Hollie soars to top of IMNZ chart

IMNZ Independent Album Chart

Rank Artist Title Label/Distributor

1 Hollie Smith Long Player Soundsmith
2 Adi Dick Our Place LOOP/Border
3 So So Modern Friendly Fires Rhythmethod
4 Age Pryor Shanks’ Pony Rhythmethod
5 Shapeshifter Soulstice Truetone/Rhythmethod
6 8 Foot Sativa Poison of Ages Tardus
7 Fat Freddy's Drop Based On A True Story Rhythmethod
8 Lucid 3 Dawn Planes Lupin Music
9 Katchafire Revival/Slow-Burning Double Pack Mai Music
10 The Mamaku Project Karekare Rhythmethod
11 Bulletproof Shake the Foundations Uprising
12 Kora EP Volume Border
13 Various LOOP Select 008: Rare Vision LOOP/Border
14 Fly My Pretties The Return Of… LOOP/Border
15 Various OE: Brazil LOOP/Border
16 TrinityRoots Home, Land and Sea Border
17 Little Bushman The Onus Of Sand Rhythmethod
18 Fly My Pretties Live at Bats LOOP/Border
19 Various Conscious Roots 3 Moving Production
20 David Kilgour The Far Now Arch Hill/Rhythmethod

(Shows sales from 1 – 31 May 2007. Compiled from outbound sales registered at selected music retailers by Media Sauce Ltd. for IMNZ. Eligibility requires IMNZ membership or by registration fee.
For further information on IMNZ releases, labels or membership contact IMNZ Operations Manager Renee Jones.)

June News

The IMNZ chart-topper, Hollie Smith’s ‘Long Player’, is now certified Platinum; and she has been signed to New York’s Manhattan Records, a boutique pop label within the legendary Blue Note group, which currently has Celtic Woman, Van Morrison, Tim Finn and Diana Ross on its roster. We’ve just heard that Shapeshifter’s ‘Soulstice’ has gone Platinum; as has Kora’s ‘EP Volume’; and LOOP’s latest release, ‘OE Brazil’, has gone Gold.

Die!Die!Die! (Tardus Music) are on the cover of Artrocker magazine - recent covers have included Maximo Park, Kings of Leon, The Horrors and The Klaxons. Their self-titled album was released in the UK in May. After supporting Slint, the band will open five German shows for The Blood Brothers. 8 Foot Sativa’s ‘Poison of Ages dropped on May 21; Gary Smith is the only remaining original member of the band; he is joined by Ben Read and Jamie Saint Merat from Auckland death metal band Ulcerate, Romilly Smith of New Way Home and Christian 'Monk' Humphreys. The band are currently in the middle of their album release tour. July 9 sees the release of an EP of remixes of Minuit’s track Except You on vinyl.

Flip Grater’s track Long Awaited Sigh, from her album ‘Cage For A Song’, has been licensed to play in the popular US TV show Brothers and Sisters; the show stars Calista Flockhart; with Rob Lowe guesting, and is currently playing in the US and Australia and about to start in the UK. Katchafire and Pitch Black have been booked for shows in London by the Spacific crew, who specialise in promoting New Zealand music to UK audiences.

To celebrate Paul McLaney's recent endorsement deal for Stonebridge Guitars in New Zealand, he will be performing a month-long residency at Auckland acoustic venue ‘One 2 One’. The shows will also serve as fundraisers before Paul heads to the USA to promote his album ‘Edin’ and record new material. Shapeshifter have just completed a successful Australian May/June tour, headlining their own bills, with sold out shows and a performance at the Ministry of Sound festival in Perth. They are returning to Australia to perform at the popular Parklife series of festivals in September/October. Ardijah are to support Bobby Brown at his two New Zealand concerts.

Round Trip Mars is pant-pissingly happy to let us know that the new, and fourth, SJD album ‘Songs From A Dictaphone’ will be unleashed on July 16th. This successor to the Tui-awarded Southern Lights will be launched at Auckland's Galatos on Jul y 19, with a hot slot at Dunedin's Radio Onefest the following week, and a full tour in August. The album includes the singles Bad Karma In Yokahama, Beautiful Haze and I Wrote This Song For You.

