Independent Music New Zealand - May News

Independent Music New Zealand - May News

Massive congratulations to Smashproof (ak Deach, Tyree and Young Sid) whose track Brother is now into its eleventh consecutive week leading the Singles pack, a new longevity record for a local act. Smashproof now match Whitney Houston’s 1992/93 hit I Will Always Love You and its 11-week consecutive #1 reign, the two tracks now second-equal only to New Zealand’s all-time Singles Chart champ, Boney M’s 1978 14-week haul #1 Rivers Of Babylon / Brown Girl In The Ring. It’s Friday, the next track from ‘The Weekend’, also took highest new entry honours on the previous week’s Singles Chart last week. If you want to catch them live, Smashproof perform at Manukau Square on May 23 as part of the 'Manukau Celebrates Music Month' concert series. Also featuring in the series are Crossbreed, One Sound, Oceania Storm and Cydel.

Coco Solid has just returned from a 10-date showcase tour to Mexico, USA, Germany, Portugal, UK and Japan. The tour saw meetings with Princess Superstar and electroclash godfather Larry Tee and a 2-track deal signed with London label, Ism Records (ex Yam Who) due for release on 12" on May 16. Check out gig photos on Myspace.com/cocosolid. Their latest venture with producer Robin Hannibal, Parallel Dance Ensemble, is out on 12" through UK label Kudos next week; Hannibal is also coming to New Zealand for the Red Bull Music Academy Workshops in June.

Charlie ASH left this morning for a five-week tour of Europe; the tour coincides with the release of their latest single in New Zealand. Wake Up (You’re Not Asleep Now) was produced by James Duncan and celebrates one alternative to recession doom ‘n’ gloom: “Let’s all live in fantasy.” And what better fantasy to come true than a string of exciting European dates for this up-and-coming band? Also in Europe and the UK are Shapeshifter who are helping take NZ Music Month to the Northern Hemisphere, and Batrider, Disasteradio and Bang! Bang! Eche! who are collectively and individually conducting impressively sized tours of the US, UK and Europe – they all collide for A Low Hum gig in London on May 23.

The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) has announced its 2008 winners: the ISC Grand Prize was awarded to Australian songwriters Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall of Brisbane for their song Caught In The Crowd; however there is decent New Zealand representation too with First Places going to Darren Watson (Blues category) and Opetia Foa’i and Malcolm Smith (World Music category), and honourable mentions to Hareruia Abraham (Ruia) (World Music category) and Steve Abel (Music Video category). Judges includrd Tom Waits, Neil Finn, Loretta Lynn, Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20), Robert Smith (The Cure), Ray Davies (The Kinks), KT Tunstall, John Mayall, T-Pain, Jerry Lee Lewis, Black Francis (The Pixies) and Monte Lipman (President, Universal Records). More than $150,000 US in cash and prizes will be shared amongst 62 winners.

Darcy Perry travels over the ditch to Blues on Broadbeach in May for a few acoustic shows with harmonica master Craig Bracken; a clever publicity move last year resulted in community radio stations all over Australia playing songs from his back catalogue. The latest album ‘Phoenix’ is in stores now and has been receiving rave reviews nationwide. Tahuna Breaks are heading to Australia this month also; they have seven dates lined up in towns both big and small. And Antagonist A.D head to Australia in June for a 5-date tour with US hardcore giants Earth Crisis; they’ll stop off in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. And make the most of one of your last opportunities to see Labretta Suede and The Motel 6's 'Live Rock 'n Roll Spectacular' before they head off the USA for quite a while; you can catch them on May 16 at Leigh Sawmill. There will be dancers, Hot Rods, classic cars and more - outlaws welcome!

The website of Luke Buda (the Phoenix Foundation), specialsurprise.co.nz, has been included in the Favourite Website Awards’ (FWA) top 50 websites of 2008. The site was created by Wellington interactive advertising agency Resn, and was shortlisted from all 365 of the FWA’s Sites of the Day in 2008. The Favourite Website Award (FWA) for innovative web design has more than one million visitors each month, and was named the top web award in the world in the Chicago Tribune’s ‘World Wide Web Awards Award’, beating the likes of the Webby Awards. Specialsurprise.co.nz is also a finalist in the prestigious One Show Interactive Awards in New York on 4 May, competing against interactive campaigns by brands including Nike, Diesel, Nokia, Burger King and Nintendo. In the last 12 months four websites created by Resn have been selected as FWA ‘Sites of the Day’, including sites for 26000 Vodka and fellow IMNZers Minuit.

The Parachute Band have recently come home from a four week stint in South Africa, with a short stop in Perth on the way over. They kicked off the tour in Bloemfontein, playing at Christian Revival Church (CRC)'s Young Lions Men's Conference, and then went on a week-long tour of all the CRC churches (in Durban, Cape Town, Pretoria and Kimberley) traveling around with Pastor At Boshoff and his crew. The tour had different line-up from the past two years: with Simon Moore (guitars) and Al Wood (keys) having moved on, they added new keyboardist, Matt Scarlet. Good friend Rapture Ruckus also went as support act/sound mixer.

