Powertool Records: Hires New Hammer | Intro: Come Down Kid

Media release 10 July 2012

Powertool Records hires a new hammer…and introduces the Come Down Kid

West Auckland-based label Powertool Records is pleased to announce the addition of a new hammer to its toolkit: Renee Jones has come on board as publicist and manager of operations.

Renee has had extensive experience in the music and media sectors, starting at Festival Records and working also at Flying Nun/Flying In, 95bFM, NZ Musician and is also currently with Independent Music New Zealand and Publicaddress.net.

Powertool Records is a beloved boutique New Zealand label which was established in 2002 by music lover and serial gig-goer Andrew Maitai. They have released an impressive catalogue of New Zealand music, including the successful ‘Here Come the Bulletholes’ series, plus CDs (and vinyl!) by the likes of Bill Direen/The Bilders, Vorn, Brother Love, Bored Gordon, Infinite Flying Kick, One Man Bannister/The Changing Same (Matthew Bannister, ex-Sneaky Feelings), Robert Scott (The Bats), Sandra Bell, Surf Friends, Gold Medal Famous and many more. Powertool also distributes selected international releases, including records by Rough Church (Greg Franco), Azalia Snail, The Black Watch, Sparrow (Jason Zumpano) and Lord Bishop – many of whom have also toured here.

If you would like more information about Powertool, or you have media and review requests, please email Renee: powertoolrecordsnz1@gmail.com – you know the drill! You can also purchase these albums - and plenty more - at the bricks-and-mortar Alien record store, 11 Veronica St, New Lynn.

First out of the box from Powertool this month is the debut EP from the Come Down Kid. We’ll let songwriter Simon Mallett explain in his own words…

Where did ‘Come Down Kid’ come from?
I used to play in a band called Bored Gordon. We played a bunch of shows around the country, had a song on the bFM Top Ten (Seaside Suicide) and we even appeared on Top of the Pops (NZ). But our biggest claim to fame was our band manager, Dan Hoerner (Sunny Day Real Estate/Dashboard Confessional).

How did ‘Come Down Kid’ begin?
After our manager bailing on us and the band splitting up I had a career for a couple of years before I decided that for better or for worse, I needed to spend my life making music. So I quit my job, signed up to work for the government (Student allowance) and went back to Auckland uni to do some postgraduate studies in music. Whilst learning about qualitative research, I also wrote a couple of songs. The result is the new come down kid S/T EP out on Powertool Records.

“It's good stuff - best I've heard for a long while.”
Mike Beever - Coldplay and Fierce Panda records producer.

What does it sound like?
Remember those post grunge bands in the 90’s like Nada Surf, Summercamp and Fountains of Wayne? Well I do; I love the way they mixed really catchy pop with grungy rock. That’s what seems to come out when I pen a tune.

Why should you listen to it?
Because it is does what it’s meant to do; it puts a tune in your head. I consider myself a tunesmith, rather than a songwriter; I don’t wanna make you dance, I want to put a tune in your head. But not the sort that you cringe at when you realise you are humming it (I don’t need to name anyone here). Remember when you would sit down and listen to a band rather than just have music playing in the background?

Songs I wish I had written:

The Beatles ‘She loves you’
Bob Dylan ‘Lay Lady Lay’
Death Cab for Cutie ‘What Sarah Said’
Elliot Smith ‘Alphabet Town’
Fu Manchu ‘Eating Dust’
Gerling ‘In The City’
Grizzly Bear ‘Two Weeks’
Guided by Voices ‘Game of Pricks’
James ‘Say Something’
John Lennon ‘Jealous Guy’
The La’s ‘There She Goes’
Mazzy Star ‘Fade Into You’
Mestar ‘Secret Garden’
Nirvana ‘Lounge Act’
Sebadoh ‘Willing To Wait’
Straight Jacket Fits ‘Down in Splendour’
The Verlaines ‘Hanging by Strands’
Voom ‘B Your Boy’
Weezer ‘Tired of Sex’

Come Down Kid Bandcamp

ENDS

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