December 6, 2024 • 14 mins
The Black Seeds have been jamming for over a quarter of a century.
They’re famous for their part in shaping the modern Kiwi music scene, and have been blending funk, soul, dub, with South Pacific influences to develop a uniquely Kiwi sound since beginning in 1998.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the album that gave them their breakthrough, The Black Seeds are doing a special release of ‘On The Sun’.
Singer, percussionist, and founding member Daniel Weetman joined Francesca Rudkin to discuss the anniversary and the band’s extensive history and influence.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast
from News Talks at Me.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
So True Swart again from New.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
You Seed Get the Best of Me.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
So True again from New That You See Get the
Best of Me. The Black Seeds have been jamming for
over a quarter of a century. They're infamous for their
part in shaping the modern Kiwi music scene and have
been blending funk, soul, dubbins, South Pacific influences to develop
(00:49):
a uniquely Kiwi sound since nineteen ninety eight. Yep, it's
been that long to celerate the twentieth anniversary of the
album that really gave the band their breakthrough, On the Sun,
their second album is having a very special re release,
and Dan Wheatman of the Black Seeds, joins me, now, Cura,
good morning, Cura. I feel really old reading that out.
(01:12):
It's a quarter of a century.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
I record of a century. I know, it's how does
that feel? I used to I think in the past,
I used to say I used to feel older. But
you feel proud and I think that's that's what takes over.
And also we're still creating music, so I'm excited. Just
(01:36):
last weekend we're done in Wellington working on album eight
and if I was coming here and we had were
just celebrating this and it's twenty years and we haven't
done an album in five, you know, in a long
period of time, I think it'd be a little bit
depressed about that.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
That's a really good point because if I think about
bands who are touring, there are a lot of bands.
It's sort of entrend at the moment to have done
nothing for ten fifteen years and suddenly, you know, older
bands are heading the road again, and there seems to
be a bit of a market for that. But I
get I can see that little difference that you've got there.
We're still really productive and we're.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Still really productive. I'm really excited. I was saying to
the boys about before doing you know, a whole lot
of media to talk about on the sun that I'm
just I'm so energized. My soul is energized from what
we did on the weekend of working on this new album.
(02:36):
And and that's partly before it because it was so
productive and you know, I'm we're old fellas and you
kind of start questioning like where you're at and do
we carry I mean I do. I'm not speaking for
the rest of the guys. But you know, how long
do we do this? And but when I come back
(02:59):
to the band and we're all together and we're creating
and people are bringing ideas, it's just exactly what I need.
It's the medicine that I need. And I think that's
the same for the guys. And so I come here
today and I'm just you know, I'm excited about twenty
years on the Sun, but I'm very excited about album.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Mate, tell me about On the Sun. How formative was
this album to how the band sound and operate today?
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Well, yeah, I mean it's it's it's such a different band.
This is on last last weekend. We had Brett McKenzie,
you know from Flight to the Concord Fame, come back
and celebrate because he was playing keys on this album
and wrote brought Fire the tune Fire to our attention,
(03:52):
and we had Shannon Williams on bass and Rich Christy
on drums. And I think like this period is there's
a bit of naivety. There's just trying to young and
trying things and trying to achieve that. And I think
(04:15):
with Lee Pepper, who also recorded it, he's said that
as well, you know, like, how do we get you know,
we'd go to Lin and say, how do we make
this sound like this? And he's like, oh, yes, well,
you know I probably feed us, make us feel secure,
and give us some sort of answer, and then we'd
carry on. And so we've brought in you know, with fire,
(04:39):
it's got the funk part of it, and you can
feel some of those elements come into this album. And then,
you know, when Barney wrote brought the idea so true,
I personally didn't think. I didn't really think too much
of it. I thought, yeah, that's a love song, and
I'm not at that stage in my life where I'm
(05:01):
thinking about that. I've said it before. I think I
was in my nine inch al's face and it still am.
I still love that that heavier type of music. And
I didn't understand this, this what he was saying. And
and then the music taught me that. The song taught
me wonderful.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
To see it being released on vinyl? Is this the
first album you've released on vinyl?
Speaker 3 (05:25):
No, We've got our first album, Keep on Bushing, that
was released on vinyl. We've got a remix album from
many years ago that's on vinyl. Into the Dojo. That's
also on vinyl Classic Album and that's a that's a
gold vinyl. Yeah, this one the double LP.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Got a new track on there.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
We've got two new tracks on here Rogan Josh and
so True in Terre murri and and that's this has
brought it to life again. Well a song that was
a romantic song, so true to a song that is
(06:13):
more of love for just the message of love, I
think is where Barney feels with that song. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
It's interesting because because you have been around for twenty
six years, you've seen the music industry, I imagine, change
an awful lot. We've seen the explosion of digital music.
