__NOTOC__ Fly My Pretties is a collaboration of musicians originally from

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

who are known for coming together to record live albums, in various locations in

. The different musical backgrounds of the members make for an eclectic mix of songs on their releases. Fly My Pretties was the brainchild of

Barnaby Weir The Black Seeds are a reggae inspired musical group from Wellington, New Zealand.Campbell-Livingston, Cecelia (2013)The Black Seeds, rooted in reggae, '' Jamaica Observer'', 27 November 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013 Their rocksteady song "O ...

, front man of the

Black Seeds The Black Seeds are a reggae inspired musical group from Wellington, New Zealand.Campbell-Livingston, Cecelia (2013)The Black Seeds, rooted in reggae, ''Jamaica Observer'', 27 November 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013 Their rocksteady song "One ...

and Mikee Tucker of Loop Recordings Aot(ear)oa. The objective: To meet, exchange ideas, and then perform and record the results in front of a live audience.

History

Founded in Wellington in 2004, the ''Fly My Pretties'' cast includes musicians from the

Fat Freddy's Drop Fat Freddy's Drop is a New Zealand seven-piece band from Wellington, whose musical style has been characterised as any combination of dub, reggae, soul, jazz, rhythm and blues, and techno. Originally a jam band formed in the late 1990s by mus ...

The Phoenix Foundation The Phoenix Foundation is a New Zealand indie rock band formed in Wellington in 1997. History Early years and ''China Cove'' The band was founded by Conrad Wedde, Samuel Flynn Scott, and Luke Buda in 1994 while students at Wellington High ...

, Cairo Knife Fight and Paseload to achieve a unique blend of musical styles. The group is not a band as such, rather a collection of contemporary musicians who come together to collaborate on songs written by different members of the band. The first album featured songs written by

Weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

Age Pryor Age Pryor is a New Zealand musician and songwriter. He records and performs solo, he plays many instruments and is a founding member of the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra, The Woolshed Sessions, and Congress of Animals, and is also a ...

and Samuel Flynn Scott. Fly My Pretties performed their first season at Wellington's Bats Theatre over five nights. Their first album 'Fly My Pretties Live at Bats' achieved platinum-status and was released internationally in the UK. The album received six nominations (Best Pop Release, Best Album, Best Producer, Best Cover Art, Best Female Vocalist, Best DVD) and won Best Pop Release at the 2005 bNet New Zealand Music Awards. In 2006, Fly My Pretties performed, recorded, and then released a second album, 'The Return of... Fly My Pretties' which focused on the state of contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand. The 2006 shows sold-out nationwide and the second album reached platinum-status. 'The Return of... Fly My Pretties' won Best Aotearoa, Roots album at the 2007

New Zealand Music Awards The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously called the New Zealand Music Awards), conferred annually by Recorded Music NZ, honour outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the recording industry. The awards are among the most significant that ...

. Fly My Pretties toured and recorded a new album in 2009 titled 'Fly My Pretties – A Story'. The show was a conceptual extension of the previous two Fly My Pretties outings, expressed via a narrative that connects music, illustration, animation, charity and a message of change into one audiovisual experience. The Fly My Pretties story attempts to entertain and reflect on innocence, and the solving of complex problems which might enable a sustainable future. With this in mind, the cast put together their songs in just eight rehearsals before taking the show on the road. The album reached #1 on the top 40

RIANZ Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mus ...

album charts. The third album was nominated for Best Aotearoa, Roots Album at the 2010 Vodafone new Zealand Music Awards. The collective released 'Fly My Pretties IV' in 2011. The 16 new songs were performed, filmed and recorded live across nine shows during the eponymously named "Fly My Pretties IV" tour, – which included the collective's first international appearance – one sold-out Melbourne date. The new Fly My Pretties show saw 16 musicians unite with an exciting new concept, re-inspired style and re-invigorated sound. Via a collaboration with street artist Flox, 16 original and dedicated pieces of art were created and brought to life through projection, animation and visual trickery throughout the show. In 2013 Fly My Pretties embarked on the 'Homeland Tour' – a journey from the tip to the tail of New Zealand, seeing them travel to 18 towns to perform 23 shows. The tour saw Fly My Pretties hark back to their musical roots with a sound stepped in folk, roots, soul & rock. For the tour the collective forged partnerships with

Archives New Zealand Archives New Zealand (Māori: ''Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga'') is New Zealand's national archive and the official guardian of its public archives. As the government's recordkeeping authority, it administers the Public Records Act 2005 and ...

and the

Alexander Turnbull Library The National Library of New Zealand ( mi, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa) is New Zealand's legal deposit library charged with the obligation to "enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand and its interchanges with other nations" (''Nat ...

