Don McGlashan | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Donald McGlashan |
Born | Auckland, New Zealand | 18 July 1959
Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, euphonium, piano, guitar, drums, percussion |
Years active | 1979–present |
Labels | Arch Hill |
Website | www.donmcglashan.com |
Don McGlashan (born 18 July 1959[ citation needed ]) is a New Zealand composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for membership in the bands Blam Blam Blam, The Front Lawn, and The Mutton Birds, before going solo. He has also composed for cinema and television.
McGlashan was also a member of Philip Dadson's percussion group From Scratch, and bands The Bellbirds, The Plague, and composed pieces for New Zealand's Limbs Dance Company. His first hits were with band Blam Blam Blam in the early 1980s. He later released four albums as lead singer and writer for The Mutton Birds.
He was a 2023 inductee to the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame. [1]
McGlashan was born in Auckland, New Zealand. Both his parents were teachers: his father Bain taught civil engineering at Auckland Technical Institute and his mother Alice was a schoolteacher. McGlashan was actively encouraged to pursue music from a young age by his father, who bought him various musical instruments to learn on. [2] McGlashan wrote "Envy of Angels" as a tribute to his father. [3] At age seven McGlashan began on cello and piano, "then gradually added more instruments to that. [I] went through the tune-a-day for whatever instrument it was, for just about every instrument I think." [4]
McGlashan attended Westlake Boys' High School, on Auckland's North Shore. [5] While at high school he began playing keyboard in local bands. "I carried on sort of following those two strands – of learning how to write songs, learning how to be in a band, learning all the sort of extra musical stuff that you have to learn – and on the other side I was learning the French horn." [6]
At the University of Auckland, McGlashan studied English and music, and played French horn and percussion in the Auckland Symphonia (later called the Auckland Philharmonia) from 1979 to 1982. McGlashan began working with Philip Dadson's percussion group From Scratch in 1979, while playing in the Auckland Symphonia. McGlashan played a number of eclectic percussion instruments, such as the thongophone (PVC piping struck with jandals); the name of the group came from the fact that they produced their own instruments 'from scratch'. On Standards, the album he jointly produced with Ivan Zagni for Propeller Records in 1982, he is credited as playing bass guitar, horn, whistle, percussion, marimba and vocals.
In 1981, McGlashan replaced Ian Gilroy in punk band The Whizz Kids, who rechristened themselves Blam Blam Blam. [7] McGlashan's song "Don't Fight It Marsha, It's Bigger Than Both of Us" reached #17 in the New Zealand charts. Local music magazine Rip It Up deemed it 'best single of the year', and readers voted McGlashan drummer of the year. [7]
In March 1985, a group formed for the purpose, Left, Right and Centre, released a single, "Don't Go", a protest against the proposed All Blacks tour of South Africa. The song was written by Don McGlashan, Frank Stark and Geoff Chapple. McGlashan, Chris Knox and Rick Bryant were the main vocalists. [8]
McGlashan formed multi-media group The Front Lawn with Harry Sinclair. The duo (in their late stages a trio, thanks to the addition of actor Jennifer Ward-Lealand) won acclaim for theatre shows which combined music with physical comedy. McGlashan's song "Andy", written in memory of his late brother, was later listed among the APRA Top 100 New Zealand Songs of All Time.[ citation needed ]
McGlashan and Sinclair also made and starred in short films Walk Short (in which each played multiple roles), The Lounge Bar and 1990's Linda's Body. By now Sinclair was growing increasingly interested in directing, while McGlashan was keen to return to the live circuit. [9] He had also begun composing for the screen.[ citation needed ]
David Long moved from Wellington to Auckland to work with McGlashan, and the two began working together and auditioning drummers. After playing their first gig on St Patrick's Day 1991 with a session drummer, Steve Garden, they heard about Ross Burge and convinced him to move back to New Zealand from New York to join The Mutton Birds. [10] The band began to become successful—"Anchor Me" won McGlashan the 1994 Silver Scroll Award—and later moved to the UK. However, while the Mutton Birds received acclaim from UK critics and music magazines, they failed to achieve mainstream success. Eventually they disbanded, and McGlashan returned to New Zealand.[ citation needed ]
McGlashan's first solo album, Warm Hand , was released in May 2006. It was nominated for an NZ Music Award for album of the year, and debut single "Miracle Sun" was a nominee for New Zealand's supreme songwriting award, the APRA Silver Scroll.
In March 2009, the album Marvellous Year was released through Arch Hill Records. The album is credited to Don McGlashan & the Seven Sisters, a band which had begun when he toured Warm Hand. The album included a new version of McGlashan-penned hit "Bathe in the River", with McGlashan on lead vocals.
