Don McGlashan

McGlashan was born in Auckland, New Zealand. Both his parents were teachers: his father Bain taught civil engineering at Auckland Technical Institute and his mother Alice was a schoolteacher. McGlashan was actively encouraged to pursue music from a young age by his father, who bought him various musical instruments to learn on.[1] McGlashan wrote "Envy of Angels" as a tribute to his father.[2] At age seven McGlashan began on cello and piano, "then gradually added more instruments to that. [I] went through the tune-a-day for whatever instrument it was, for just about every instrument I think."[3]

McGlashan attended Westlake Boys' High School, on Auckland's North Shore.[4] While at high school he began playing keyboard in local bands. "I carried on sort of following those two strands – of learning how to write songs, learning how to be in a band, learning all the sort of extra musical stuff that you have to learn – and on the other side I was learning the French horn."[5]

At Auckland University he studied English and music, and played French horn and percussion in the Auckland Symphonia (later called the Auckland Philharmonia) from 1979 to 1982. McGlashan began working with Philip Dadson's percussion group From Scratch in 1979, while playing in the Auckland Symphonia. McGlashan played a number of eclectic percussion instruments, such as PVC piping struck with jandals; the name of the group came from the fact that they produced their own instruments 'from scratch'. On Standards, the album he jointly produced with Ivan Zagni for Propeller Records in 1982, he is credited as playing bass guitar, horn, whistle, percussion, marimba and vocals.

In 1981, McGlashan replaced Ian Gilroy in punk band The Whizz Kids, who rechristened themselves Blam Blam Blam.[6] McGlashan's song "Don't Fight It Marsha, It's Bigger Than Both of Us" reached #17 in the New Zealand charts. Local music magazine Rip It Up deemed it 'best single of the year', and readers voted McGlashan drummer of the year.[6]

In March 1985, a group formed for the purpose, Left, Right and Centre, released a single, "Don't Go", a protest against the proposed All Blacks tour of South Africa. The song was written by Don McGlashan, Frank Stark and Geoff Chapple. McGlashan, Chris Knox and Rick Bryant were the main vocalists.[7]

McGlashan formed multi-media group The Front Lawn with Harry Sinclair. The duo (in their late stages a trio, thanks to the addition of actor Jennifer Ward-Lealand) won acclaim for theatre shows which combined music with physical comedy. McGlashan's song "Andy", written in memory of his late brother, was later listed among the APRA Top 100 New Zealand Songs of All Time.

McGlashan and Sinclair also made and starred in short films Walk Short (in which each played multiple roles), The Lounge Bar and 1990's Linda's Body. By now Sinclair was growing increasingly interested in directing, while McGlashan was keen to return to the live circuit.[8] He had also begun composing for the screen.

David Long moved from Wellington to Auckland to work with McGlashan, and the two began working together and auditioning drummers. After playing their first gig on St Patrick's Day 1991 with a session drummer, Steve Garden, they heard about Ross Burge and convinced him to move back to New Zealand from New York to join The Mutton Birds.[9] The band began to become successful—"Anchor Me" won McGlashan the 1994 Silver Scroll Award—and later moved to the UK. However, while the Mutton Birds received acclaim from UK critics and music magazines, they failed to achieve mainstream success. Eventually they disbanded, and McGlashan returned to New Zealand.

McGlashan's first solo album, Warm Hand, was released in May 2006. It was nominated for an NZ Music Award for album of the year, and debut single Miracle Sun was a nominee for New Zealand's supreme songwriting award, the APRA Silver Scroll.

In March 2009, the album Marvellous Year was released through Arch Hill Records. The album is credited to Don McGlashan & the Seven Sisters, a band which had begun when he toured Warm Hand. The album included a new version of McGlashan-penned hit "Bathe in the River", with McGlashan on lead vocals.

In 2015 Don released third solo album Lucky Stars, which he described as "his most personal album yet".[10]

In 2005, "Anchor Me" was re-recorded by an ensemble of NZ artists to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Rainbow Warrior bombing. McGlashan allowed the song to be used but did not perform on it, out of the concern it would turn the attention to him instead of the event the charity song was to represent.[11]

In 2012 McGlashan was one of a select number of artists given permission to visit Antarctica. The following year he was awarded the two-month Michael King residency.[1]

McGlashan played euphonium on album Time On Earth, by Crowded House. He played live with the band at Glastonbury 2008 and was a regular member of the touring line-up throughout their 2008 world tour. Later he played euphonium on track 'Hole In My Head' by Melbourne singer/songwriter Marjorie Cardwell, for her 2012 album In Another World.[12]

In 2012, McGlashan and Dave Dobbyn partnered for the Acoustic Church Tour.[13]

McGlashan began contributing to soundtracks as early as 1980, when he was one of the trio who composed the music for New Zealand police series Mortimer's Patch. McGlashan composed occasionally for the screen over the next two and a half decades, including work on Jane Campion's film An Angel at My Table; Cinema of Unease, a documentary about the history of New Zealand cinema; and long-running detective series Street Legal.

