ABOUT HAPPY

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Live Music every night Tuesday through Sunday. Local, National, and International. Comfy sofas, atmospheric lighting and delicious drinks. In the basement, 118 Tory St

Music and Artists' Social Club

Wednesday June 1st 
first band 9 pm $5

The first Wednesday of every Month at Happy Musicians and artists get together to show what they've been working on, discus music and art, and drink a little booze.

This month:
Malcolm Menzies,
Michael Rowlands,
The Devil Don't You,
The Trezona Lecomte Family Band.

Clockwork

Friday June 3rd 8pm start 10 pm $10

Clockwork create a relentless funky platform over which powerful songs are delivered in Dub / Rock styles.

Achronic Rock: music in time but not of it.

Line up;
Matt Pike: Vox / Bass
Jaq Stone: Acoustic Guitar / Vox
Neil Boddington: Guitar
Jason Hotton: Drums

Vital Sounds Hi Fi REGGAE REVIVIAL

Sat 11th June 9pm til late $5.00 

Calling all reggae fans,

Yes REGGAE REVIVIAL is back for part 4! Presenting the best in Jamaican music & soundsystem culture – reggae music the way it’s meant to be!.

Featuring ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub all inna old-school fashion!! - Happy Bar, Sat 11th June.

This time we're bringing you Wellington's longest running reggae selectors! A celebration of those who have support reggae music in the capital over the last decade and more...

Featuring - Manray, dj Art, Ras Twig, Topknot, Ras Stone and guests.

Our Vital Sounds revival sessions at Happy are lots of fun! This one is going to be hotter than hot! Happy is a great venue for a party... so get along!


Make it a date! - so get the word out people & support!

Fundraiser for Closer

THURSDAY JUNE 2nd 8 pm $10




My Chameleon - Gemma Minogue: a little bit folk and mellow, a little bit angsty at times; kinda like what you get when you cross a sparrow with a circus bear.

The Key Notes - Jamie Grant, Sean Feehan, David Goldthorp & Debbie Fish: enjoy some funky jazzy toe-tapping, hip-slapping old school covers.

The Placid Saints - Sean Feehan, David Olsen, Sam Smith, Louis Karavias: weavers of the musical tapestry that is Psychedelic Soul, genre splitting with highest energy, and ability to be "epic and chilled" at the same time.

HOLY ANUS - Tane Upjohn Beatson, Thom McGrath: YOU WILL MOVE, YOU WILL SHAKE, YOU WILL UNCONTROLLABLY CONVULSE WITH FURIOUS GROOVE-TASTIC VIGOUR!!!!!!  

Raising funds for the play Closer at Whitireia Theatre

Diving, Garner, S. A. Rayners

Wednesday June 22nd 8 pm Free Entry

Diving:
Diving are a new 2-piece from Wellington. Their mostly-instrumental music is atmospheric and immersive, but also energetic and percussive. Taking inspiration from bands such as Jakob and HDU, Diving bring the traditional guitar-and-drum setup forward to the space-age with effect-laden guitars and looping. After several months of extended jams and sonic experimentation, Diving are taking their musical creations on an outing beyond the walls of their practice space, and on to meet fresh pairs of ears.


Garner:
Garner are a 2-piece act that utilise drums and a bass guitar played more like a regular guitar to achieve their sound. They incorporate effects and vocals to render their songs in a semi-improvised fashion. 


S. A. Reyners:
S. A. Reyners is a Wellington-based songwriter now writing under his own name having initially emerged under the moniker Oddball & Chain in 2010. With emphasis on a more concentrated pop approach than that of his other guise, Reyners' recent songs recall The Hollies, The Chills, Chris Bell and Scott MacKenzie among others. Typically brandishing a 12-string acoustic guitar as a live solo act, the artist's bright sound is awash in endearing hooks that sweetly appease his otherwise stern and confounding delivery.


The Dickens, Coney Island Swamp Monster

Thursday June 16th 8 pm $5


The Dickens
have had their first birthday in December 2010. They are currently a five piece featuring a number of songwriters collaborating to play original music. The Dickens are inspired by a diverse range of influences from Bob Mould, JPSE, the Velvet Underground, Straitjacket Fits, Nick Cave, The Twilight Singers and more. They deliver an energetic live show with an authenticity and commitment that makes no excuses. The group features members of former Wellington festival favourites 'Verona', as well as former members of stalwart indie-rockers 'Moonlight Flit', 'Chopper' and 'Henderwood'.

Liam McClurg and Coney Island Swamp Monster take influence from the contemporary folk scene as well as traditional music. Their songs are melancholic, swampy, rusty, coffee stained, ashen and righteous and cannot ride horses. Think The Felice Brothers, Iron and Wine, Skip James, Jason Webley and Kevin Shields. These are the influences Coney Island Swamp Monster wear on their sleeves. 

