We’ve come to an end of The Making of The Volunteers weekly episodes. Stuff.co.nz will be keeping a close eye on the band’s progress and if you want to know what’s going on with Elan, Joe, Malcolm, Felicity, Marliesje and Maxine, go to www.thevolunteers.co.nz.

When your eyes are open you can read the signs… we had to leave Number 12 Whareroa Road - that great beacon of creativity on the Kapiti Coast. But things were starting to happen for the Volunteers and we were more than ready to find a place of our own to practice. And as it turns out, we found what we were looking for right under our noses. With the summer kicking in, a whole lot of gigs lined up and talk of recording our first album it looks like a good time to be moving on…

Elan

I was just settling down for a nice quiet evening with Marliesje when Phill phoned up in a mild state of panic. He was working though the night to meet a deadline on his next project - a series of animated television adverts for that iconic kiwi company Charlies and wanted to know if I could write and record a jingle. The band was looking for ways to make some money to get our new album started so this seemed like a perfect opportunity. If only the deadline wasn’t quite so tight…

Elan

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the latest Volunteers episode has been delayed. Watch this space…

Like everyone else in our little seaside community back in 2001, I remember where I was the moment I heard that Joe Rooster, kindergarten pet, had been shot. And here I was six years later writing the score for an animated film telling the story of how the life of a rooster tragically cut short by a law-enforcer’s bullet and the story of The Volunteers were mysteriously connected…

Elan

The band has been working hard on its sound and live performance. And we’ve been putting in the hours at Island Bay Studios recording our debut album. Time to get some professional quality photos. We got in touch with local photographer and fan of the band Paddy Riley, got some concepts together and planned a photoshoot. Only problem was the weather. Three times we had to cancel due to wind and rain. Finally (one week before baby Luca arrived) we decided to go for it come hell or high water - and that’s pretty much what we got!

Elan

Maxine has been friends with Felicity since early school days so when Maxine bumped into Joe one day and offered to try out for backing vocals with the band it was the two of them right from the start! We were playing at our local cafe Lembas when Maxine and Felicity turned up - the first time I met them. It was a great gig, Raumati South village was absolutely pumping and I was thinking the universe had quite possibly just delivered the female vocalists I was looking for…

Elan

A couple of days after the RadioActive interview the Volunteers played at the Bodega in Wellington city. It was a great crowd that night, and although we were one down with Marliesje at home with baby Luca, the band was pumping. Wellington was in a dancing mood and we finished the evening, as we often do, with Felicity Wait’s soaring vocals on Going, Going, Gone. We thought it would be the perfect way to introduce our Stuff fans to our second backing vocalist. Take it away Felicity!

Elan

Tuesday morning I headed into Wellington City with gale force winds behind me. It was the morning of my live interview on RadioActive with RedBird. Sophie came along with the video camera and recorded the interview which evolved into this week’s episode. A bit of a ‘hi’ to all Wellington viewers, especially the RadioActive listeners who are checking out RedBird (even more animated than he usually is).

Elan

Joe was living at 12 Whareroa Road, Raumati South - a perfect place to hang out and jam and a bit of a meeting place for all manner of human flotsam and jetsam. It was the perfect place to jam and let new music ideas take shape. Joe’s an extremely capable bass player and summer was kicking in… things seemed to be falling into place quite effortlessly… I was just going with it… I was starting to think about where I might find a good drummer…

Elan