Dawn Raid Entertainment co-founders Brotha D and Andy Murnane are back in business as Dawn Raid Music Ltd, and the IMNZ community welcomes them back to the industry. And a number of IMNZ artists have been nominated in the Australasian Urban Music Awards – Chong Nee, 4 Corners, Tyree, Aaradnha, PNC, Juse and P-Money. If you’d like to vote for the NZ contenders, head to urbanmusicawards.com.au

Drum and bass duo State of Mind are on tour in June. Concord Dawn are also on a New Zealand tour in August, we’ll keep you posted with more details. Evan Short of Concord Dawn produced the new Mika single Beautiful People, due out soon and created for the Hero party this year. Bulletproof is playing an Auckland show on July 6 before heading away on a world tour which will cover Germany, Eastern Europe, Russia, the UK and France.

Antagonist are the main local support for the 2007 Taste of Chaos tour which hits Auckland October 28, and they’ll be on the Taste of Chaos compilation to be released in both New Zealand and Australia. The will return to Australia in September for a comprehensive tour, and locally they’re on tour with both 8 Foot Sativa and the Bleeders throughout June and July. The Draft (US) – ¾ of Hot Water Music - will be joined by special guests Cobra Khan and (making his first live appearances solo and acoustic) Ryan Thomas – former frontman for punk veterans Sommerset.

Cyphanetik’s new single Till My Death, produced by Nate D, is the first from the forthcoming EP ‘The Bitter Taste of Life’. The second Breakin' Wreckwordz compilation is almost in the can; it will involve all of the crew entwined in new ways, and will be your first chance to hear tracks from new act Cancer, featuring Lubin McFien from The Vietnam War, Louie Knuxx and Jay Roacher. The next Tourettes poetry gig is July 19; performing will be Cyphanetik, Bishop and Saia from Usual Suspects, Tourettes, Legal Money Mike from the Unscene and other poets/emcees. Ethical has been busy: he’s repping two crews (BWW and MTC), and just came off a tour of China as X-ecutioner Roc Raider’s hype man. His debut album ‘Ages Turn’ is out in September, and first video from it, Talk of the Town (produced by Roc Raider) hits screens shortly. Tourettes' Mix tape/street album ‘Gimmie five dollars and I'll show you my dick’ is now in record stores courtesy of Shock Records.

Lucid 3, on their third album ‘Dawn Planes’, are the first local artists to use new Opendisc technology, which allows bands to engage with their audiences. Lucid 3’s open disc includes a welcome message from the band, music, video and screensaver downloads, plus a track-by-track commentary of the album by singer/songwriter Victoria Girling-Butcher.

Evil – who are ex-pats David Mitchell (3Ds/ Ghost Club), Roddy Pain (Constant Pain) and Liz Mathews (Goldifox/ Flying Fox zine) – are touring New Zealand in June and July. Global Routes have Evil’s 10" ‘A True Untimely Atrocity: See the Violent Snake’ as well as a Leather Apron (aka David Mitchell) 10". There’s also a new Dead C album, ‘Future Artists’. Pumice (Stefan Neville) is touring NZ, and he has tracks on a couple of compilations from US label Table of The Elements (whose artists include John Cale, Thurston Moore, Jim O’Rourke and Keiji Hano amongst many others).

Maorimusic.com have a busy July ahead: they’re releasing, via Torch Records, Carol Storey’s new album ‘Mokomoko’, and, via Tangata Records, award-winning songwriter Ruia’s new album ‘12...24’. Ruia is performing on July 7 at the Logan Campbell Centre for Atamira - Maori in the City, a three-day celebration of Maori creativity and enterprise (Che Fu and the Krates are on the bill too); he is also performing at the Maori Expo in August; at the Matariki Celebrations in Wellington on June 23 and at the Christchurch International Arts Festival on July 27.

The Sneaks’ self-titled, self-produced debut album is out now; and the band slink off to London on July 2 on a one way ticket, so we wish them all the best. Their distributor Border Music welcomes Hamilton label Mole Music to their family; the label’s recent releases include the Collapsing Cities self-titled EP, and albums from the Vacants, The New Caledonia and the Deadly Deaths.

