Howick lad recording in LA, story on East FM, Saturday from midday
NZ EXCLUSIVE: Justin Deveraux is an adventurous Kiwi working in the Los Angeles film industry, and releasing his music to the world for the first time – recording with big-name session musicians and producer, and we’re excited to be the first radio station in Aotearoa to play his tracks and talk with him live on tomorrow’s She’ll Be Right on Saturday’s Show with PJ Taylor, EARLIER time of midday to 4pm (NZ time, September 2) on East FM.
We’ll be chatting with Justin Deveraux at 1pm / 6pm in California, where he’ll be, to hear his journey to the release of his new single, Cotton Wool, out September 1. Then, for the first time on New Zealand radio, we’ll play Cotton Wool.
Recorded at Studio City Sound in LA by Grammy Award-winning producer Tom Weir, Cotton Wool was played by highly-credentialed – keyboardist Jeff Babko (Jimmy Kimmel Live), drummer Gregg Bissonette (Ringo Starr, David Lee Roth), guitarist Laurence Juber (Sir Paul McCartney’s Wings, Cleo Laine, Charles Aznavour), bassist Lance Morrison (Alanis Morissette), Luanne Homzy on violin, and even a tap-dancing percussionist Stevie Lekaszewski.
Justin Deveraux is from Howick, Auckland, and moved from NZ to California with his family over the past year, to, as he says, “follow dreams”. There are more singles coming soon and an album due for release in the new year.
I know Justin because he was an enthusiastic AUT journalist intern at East Auckland’s Times Media and Newspapers in 2012, when I was editor. He later moved into producing advertising content and working on film productions such as The Meg (2016), Ash vs Evil Dead, and Amazon Prime’s record-breaking budget and Emmy-award winning, Lord of the Rings (The Ring of Power, 2022).
The Covid era gave him time to “reassess and regret missed opportunities”, choosing to “jump-in and chase down” his goal of being a singer-songwriter. “What started off as a box to tick-off suddenly started to sound good,” says Deveraux.
“Cotton Wool is a song about a child losing their innocence and the struggles associated with knowing too much. When you’re young and innocent, hopefully you get a chance to grow up in a safe and ‘Disney-like world’.
“But when you grow up and lose your innocence, you can’t return to that bubble, even though you wish you could.
“The chorus lyric comes from the term ‘wrapping someone in cotton wool’, referring to that protection layer parents often create for their children, and by softening the blow with cotton wool.
“Cotton wool is a plea to return to your parents’ arms even as they grow old,” says Deveraux.
As well as putting the spotlight on Justin Deveraux, it’ll be a regular early-arvo She’ll Be Right set – concert news and tour of a few musical neighbourhoods.
East FM is East Auckland’s fair-dinkum community-powered public service radio station, on 88.1FM and 107.1FM on local frequencies, nationally and globally at www.eastfm.nz... and on app iHeart Radio.
She’ll Be Right - it’s all about the vibe; it’s all about the groove. And this Saturday we celebrate an exciting time for a Howick lad abroad – Justin Deveraux. – PJ
Q&A: Ask a question about...Online Safety
Continuing with Neighbourly's online Q&A with experts in their field, this week we are tackling online safety with Jandy Fiske from Netsafe.
Jandy Fiske has been with Netsafe for nearly 8 years. Starting on their helpline, she's now Netsafe's Community Engagement Advisor. Jandy says: 'I'm passionate about online safety because I strongly oppose bullying and want to support those affected by it.'
Jandy is passionate about protecting vulnerable communities and is promoting online safety to ensure no one falls prey to online scams. She can answer your questions about any type of online scams, and also about online harm such as online bullying.
↓ Ask your question below now and she'll be online on Wednesday, 11th September to reply to you ↓
Poll: Have you ever had a scary flight?
A plane flying from Christchurch to Wellington on Sunday had smoke billowing out of the engine and upon landing, passengers had to open the emergency exit and jump out. Have you had any scary flying experiences?
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55.5% Yes!
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44.5% No, it's always been smooth flying
LIVE Q&A: Financial well-being with Cat Rikihana
Today (Wednesday) we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with Cat Rikihana who is a financial mentor, educator and financial capability practitioner at Financial Freedom Trust in the Manawatū.
Cat Rikihana (Ngai Tahu) like many financial mentors around Aotearoa, works with individuals, groups and whānau to successfully navigate financial stress and hardship. Mentors work alongside whānau to increase confidence and skills in personal money management and advocate with and for clients. Cat enjoys delivering online and face-to-face workshops which provide opportunities to normalise money conversations and encourages people to make time to consider their financial well-being.
Cat is also an independent financial well-being coach, educator and indigenous life coach at Restore Wellness Network. She is a published writer and currently in the process of writing her first non-fiction book: 'A financial self-care guide for women in Aotearoa.'
She'd love to answer any questions you may have around your budgeting and spending habits, strategies for saving, retirement planning and debt. (Don't be shy, but be mindful about what you disclose!)
↓ Share your questions now and Cat will reply to your comment below ↓
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