‘What if I lived loud? What if I took up space?’

Zanskar Ianusi with her song “More”. Photo/Rochelle Te Kaho

Nixon Street Recordings will release the Whanganui Songwriters 2024 Album on Friday, December 6

On the evening of May 31, 11 songwriters gathered at the Whanganui Musicians Club, along with a cracking live band and a very supportive audience.

The night was a huge success, thanks to the hard work of the volunteers at the club and in particular the show’s producer, Anne Keating.

The band consisted of Brad MacMillan on drums, Stu Duncan on bass, Johnny Keating on guitar, Denis Troufleau on keyboards and Brian Baker on guitar.

Musical director Brian Baker also recorded the event, with help from sound technician Jessica Steele-Johnston.

The tracks were then taken back to Nixon Street Recordings where Brian polished and mixed the songs, adding additional guitars, keyboards and vocals.

The resulting album is nothing short of remarkable in that a small regional city like Whanganui can produce such a high-quality gathering of singer-songwriters, and produce what is an immensely satisfying listening experience.

The focus track on the album is the night’s first-place winner, Zanskar Ianusi with her song More This song got a rousing reception on the night, the crowd really responded, not only to the song but also to Zanskar’s performance.

“What if I lived loud? What if I took up space?” This is the story of small-town Kiwi songwriters plying their trade and shouting out to the world. Listen.

https://nixonstreetrecordings.nz/whanganui-songwriters-2024