In 2005, "Anchor Me" was re-recorded by an ensemble of NZ artists to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Rainbow Warrior bombing. [11]
In 2012 McGlashan was one of a select number of artists given permission to visit Antarctica. The following year he was awarded the two-month Michael King residency. [2]
McGlashan played euphonium on album Time On Earth , by Crowded House. He played live with the band at Glastonbury 2008 and was a regular member of the touring line-up throughout their 2008 world tour. Later he played euphonium on track 'Hole In My Head' by Melbourne singer/songwriter Marjorie Cardwell, for her 2012 album In Another World. [12]
In 2012, McGlashan and Dave Dobbyn partnered for the Acoustic Church Tour. [13]
In 2015 he released his third solo album Lucky Stars , which he described as "his most personal album yet". [14]
In 2022 he released his fourth solo album Bright November Morning which includes songs from his early days playing gigs with The Mutton Birds to his song about the 1881 invasion of Parihaka, titled John Bryce. McGlashan said it was hard to pinpoint where the album fits in his career.
"It'd be like looking at a whole photo album of the last few years and saying this is exactly where I am, these are all the things that sort of make up who I am and who I am right now." [15] Soon after its release the album reached the top of the New Zealand Record Album Music Charts [16]
McGlashan began contributing to soundtracks as early as 1980, when he was one of the trio who composed the music for New Zealand police series Mortimer's Patch . McGlashan composed occasionally for the screen over the next two and a half decades, including work on Jane Campion's film An Angel at My Table ; Cinema of Unease , a documentary about the history of New Zealand cinema; and long-running detective series Street Legal .
From 2005 onwards, McGlashan began to devote a lot more energy to soundtrack work. Since then he has composed the music for more than a dozen screen projects – predominantly feature films (including The Dead Lands and the orchestral soundtrack for Dean Spanley ) – as well as short films (Tick) and television (Katherine Mansfield telemovie Bliss, TV series Orange Roughies ).
The song "Bathe In the River" featured on McGlashan's soundtrack to acclaimed Toa Fraser film No. 2 (2006, also known as Naming Number Two). Sung by Hollie Smith, it reached number 2 on the New Zealand music charts and went platinum. The song also won him the 2006 APRA Silver Scroll Award, his second win.
In 2011 McGlashan provided the score to the fireworks during the opening ceremony of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. [17]
McGlashan is noted for writing lyrics that feature New Zealand imagery and vernacular, many involving his hometown of Auckland. Examples include Dominion Road in Auckland ("Dominion Road"), the Auckland Harbour Bridge ("Harbour Bridge"), Takapuna Beach ("Andy"), and the Coromandel ("Passenger 26"). The Valiant in "White Valiant" was a commonly seen car in 1970s-era New Zealand: McGlashan never owned one, though fellow musician Dave Dobbyn did. [18]
McGlashan is also known for writing about real-life events and people, including:
McGlashan noted that while living in England as a member of the Mutton Birds, he still wrote "letters to home" to New Zealand in his songs, as he struggled to find a connection with English imagery. [19]
In 1998 McGlashan explained his writing process as "trying to write about people that I know. I suppose I 'write letters' to people, or try to unpick a moment that I’ve lived through and either tell the story in the first person or make up some characters who then tell the story in their own words – and by using what they don’t say as much as what they do say, try and paint their world in a song." [20]
He has also played a number of different instruments throughout his musical career: asked what instruments he plays, he answered, "Well I don't play violin". [21] However, he is noted for playing the euphonium and French horn. With Blam Blam Blam, McGlashan played drums and euphonium. He later picked up guitar duties for his work with The Front Lawn and The Mutton Birds.
