NZMM – Live to Airs
From our backyard, to your ears.
This New Zealand Music Month Beagle Radio is sniffing out the best of Northland talent. Each week in May, we’re hosting live in-studio sessions on alternating Fridays and Saturdays, featuring local musicians in conversation and performance.
It’s a simple format – chat, music – and a chance to hear directly from the people making it, in our region.
See below for Live to Air schedule.
Saturday 2nd May – 12:PM – 2PM
Kyle Fury
Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp
Bio: Kyle Fury is a songwriter who plays reggae & ska music with a punk edge. Kyle Fury toured throughout Canada, USA and Mexico. Often sharing the stage with top reggae and ska artists and teaming up with local Whangarei musicians. A typical Kyle Fury Band set is originals that are guaranteed to get you on the dance floor.
Listen to the Live to Air with Kyle Fury & Beagle DJ Anneliese aka DJ Speece
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Carina & Sam
Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp
Bio: Carina & Sam are a soulful indie duo blending acoustic pop with themes of faith, mental health, and honest connection. With roots in the UK and Germany, they now call Aotearoa home—creating music that brings comfort, clarity, and presence.
Listen to the Live to Air with Carina & Sam and Beagle DJ Anneliese aka DJ Speece
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Coming Up
Friday 8th May – 1:30PM – 3:30PM
Joby Hopa
Bio: Joby is passionate about whanau, teaching, and Māori culture. He teaches kapa haka, te reo o te kainga, me ōna nei tikanga to many, those of all ages and backgrounds.
Oisen Simperingham
Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | YouTube
Bio:
Emerging singer/songwriter Osheen, captivates audiences with his unique blend of raspy, heartfelt vocals and a soulful sound. His music strikes a balance between raw honesty and catchy, memorable hooks, quickly cementing him as a standout talent in the Northland music scene.
Saturday 16th May – 12PM – 2PM
Little Ripples
Website | Instagram | Bandcamp
Bio:
A kindie folk duo that has been making music for children and their families in Aotearoa since 2012. Dreamed up amidst their family life in coastal Northland and inspired by their journey through parenthood and teaching. Weaving organic tones and tender heartfelt lyrics are how they have been able to create a sound that both adults and children love. From the beginning their Little Ripples kaupapa has been to make music that speaks to the whole family. They craft our songs to see through the eyes, hearts and minds of children as well as reflect on the experience of the adults raising them. The family folk sound that Little Ripples have an affinity for, draws inspiration from artists such as Elizabeth Mitchell, Neil Young, The Brushfoot Migration, and Mountain Man.
Dusty Lands
Bio:
Dusty Lands is an acoustic folk quartet based in Whangārei. Blending Bluegrass, Folk and Americana with their unique Northland campfire style; luscious harmonies, soulful songwriting, banjos, mandolins and resonators.
Mother and daughter, Val and Leah Land make up two-thirds of the trio Harmony Couch. From their years in the Hokianga they have been singing ’round the fire as long as they can remember – hymns, kapa haka waiata, folk, pop and more. The last ten years have seen them performing slots at folk clubs, ceilidhs, Irish pub sessions, Pop-up Folk and the Auckland Folk Festival.
They are joined by tug boat captain and one of the greatest songwriters to emerge from Northland, Gary Smyth, who is currently working on his debut album inspired by artists like Gregory Alan Isakov and Mandolin Orange.
Rounding out the quartet is his (distant) cousin, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Dusty Burnell. Winner of the Tui folk award twice as a member of both T-Bone and The Frank Burkitt band, Dusty is a familiar face on stages throughout Aotearoa.
Friday 22nd May – 1:30PM – 3:30PM
Nina Lane & Bryan Owens
Website | Facebook | Bandcamp
Bio:
Nina Lane (NZ) and Bryan Owens (USA) are a singer-songwriter duo crafting an acoustic blend of alt-folk, blues and jazz. Nina’s original songwriting draws on lengthy travels, shifting relationships and the pull of Aotearoa — always calling her home. Bryan is a multi-instrumentalist whose musical range anchors their sound.
The two have been writing, recording and touring together since crossing paths in New Zealand’s South Island in the late ’90s. Over two decades they’ve released music, formed a world-folk quartet in Portland, Oregon, and co-founded a children’s music programme called Song Garden School. Now back in Northland, both are active music educators in the Whangārei community.
Vanessa Henderson
Bio:
A Northland-based singer-songwriter, Vanessa creates relaxed, easy-listening pop-folk sounds with a soulful feel, combining percussive finger-style guitar with gentle, understated vocals.
Her calm and intimate performances feature her own interpretations of songs by artists such as Norah Jones, Sublime, Santana, Van Morrison, and Amy Winehouse, blending familiar melodies with a laid-back groove to create a welcoming and tranquil atmosphere—perfect for unwinding and slow listening.
Saturday 30th May – 12PM – 2PM
Mermaid Bait
Website | Facebook | Bandcamp
Bio:
Born in Whangārei in 2014 as a three-piece, Mermaid Bait has grown into a 10–12-piece marching band powerhouse. Their sound is an eclectic mix of seafaring tales, quirky lyrics, and songs made with and for their mates — all driven by a thundering percussion section. From their self-recorded album Songs in the Key of Brown to their latest EP Mermaid & the Brass Monkey, they bring big energy and a whole lot of heart to every stage.
Band members: Glenn Davidson (guitar/vocals), Mike Lyon (bass/vocals), Eursula Fleig (melodica/uke/vocals), Thorsten Hoppe (violin), David Fleig (bass drum), Ben Michelsen (snare drum), Matt Le Boer (saxophone/clarinet), Asha Gillard (sousaphone), Rachel Thorn (percussion), Duncan Kervell (percussion), Mark Smith (lead cowbell).
The Advocators
Website | Instagram | Bandcamp
Bio:
The Advocators is the musical chimera creation of alt-country outsiders Leroy Brown and Mark Bruce. Leroy and Mark were born and raised in the neighbouring small rural towns of Kaiwaka and Maungaturoto in Northland, New Zealand, somewhere between the hillbillies, the misanthropes and a general sense of desperation. The pair have been writing and performing sporadically throughout their lives; Leroy learnt chords as a child out of the back of old Hymn books and Mark picked up the guitar after seeing his mate Billy Aiken shred a Led Zeppelin solo in high school.
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