Tasman Tea

Rip It Up, Issue 120, 1 July 1987, Page 14

Tasman Tea

Once, there wasn’t a Chase property development on that lot. Just an old Auckland Electric Power Board building that had lots of empty rooms. Rooms for bands to practise in. Bands like the Able - : Tasmans. :

“We could explain the Ables with diagrams,” says vocalist Peter Keen. “An orchestra would be fun — Lord knows what I'd do with it though. Throw it open to discussion, | guess.”

The happy Tasman couple of keyboards and drums has changed since 1983 and given birth. They're now eight people, in fact. Ready? Graham Humphries, life member and stalwart, sings and plays guitar with the same fire he plays his keyboards. Leslie Jonkers has evolved with piano, merged with Graham. The entire group has “evolved” ina very natural growth, member by member. No auditions, none of that rubbish. Dave Beniston and former drummer Stuart Greenway have worked brilliantly. Flautist since Jane Leggott left is Tracy Collier. New drummer Peter Moerenhoute has brown hair and drives ARA buses; AEPB building band Raucous Laughter gave to the Tasmans guitarist David Tennent and Peter Keen.

‘And now," says Peter, “you try and pin me down with difficult questions to describe the alboum! ... One side is connected,” he says, and sits back satisfied that he's off the hook. Tea Time Their new album A Cuppa Tea and a Lie-down is a collection of snapshots illuminating diverse moods and subtleties. Peter’s fine claret voice works superbly with Graham's. But also, Andrew T Cole’s violin — ‘And We Swam the Magic Bay' off the album is violin-as-gannet. Have you ever watched gan-

nets? “The band, says Graham, “is a structure for Andrew to paint pictures upon.”

Things these days are much more considered (and serious, even). The days of travelling downtown in a car with-no spare and the bare essentials are less, and their appreciation of beauty goes beyond the white faces and black clothes in the Windsor's earlier days. Graham: “There is simplicity and paying attention to the little things —that's kind of a big thing. If you can figure on a perception of place and timelessness, then you have a broad theme for the album.

“The diversity of musical skills allows heaps of variety in arrangement. We focus on strong original melodies, competent and innovative pop songs, but with warped edges. We all have different leanings, and somewhere they intersect.” Musical Flair : Having always enjoyed a reputation of being unpretentious, they laugh at a recent tag of “musically wearing flares.” The Tasmans couldn't get an image if they tried. _Leslie sees the band as having “very distinct tendrils” and enjoys being part of a show that is varied both physically and musically. All agree on the desire to move into mixed media — Brian Wills uses film with the band, and Graham’s involvement as musical director of the dance group Te Kani Kani o te Rangatahi brings much lateral thought to the group. He plays several roles in their present perfor-

mance A Show of Hands. A Cup of Tea ... is set for release on Flying Nun. Eight or so musicians are looking to inject an otherwise lowkey year with their desire to play and have more fun. The Able Tasmans never really fitted in with rock and roll conventions, and appear to be getting closer to their concept of “a show.” They have an ability to strip the crap and not get caught in their own powers of vision. The Able Tasmans are among those valuable bands that don'tinsult your intelligence. In a sense, they're a very magical band.

Barry Caitcheon