New Zealand Family Tree

I use "Family Tree" mostly as a pun: notice how incestuous NZ's post-punk scene was in the 70s-90s. From NoiZe (see what I did there?) to 4-track maniacs, as early as the Enemy and as late as King Loser, as celebrated as the Chills and as forgotten as the Phromes, this chart should give you at least an idea how connected the scene was to itself. If you're just tuning into the New Zealand rock scene, the scene is important because before these guys bands from NZ mostly played covers. There wasn't much original stuff unless it was rehashed garage rock (check out: Wild Things, it's not that bad). The sound they created was truly unique, one of the few instances that I believe merit the use of the word unique. The music is at times desolate and reminiscent of a sparesely-populated, often overcast but still beautiful periphery, and at other times charmingly silly and of the don't-take-yourself-too-seriously-school, which gives the scene a wonderful balance.

Stuff I want to draw attention to: Alastair Galbraith spent ten years recording with the father of Xpressway Records Bruce Russell as A Handful of Dust. Peter Gutteridge seems to be the forgotten member of the Clean even though he was in the Chills AND Snapper. Alec Bathgate's solo work is incredible (seriously, that might be my next post). The 3-D's were named after its three members: Denise, David, and Dominic. Wayne Elsey was somehow decapitated on a train (sounds like a drinking-related accident to me) and that's why they stopped being the Doublehappys and became the Straitjacket Fits. Ross Humphries was in the band that was Flying Nun's first release (The Pin Group), but he was also in the Terminals, the Great Unwashed with the Kilgour bros, and the Gordons/Bailter Space, all amazing bands (especially the Gordons in my opinion). The dotted lines on the chart don't mean anything different than a regular line, they are only dotted to prevent the lines from getting cluttered.

NOTE: I forgot to draw a line connecting Shayne Carter and Wayne Elsey to their terrific high school band, Bored Games. The Family Tree is imperfect. I might redraw it and include colors to indicate years of activity, would anyone be interested in that? Crickets, I'm sure.

better quality version of the chart