Auckland Museum has joined forces with the likes of Tiki Taane, Nathan Haines and Don McGlashan to create the Sonic Museum project, which has resulted in a series of new musical tracks inspired by galleries at Auckland Museum. Reinterpreted galleries include the World War 2 Hall of Memories, Ancient Worlds, the Oceans Gallery and Maori Court; visitors to Auckland Museum can hear the tracks from Thursday May 7 by donning a special set of headphones. Reb Fountain hits the road this May, playing music and travelling the countryside in kiwi camper style along with Don McGlashan and the Seven Sisters, as part of his Marvellous Year Tour. Reb will be performing songs from her recently released album ‘Holster’, along with new tunes and some oldies from days gone by, and she’ll be performing with her Bandits for select shows.

There are a multitude of New Zealand Music Month celebrations happening around the country that you can participate in or watch and listen to via the various media available. Award winning singer/songwriter and one of New Zealand’s top boogie woogie piano players, Wayne Mason, along with Cameron Crawford, held a ‘duelling piano’ performance at Wellington Railway Station on May 1st. Real Groovy Auckland and Wellington have a whole bunch of instores – amongst many others you can catch Murder Chord, Dear Times Waste, Smashproof, Johnny Barker, Harbour City Electric, Cassette, Hannah Howes (check out her new website too: hannahhowes.com), Hikoikoi and Rosy Tin Teacaddy.

Jason Kerrison, along with a host of others, is helping teach celebrities how to play guitar thanks to Juice TV; on May 24 Jordan Luck is inviting people along to Skycity to jump on the band wagon and strum along to a Kiwi favourite, Why Does Love Do This To Me, in an attempt to form New Zealand’s biggest band and make history; and on May 27 Juice are holding a huge (invitation only) concert at Skycity featuring Josh Leys, The Checks, Anna Coddington, Boh Runga, Nathan King, Clap Clap Riot, Autozamm and others. Te Papa features live performances throughout May from Pacific Curls, Big Belly Woman and more all month. In Christchurch you can catch lunchtime concerts from the likes of Flip Grater, The Oakley Grenell Trio and Craig Smith and the Bonehouse Band; and on May 23 is Chill on the Terrace with dDub and more.

CHART has released ‘CHARTDISC Volume 1 2009’, a sampler CD featuring a few bands that over the past twelve months have generated a bit of a buzz in Christchurch and beyond. It comes in an eco-friendly CD wallet and includes Clap Clap Riot, Tiger Tones, The Insurgents, Minisnap, Kimo and The Enright House amongst others. This leads in to the celebration that is CHARTFEST, Christchurch’s largest annual all ages indoor music festival and industry expo celebrating NZ Music Month, happening in the Town Hall complex on May 29. Alongside music industry stalls and seminars you can catch performances from Solaa, Nathan King, Clap Clap Riot, The Eastern, Ragamuffin Children, The Harbour Sessions and more live. Say hi to IMNZ while you’re there too – you can catch us sharing a stand with the Music Managers’ Forum. 

John Psathas is one of the composers involved in SOUNZtender, a unique project that allows music lovers to tender for their own special piece of music created by one of New Zealand’s leading composers. Five award-winning New Zealand composers – Eve de Castro-Robinson, Chris Gendall, Ross Harris, John Psathas and Gillian Whitehead – have each agreed to write a new work for the highest bidder; and will collaborate with the successful bidders on which instrument or voice for which the work will be composed. Bidding opens at noon on Thursday 14 May and progress can be tracked on the SOUNZ website; proceeds will be donated to SOUNZ and the winning bids will be announced by Hon Chris Finlayson, Minister for the Arts, Culture and Heritage after the bidding closes on 31 May 2009.

Great releases abound this New Zealand Music Month. Nesian Mystik's fourth single off the album ‘Elevator Musiq’ - R.S.V.P featuring PNC - is just out; so far the album has had three top ten singles: Nesian 101 (Number one), Dance Floor (number six) and Mr Mista (Number three); the band also picked up the Best Kiwi award at the MTV Australia awards in March. Calico Brothers are to release their debut album 'Tell it to the Sun' on June 4th. Based in the Waitakeres the Calicos’ first release, 2008's 'God Left Town' EP, garnered great reviews and its title track appeared on the double platinum selling 'Outrageous Fortune' sound track album.

Arch Hill are super pleased to announce that Wellington's Grand Prix have released their fourth album; main man Andrew McKenzie says, "It is definitely the most rocking album Grand Prix have made so far.” To establish this for yourself, make sure that you check out one of their album release shows happening this month around the country. Also out is ‘Falling Debris’, a brand new David Kilgour album with lyrics by poetic icon Sam Hunt; this came about following an accidental meeting in Dunedin airport in 2007. Sung and played entirely by Kilgour and his band the Heavy 8s (Hunt never appears), ‘Falling Debris’ showcases and 2 of New Zealand's most revered creative figures collaborating on some of the most affecting indie pop this side of a Clean album.

