Dylan Wade Band: ‘The Light’ Album Release Tour

Words by Dylan Wade

My new album is finally released! It’s been a long process and quite a few years have passed since the last album ‘Life’ was released. Overall I’m really happy with it and it’s my best release so far.

It’s a double album, with 15 songs plus a dub version closing track. Physical copies are in the pipeline. Right now it’s available for sale as a download on Bandcamp and on all other streaming platforms.

‘The Light’ is a guitar driven mix of rock, folk and reggae with alt pop, blues, Celtic and Eastern flavours. There are two instrumental tracks, Irish styled ‘Celtiki’ and Middle Eastern influenced ‘Salaam.’ Other songs feature extended guitar solos as well as flute, violin, piano and some great performances by guest vocalists.

In 2018, I graduated with a Masters degree in Music. Part of my study required me to produce a new body of work. In addition to this I wrote a dissertation titled ‘Music, Social Harmony and Inner Peace’. It was a really busy productive time with a lot of challenges and learning but having a deadline pushed me to get to work on writing, rehearsing and recording. The first version of the album was completed for this.

Ten musicians are featured, eight of whom were based on the Coromandel during the recording process. My bandmates, apart from longtime collaborator drummer Yair Katz, included bass player Wouter Schild from Amsterdam, who was Tararu based at that time.

The eight other guest artists all added their unique flavours to the album.. These were Dr Eva Henneken from Germany, who was a resident of Te Puru for a number of years, playing violin on opening tracks Celtiki and Coromandel Gold. Caitlin Smith lent her incredible soulful voice to the songs The Wheel, Freedom, Into the Light and Home. Canadian born, Janek ‘Buck’ Croyden, who lived in Thames, adds touches of Weisenborn slide guitar on Celtiki, and Nur Peach from Waiomu contributes backing vocals on Into the Light as well as graphic design and many aspects of the release of the album.

Mercury Bay music legend Helen Lee, who now lives in Thames, and for many years was based in Kerihei near Whitianga (where we recorded her parts), plays beautiful flute on Coromandel Gold and Prophets Say. Peter Matai Johnston of Kuaotunu (aka Dubious Bare) adds backing vocals on Coromandel Gold and created the dub version of the song. Roimata Taimana of Kuaotunu also adds backing vocals to Coromandel Gold. Waihi-based Liam Ryan (award-winning pianist from The Narcs) added some tasteful piano and keyboards on Coromandel Gold and Prophets Say. I’m so grateful to all of these musicians for contributing their amazing skills and energy to the project.

The foundations of the album were recorded live at Roundhead Studio. We recorded in the brick room which has a great band vibe with world class equipment. Our trio, Yair Katz (drums), Wouter Schild (bass) and myself (guitar/vocals), spent two 10 hour days recording live takes of 18 songs. It was really quick, intense and amazing to be working in such a great studio and 15 of the songs from these sessions made it onto the album. There are two videos on YouTube showing the Dylan Wade Band live tracking Freedom and The Wheel. These are raw, live versions of the songs prior to overdubs, mixdowns and mastering.

For most of my previous releases, I’ve recorded at friends’ home studios and then tried to improve sound quality afterwards. This time, I decided to invest in hiring a really good studio with good in house sound engineers (Scott Seabright and Paddy Hill). The experience of being in a good studio really lifted our performances and the sound quality was great from the start, so I think it really paid off. Following that, I spent two days with Dave Rhodes (a fellow

student back from Mercury Bay Area School ) at Depot Sound, a studio he used to run in Auckland. He was really helpful in getting some great edits done and adding some parts I had recorded at home.

Over the next five years I chipped away at the project, adding the guest artist parts by visiting them with my portable recording set up or sending tracks over the internet. During this time, I would send tracks to and visit the main sound engineer / producer Scott Seabright in Auckland and Pokeno. We worked together a lot and his work ethic and skills really helped to get the mixes over the finish line. ‘The Light’ was mastered at Kog Studio, Chris Chetland’s analogue mastering facility, one of the best in New Zealand.

For the first time I have included 2 cover versions on an album. The song ‘Coromandel Gold’ is a roots reggae version of the 1979 song by Tribrations, a Coroglen based rock/reggae band which featured Helen and Paul Lee, Phil and Leonie Toms and Les Richards. ‘Coromandel Gold’ was originally recorded by the Nambassa Trust and released on a 7 inch vinyl single through Coroglen Records (it’s a local classic). Phil Toms is the songwriter, he later went on to play bass for the legendary reggae band Herbs. It’s a protest song against mining on the Coromandel; as relevant now as it was in 1979!

The other cover is ‘Peace Train’ the Cat Stevens classic, a song I have loved playing for many years. On the album it’s a simple acoustic guitar, vocals, bass and drums version recorded live in one take no overdubs.

The remaining 13 songs are all my own compositions and were written on both coasts of the Coromandel. People who have been to any of my shows will recognize some of the songs.

I’m really looking forward to celebrating the album with a slow release kind of tour.

Tickets/Entry:

It’s a koha event with suggested $20 Adults and $10 for under 18 yrs and free for 5 yrs and under. Steffen Linden from The Embassy of Friendship has made the venue so ambient and welcoming plus the new bigger room and seating. We would love to see you there and join us for a high -vibe, light-filled time.

It’s the perfect time to celebrate ‘’The Light’’