We're seeing the re emergence of you know, of physical
media like vinyl and things. Does it actually does any
of that actually change the way a band functions and
(06:45):
exists or at the end of the day, is it's
still just the same. You get together, you write music,
you create, create the music, record the music to the music.
Is it still the same as it used to be?
Speaker 3 (06:57):
That is still the same. I don't think that can change.
I think we have to adjust to social media and
and what what what do we need to bring? What
do how much do we share what are we sharing
and and understanding that and is and you know, you
(07:20):
can have so many pop ups of like if you
think posting every day is the way, then it's not.
It's subscribe to this and I the one one thing,
like the creative part of it. Yes, that is still
the same. I guess. We have more technology now to
record through each have an individual interface to record into
(07:46):
the last album. During COVID we had zoom sessions and
me and Nige, our keyboarders, could set share share those
sessions and so that was great. But yeah, I think
like this this social media has been something that we've
had to adjust to. Not everybody's keen on sharing in
(08:09):
that way, and sometimes you can get a bit burnt
out of using that device, your phone and sharing hey
this is what I've done today? Or do we have
the content to put in there and getting those sort
of yeah, and I think but the one thing with
(08:33):
this social media is that and there's changed from the
past is that we can connect directly to our fans,
and that's how I like, That's what I love about
it is that if someone's got the time to message
us on you know, recently on a post about the
fire video and then yes, and you can see it instantly.
(08:58):
How many people are sending great messages to it, and
it's like we need to message back with a sentence
and not just a heart. And I have to take
a step back, like I do a bit of the
social media, and I have to take a step back.
And my expectations on the other guys are like, no,
(09:19):
you're not. It's a headspace right to be in there
to reply back to somebody that you're probably never going
to meet. But I think of it as that and
you can't sell those ideas. You have to experience it
and get your head around it. It's like I'm I
can easily message people because because I've got my head
(09:41):
into that space when I'm not burnt out by social media.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
It's interesting you mentioned doing the recording via zoom because
we think of you as famously a Wellington band, but really,
is there anyone left in Wellington.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
Ryan Prebble, who's our latest guitarist, has played with us
for many years overseas. He is the only one in Wellington.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
So we've got Wellington is represented. How does the band work? Then,
of course you've just been talking about that it's a
bad work because you just mentioned that album number eight
is and is in the work, So what happens do
you do? Do you do a certain amount separately and
then just sort of come together and go through that
in credit point, I.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Mean it's it's it's hard and you don't want to
think about it's it's frustrating, and which we we get
together like we did on the weekend, all stay in
the studio and just trying to bring ideas. I brought
an idea, Barney brings an idea, Johnny our drummer, and
(10:49):
we have some other demos that we had from the
previous session. So it's really in these small pockets of time.
So when we're down there, it is you know, ten
o'clock till if it's you know, three in the morning,
and that's not all of us, it's me and Bunny
are very big on Okay, if you've got a vocal
(11:11):
idea to just get down, let's just try it. Usually
I'll be there like doing some percussion, just trying to
use up that time as just be as productive as possible,
and usually near the end you get a bit burnt out.
So yeah, over the weekend it was like three point
(11:33):
thirty you're in bed. It's hard.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
You mentioned before day jobs, and I think that's a
reality of being for most musicians in New Zealand, regardless
of whether you're touring the world or not. What do
you do?
Speaker 3 (11:48):
I am a height safety supervisor. We install height safety
systems like letters that probably get into this building anchor
points that you would have up there. So I'm we're
making it safe, safe access. And so I supervise young
(12:09):
little crews for this company, Technical Rigging Services, which my
boss will be stoked about to get that on there.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
And I really wasn't expecting you were going to say.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
That, oh, the high safety supervisor.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
I'm teaching or I work here, you know, like it's
sort of something within within. I like that that you've
got two different worlds. Although that is quite that'd be
quite a new racking job. You've got to get that right.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
Yeah, you have to get that right. I think.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
I think.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
I think both my job with the Seeds and that
job have made me I think routine is I need
it and the responsibility that I have. I wasn't a
supervisor before in previous jobs, and that's just put me
in a in a good headspace for direction and what's
(12:59):
coming next? And and I think with the band, dealing
with other people has been helpful being a supervisor. It's
it's not easy if anybody would.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Know to have someone with better health and safety kind
of consciousness.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
Yeah, yeah, I'm the one of those guys is like, yeah,
they shouldn't have that post for a backstage.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
It's like, did someone cover this cable please?
Speaker 3 (13:26):
She should have cones and barriers over here.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
I love it. I love it. Oh Dan, it's been
really good to talk to you. Enjoy celebrating this album.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Wait for the album number eight? When can we expect that.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
That's going to be next year?
