Interview: Graeme Jefferies - The Cakekitchen

For too long, New Zealand musical writing has focused on a pair of rural North Island brothers. However, if you travelled down State Highway 3 a bit more and ended up in Stratford, you'd find the hometown of arguably a considerably more influential and brilliant bunch of musical pioneers – Graeme and Peter Jefferies. Their '80s bands, Nocturnal Projections and This Kind of Punishment, along with their solo work has had a potent legacy, and was instrumental in selling New Zealand music outside of these shores. Labelled by Pitchfork as part of the "holy trinity" of New Zealand music (along with the Dead C and Chris Knox), their music has been covered by the likes of Cat Power, and Graeme Jefferies has played with the likes of John Darnielle and the Notwist. Graeme Jefferies brilliant solo act, Cakekitchen, has been going since the late '80s and he's garnered stellar reviews for his albums like World of Sand, The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, How Can You Be So Blind? And Put Your Foot Inside the Door (and he's been released via Merge, Homestead, and Hausmusik). His latest, Kangaroos in My Top Paddock, is another eclectic and impressive release.

Click here to read our interview with Graeme Jefferies.