Miles Calder & The Rumours
Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand | Established. Jan 01, 2011 | SELF
Music
Press
"Believe me, honey, I fell in love with the city" - When I first heard these lyrics I had no idea the emotional punch they would eventually pack. And how could I possibly have known? The concert began as they all do: with a local band opening for M. Ward. The opener was Miles Calder & The Rumours, and they began their set with a couple twangy, pleasant originals. I really started to take notice, however, when they did a Justin Townes Earle cover. I believe it was “Mama’s Eyes.” By the time their set ended, I was completely enamored. I rushed to the merch table and shelled out $15 for their EP.When we arrived at the venue (early), we were greeted by a funky pink stage, walls of vintage tramping photos, and tables of homemade goodies for sale. It was quintessential New Zealand. As expected, the band put on an incredible show, continuing their streak of gorgeous covers with Ryan Adams’ “Oh My Sweet Carolina.” But as amazing as that was, it wasn’t the highlight. Not even close. The band ended their set with “The Avenue” and it damn near wrecked me. It was like I was hearing the song’s lyrics for the first time. One line particularly resonated with me, and it’s the one I started this post with. It might’ve taken a few months, but Danielle and I had fallen in love with Wellington. Hard.
Now whenever I listen to the song I can’t help but think of all the little things I miss about the city. The spectacular view from our apartment. Walking to our favorite grocery store to browse the latest Garage Project offerings. The never-ending hill behind our house we struggled to run up. The sound of the wind howling through the telephone wires outside our apartment. Falling asleep in our living room nest under the glow of the city lights. Though some of the memories are still a little raw, I’m glad I have a song that reminds me how much I love Wellington. - Danielle and Mike
Finally, local country combo Miles Calder & The Rumours have released a nice 7-track taster EP. I hear shades of Ryan Adams and Bright Eyes, with lovely words and tunes. - Radio New Zealand National
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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Bio
“Shades of Bright Eyes, with lovely words and tunes.” – Jeremy Taylor, Radio New Zealand National.
“Miles Calder and his band are shaping up to be one of New Zealand’s finest” – Piers Fuller, Wairarapa Times.
"All you locals longing for the next Ryan Adams tour should be following Miles Calder & the Rumours. Their alt-country ballads triumphed" Capital Times
Miles Calder is a story-telling folk singer-songwriter from New Zealand with an expressive voice and raw confessional songs. Miles began writing songs while drumming in indie-rock bands during his university years in Wellington, New Zealand. Drawing inspiration from Neil Young, Justin Townes Earle, Bright Eyes and Bob Dylan, as well as the sprawling natural landscapes that he was studying, Miles developed a skillful and distinctive Americana songwriting style with narrative lyrics.
Miles released The Crossing Over EP with his band, Miles Calder & The Rumours (Nick George, Steve Moodie, Kirsten Moodie and Andrew Moore), exhibiting raw honesty and eloquent storytelling with seven succinct country and folk originals.
The EP was nominated for the 2014 Taite Music Prize (Best Album) and the Recording Industry Association Best Country Music Album, and was featured on award winning BBC broadcaster Mark Coles’ show The Shed. The singles ‘The Crossing Over’ and ‘The Avenue’ also received honorable mentions in both the International Songwriting Competition and The John Lennon Songwriting Contest.
The band went on to sell out a string of headline shows in their home town of Wellington, tour New Zealand and were selected to support M. Ward (USA) and Fly My Pretties (NZ).
Miles recently spent several months in Greenwich Village, New York writing new material and playing solo shows. He is currently on a summer acoustic tour of Europe, while he and the band finish production of their first full-length album, to be released in early 2016.
Band Members
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