ON a recent Sunday night, Liam Finn, a 24-year-old singer and songwriter from Auckland, New Zealand, sat at a long table with cheery friends and fellow musicians at Piadina, a cozy Italian restaurant on West 10th Street. It was his second meal there in two nights.

The restaurant brought back memories of a decade ago, when his family spent three months living across the street while his father, Neil Finn, of the rock band Crowded House, was in town to record his first solo album.

Now, the younger Mr. Finn, who spent his teenage years touring Australia and New Zealand as a member of the band Betchadupa, was in town to promote his own solo debut, "I'll Be Lightning."

As Mr. Finn fiddled with his new iPhone, he inadvertently turned the device on its side and was surprised to see the screen rotate itself.

"I didn't realize you could do it that way," said Mr. Finn, who was more than willing to play up his home country’s stereotype of being behind the curve.

"I'm from New Zealand," he said. "We don't even have computers."

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