Dictaphone Blues came and played, filling the studio with sweet music full of warm melodies and lyrics straight from the heart.
The year was 2006, and Edward Castelow was addled with uncertainty. He had just returned home to New Zealand to find that things were not as they should be. With personal relationships heading South and no real connection to his new home, he begun to go through the arduous process of finding lodgings and employment, while gradually writing a new body of songs. His previous group, Degrees.k, had left Christchurch and gathered a new audience for themselves in Sydney. Their singles played on Triple J and they toured Australia repeatedly, which included tours with Betchadupa, Shihad and the Icarus Line. But after releasing two EPs and two albums with Degrees.k Edward felt thrashed out ñ he wanted to create new songs that were more dynamic and carefully tailored. Songs that (dear I say it) leant more towards easy listening. He decided to work on more tender pieces, not based on jammed ideas and rhythms, but on melody and structure.
Around the second half of 2006 Edward was asked to play drums for local psychedelic popsters The Ruby Suns and he grabbed the opportunity with a self assured hand, driven by a thirst for performing live. This band gave him the chance to not only hone his skills as a drummer, but also reinvigorated his own music. In little under a year, the band completed two tours of New Zealand and played shows across Australia and Europe, becoming a live favourite for many folk. Then Ruby Suns leader, Ryan McPhun, decided to cut the band down to a two-piece to save on travel expenses, and incorporated backing tracks where he once had band members. The odd Dictaphone Blues show had been played over this time with members of the Ruby Suns, Heavy Jones and Reduction Agents making up the live band. Audiences greeted these shows warmly and early demos received play on Kiwi Fm and 95Bfm. All of this gave Edward some assurance that he wasn’t barking up the wrong tree.
Accompanying Liam Finn on his ‘I’ll be Lightning’ Album Tour in late 2007 provided other cities in Aotearoa an opportunity to see first hand what Dictaphone Blues had to offer, and they were not disappointed. Whether playing solo or with other musicians, the capacity crowds were taken with the material and the manner in which it was delivered: professionalism off the cuff, with tongue firmly in cheek. A plan to release an album early 2008 was put on hold after Edward was offered the chance to join the Brunettes for a tour of Australia, UK, Europe and the States. This took Edward through to midyear and - although fun was had and lessons were learned - it only fuelled his fire to concentrate solely on Dictaphone Blues upon his return to Auckland.
After a well-received support slot with Canadian band The New Pornographers in October, the year was rounded out with shows in Christchurch and Dunedin with a band consisting of Ben Eldridge, Rob Collins and Myles Allpress. This line up was solidified in July and is proving to be compelling live force on the bandstand. Over the summer period, final touches are being put on the debut album to be released mid-year. Mainly a solo effort, the album does also contain some more familiar names in NZ music: Ryan McPhun, Matthias Jordon of Pluto and Matt Eccles of Betchadupa all contribute. Along with the aforementioned live band, the album is bursting with highs and lows and shades aplenty. With New Zealand radio picking up on the summery pop sounds of ‘Taken Aback’ (which spent 7 weeks in the bfm top 10) and the single ‘Lantern’ finding its way into the hands of your favourite onscreen television personalities, it finally seems Edward will no longer be addled with uncertainty. Well at least not concerning Dictaphone Blues…
For more up to date information visit: www.myspace.com/dictaphoneblues
