Hello Loyal Viewers,

I hope you’ve all been well, practising hard and haven’t been suffering too badly from lack of Brassbanned updates.

I have exciting news! After a few weeks of talking to different people in BBNZ and the Organising Committee for this year’s “Heartland Festival of Brass – Timaru 2012″, I have official confirmation that Brassbanned will be live streaming the competition, which runs July 4-8.

Sounds good, doesn’t it? Here are some answers to the questions you are no doubt thinking…

What do you mean?

I mean that I’ll be able to do a live broadcast of the NZ Nationals, hopefully in the same way I did a live broadcast of the Australian Nationals. At this stage I have permission from BBNZ (who own the rights to the competition) to stream. I also have the kind cooperation of the Organising Committee, who will hopefully be able to assist with a few “on the ground” organisational things before I arrive.

Isn’t it hard to organise a live broadcast in another country?

Well, it is definitely not as easy as organising a live broadcast from the same city that I live in! Luckily, I’ve done it before. Remember this performance, loyal viewers? In 2008 I was lucky enough to be able to live stream the A and B grade section of the NZ Nationals, from Christchurch. I was lucky enough to have an excellent sound feed and excellent internet connection at that venue…fingers crossed we will have something similar in Timaru.

Will you be streaming all the grades?
At this stage, I’m not sure. I probably won’t be able to take enough gear to stream everything, so I’ll probably prioritize the A Grade bands as well as whatever else happens within that venue (Theatre Royal). I’ll keep you updated, though. If at all possible I will live stream everything.

Do they even HAVE internet in Timaru?
Excellent question! As you are no doubt aware, Loyal Viewer, internet is absolutely crucial to running a great live stream. I’ve been in touch with NZ Telecom who have explained what’s involved in getting an ADSL line into the A Grade venue. So far, it looks like I’ll be ok. The only worrying thing is I won’t know exactly how good that internet connection is until I get there (or until the lovely Organising Committee do a few tests for me). I will keep you updated every step of the way. Worst case scenario is I will do an ‘audio only’ stream – just like a radio broadcast! Naturally the downside of this would be not seeing my pretty face on camera…although I’m sure you will survive.

Will I be able to watch videos after the live stream?
Possibly. I have been in close contact with APRA/AMCOS, who have recently updated their licences to make it easier to distribute video online. I would love to be able to offer everything that goes live available as a download or on-demand stream. It all depends on the legalities…but I will keep you posted.

Will I able able to get a Brassbanned sticker in NZ?
Yes, I’ll make sure I get some more printed especially for the occasion. If you can’t wait that long, feel free to send an email to awesome@brassbanned.com with your postal address and I will get one sent to you ASAP.

That’s all for now. Keep checking back as there will be many updates posted as information comes to hand. As well as updates about NZ, I have some very exciting projects that will be happening in May and June. Stay tuned!

Hi Loyal Viewers,

Do you miss me? I miss you. Sorry I haven’t posted anything fun or interesting lately…I got hit by the familiar post-Nationals manflu, which left me dazed.

But don’t worry – I’m back.

So, what next? Well, I helped out Iwan Fox at 4barsrest with some notes that he turned in to a retrospective of the Australian Nationals. It makes for some fun reading. Apologies to everyone’s name who didn’t get mentioned…just so many people.

I’m also toying with the idea of starting a regular internet style video tv talk show, where I can do a wrap-up of what is happening brass-wise around the country (and elsewhere!). It will be in the same style of “enter-views” (entertaining interviews) that the pre-Nationals interviews were, and I will still do my best to get around to as many bands and brass players as I can. Fingers crossed I can get it up and running by the start of May.

In other news, I’ve had some really good discussions with APRA/AMCOS and will soon be getting myself a new licence, which (although pricey) will allow me to live webstream absolutely anything I want. So – if you have a gig, competition or event that you think I’d be interested in covering, please let me know.

I’m currently talking with the lovely people running the NZ Nationals…things look very good for having their contest live streamed, provided a suitable internet connection can be found in Timaru.

Thanks also to everyone who has taken the time to email me, facebook me and twitter me with feedback from Nationals. Your comments are all appreciated and I’ll do my best to incorporate all the good ideas into the next live event. If you’d like to contact me regarding anything, send an email to awesome@brassbanned.com. If you want a sticker posted to you (because you missed out), all you have to do is ask.

Thanks for reading! Check back soon for more news…