Shayne Carter Solo Piano Album

Shayne Carter, one of New Zealand's most respected musicians, has been working for 18 months on a new album which is currently in it's final stages of production.

The record, made completely independently, will be the first album Shayne releases under his own name, but features him in an unfamiliar musical setting.

As he explains;

"I wrote the entire record on piano which was either a brave or foolhardy thing to do considering I've never played piano before in my life. But the idea of a fresh angle really appealed to me. I liked the idea of naivety and primitivism and chords sounding new again and the idea of playing piano in a way "real" pianists wouldn't probably consider."

The project involved some preparation.

"I spent a few months investigating the solo piano Classical canon before I started writing. I knew these were the people who'd really explored the possibilities of the instrument. It was a completely new and unfamiliar area of music to me but I found so many riches. I loved how music with real feeling speaks across the ages. "

Shayne spent six months writing the material for the record. "I basically gutsed it out, sitting there trying to make my fingers work on the piano until eventually they did ! "

He has recorded the material with the assistance of long time musical accomplice, drummer Gary Sullivan and a variety of guests which has resulted in a truly bracing and unique music.

Shayne has recorded this material free of record company backing.

Pledges from Boosted will go towards the mixing, mastering and manufacturing of the album and assisting Shayne through the final stages of production.

SHAYNE CARTER BIO

Shayne Carter is a singer/songwriter/guitarist who first emerged in the original wave of Dunedin Flying Nun bands in the 1980s with his high school band Bored Games.

He has gone on to become one of New Zealand's leading musicians and songwriters in a variety of groups including Dimmer, Straitjacket Fits and the Doublehappys.

He has released records New Zealandly on such labels as Sub Pop, Arista, Rough Trade, Flying Nun and Xpressway.

He was presented with a New Zealand Music Legacy Award award for his work with Straitjacket Fits in 2009 and inducted into the NZ Music Hall Of Fame. Then Prime Minister Helen Clark also presented him with a B Net Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. He's also been recognised with several New Zealand Music Awards including best singer, album and group.

He currently resides in Auckland and still plays football as far as his legs will carry him and continues to work on a chess game he believes has shown no improvement since he was 12.