Year | Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
---|---|---|---|
NZ [22] | |||
2006 | Warm Hand |
| 11 |
2009 | Marvellous Year |
| 26 |
2015 | Lucky Stars |
| 5 |
2022 | Bright November Morning |
| 1 |
The Front Lawn:
New Zealand
New York, 1983
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1981 | Blam Blam Blam – "No Depression in New Zealand" | Single of the Year | Nominated [27] |
Blam Blam Blam | Most Promising Group | Nominated [27] | |
1989 | The Front Lawn – Songs from The Front Lawn | Album of the Year | Nominated [28] |
The Front Lawn | Most Promising Group | Won [28] | |
The Front Lawn | International Achievement | Won [28] | |
The Front Lawn | Best Film Soundtrack/Compilation | Won [28] | |
1993 | The Mutton Birds – The Mutton Birds | Album of the Year | Won [29] |
The Mutton Birds – Nature | Single of the Year | Won [29] | |
The Mutton Birds | Best Group | Won [29] | |
Fane Flaws and The Mutton Birds – "Nature" (The Mutton Birds) | Best Video | Nominated [29] | |
1995 | The Mutton Birds – Salty | Album of the Year | Nominated [30] |
The Mutton Birds | Best Group | Nominated [30] | |
Don McGlashan – "Anchor Me" | Best Songwriter | Nominated [30] | |
1996 | The Mutton Birds | Best Group | Nominated [31] |
1997 | The Mutton Birds – Envy of Angels | Album of the Year | Nominated [32] |
The Mutton Birds – "She's Been Talking" | Single of the Year | Nominated [32] | |
The Mutton Birds | Best Group | Nominated [32] | |
1998 | The Mutton Birds | Best Group | Nominated [33] |
International Achievement | Best Group | Nominated [33] | |
2000 | The Mutton Birds – Rain, Steam and Speed | Album of the Year | Nominated [34] |
The Mutton Birds – "Pulled Along By Love" | Single of the Year | Nominated [34] | |
Don McGlashan (The Mutton Birds) | Top Male Vocalist | Nominated [34] | |
2006 | Don McGlashan – Warm Hand | Album of the Year | Nominated [35] |
Don McGlashan – Warm Hand | Best Male Solo Artist | Nominated [35] | |
Don McGlashan, Sean Donnelly, Ed McWilliams – Warm Hand (Don McGlashan) | Best Producer | Nominated [35] | |
2009 | Don McGlashan and the Seven Sisters | Best Male Solo Artist | Nominated [36] |
Don McGlashan, Sean Donnelly – Marvellous Year | Best Producer | Nominated [36] |
McGlashan has won the APRA Silver Scroll twice. In 2006, McGlashan had two songs nominated for this award – a feat last achieved by Dave Dobbyn in 1995. "Bathe in the River", written by McGlashan for the film No. 2, later won the award.
Year | Work [37] | Result |
---|---|---|
1994 | "Anchor Me" | Won |
2006 | "Bathe In the River" | Won |
"Miracle Sun" | Nominated |
In 2001, a vote by members of APRA to find New Zealand's Top 100 songs (what would eventually become the Nature's Best series) included 5 McGlashan songs. These were:
In October 2023, McGlashan was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame. [38] [39]
McGlashan married dancer and writer Marianne Schultz in 1989. The couple separated in 2012, and divorced in 2017. They have two children, Louie and Moe. [3] [46] McGlashan married Ann McDonell in 2018.
In 2008 McGlashan was angered that TVNZ had used a song performed by the Mutton Birds ("Anchor Me") when the election results showed that the National Party had won the New Zealand elections. McGlashan stated that he "would rather have sex with a very ugly crayfish" than let the National Party use his music. The song had been used by TVNZ in terms of the Australasian Performing Right Association's blanket licence with TVNZ. [2] [47]
On 28 March 2011 McGlashan suffered three broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a broken collarbone after he hit a car door while cycling down Dominion Road, Auckland. He was hospitalised. [48]
The music of New Zealand has been influenced by a number of traditions, including Māori music, the music introduced by European settlers during the nineteenth century, and a variety of styles imported during the twentieth century, including blues, jazz, country, rock and roll, reggae, and hip hop, with many of these genres given a unique New Zealand interpretation.
The Mutton Birds were a New Zealand rock music group formed in Auckland in 1991 by Ross Burge, David Long and Don McGlashan, with Alan Gregg joining a year later. Four of their albums reached the top 10 on the New Zealand Albums Chart, The Mutton Birds (1992), Salty (1994), Envy of Angels (1996) and Rain, Steam and Speed (1999). They had a number-one hit with "The Heater" (1994), while their two other top 10 singles were a cover of "Nature" by the Fourmyula (1992), and an original, "Anchor Me" (1994). From 1996 to 2000 the group were based in England; they returned to New Zealand and then disbanded in 2002.
Blam Blam Blam were a New Zealand pop/rock/alternative band. Tim Mahon (bass) and Mark Bell had been members of The Plague and The Whizz Kids. After losing their drummer Ian Gilroy to The Swingers in 1980, Tim and Mark joined up with Don McGlashan, a multi-instrumentalist who played drums and sang many lead vocals.
The Front Lawn was a New Zealand musical/theatrical duo founded by Don McGlashan and Harry Sinclair in 1985. In 1989 and 1990, they were joined by actor Jennifer Ward-Lealand. The Front Lawn were known for their live performances, and toured extensively in New Zealand, Australia, Europe and America. They released two albums and made three short films.
The Plague was a New Zealand theatrical punk/art rock band that was active from 1977 to 1979, and was led by Richard von Sturmer. Their most famous performance was at the Nambassa Music Festival in 1979 and they recorded four tracks for the Infectious EP. Von Sturmer went on to a career in writing and film-making and other members went on to play in bands such as The Whizz Kids, Blam Blam Blam, The Swingers, Coconut Rough and Pop Mechanix.
