Rhythm, Soul and Funk with Vegas Brown
Originally hailing from Hamilton, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Vegas Brown had an illustrious career before moving to Whitianga. In the ten years he’s lived on the Peninsula, Brown has been active in the local scene and continues to record and release music.
Born in Dunedin, Vegas Brown first fell in love with live music as a boy, when his mother took him and his brother to a Guy Fawkes celebration in Hamilton.
“The party was being held on a farm with a bonfire and a live band. There was no stage, so I was able to get nice and close to the drummer. I just sat on the grass watching him play, and that moved me. That was how I was introduced to live music, and it got its hooks into me tightly, and I’ve never looked back.”
Brown began songwriting and performing as a teen, going on to be a part of some successful bands.
“The first album that I ever recorded was with a band called Mama Said, which I formed in the 90s. We won a nationwide Battle of the Bands, so we won a record deal. After that, I was in a band called 48 May, which became quite popular, and we became gold-selling artists.”
In 2015 Brown decided to move to Whitianga.
“I had been coming up these ways ever since I was about 16, through music, playing at the Whitianga Hotel. I’ve always loved the Coromandel. I love the space that you feel when you’re up here. In Whitianga, I like the feeling of being nestled by the hills, but having the vast ocean to gaze upon as well.
Being a recording artist, it could work against you a little bit, living so far away from the industry, but with the world of online recording and stuff like that I don’t think it’s that much of an issue.
For me, it’s just about being in the right place for my life, which lends itself to being more creative.”
After moving to the area, Brown was booked to play at the iconic and long-running Whitianga Oceans Festival (at that time known as the Scallop Festival). He filed a complaint, which ended up resulting in him joining the team as the entertainment manager.
“The set that my band was given, the doors of the festival hadn’t even opened yet, so I thought that wasn’t great management. I sent an email to someone letting them know that wasn’t the best money well spent, or time, for our band to come and play for the vendors while they were setting up. After that, they asked me if I’d be interested in being involved, and I think I was probably involved for at least 10 years, just on the entertainment side of it. Putting together a festival like that is a massive team effort, so I was only a small cog in the mechanics of that. I prided myself on being able to put together quality line-ups full of artists that were also entertainers. We had to have the right amount of appeal of entertainment and art to make the day successful.”
Brown has continued to perform and write songs. His 2022 solo album, Something Tangible, is a diverse mix of funk, soul and rock with a touch of reggae influence. Since then, Brown has released a collaboration with Hawkes Bay rap sensation Tipene, ‘Over My Skin’. He is currently working on new music.
“Inspiration comes from all sorts of places and all sorts of times,” he says. “I don’t think there’s a usual songwriting process, but a lot of songs that I’ve written quite often have come from the drums. I can easily bang out a format on the drums before even knowing any notation or lyrical part of it. Otherwise, it might be a riff, or it might be a piece of literature, or a saying that I’ve come up with that I think could lend itself well to a song.”
Instagram: @vegasbrown
Words by Nur Peach
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