Bill Direen is to play two very rare shows in Auckland on June 29 and July 2 (this show is also his book launch and will feature readings from his new novel 'Song of the Brakeman'). Kaleidoscope World Series 24 happens on Friday 6th July at Ward Lane, Hamilton, featuring The Shrugs, Dynamo Go, Sora Shima, Runtun, Dick Dynamite & The Dopplegangers, The Strand Braxton Hicks, Rotter and 8 Living Legs. Robert Scott (The Bats/The Clean) is supporting The Clientele in both Australia and New Zealand.

Tim Guy is Monkey Records’ latest signing, and he’s currently recording his second album, due out mid-October, with the help of a few friends, including Anika Moa and Anna Coddington. Raglan’s Cornerstone Roots have released a new album and start a nationwide tour this weekend which will span three months.

Wellington alt-country combo Grand Prix are back with a line-up reshuffle and a new album recorded in a car club. Andrew McKenzie and Davey Geard remain, and are joined by Nato Hickey (Paseload, Fly My Pretties) Adam Ladley (Velvetones, The Bonnie Scarlets). The album, ‘Terraplane Twilight’, is out July 2nd. Don McGlashan was recently one of seven Aucklanders recognised by Mayor Dick Hubbard as a "living legend”, for their contribution to the community. He and the Seven Sisters are playing shows this month. After a very successful May New Zealand tour, the Haints of Dean Hall play the opening slot for Jose Gonzales at a sold out show at Auckland’s Hopetoun Alpha in August.

Keith Pendergrast of the Pirongia Mountain Men is one of many artists featured in Lee Pritchard’s book ‘Hotel Cabana Though The Decades’. On May 19 a book release party was held at the old Cabana (now an Art Gallery and backpackers lodge). Entertainers from the Cabana days played, including Keith’s band GRIBIT, who originally toured in 1974. A CD of the night will shortly be released.

The Ruby Suns are playing a number of gigs before heading off for shows with the Shins both here and in Australia. Many of the shows are with Bevan Smith (Signer/Over the Atlantic) or his group Girlfriend. The Brunettes are playing their first all ages gig at the Masonic, Devonport on June 23rd, plus an R18 show that night.

Pacific Curls’ new album ‘Pacific Swing’ is already approaching 1000 sales since its May release and the band have just returned from playing Australia’s Dreaming Festival, one of the country’s main indigenous festivals. They are now touring Australia’s East Coast. Whirimako Black is playing jazz gigs this month in Tauranga and Wellington with guitarist Steve Rangihuna, and a Matariki gig in Whangarei. Katchafire are performing at a free Matariki gig, Native Noise, at the Auckland Town Hall on 29th June, with Opensouls and House Of Shem.

The Managers are heading out on their ‘Take It Or Leave It’ album release tour; and on June 28 the first of a series of benefit shows is taking place at the Thirsty Dog on the corner of K’Rd and Howe St to help out sax player Tom’s dog Lil’ Hooli, who has scored some serious vet bills for her broken leg.

Kog and the Peace Foundation have joined forces to release a CD/DVD compilation, ‘Nuclear Free Nation’, to mark New Zealand’s 20th anniversary of being nuclear free. Artists on the CD and DVD include Herbs, Anika Moa, Hollie Smith, Verse Two with Ladi6, Don McGlashan, Minuit, Kora and many more. The compilation is out now, with limited edition t-shirts available too.

