You might recognise Joel Newport from when he was Head Boy at Raglan Area School a few years back. Having grown up here, he’s spent most of his schooling at Raglan Area School and is now in his final year at Wintec studying music – more recently, he’s joined the Whāingaroa Talent Factory team as a youth mentor.
“I’m really looking forward to being involved,” said Joel on his upcoming role in the youth music showcase event, which is set to return to the Town Hall on Friday, October 14.
Joel is one of the mentors who will be providing feedback and performance advice to local rangatahi who have signed up to perform at the live talent showcase.
Studying a Bachelor of Music, Joel also has his own band, Mondogreen, that he formed with a couple of mates, and they released their first EP back in April.
“We’ve got a gig coming up on the 18th of November. It’s at Last Place in Hamilton which is just across from Wintec. Things are just starting to open up in Hamilton again after Covid-19, obviously, which is really great.”
Joel’s also been spending time with Brian Ruawai and Naomi Tuaopepe (who have extensive industry experience through their band Cornerstone Roots, and running events like Soundsplash festival), receiving mentoring from the pair around sound engineering and helping to run gigs at the music venue, The Yard.
Joel’s interest in music started when he was still at school with his initial interest in listening to music developing into learning about the instruments and how everything comes together within the composition.
“I actually started out on the ukulele and then went on to guitar and piano and the banjo, learning loops and strumming patterns,” says Joel.
He also credits his music teachers, Dave Maybee, Nicky Keys, Peter Skandera and Dave O’Loughlin who supported his music learning at Raglan Area School, but he says that Peter in particular introduced him to the banjo, showing him proper keys and techniques on the instrument.
In terms of his own music, Joel says that growing up around roots, reggae, and indie music has influenced his own sound and that growing up in Raglan and being exposed to different cultures from around the world has influenced his taste as well.
“My mum is friends with Chris from Raglan Farmstays so we used to go over there and we’d be introduced to people from different cultures. I think people in Raglan are more open to other people expressing themselves and speaking their mind – I value that,” he says.
With the mentoring session slated for October 10, Joel says that he is mainly looking forward to seeing the performers enjoy themselves on stage.
“I think when I get on stage a different persona takes over. I get nervous before but when I step on stage I feed off the crowd’s energy. I’m looking forward to seeing them have a good time and enjoy playing music with each other,” says Joel.
The Whāingaroa Talent Factory live showcase will feature 7 local young artists/groups performing live at a showcase event at the Town Hall on Friday, October14 – more information at the FB event page: https://fb.me/e/2ktN2vE96
Introducing the other WTF Mentors for 2022:
Tukana Dalton Tukana is a local teacher and musician who has been passionately working with the tamariki of Whaingaroa for the past four years, teaching at Raglan Area School and privately. Tukana has played music since she was a kid, and her recent journey into the professional world of music has seen her play at Earthbeat, NZ spirit and Solrise music festival, as well as playing shows around the North Island and opening for some amazing artists such as Kita, TOI and Louana.
Nikau Te Huki With a number of releases under his belt, Nikau takes it upon himself to offer a 7th chord creamy, melancholic dreamy musical experience. A tasteful collection of refreshing original music and hand-plucked covers, you can dance, cry, laugh or dance-cry-laugh to the mellow-musical-mindfulness of Casual Healing.
Teia Kennedy Pairing an old soul with youthful swagger provides local artist Teia Kennedy a perfect platform to share stories through her music. With more than a decade
of songwriting and live performance under her belt, the Ngati Kahungunu musician takes inspiration from the people and world around her. Inspired by a classic ‘old school’ vibe, Kennedy’s rich vocal tones and cleverly styled lyrics are well blended with simple, honest acoustic arrangements to create a unique sound. Teia was awarded the Emerging Artist Award at the 2020 National Waiata Māori Music Awards.