, National Library of New Zealand – both content partners providing precious historical footage from the regions toured, which were visually woven into each song's performance to craft a unique story about New Zealand. The result of the tour was the collective's fifth album, 'The Homeland Recordings' – 13 tracks spanning country, folk, rock, R&B, and soul – all captured live. Over the years, Fly My Pretties have only ever performed a small selection of shows outside of their tours including the prestigious WOMAD 2013 and Queenstown Blues & Roots Festival.

Members

(Vocals, Percussion & Guitar) *

Aaron Tokona Aaron Arana Tokona (28 October 1975 – 20 June 2020) was a New Zealand guitarist and singer. Tokona was descended from Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngāti Maniapoto. This heritage played a significant role in his upbringing through his grandparents, who ...

(Guitar & Vocals) *

Adi Dick Adi Dick (born 5 January 1978 in Wellington, New Zealand) is a singer, songwriter and producer who has been involved in many projects within the New Zealand music scene. Dick was involved in a roots and blues trio called the Seven Suns (Formerl ...

(Guitar & Vocals) *

(Guitar & Vocals) * Amiria Grenell (Guitar & Vocals) * Anna Coddington (Guitar, Vocals & Shaker) *

Anika Moa Anika Rose Moa (born 21 May 1980) is a New Zealand recording artist and television presenter. Her debut album '' Thinking Room'', was released in September 2001, which reached number one on the New Zealand Albums Chart and provided two T ...

(Guitar & Vocals) * Bailey Wiley (Vocals) * Brendan Moran (Drums) * Craig Terris (Drums & Vocals) * Daniel Weetman (Drums, Percussion & Vocals) * Darryn Sigley (Drums) * Eva Prowse (Violin, Vocals, & Mandolin) * Fran Kora (Vocals, Bass) * Flip Grater (Guitar & Vocals) *

Hollie Smith Hollie Smith (born 17 November 1982) is a New Zealand soul singer-songwriter based in Auckland, New Zealand. Her four solo albums ''Long Player, Humour and the Misfortune of Others, Water or Gold,'' and ''Coming In From The Dark'' have all reach ...

(Guitar, Keyboards & Vocals) * Iraia Whakamoe (Drums) * James Coyle (Keys) * Jarney Murphy (Drums) * Jayson Norris (Guitar & Vocals) * Justin 'Firefly' Clarke (Vocals, Guitar, Mandolin) * Kara Gordon (Guitar & Vocals) * L.A. Mitchell (Rhodes, Vocals) * Laughton Kora (Guitar & Vocals) * Lee Prebble (Lap Steel) * Lisa Tomlins (Vocals) * Louis McDonald (Guitar & Vocals) * Luke Buda (Guitar & Vocals) * Mailee Mathews (Bass) * Mara TK (Guitar, Bass, Tambourine & Vocals) * Mark Vanilau (Vocals, Keys) * Mel Parsons (Guitar & Vocals) * Mike Fabulous (Bass & Guitar) *Miloux (Vocals) *

Module Module, modular and modularity may refer to the concept of modularity. They may also refer to: Computing and engineering * Modular design, the engineering discipline of designing complex devices using separately designed sub-components * Mo ...

(Piano, Keys & Organ) * Nathan 'Nato' Hickey (Bass & Percussion) * Ned Ngatae (Bass) * Nigal Patterson (Keys) * Paul McLaney (Guitar & Vocals) * Ria Hall (Vocals & Percussion) * Riki Gooch (Drums & Rhodes) * Rio Hunuki-Hemopo (Vocals, Bass & Tambourine) * Ryan Prebble (Guitar & Vocals) * Samuel Flynn Scott (Vocals) * Shaun Blackwell (Vocals, Guitar, Percussion) * Tessa Rain (Guitar & Vocals) * Toby Laing (Rhodes & Synth) * Tom Watson (Guitar & Vocals)

Discography

References

External links

Fly My Pretties
at Myspace * {{Authority control New Zealand rock music groups