Twinset Greatest Hits with Lisa Tomlins

Friday May 27th 9 pm $5


Twinset will perform favourite tunes from their extensive six album back catalogue. It's been a while, but the boys will be playing all their own tunes live for your entertainment.

Joining them for the last time before she leaves for the bright lights of Berlin will be the the super talented Lisa Tomlins.





 

 

 

 

The Troubles Live Recording

Sunday May 20th 8.30 Free Entry

Every Sunday The Troubles Jazz it up at Happy. This week the guys will be recording the gig for posterity.

This is your chance to become part of the Happy Troubles Legacy. Come down and Whoop and Holler for the boys.

The Troubles are Lucien Johnson, Sax, John Rae, Drums, Daniel Yeabsley, Sax, Patrick Bleakley, Bass, plus guests.





Vinyl Friday May

The Last Friday of every month 5.30 to 8.30 Free Entry
This Month Followed by Twinset and Lisa Tomlins 9 pm $5





If you've been missing the crack of needle on plastic and the annoying high-frequency roll-off of a mildly dirty stylus, worry no more because it's nearly Vinyl Friday.
Playing this month we have:

MICHELLE HARRIS lives and works in Wellington, previously Christchurch, and has been DJing since 2000. Not just a hoarder of obscure polyvinyl acetate, Michelle's had a residency at C1 Espresso Café, joined the Curious Noise crew playing electro house once a month at Foam Bar and played regularly on Wednesday evenings at Concrete Club. She plays and collects a huge variety of stuff and in the best tradition she likes to mix it up.  If you want to know how to get from Pink Floyd to hard house in one leap, this might be your night.

ANDRE BOOTH is a temporary refugee, fleeing Christchurch for the weekend having blown a swag of Airpoints just to come up and amuse us. Andre has a radio show on Volcano Radio called Waxed on Wednesday in which he plays New Zealand vinyl exclusively, a fact that impresses us suitably. (I certainly intend to palm a Lawnmaster single off on him.) He even has his own blog and MySpace page on which you can probe his inner workings:


Something tells me things could get trippy, so take your lithium and get down here this Friday. And if you've got some stamina in you, hang around later for Twinset and the lovely Lisa Tomlins.


Other, Neighbourhood Cat

Wednesday May 18th 8 pm $5


NEIGHBOURHOOD CAT
Genre: Pop/Folky/Rock
Members: Adam G (gat & vocals), the Hunter (gat), Mat P (drums), Pieta H (organ)

OTHER
Genre: Folky/Pop/Vocal
Members: Alvaro Hudson, Flo Wilson, Marcelo Hudson, Hikurangi
Schaverien-Kaa, Jeremy Hunter

Dianna Rozz Numbskull Album Release with Milkshake Cowboys AK

Saturday May 21st  
Doors 8 pm Bands on from 10 pm   $5
Dianna Rozz, Milkshake Cowboys, DJ’s Heavy Flow and Maxi Pad
DIANA ROZZ – NUMBSKULL
Available from April 25th 2011 through MUZAI Records/Rhythmethod
What the hell is Diana Rozz? It takes a few good sideways glances and a pretty messed up imagination to even come close to figuring it out. And even then, your best guess won’t even dream of the kind of hideously beautiful monster these warped minds will soon mutate into.
“NUMBSKULL” is the first creation the triplets (Gemma Syme, Emily Jolliffe, Hannah Simon) release “into the wild” – a 5 track EP coupled with many grand ambitions.
Its warbling trebles and growling bass sounds are fused together to alarm all the human senses whilst it’s metallic clangs seem the antithesis of their previous musical “Holiday”…
Through the work of Jeremy Coubrough (Orchestra of Spheres, Marineville) and James Goldsmith (Grayson Gilmour, Tommy Ill) Diana Rozz have translated their raucous, “experimentalpopgaze” from their exhaustive live shows into recorded form, resulting in a final product which is irreversibly scum-polished.
‘Musical references’, if you can call them that, thickly drip from whatever tongue is in whoever’s cheek. Soaring interest in the band from all corners is to be blamed on morbid curiosity. And well-justified morbid curiosity, at that.
Numbkull demonstrates the three piece not comfortable with relying on previous glories; opening for Deerhoof and Die! Die! Die! hasn’t seem them rest on their laurels. Nor were they content on simply undertaking an adventurous tour of the South Island. The EP seeks to propel them further than ever in some kind of nightmare of perpetual motion.
It has been a long time coming… but you can’t hurry love, as an unidentifiable source once assumed.

MILKSHAKE COWBOYZ:
Lo-fi punk music that's filtered through a shitload of weird sounds. kinda like if melt-banana was slowed down a shitload and made to sound relatively coherent.

