News

7 April, 2003

Update from Peter Green's "Famous for 16 minutes" on Bic's work

From Peter Greens "Famous for 16 minutes" website, 4 April 2003:

"get a call from the lovely Bic Runga, she is finishing her work in the studio with her friend Tim and catching the afternoon flight back to N.Z but wants to drop into our place for a quick cuppa. She brings Tim along and it sounds like it's been a very creative week. Bic is so naturally gorgeous, one of my favourite girls and we both dig her. I'm so crapped off that America and American radio has missed out on "Beautiful Collision"- a fine album, from memory I think the head honcho at the record company didn't get it (gee surprise!) where others at the company loved it...that damn pecking order....so weird as every day we get numerous emails from the States from people who love it- oh well guess "Beautiful Collision" will be one of those cult/best kept secrets...I'm glad my musical taste budds are aware of it.

Bic hands over my signed "Get some sleep" covers, the last of them so I cans end these out. I tell her that when I'm next in N.Z. I just want to set up a photo shot of her in worn out jeans, old wooden verandah by a beach with a guitar and little makeup. The one thing around B.C. cover is that the make over shots I just didn't think worked- she has a raw natural talent and the same for Bic's beauty...love to capture that ...something sepia , guitar, verandah, sea!!! There should be a few N.Z. Bic dates soon."

A day in history- November 9, 1996

From Amplifier.co.nz, a piece of Bic's history from November 9, 1996:

Bic Runga was involved in a car accident when returning home from the Michael Jackson concert at Auckland's Ericsson Stadium. She and her boyfriend were hit head-on by a car going the wrong way on to the Wellesley St motorway off-ramp, with Bic sustaining a broken collarbone in the collision. The tour the singer was due to start was cancelled. 1996

19 June, 2002

USA Concert dates

From Bic's management, via the Bic Runga.com messageboard :

"We are playing shows in la on 24 july at Cafe Largo, 31 July at The Fez in New
York."

11 June, 2002

From the www.bicrunga.com messageboard:

Single features 2 B-sides not on the album "You Don't Want To Know" and "Gracie".

Album released early July.

See the "Beautiful Collision" pictures page for the publicity pictures for the new album.

23 May, 2002

Bic to play Los Angeles gig's

Bic announced during a recent interview on Radio More FM Auckland that she was going to be playing some gig's in Los Angeles when the album "Beautiful Collision" was released in July.

Watch for the full interview transcript in the next few days.

UPDATE 01 June 2002:

The Bic Largo date as posted above has been postponed.

For confirmed tourdates keep your eye on this site.

This message posted on the Bicrunga.com messageboard 31 May 2002

10 May, 2002

Filming for GET SOME SLEEP single under way

This article from the Southland Times newspaper, reported on the STUFF website 10 May, 2002:

Southland in song's video clip 

09 MAY 2002 

By PATRICIA SOPER 

One of the video vignettes for Bic Runga's soon-to-be-released single was filmed at the historic Parawa Hotel in Northern Southland yesterday. Runga's single Get Some Sleep, her own composition, includes Dave Dobbyn on guitar with Kiwi band Pluto providing the backing vocals. Queenstown-based Curious Film producer Graham Sinclair said extra filming for the video would be completed in the Southern Lakes area during the next three days. 

Runga said during filming yesterday the project was funded from the United States but she was determined to film it in New Zealand. "It spreads things around a little," she said. 

Although based in Auckland, Runga is originally from Christchurch and likes her South Island heritage to be known. She had a particular fondness for the south and had spent a lot of time here over the years. "It's real and so beautiful. This is a great setting," she said.

Original content remains copyright 2002 to The Southland Times

16 April, 2001

BEAUTIFUL COLLISION album press release from Sony Music NZ

The official press release for the new Bic Runga album,"Beautiful Collision" was placed on the official Bic Runga web site messageboard today:

"BIC RUNGA
BEAUTIFUL COLLISION
New Album Announced

The new BIC RUNGA album BEAUTIFUL COLLISION will be released in New Zealand in early July. BEAUTIFUL COLLISION will be preceded by the single "Get Some Sleep" in June.

"Get Some Sleep" is the first Bic Runga single since 'Good Morning Baby' (with Dan Wilson) in 2000 . "Get Some Sleep" was first performed at Bic's intimate shows at The Odeon, in Auckland earlier last year.

BEAUTIFUL COLLISION was recorded in Auckland, Los Angeles and New York, produced by Bic and mixed by Michael Brauer (Coldplay, New Radicals, Rolling Stones). 'Beautiful Collision' is Bic's second album and the follow up to her 6x Platinum debut 'Drive'."

15 April, 2002

NEW ALBUM TITLE REVEALED!

