Zagni: Life After PEP

Rip It Up, Issue 74, 1 September 1983, Page 4

Zagni: Life After PEP

Until recently all an unemployed musician could do with his or her skills was collect the dole until a paying ensemble chanced by or could be built up. But last year, versatile Auckland musician Ivan Zagni was asked to sort through the 40 or so musicians registered as unemployed in the city and select a number to form a group which would work and be paid for six months under a government PEP scheme. That first group was the Big Sideways and was an undoubted success, making a well-received album and continuing under its own steam with a core of original members. This year's PEP scheme was called Avant Garage and, with its mixture of rock and classical musicians, had a different feel than Big Sideways.

'The highlight of Avant Garage was the characters . that . came through in the music," says Zagni. "The Big Sideways was more conventional everyone was trying to be that sound." Unlike the Big Sideways, Avant Garage steered clear of pubs and mainly played venues like art galleries and theatres. But this year's model did record an album, this time at Mascot Studios and produced by Steve Garden. Each member produced and composed one track.

He says one of the most interesting aspects of the PEP groups has been the music workshops ir schools. "You see how starved the young kids are of music," he says. 'They've really missed out." Another permanent fixture to come out of the schemes has been Unsung Records, which was formed to release the Big Sideways album and Robbie Sinclair's Three Voices and is now to release the Avant Garage album and the Miltown Stowaways' Tension Melee. V;

N But although Zagni will continue to be part of Unsung, he has decided two PEP schemes is enough. He will not be available for another scheme this year but intends to form his own group,at the end of October, when a couple of well-known musicians return from overseas. The new group will give him a chance to perform and develop his own work, something his position as scheme director did not allow. RB