New and Forthcoming Releases

8 Foot Sativa ‘Poison of Ages’, Shaun K Anderson ‘The Stand Sure Oak’, Timothy Armstrong ‘We can All Breathe a little Easier Now’, Bulletproof ‘Shake the Foundations’, Cyphanetik ‘The Bitter Taste of Life’ EP (October), Dead C ‘Future Artists’, The Deadly Deaths ‘The Deadly Deaths’, Adi Dick ‘Our Place’, Ethical ‘Ages Turn’, Evil ‘A True Untimely Atrocity’, Famous Famous ‘Hung Like a Man’, Fur Patrol ‘The Long-Distance Runner’ EP, Andy Gibson ‘Behind the I’, Grand Prix ‘Terraplane Twilight’, Matthew Holleman EP, Phil Johns ‘Illusion Fades Away’, Lanu ‘This Is My Home’, Lindon Puffin ‘’Show Pony’, Lucid 3 ‘Dawn Planes’, DJ Manchoo ’Speed of Sound Vol 2’, Mr Sicc ‘Home Invasion’, The New Caledonia ‘Lotus’, The Managers ‘Take It or Leave It’, Pacific Curls ‘Pacific Swing’, Pig Out ‘Club Poems Remastered’, Pine ‘Twelve Hour Collision’ EP, P-Money 'Unreleased Joints & Remixes', Age Pryor ‘Shanks’ Pony’, Ragamuffin Children ‘Werecat Lullabies’, Ruia ’12…24’, Robert Scott ‘Tascam Hits’, SJD ‘Songs >From a Dictaphone’, Hollie Smith ‘Long Player’, The Sneaks ‘The Sneaks’, Carol Storey ‘Mokomoko’, Tourettes ‘Gimmie Five Dollars…’, Trillion Lonely Road (video/single), Tyson Tyler ‘Real Name, No Gimix’, Adam Paaka Whauwhau ‘Tukuna Mai’, The Vacants ‘In Transit’, Vade ‘Fear’ EP, Various ‘Breakin Wreckwordz – It's a Monster’, Various ‘LOOP Select 008: Rare Vision’, Various ‘Nuclear Free Nation’, The Wrongmen 7”, Young Sid Hood Like Me single.

Tours

Ardijah supporting Bobby Brown: JULY: 15 Energy Events Centre Rotorua, 18 TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre Manakau Auckland

Antagonist/Bleeders : JULY: 6 Wellington San Francisco Bath House (R18), 7 Palmerston North Bar Mode (AA) (early show) 7 Palmerston North Bar Mode (R18), 13 Auckland, Kings Arms (R18), 14 Hamilton No Way Out Records (AA)
Antagonist / Unearth (USA): JULY: 18 Auckland, Studio (R18) W/ The Chase
Antagonist: AUGUST: 3 Wellington Zeal (AA); Antagonist at Taste of Chaos, OCTOBER 28 Auckland St James Theatre (AA) W/ The Used (USA), Rise Against (USA), The Bled (USA), Escape The Fate (USA), Aiden (USA), Gallows (UK)

The Brunettes with Whipping Cats and the Coshercot Honeys: JUNE: 23rd the Masonic Devonport- All Ages 2.00pm, R18 9.00pm

Cobra Khan, The Draft (USA), Ryan Thomas: 21 Wellington San Francisco Bathhouse with Skaface Claw (R18), 22 Auckland Kings Arms with Real Real Sick (R18), 23 Hamilton No Way Out Records (AA), The Draft (USA) Cobra Khan Tour 21st June 2007, Wellington, San Francisco Bathhouse (R18) W/ The Draft (USA), Cobra Khan, Ryan Thomas, Skaface Claw 22nd June 2007, Auckland, Kings Arms (R18) W/ The Draft (USA), Cobra Khan, Ryan Thomas, Real Real Sick 23rd June 2007, Hamilton, No Way Out Records (AA) with Suicide Dogs

dDub: JUNE: 27 Dux de Lux Queenstown, 29 Als Bar Christchurch + Taos, 30 Als Bar Christchurch; JULY 5 Schnapps National Park, 6 Shed2 Napier + Module, 7 San Fransisco Bath House Wellington + Pacific Bass Culture, 14 Galatos Auckland + The Kingites

Bill Direen: JUNE: 29 Wine Cellar Auckland, JULY: 2 Kings Arms Auckland

8 Foot Sativa ‘Poison of Ages’Tour: JUNE: 22 Dunedin @ Refuel w/ Tainted, Synthetic Decay, Antagonist, Incarnate; 23 Christchurch | ALL AGES, matinee show @ Zebedee’s w/ Antagonist, Our Fallen; 23 Christchurch @ Jetset Lounge w/ Antagonist, Without Constraint, Content To Bleed; 29 Auckland | R18 & ALL AGES @ The Studio w/ Antagonist

Evil: JUNE: 22 The Crown Dunedin, 23 The Freemasons Lodge Port Chalmers, 29 Bar Bodega Wellington, JULY: 4 The Rising Sun Auckland, 12 The Wine Cellar Auckland.