From Peter Green, at his "Famous for 16 Minutes" site on 3rd April, 2002, the new album title was revealed:

"Bic and Campbell send us the new Bic Runga cd- BEAUTIFUL COLLISION....and it truely is... the first single GET SOME SLEEP is one of the best songs that we have heard for a long while. Mark says it's the best song he has heard for five years!!!!! June/July release....gave her a call and pretended I hated it...but I'm no good at faking it around the Runga woman..so fessed up that it's got us all excited and sweaty at the office, in the car....if radio ignores GET SOME SLEEP it will prove to many that some programmers should simply be shot. Maybe it's just too good for radio".

13 February, 2002

Where in the world is Bic?

From a recent post at the www.bicrunga.com messageboard, this update on Bic:

She said she was here mixing her new album."

27 January, 2002

Album due for mastering / mixing soon

Bic announced during her recent (January 2002) tour that she's going to New York soon to mix the album with SJP's Michael Brauer. 

Brauer has amassed an astounding list of credentials over the years. Among Brauer's lengthy discography are The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Billy Joel, Luther Vandross, Jeff Buckley, Tony Bennett, Eric Clapton, David Byrne and many more. Brauer has contributed many mixing concepts that have placed him at the vanguard of his field.

Check out Michael Brauer's full biography at SJP, and also his full discography.

The album will be mastered by Howie Weinburg of New York's MasterDisk Corporation. 

Weinburg has built a discography which includes artists such as The Clash, Metallica, Nirvana, Sonic Youth, The Ramones, Oasis, Smashing Pumpkins and P.J. Harvey. For a list of his full credits, check his biography.

See the New Album page for possible track listing.

1 November, 2001

News Update on the new album!

From Peter Green's "Famous For Sixteen Minutes" diary, and update on Bic's album progress, as at 23 October, 2001.  Peter called Bic to find:

"Call Bic Runga in NZ and she is working away on the album- total focus, have to get it finished sort of motion. Campbell and myself will be happy, we both want some new music to work on. 2002 is the year that we break BIC big time overseas....she is a million times better then most female singers. Maybe that's the problem, she is too talented."

From Peter Green's "Famous For Sixteen Minutes" web site, 
15 June, 2001:

"Bic gives me a call and is about halfway through her album. She promises to mail me some new music so I'm excited by some Bic Runga new tracks. Miss the little gremlin...NZ can still be so far away."

And 22 June, 2001:

"There is a message on the answering machine from the lovely Bic Runga. She's jumping on a flight tonight and heading to Melbourne for a quick shop, buy a sixties guitar and to hang out with us for a day or so. Am over the moon, have missed her. I'm sure some of you have met Bic- she's just so cool...and little and just a natural....her and a guitar...just works."

8 April 2001

From NZ Musician Magazine, April / May 2001 issue: 

"Out On The Street" 

"Bic Runga is nearing completion on her second album, working on tracks at Neil Finn's Roundhead Studio with help from Shayne Carter". 

Auckland audiences had a preview of new material at a series of accoustic shows in April. 

Roundhead is Neil Finn's home studio in his Parnell basement, where Neil mainly recorded his recent album "One Nil". Neil has a 24 track Euphonix desk, and ProTools setup with a collection of "nice mics" and various instruments he has picked up over the years. 

Finn says that, through using a home studio you are making music on your own clock, something Finn says is crucial to creativity.

Some "low key concerts" were held at the Odeon Lounge in Auckland, NZ early April, 2001. Mark R let the news slip on Bic's Message Board (see thread "The English Weather").

Attendance was sold out each night. See the Venue Poster here.

Bic's reaction to the gig's? Seems Bic liked the reaction to her new songs from the Odeon gig....according to Peter Green (FRENZ) at the F-16 site  (April 5th diary entry). Peter was in town for the Neil Finn concerts, and was driven to "see Bic mid gig...we missed the show but she is still in the Venue, she jumps and screams and its just does my heart good to see her so happy." 

On the new album front, from Peter Green's diary (Famous for Sixteen Minutes) has this news on November 3, 2000:

"Hear that Neil is working with Bic Runga but I forgot to ask how- if its producing or playing on a song for her new album....have to call her soon and ask. Been a bit slack around Bic, then again she has been touring and recording."

See the previous item on this NEWS page regarding Bic recording at Neil's  studio.

Peter also runs the Bic Runga Fan Club, details of which can be found at www.bicrunga.com. 

New Album News

Latest prediction for the release of Bic's new album, April 2001.

An article by New Zealand Herald journalist Graham Reid titled Please Release Me lists his predictions for album releases for 2001.

For a transcript of the article, go here.

New Album News

And this from the www.bicrunga.com message board on 2 February, 2000, in a message left by Campbell Roy Smith, Bic's manager:

"and the big one.... where is the record? its coming!! bic is in pre-production from now and will start recording again in march. i know we've promised things like this before, but trust me!! the songs are ****ing awesome.

see ya
campbell"