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Phil Toms and Toni Fonoti in the 1981 video for “Azania (Soon Come)”.
“After Toni left we closed ranks and shut the door. In those days we each had barriers around us.”
Morrie Watene on Toni Fonoti’s departure from Herbs, Tu Tangata, 1986
“In the time I’ve been with Herbs, we’ve been able to break out of the stereotype
and show our young people what is possible.”
Hugh Lynn on Herbs’ influence on young Maori, Tu Tangata, 1986
Herbs 1982: Fred Faleauto, Spencer Fusimalohi,
Jack Allen, Dilworth Karaka.
“We’re not a rock band, but we will play the rockier stuff if it’s going to open the doors
for our older catalogue. We may have upset some solid fans of the older years, but I hope we are
gaining more fans than we’re losing.”
Dilworth Karaka on the Homegrown album, Daily Telegraph, 1991
“I can see it was a bit funny at first. I wasn’t used to the space, I was used to a faster life.
I discovered I needed guiding back into my Maori self again, I needed to become a New Zealander again.
I realise now the Maori side of me helped me get my feet back on the ground. It was a steady force,
a steady influence.”
Charlie Tumahai on returning to New Zealand after almost 20 years, Sunday Star-Times, 1995
“Those Orientation gigs that Herbs did were without doubt some of the most important
we ever played. We were kind of like cultural ambassadors, yeah. That seemed to be the forerunner for us
of where we are today. Those students we played to then have remained involved in the music scene,
and our performances have stayed with them.”
Dilworth Karaka on Herbs’ early university gigs, New Zealand Press Association, 2002
“When you become as close as we have and have been together as long as we have,
you do become an extended family. There’ve been a few failures, but we’ve still got our successes to
fall back on. Our relationship has held together, and we protect that as best we can, but it is
a hard row to hoe.”
Dilworth Karaka on the Herbs whanau, New Zealand Press Association, 2002
“Herbs have never split up -- a lot of people think that we have, but we haven’t --
so there’s always a chance that the whole band will go back on the road again.”
Tama Lundon on the misconception of a Herbs break-up, Te Ahi Kaa, Radio New Zealand National, 2006
listen to entire interview here
Herbs on the cover of Rip It Up, July 1987 (clockwise from left):
Fred Faleauto, Willie Hona, Morrie Watene, Tama Lundon,
Charlie Tumahai, Thom Nepia, Dilworth Karaka.
“We started to nail our own musical identity, which is different to traditional reggae, but --
to coin a phrase UB40 came up with -- Pacific reggae, and it’s a Pacific sound we’ve managed to tap into
and develop.”
Dilworth Karaka on the Herbs sound, New Zealand Herald, 2008
read entire article here
“When the gigs finish, people are singing it walking out the door -- every time. And in the music business
you’re always trying to write that hit song, yet it’s the simple things that make a hit song. It was a party song.”
Dilworth Karaka on Herbs anthem “Long Ago”, New Zealand Herald, 2008
read entire article here
“He’d always been our hero as kids, Charlie, from Boot Hill, and when he left the shores
of New Zealand to, you know, to chase his dream and that, he took us all with him.”
Dilworth Karaka on watching Charlie Tumahai’s international success, Sunrise, TV3, 2008
watch entire item here
“I only got to work with Willie for a few months. There was constant friction. As the new boy
it was hard to deal with. In hindsight, you can see the problem -- both Charlie (Tumahai) and Willie
were great frontmen, so who was it going to be?”
Gordon Joll on Willie Hona’s departure from Herbs, email, 2008
Gordon Joll and Charlie Tumahai, 1990.
Photo courtesy of Gordon Joll.
“Charlie (Tumahai) and I made an awesome rhythm section. I just love the drumming
on “Way I Am” and “Azania (Soon Come)”, really out-there stuff. And Charlie and Joe (Walsh)
trading riffs during the “Homegrown” solo. We were breaking new ground, but the critics hated it.”
Gordon Joll on the Homegrown album, email, 2008
“When we started the band we knew people would come and go. It was my time
and place to get off. It’s like a tree -- as new leaves come on, old leaves fall off.”
Spencer Fusimalohi on his departure from Herbs, phone, 2009
“Most of the time Maori bands would copy other artists -- the cabaret acts and Maori
show bands. It’s something we as Maori are very good at. There wasn’t much recording of our own
music, but here was a Polynesian band doing just that. I saw this as something special.”
Hugh Lynn on his initial impression of Herbs circa 1980, phone, 2010