TRAVELLING STORY TELLERS Nikita, the Spooky, a Circus of Men, Claire Terry Trio

Thursday May 26th 8 pm $5

"Travelling Storytellers" is back ladies and gentlefolk!

Chapter 3: Takes place at Happy Bar in the midst of the Autumn Season, when the leaves are red and ready to drift from the naked arms of the deciduous Wellington woodlands.

We are re-introduced to our characters Nikita, the Spooky yet she is joined by a Circus of Men for the second time; stringing songs and sentiment in a seamless fashion.

Chapter 3 brings along Madame Fancy herself; Miss Claire Terry with her Trio of troubles, retelling epic tales in tongues of folk and country blues.

Ladies and Gents, this is but a blurb! Come see, hear and taste this spectacular showcase of narratives through song with your own attendance! Come draw your own conclusions!

NEWTOWN ROCKSTEADY: EP RELEASE PARTY

Saturday May 28th $10

Newtown Rocksteady, Battle Ska Galactica, Israel Starr, Newtown Sound, Hawk i

Newtown Rocksteady is an twelve-piece big band that simply makes you want to move. Cool covers, righteous melodies and hot original songs, the band members combine their talents to recreate the Rocksteady reggae sound. 
Celebrating their first recording project, this is the Newtown Rocksteady: EP Release Party.

Sounds and styles are inspired by the late 60s crazes of rocksteady and ska dancehalls in Jamaica and England. The result is an infectious combination of mellow rhythms and upbeat dance tunes to get the whole family grooving. Many of the band members are from other successful local groups, like Hikoikoi, IRoots, Roy G and the Bivonators, Safari, Zirigidum and The Resole Project. 
Also performing on the night is Battle-Ska Galactica, an intergalactic and interplanetary Ska EXPLOSION!! Having been together for over a year now played various events throughout the country Battle-Ska have proven that they are a force to be reckoned with!! Featuring some of NZ's finest instrumentalists this band has the skills and musicality to get all up and skank'n!! 
Hosted by Desta Israel Starr and Newtown Sound and Hawk i


For more info check out www.niceup.org.nz


The Ramps EP release with Throw it to the Fire, and Tom Cunliffe

Thursday May 12th 9 pm $5

The Ramps play Bowie inspired rock over dance beats with driving, dark-edged basslines and frantic guitars. And will be releasing their latest EP at our place this Thursday.

Chris Hurn & Benjamin Emmanuel Brough

Wednesday the 11th of May 8 pm Free Entry

Chris Hurn is a folk-pop Songwriter who has just released his debut album Too Busy Dreamin' (Money Records). 
To promote the release he played a 14 date tour around New Zealand as is now back working on a new collection of songs. 

Benjamin Emmanuel Brough will be playing some brand new, unreleased material. This will be his first live show in quite some time so don't miss it!

Invite your friends and join us for a night of folk, pop, and acoustic tunes!

For more info:

Monica Yoeman, City Oh Sigh, Zoe Cook

Wednesday May 25th 8 pm $5


Monica Yeoman combines touches of folk, alt country, pop and blues, captivating audiences with her varied and well crafted array of songs. She has dabbled in the NZ music scene for several years and is a current finalist in the Gold Guitar awards. Monica is working with local artists in a new musical collaboration.

City Oh Sigh is a trio of classically-trained musicians that carefully crafts soulful songs, capturing audiences with their softness and beauty. The band combines unique instrumentation with subtle elements of folk and minimalist pop to emerge with a sound that is both difficult to categorise yet warmly familiar. 

Zoe Cook. Wanting to be some place else, a burnt town in Mexico, an approaching flood, David and Goliath. These are all subjects of songs written by this singer/songwriter. With her recent move to Wellington from the mighty Waikato, Zoe brings a suitcase full of dark folk, alt country come marriachi pop music for your enjoyment.

Performance Design Fundraiser with Glass Vaults


Thursday 19th May   Doors 8pm   $5

Two great acts will play in support of the New Zealand student exhibition at the 2011 Prague Quadrennial — the largest international exhibition of theatre architecture and performance design.

Andrew Simpson and Gareth Hobbs will begin the evening with a set of folk and blues tinted melodies.

Glass Vaults will round off the night with a collection of songs infused with layers of dreamy guitar and synth, thunderous percussion, and sighing vocals.

Performances will be accompanied by a live analogue projection show. 

What Noisy Cats, Glass Eye and the Canaries, Tim Armstrong

Friday May 20th 9 pm $5

What Noisy Cats write country/folk influenced songs and then infuse them with a healthy dose of rock to make them, well, just a little bit noisy.

Formed in 2010, their debut EP was released on August 2010 and is available now . There is also a download option via: BandCamp