Bill Direen & The Bilders: Chrysanthemum Storm

Bill Direen has worked with musicians, writers and actors since the late ‘70s. To the list of his songs, theatre-music collaborations and records, one might add a bibliography of printed stories and poetry. But it is for his music that Bill is best known.

It was winter in Dunedin. A snow storm hit as Bill Direen was driving home, spreading huge flakes like white Chrysanthemums across his windscreen. Song after song followed about local people, stories and events – a photographer, an oceanographer, a night nurse who follows local bands, a guy who installs heat pumps …. The album has humour, e.g. about the waiting time on telephones (Try Again in Ten Minutes); it also addresses more serious issues like anti-immigration sentiment, and the mistaken belief that criminality is genetic (Criminal Minds).

The band practised for a week in Auckland and hit the studio. The high resolution master was never released on vinyl as intended, and seven years later it is now a reality thanks to Zelle Records, Powertool Records and South Indies. Each album has a poster-sized insert of lyrics and photos.

The Chrysanthemum Storm band of 2008 has moved on to become parents, teachers, record company honchoes and live venue managers. Andrew McCully (piano/organs) teaches music at Cockle Bay School. Andrew Maitai (drums) runs a record shop and the venue UFO in New Lynn. Brett Cross (bass) is bringing up a child and making books. Bill is still on the road, playing with various lineups in 2017 from Dunedin to Auckland.