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (13:40):
So yeah, you can get on the Sun. There's about
a thousand of these, like I was saying, have been pressed,
and yeah, we've got the bonus tracks on there as well,
and it's just a it's just a little beauty. Yeah,
so enjoy that.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Thanks for chatting, Thank you, and on the Sun. The
anniversary version is available now.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to News Talks at B from nine am Saturday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast
from News Talks at Me.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
So True Swart again from New.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
You Seed Get the Best of Me.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
So True again from New That You See Get the
Best of Me. The Black Seeds have been jamming for
over a quarter of a century. They're infamous for their
part in shaping the modern Kiwi music scene and have
been blending funk, soul, dubbins, South Pacific influences to develop
(00:49):
a uniquely Kiwi sound since nineteen ninety eight. Yep, it's
been that long to celerate the twentieth anniversary of the
album that really gave the band their breakthrough, On the Sun,
their second album is having a very special re release,
and Dan Wheatman of the Black Seeds, joins me, now, Cura,
good morning, Cura. I feel really old reading that out.
(01:12):
It's a quarter of a century.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
I record of a century. I know, it's how does
that feel? I used to I think in the past,
I used to say I used to feel older. But
you feel proud and I think that's that's what takes over.
And also we're still creating music, so I'm excited. Just
(01:36):
last weekend we're done in Wellington working on album eight
and if I was coming here and we had were
just celebrating this and it's twenty years and we haven't
done an album in five, you know, in a long
period of time, I think it'd be a little bit
depressed about that.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
That's a really good point because if I think about
bands who are touring, there are a lot of bands.
It's sort of entrend at the moment to have done
nothing for ten fifteen years and suddenly, you know, older
bands are heading the road again, and there seems to
be a bit of a market for that. But I
get I can see that little difference that you've got there.
We're still really productive and we're.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Still really productive. I'm really excited. I was saying to
the boys about before doing you know, a whole lot
of media to talk about on the sun that I'm
just I'm so energized. My soul is energized from what
we did on the weekend of working on this new album.
(02:36):
And and that's partly before it because it was so
productive and you know, I'm we're old fellas and you
kind of start questioning like where you're at and do
we carry I mean I do. I'm not speaking for
the rest of the guys. But you know, how long
do we do this? And but when I come back
(02:59):
to the band and we're all together and we're creating
and people are bringing ideas, it's just exactly what I need.
It's the medicine that I need. And I think that's
the same for the guys. And so I come here
today and I'm just you know, I'm excited about twenty
years on the Sun, but I'm very excited about album.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Mate, tell me about On the Sun. How formative was
this album to how the band sound and operate today?
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Well, yeah, I mean it's it's it's such a different band.
This is on last last weekend. We had Brett McKenzie,
you know from Flight to the Concord Fame, come back
and celebrate because he was playing keys on this album
and wrote brought Fire the tune Fire to our attention,
(03:52):
and we had Shannon Williams on bass and Rich Christy
on drums. And I think like this period is there's
a bit of naivety. There's just trying to young and
trying things and trying to achieve that. And I think
(04:15):
with Lee Pepper, who also recorded it, he's said that
as well, you know, like, how do we get you know,
we'd go to Lin and say, how do we make
this sound like this? And he's like, oh, yes, well,
you know I probably feed us, make us feel secure,
and give us some sort of answer, and then we'd
carry on. And so we've brought in you know, with fire,
(04:39):
it's got the funk part of it, and you can
feel some of those elements come into this album. And then,
you know, when Barney wrote brought the idea so true,
I personally didn't think. I didn't really think too much
of it. I thought, yeah, that's a love song, and
I'm not at that stage in my life where I'm
(05:01):
thinking about that. I've said it before. I think I
was in my nine inch al's face and it still am.
I still love that that heavier type of music. And
I didn't understand this, this what he was saying. And
and then the music taught me that. The song taught
me wonderful.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
To see it being released on vinyl? Is this the
first album you've released on vinyl?
Speaker 3 (05:25):
No, We've got our first album, Keep on Bushing, that
was released on vinyl. We've got a remix album from
many years ago that's on vinyl. Into the Dojo. That's
also on vinyl Classic Album and that's a that's a
gold vinyl. Yeah, this one the double LP.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Got a new track on there.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
We've got two new tracks on here Rogan Josh and
so True in Terre murri and and that's this has
brought it to life again. Well a song that was
a romantic song, so true to a song that is
(06:13):
more of love for just the message of love, I
think is where Barney feels with that song. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
It's interesting because because you have been around for twenty
six years, you've seen the music industry, I imagine, change
an awful lot. We've seen the explosion of digital music.
We're seeing the re emergence of you know, of physical
media like vinyl and things. Does it actually does any
of that actually change the way a band functions and
(06:45):
exists or at the end of the day, is it's
still just the same. You get together, you write music,
you create, create the music, record the music to the music.
Is it still the same as it used to be?
