Winston Watusi Music Plus

I hate to offend people, so apologies in advance to anyone upset by the extra public holiday this month.

‘Cause I'm dead chuffed. I am a simple non-business-owner worker; and, in solidarity with the overworked and underpaid majority, I welcome this.

But, as usual, the media have heralded the announcement by talking solely to business representatives and owners. As opposed to workers in those businesses. An online poll I saw said more than 65 per cent of people support this brief show of respect for the Queen, though you wouldn't know that from every interview condemning it.

Two groups particularly amused me: those who instinctively blamed the Government without noticing the National party also support the holiday, and those who regularly hold Australia to be so superior that it's amazing our entire population hasn't moved by now.

I saw a furious comment under one newspaper story which read: 'That's it. This Government have betrayed business enough. I'm moving to Australia”. You gotta laff. In this instance the Australians – who, let's remember, already have more public holidays than us – were generous enough to announce their commemorative holiday for September 22, a Thursday. Guess how many people will be working that Friday?

For a monarch so venerated that she got two birthdays a year, allowing her subjects one day off after 70 years doesn't seem unreasonable.

Totara St

But let's move on. Last week I wrote about the new weekly initiative at Totara St, CHUR CHON SNDY, a showcase aimed at promoting up-and-coming performers, featuring them accompanied by a crack house band. These all-age sessions take place each Sunday afternoon, this current series running until the end of October.

I also talked about new local releases; let's follow up on both threads.

BROWN-E has been performing at CHUR CHON SNDY and is an upcoming R&B/soul singer/songwriter who divides her time between Tauranga and Auckland. In real life she's known as Jenna Palmer. I'm not sure what this current trend is for words made entirely of capital letters but there seem a lot this week. We'll just GO WITH IT...

Born in the 1990s, Jenna has a rich heritage, with ancestral links to both Matakana Island and Savai'i and Upolu in Samoa; she currently has both solo and band projects on the go.

Her first single, ‘Give Me Your Love', was released recently to Spotify and the usual digital platforms. It's a bright and breezy blast of hip-hop-pop which I imagine will have broad appeal. She recorded it as part of a compilation project with Phreaze Factory and Dawn Raid, featuring other local hip hop acts, and it was produced by award-winning producer Ricky Paul Muzik who has worked with more than a few international hip-hop artists. It was recorded at The Purple Lab studios here in Tauranga and will be part of a BROWN-E EP planned for next year.

New band

Before this collaboration Jenna had been focused on writing for that band I mentioned, TOA, which she started with fellow Matakana Islander, guitarist Hirini Tukaki. They are working towards a debut album/EP early next year and currently looking for a drummer, which should be a fun gig since their bass player is none other than Max Stowers. Max is a legend. I've seen him play for more than 30 years, which makes it even more baffling that I described him as a keyboard player last week. Sorry Max! They'll be performing an acoustic set at Toi Kiri – The World Indigenous Tattoo Festival – in Mount Maunganui on September 24.

And since Max also happens to play for the CHUR CHON SNDY house band, Jenna has been singing there. She told me: 'It's always an honour to share the stage with Maestros Max Stowers, Mickey Ututaonga and Ben Gilgen, who are the house band. Tauranga and Mount Maunganui are very lucky to have such gifted musicians on, literally, their back doorstep! A free mini concert every Sunday featuring some of the country's best musicians! I'd love to see more locals come out and experience the vibe and talent here. I'll be singing at CHUR CHON SNDY this Sunday with the house band and again on October 9”.