Grand Prix: JUNE: 23 Mighty Mighty Wellington; AUGUST: 3rd & 4th Taranaki Arts Festival New Plymouth

Katchafire, Opensouls, House of Shem, 1814: JUNE: 29 Native Noise Free Matariki concert, Town Hall, Auckland

The Managers ‘Take It Or Leave It’ Album Release Tour: JUNE: 21 Shadows Auckland, 23 Titirangi Hall (ALL AGES) with Badtown and Roofdog, 28 Thirsty Dog Auckland (HooliBeanz Fundraiser with DJ Liquid Luke); JULY: 19 July Ward Lane Hamiton w/ Eqwanox & Guests, 20 Basement Bar New Plymouth, 21 Bar Bodega Wellington w/ The Offbeats, 22 Le Café Picton 7pm, 24 July CPIT Christchurch Lunchtime Performance, 24 Christchurch (Venue TBA), 25 Wanaka Mystery Location, 26 Revolver Queenstown, 27 Back Stage Dunedin w/ The Bones, 28 Christchurch Jet Set

Don McGlashan and the Seven Sisters: JUNE: 21 Hope Bros Wellington, 22 Lattitude Live Napier, 23 Poverty Bay Club Gisborne.

Paul McLaney: JUNE 27; JULY 4, 11 and 18 One Two One Auckland

Pearl: JUNE: 27 Usual Suspects Tauranga, 28 Cubbyhole Hamilton; JULY: 5 Plateau Taupo; 6 Chartered Club Whakatane

Age Pryor: ‘Shanks’ Pony’ Tour: JUNE: 21st Schooner Tavern Auckland, 22nd Leigh Sawmill, 28 Sarjeant Gallery Wanganui, 29 55 New Plymouth, 30 T House Napier, JULY: 6 Al’s Bar Christchurch, 7 Backstage Dunedin, 8 Missy’s Kitchen Wanaka

Pumice: JUNE: 16th The Wine Cellar Auckland with P.U.S.H and Bob Cardy, 21 The Eye of Night Wanganui, 22 SF Bath House Wellington with Cortina, Barge, Disasteradio, Cherrys Gemstones, Knife Fight & Golden Axe, 26th SF Bath House Wellington with The Wrong Doings, 28th Borderline Ballroom @ The Media Club Christchurch with Greg Malcolm and Jenny Ward, 30 The Crown Dunedin with Wolfskull and Crude, JULY: 6 Happy Wellington with Sunken, 7 Hamilton.

Ragamuffin Children Album Release Tour: JUNE: 30 Mussel Inn Takaka; JULY: 6th Circadian Rhythm Dunedin; 7th Arts Centre 12 noon Christchurch; 7th Harbourlight Lyttelton.

The Ruby Suns: JULY: 13 with Black Market Art and Bevan Smith - Wunderbar Christchurch, 14 OUSA Re-Orientation with Haunted Love and Bevan Smith - Refuel Dunedin, 20 with Peneloping and Girlfriend - Bar Mode Palmerston North, 21 with Holiday With Friends and Girlfriend - Happy Wellington; 31 with The Shins - The Civic Christchurch; AUGUST 1 with The Shins - The Powerstation Auckland

Ruia: JUNE: 23 Matariki Celebrations Wellington, JULY: 7 Logan Campbell Centre – Atamira: Maori in the City, 27 Christchurch International Arts Festival; AUGUST 31 Maori Expo Auckland

Hollie Smith: JULY: 13 Auckland – Galatos, 15 Leigh - Sawmill (4.00pm Show), 28 July Christchurch Festival – Spiegeltent, 29 Christchurch Festival – Spiegeltent, 31 Queenstown Memorial Hall with Phoenix Foundation; AUGUST: 5 Taranaki Arts Festival - New Plymouth, 17 Wellington - Opera House (with special guests)

State Of Mind: JUNE: 22 Sandwiches Wellington, 23 Phat Nelson, 29 Coherent Auckland

ENDS

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