Russell Crowe.