Speaker 3 (06:57):
That is still the same. I don't think that can change.
I think we have to adjust to social media and
and what what what do we need to bring? What
do how much do we share what are we sharing
and and understanding that and is and you know, you
(07:20):
can have so many pop ups of like if you
think posting every day is the way, then it's not.
It's subscribe to this and I the one one thing,
like the creative part of it. Yes, that is still
the same. I guess. We have more technology now to
record through each have an individual interface to record into
(07:46):
the last album. During COVID we had zoom sessions and
me and Nige, our keyboarders, could set share share those
sessions and so that was great. But yeah, I think
like this this social media has been something that we've
had to adjust to. Not everybody's keen on sharing in
(08:09):
that way, and sometimes you can get a bit burnt
out of using that device, your phone and sharing hey
this is what I've done today? Or do we have
the content to put in there and getting those sort
of yeah, and I think but the one thing with
(08:33):
this social media is that and there's changed from the
past is that we can connect directly to our fans,
and that's how I like, That's what I love about
it is that if someone's got the time to message
us on you know, recently on a post about the
fire video and then yes, and you can see it instantly.
(08:58):
How many people are sending great messages to it, and
it's like we need to message back with a sentence
and not just a heart. And I have to take
a step back, like I do a bit of the
social media, and I have to take a step back.
And my expectations on the other guys are like, no,
(09:19):
you're not. It's a headspace right to be in there
to reply back to somebody that you're probably never going
to meet. But I think of it as that and
you can't sell those ideas. You have to experience it
and get your head around it. It's like I'm I
can easily message people because because I've got my head
(09:41):
into that space when I'm not burnt out by social media.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
It's interesting you mentioned doing the recording via zoom because
we think of you as famously a Wellington band, but really,
is there anyone left in Wellington.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
Ryan Prebble, who's our latest guitarist, has played with us
for many years overseas. He is the only one in Wellington.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
So we've got Wellington is represented. How does the band work? Then,
of course you've just been talking about that it's a
bad work because you just mentioned that album number eight
is and is in the work, So what happens do
you do? Do you do a certain amount separately and
then just sort of come together and go through that
in credit point, I.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Mean it's it's it's hard and you don't want to
think about it's it's frustrating, and which we we get
together like we did on the weekend, all stay in
the studio and just trying to bring ideas. I brought
an idea, Barney brings an idea, Johnny our drummer, and
(10:49):
we have some other demos that we had from the
previous session. So it's really in these small pockets of time.
So when we're down there, it is you know, ten
o'clock till if it's you know, three in the morning,
and that's not all of us, it's me and Bunny
are very big on Okay, if you've got a vocal
(11:11):
idea to just get down, let's just try it. Usually
I'll be there like doing some percussion, just trying to
use up that time as just be as productive as possible,
and usually near the end you get a bit burnt out.
So yeah, over the weekend it was like three point
(11:33):
thirty you're in bed. It's hard.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
You mentioned before day jobs, and I think that's a
reality of being for most musicians in New Zealand, regardless
of whether you're touring the world or not. What do
you do?
Speaker 3 (11:48):
I am a height safety supervisor. We install height safety
systems like letters that probably get into this building anchor
points that you would have up there. So I'm we're
making it safe, safe access. And so I supervise young
(12:09):
little crews for this company, Technical Rigging Services, which my
boss will be stoked about to get that on there.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
And I really wasn't expecting you were going to say.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
That, oh, the high safety supervisor.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
I'm teaching or I work here, you know, like it's
sort of something within within. I like that that you've
got two different worlds. Although that is quite that'd be
quite a new racking job. You've got to get that right.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
Yeah, you have to get that right. I think.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
I think.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
I think both my job with the Seeds and that
job have made me I think routine is I need
it and the responsibility that I have. I wasn't a
supervisor before in previous jobs, and that's just put me
in a in a good headspace for direction and what's
(12:59):
coming next? And and I think with the band, dealing
with other people has been helpful being a supervisor. It's
it's not easy if anybody would.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Know to have someone with better health and safety kind
of consciousness.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
Yeah, yeah, I'm the one of those guys is like, yeah,
they shouldn't have that post for a backstage.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
It's like, did someone cover this cable please?
Speaker 3 (13:26):
She should have cones and barriers over here.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
I love it. I love it. Oh Dan, it's been
really good to talk to you. Enjoy celebrating this album.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Wait for the album number eight? When can we expect that.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
That's going to be next year?
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (13:40):
So yeah, you can get on the Sun. There's about
a thousand of these, like I was saying, have been pressed,
and yeah, we've got the bonus tracks on there as well,
and it's just a it's just a little beauty. Yeah,
so enjoy that.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Thanks for chatting, Thank you, and on the Sun. The
anniversary version is available now.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to News Talks at B from nine am Saturday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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