Dimmer was the name under which New Zealand musician Shayne Carter recorded and played music from 1994. It began as an umbrella name for jam sessions and short-lived band line-ups, then home recordings, then an ensemble with various members and guests. This evolution led to more settled four-piece rock band. At least 41 musicians have been acknowledged as playing a part in Dimmer over 18 years, with Carter the only permanent fixture.
Netherworld Dancing Toys, often simply known as The NDTs, was a New Zealand band from Dunedin formed in 1982. In 1985, their single "For Today" reached number 3 in the New Zealand singles chart.
"Bathe in the River" is a single released by New Zealand supergroup Mt Raskil Preservation Society featuring New Zealand soul singer Hollie Smith. It appears on the soundtrack for the 2006 New Zealand film No. 2.
"Anchor Me" is a 1994 single by New Zealand rock band The Mutton Birds. The song peaked at #10 in the New Zealand singles chart, and charted for nine weeks. The song was from the group's 1993 album Salty, with three other album tracks used on the single. "Anchor Me" is a love song, written by the Mutton Birds' lead singer Don McGlashan about his wife.
Salty is the second album by the New Zealand rock band The Mutton Birds, released in 1994. Four songs — "The Heater", "Anchor Me", "In My Room" and "Ngaire" — reached the top 20 in the New Zealand singles chart with "The Heater" reaching No.1.
Tim Mahon is a New Zealand musician who played in the Plague, the Whizz Kids and Blam Blam Blam. He was seriously injured in a road accident while on tour with Blam Blam Blam, leading to the band breaking up.
Ivan Zagni is a New Zealand-based musician and composer who has been a member of bands such as The Jody Grind, Big Sideways and Avant Garage, and has recorded albums with Aynsley Dunbar, Elton Dean, Don McGlashan and Peter Scholes.
The APRA Top 100 New Zealand Songs of All Time is a selection of New Zealand songs as voted in 2001 by members of the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). The top 30 of this selection was used to create the Nature's Best CD and the rest of the list for follow-up compilations. A similar list was made in Australia of the top 30 Australian songs.
"Nature" is a 1969 single by New Zealand band The Fourmyula. The song peaked at number one in the New Zealand singles chart in 1970, won the APRA Silver Scroll songwriting award the same year, and in 2001 was voted the top song in APRA New Zealand's Top 100 New Zealand Songs of All Time. "Nature" was notably covered in 1992 by New Zealand rock band The Mutton Birds.
The 2010 APRA Silver Scroll Awards were held on Wednesday 8 September 2010 at the Auckland Town Hall, celebrating excellence in New Zealand songwriting. The Silver Scroll Award was presented to Alisa Xayalith, Thom Powers and Aaron Short of The Naked and Famous for their song “Young Blood”, and classic rock group The Fourmyula were inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame. The evening also included a tribute to Pauly Fuemana of OMC, who had died in January 2010.
Joel Little is a New Zealand record producer, musician and Grammy Award-winning songwriter. He is best known for his work as a writer and producer with artists Lorde, Taylor Swift, Broods, Sam Smith, Imagine Dragons, Ellie Goulding, Khalid, Elliphant, Jarryd James, Shawn Mendes, Marina Diamandis, Amy Shark, Goodnight Nurse, Noah Kahan, Years & Years, the Jonas Brothers, and Niall Horan.
The 2006 APRA Silver Scroll Awards were held on Wednesday 20 September 2006 at the Auckland Town Hall, celebrating excellence in New Zealand songwriting. The Silver Scroll Award was presented to Don McGlashan for his song "Bathe In the River", originally performed by the Mt Raskil Preservation Society for the soundtrack of the New Zealand film No. 2. This was the final year where winners were selected by genre-specific panels of judges.
The 2013 APRA Silver Scroll Awards were held on Tuesday 15 October 2013 at Vector Arena in Auckland, celebrating excellence in New Zealand songwriting. This is the first year the ceremony was held at Vector Arena, moving from its previous location of the Auckland Town Hall in order to accommodate more of APRA's 8000 New Zealand members.
Victoria Kelly is a New Zealand composer, arranger, and vocalist.
"Dominion Road" is the debut single by New Zealand rock band The Mutton Birds. The song was released in 1992 as one of four singles to promote the band's debut self-titled album. Despite only spending ten weeks on the New Zealand singles charts and peaking at #31, the song has since become a New Zealand classic, being rated as the 23rd best New Zealand song of all time by the Australasian Performing Right Association in 2001. The song has resulted in the installation of a brass plaque in the footpath approximately half-way down the song's namesake street, in a reference to the song's lyrics.