Latest news with #DiveBar
ABC News
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
The Western Guide brings culture and country music together for new audiences
Aaron Pulemagafa, aka The Western Guide, is becoming one of island music's biggest names. Hailing from Aotearoa, the Samoan artist gained early notoriety for tracks like 'Pe Moni Ea' and 'Siva Mai', but has recently been stirring conversation surrounding his effortless veer into country music. He has millions of streams to his catalogue, while his social media presence only bolsters The Western Guide's profile as a superstar in the making. With a voice that is rich in depth and tone, The Western Guide's music brings emotional storytelling together with music that perfectly matches the vibe. New single 'Dive Bar' is proof of The Western Guide's growing confidence as a singer and the natural charisma. Loading For On The Record, Aaron takes us through his influences and lets us in on what is coming next.
NZ Herald
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
How Samoan country musician TheWesternGuide made it in the mainstream
The style sits comfortably within his vocal range, the Samoan-New Zealand musician told RNZ's Music 101. 'I found country's good for how I sing and how I write as well.' The 'three chords and the truth' at the heart of country music resonates with Samoan listeners, he says. 'A lot of our old classics, if we're going even further back than Zipso, some of their stuff sounds quite country, it's very much like a heavy guitar lead or something to drive the song, and then some lyrics, and they're normally talking about their struggle or something that means a lot to them.' His latest release is Dive Bar. 'I remember hearing the words dive bar in country music, and I was interested. I was like, what is a dive bar? So, I did a bit of research and they're just small town pubs. 'And I thought to myself, that's really funny, I'd be interested to know if there's any dive bars in NZ , so I thought I'd just write a song about it.' It's a classic country heartbreaker, he says. 'But I think the song is more trying to deal with a heartbreak, and how you deal with that is by obviously masking your emotions with pints and spending some nights at a bar, I guess.' Patumāhoe Rugby Club's bar stood in for the dive bar in the video. It's Pulemagafa's local club and he knows the place well, helping out with promotions there. 'I was thinking about how I wanted it to look and feel. And I wanted it to be a little bit grubby, but also, I wanted to look like a bloke who's at a bar just in Aotearoa.' In the video his look is decidedly Southland rather than Nashville, he says. 'I didn't want to wear the cowboy hat. I wanted to wear something a bit more visually relatable to us. 'So, we just wore a normal hat. And then, the shirt, just to feel like one of the blokes finishing a hard day's work.' There's plenty more songs to come, he says, and he plans a more disciplined release schedule in future. 'This year, I think I'm going to focus on getting them out to the public to listen to, and maybe not visit so many sports bars, I guess.' - RNZ
BBC News
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Music festival set to arrive in Wolverhampton
A multi-venue indie music festival is arriving in Wolverhampton this Feel The Noise, the event will take place in the city centre, with musicians performing at Wulfrun Hall, Dive Bar and North Street Social on like The Clause, Keyside and Alex Spencer are set to perform, along with headliners The K's who are currently touring the UK.A free conference is also being held as part of the event to help people get into the music industry, as well providing network opportunities with artists and managers. The talk will feature a Q&A and feedback sessions from industry names, like award-winning producer Gavin Monaghan who has worked with The Editors, Scott Matthews and Ocean Colour Scene. The festival received £25,000 from the government to help stage the event, as well as support from City of Wolverhampton Chris Burden said the event would contribute to the existing "vibrant music scene that already exists in the city". Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
CBS News
01-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
"Sacramento" road-trip comedy latest Hollywood film to boost local economy
SACRAMENTO — A movie shot in California's capital city nearly two years ago is about to hit the silver screen this spring. The trailer for the road-trip comedy "Sacramento" came out this week and we heard from some locals who were present when Hollywood came to town. Mermaid Rachel with Dive Bar K Street is one of the local Sacramentans making a cameo appearance in the new movie — with a brief appearance in the trailer. "We didn't know how much we'd be featured, but to be in the trailer — it's huge," Rachel said. The film spent two days shooting in the Sacramento area. "They wanted everyone to be really natural," Rachel said. "They wanted to get the ambiance of these different venues and places in Sacramento, so it was really sort of guerilla filmmaking." Kayla, a bartender at Dive Bar, was working while the film's star, Michael Cera, shot a scene. "He was very casual, very relaxed," she said. "He was there to do a job. He was super polite to everybody that was here." Other filming locations include the Tower Bridge, Old Sacramento, and Gunther's Ice Cream. "It is amazing. They hit all of the most iconic Sacramento locations," said Jennifer West, Sacramento's film commissioner. West said this movie could help attract more Hollywood crews. "This is the best kind of marketing, showing off our as a location destination," she added. Another movie shot in Sacramento, "No Address," is now playing in theaters. Last year, a big-budget film starring Leonardo DiCaprio spent two weeks in town shooting several action sequences. "People were flocking to downtown just to get a glimpse of Hollywood," West said. "It's exciting." The City of Sacramento has set aside money to try and bring more movie shoots to town, which helps the local economy. "We do have a one-time $250,000 incentive that will launch July 1," West said. "We really need to be competitive and this incentive is going to allow us to do that." "Sacramento" is scheduled to be released in April, and there's a lot of anticipation to see our city on the silver screen. "It won't be a problem to quietly watch myself and freak out later," Rachel said. "I'm not going to stand up and scream 'that's me" to everyone in the theater." Sacramento city officials are supporting a plan by Gov. Gavin Newsom to expand the state's filmmaker tax credit to $750 million in an effort to keep more TV and movie projects produced in California.