From 2005 onwards, McGlashan began to devote a lot more energy to soundtrack work. Since then he has composed the music for more than a dozen screen projects – predominantly feature films (including The Dead Lands and the orchestral soundtrack for Dean Spanley) – as well as short films (Tick) and television (Katherine Mansfield telemovie Bliss, TV series Orange Roughies).

Song "Bathe In the River" featured on McGlashan's soundtrack to acclaimed Toa Fraser film No. 2 (2006, also known as Naming Number Two). Sung by Hollie Smith, it reached number 2 on the New Zealand music charts and went platinum. The song also won him the 2006 APRA Silver Scroll Award, his second win.

In 2011 McGlashan provided the score to the fireworks during the opening ceremony of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.[14]

• From Scratch Perform Rhythm Works (1979) self-released
• 3 Pieces From Gung Ho 1,2,3D (1983) Hit Singles
• Pacific 3,2,1,zero (Part 1) – Drum/Sing (1985) Flying Nun Records
• Gung Ho 1,2,3D (1988) Flying Nun Records

• Luxury Length (1982) Propeller Records/Festival Records

• Songs from The Front Lawn (1989) Front Lawn Records
• More Songs from The Front Lawn (1993) Virgin Records

• The Mutton Birds (1992) Bag Records
• Salty (1993) EMI Records
• Envy of Angels (1996) EMI Records
• Rain, Steam and Speed (1999) Shhh! Records
• Flock: The Best of the Mutton Birds (2002) EMI Records

• Other Halves (NZ 1984)
• The Grasscutter (NZ/UK 1988) (with Wayne Laird)
• An Angel at My Table (NZ 1990)
• Cinema of Unease (UK/NZ 1995)
• Like It Is (UK 1998)
• No. 2 (NZ 2005)
• Out of the Blue (Song: "I Will Not Let You Down") (NZ 2006)
• The Tattooist (Song: "I Will Not Let You Down") (NZ 2007)
• Dean Spanley (UK/NZ 2008)
• Show Of Hands (NZ 2008)
• Matariki – (NZ 2010)[20]
• Kiwi Flyer (NZ 2012)
• The Dead Lands (NZ/UK 2014)[21]

• "The Lounge Bar" (1989) (as The Front Lawn)
• "Linda's Body" (1990) (as The Front Lawn)
• "The Painted Lady" (2000)
• "Tick" (2002)

• Mortimer's Patch (NZ 1979) (with Wayne Laird and Keith Hunter)
• Terry and the Gunrunners (NZ 1985)
• Street Legal (NZ 2000–)
• Orange Roughies (NZ 2006)
• This Is Not My Life (NZ 2010)
• RocKwiz contestant and guest (episode 94), along with Jenny Morris[22]
• Kiri and Lou (2019– ) (NZ/Canada)[23]

The Front Lawn:

• "Walkshort" (NZ 1987) – all the characters were played by Don McGlashan and Harry Sinclair.
• "The Lounge Bar" (NZ 1989) Don McGlashan – Mike
• "Linda's Body" (NZ 1990) Don McGlashan – Ben

• Perfect Strangers (NZ 2003): singing "Anchor Me" with band in bar.

New Zealand

• "Arcade" (1981)
• "This Is A Love Song" (1983)
• "Decoy" (1984)
• "Souvenirs" (1984)
• "Vigil Switch" (1985)
• "Now Is The Hour" (1988)

New York, 1983

• He co-composed the scores to two new Dean pieces
• Later appointed music rehearsal director.
• Toured with the company on US and European tours, playing drums and synthesiser.

McGlashan has won the APRA Silver Scroll twice. In 2006, McGlashan had two songs nominated for this award – a feat last achieved by Dave Dobbyn in 1995. "Bathe in the River", written by McGlashan for the film No. 2, later won the award.

Wikinews has related news: New Zealand songwriter Don McGlashan wins second Silver Scroll

In 2001, a vote by members of APRA to find New Zealand's Top 100 songs (what would eventually become the Nature's Best series) included 5 McGlashan songs. These were:

• 23: The Mutton Birds – "Dominion Road"
• 49: The Mutton Birds – "Anchor Me"
• 66: Blam Blam Blam – "Don't Fight It Marsha, It's Bigger Than Both of Us"
• 69: Blam Blam Blam – "There Is No Depression in New Zealand"
• 82: The Front Lawn – "Andy" (co-written with Harry Sinclair)

• 2001 – University of Auckland Literary Fellowship.[35]
• 2002 – Arts Foundation of New Zealand Laureate Award.[36]
• 2003 – New Zealand Television Awards, Best Original Music for Street Legal.
• 2007 – Auckland City Council Living Legend Award.[37]
• 2012 – University of Auckland Distinguished Alumni Award.[38]
• 2012 – Antarctica New Zealand's Writers and Artists residency programme.[39]
• 2013 – Michael King Writer's Centre Writer in Residence.[40]