Resonating with the audience: the band on stage in Te Kūiti at the Waitomo District Council’s Matariki acknowledgements. PHOTO SIGRID CHRISTIANSEN
Family country band The Harmonic Resonators impressed Te Kūiti at their recent Matariki show.
They performed at the Les Munro centre on Saturday, June 24, as part of Waitomo District Council’s seasonal acknowledgements – with mayor John Robertson describing the event as “fantastic”.
Around 250 people went to the afternoon event, an audience ranging in age from toddlers to kaumātua.
Lead singer Jeremy Hantler said one goal of their music was language revitalisation – they sing a number of waiata in te reo Māori, often with different verses in that tongue and English. Many were classic party songs, like John Denver’s Take Me Home, Country Roads.
His family whakapapa to Te Waipounamu – the South Island – so there was a personal connection, as well as a musical passion. And it was not just a matter of using different vocabulary.
“Hard out, yeah. We are huge fans of te reo. It sounds great [and also] it’s a whole new way of thinking. It’s more than just the language, and it’s taking us on a journey as a family, and as a band.”
Several years ago, the Resonators discovered that their te reo performances resonated strongly with online listeners.
“We put one [waiata] up on the internet and people responded really well to it. [We] had some really uplifting interactions with local communities that encouraged us to keep going on our journey.”
The music connected people to childhood sing-alongs, he said.
“I think people really remember [when they were] growing up, having after-party jams with their whānau. And I don’t think that happens as often anymore.”
These days, it was more common for families to just hop on their phones instead.
“People really resonate with that family sing-along vibe. My mum and dad are in the band, and my best mate and his mum are in the band.
“There’s almost three generations … my son gets up every now and then and plays with us.
“People really connect with that. It’s something that’s uniquely from here. [Waiata Māori] is definitely something that New Zealand can … call its own. Especially expats and people away from home.”
The band’s skills had been honed at the Morrinsville Country Music Club over many years, Jeremy said.
“Country music was the scene I grew up in. And still have unshakeable associations with country music and my upbringing.
“We’ve done a couple of songs with Dennis Marsh.
“Being in the country scene, we’d go to the after parties. We’d hear quite a few Māori songs, especially when we played over at Gisborne.”
Jeremy said he personally had also explored the world of folk, which opened his eyes to song traditions around the world.
“I went to some folk music camps around the world, and I saw how the Estonians love the Estonian song and the Swedish love their Swedish songs.”
It made him question folk music trends in Aotearoa.
“What are we playing in New Zealand in our folk circles? We’re playing Irish music.”
When he’s not the Resonators frontman, Jeremy works as a teacher – which had been another source of musical ideas.
“When I started, I was teaching quite a few Māori kids. I started incorporating a lot more waiata Māori into my songs.
“I got really into traditional Māori music … in traditional instruments particularly.”
The recent Te Kūiti show was appreciated by young and old.
Aunty Roimata Wipaki, who had worked for many years as a teacher of te reo Māori, said she found the performance authentic and engaging.
And 12-year-old Piopio College student Ruby Brownlie said the concert had “an amazing vibe” – and that she’d enjoyed meeting many new people.
“I had such a wonderful time dancing, singing along, talking and meeting new people, and making new friends … I couldn’t be happier that I went.
“The Resonators themselves were so lovely in person and the whistle skills they had were breathtaking.”
Ruby also enjoyed the kai trucks, and the stalls set up in the lobby selling jewellery, art and homemade goods.
“I can’t wait to experience an opportunity like that again,” she said.
Now for the bad news: the band have gone home to Tauranga.
However, they will be back. On stage, they revealed plans to return for a future performance at Waitomo Caves – the details are to be announced.