In early 2008, The Benka Boradovsky Bordello Band released their first EP ‘Danse Macabre’, and since then they have been busy whipping audiences into frenzies with their crazed Gypsy/East European sounds. They’ve performed at Prana, Jambalaya, Parihaka, AK09, Cross St Carnival, Fleetwaters and Splore Festivals as well as undertaking three successful national tours to packed houses all over the country. The Benkas have also supported many popular NZ acts including The Hot Grits, The Mamaku Project, An Emerald City and The Jews Brothers and in March 2008 they had the honour of supporting Beirut in Auckland. On May 2nd they released their debut album ‘Polkapocalypse’; catch the band’s final New Zealand show on May 23 before they relocate to Berlin for six months.

Cinema 90 (Jamie Newman) has DJ’d dance music of every genre since 1996, and in 2001, under the moniker ‘dj me’, he released an EP of tech-house and breaks entitled ‘Shake Your Shit’. In 2003 Jamie set up a studio in central Auckland, under the fledgling community radio station Fleet FM, and with the constant thoroughfare of artists, musicians and creative types, Jamie began incorporating live recording into the mix. Six years and three studios later, Cinema 90’s new self-titled EP is out this month, exhibiting an unabashed homage to 90’s trip hop, with featured vocalists including T-Minus, Karin Betley and Billy Fluid. And Renee-Louise Carafice has a cool new claymation video for her track To Run, created by sixteen year-old Colin Lepper from Canada during his school holidays.

The Avondale Mix Project (aka AMP) started when community members were concerned that young people were getting into trouble because of the lack of positive options for them. In October 2008, Hip hop/rap songwriting workshops for 10 - 14 year olds commenced, with the support of the Auckland City Council and the Avondale Community Centre. Music industry heavyweights such as Joost Langeveld, Chris Van Der Geer, Ethical, Luke ‘Orphan’ Berryman, Justice, Joseva Viqasi and  Hayley J. Hansell encouraged the young people to take their own art, and themselves, to a writing and performance level beyond their expectations. Now the Avondale Mix Project is proud to announce its first single Neighbourhood Party, which is now available via download and is accompanied by a video produced by Curious Productions.

Dianne Swann and Brett Adams have worked together since 1992. Swann was in When The Cat’s Away and Everything that Flies; Adams has recently been playing guitar for Tim Finn, and back when he was 19 he played with The Mockers. The pair formed The Julie Dolphin in London in 1992, amongst other achievements they opened for Green Day and collaborated with Radiohead. Dianne and Brett returned from London to New Zealand in 2002 and as The Bads released the acclaimed album ‘Earth From Space’. Their new album ‘So Alive’ showcases what is most important to both: playing strong songs.

Murray Thom’s ‘Great New Zealand Songbook’ is out now and features a few IMNZers: Moana and The Tribe, Opshop, The Black Seeds, Tiki Taane, Scribe, Hollie Smith (penned by Don McGlashan), Fat Freddy's Drop, Savage and Goldenhorse. The selection is designed to reflect a selection of some of the best New Zealand music from the 'Last Century' and 'This Century'. The front cover art of Charlie 'The Four Square Man' holding a guitar is an original work by New Zealand artist Dick Frizzell and was commissioned specifically for this release; the 2CD set comes with four different coloured Dick Frizzell postcards to send to friends.

To celebrate the release of their second album ‘The Orchid Door’, Selon Recliner are sharpening their chopsticks and oiling the Lazy Susan for a Buffet and Show at the classic and infamous New Orient restaurant, where deep in the basement of the Strand Arcade time has stopped still. With a complimentary Orchid Door Cocktail on arrival, DJ Jimmy Olsen and VJ Grafix will add extra seasoning and get the night spinning. As the tastes settle and ambience is absorbed the bamboo curtain will pull back on The Orchid Door as Selon Recliner take over the old parquet dance floor. An Emerald City’s sonically eclectic debut album ‘Circa Scaria’ is now available in a limited run of 200 double vinyls - the luxuriously produced LP includes a 12-page glossy booklet and features the original artwork by Will Handley, plus a vinyl exclusive bonus track Untitled.

After six solid months’ recording, Dear Time’s Waste’s debut EP ‘Room for Rent’ is emerging from the earth shaking the soil from its limbs. The first single Clandestine is already a bNet favourite, and the band have so far played with Woelv, Jim White and John Doe, Cut off Your Hands, Don McGlashan, So So Modern and Rodney Fisher (Goodshirt). They’ve joined forces this month for a national tour with Yule, a band formed in early 2008 to support the release of front man Yule's debut CD ‘Aaaarrrggh!!!’; the band incarnation brings to life and adds nitrous oxide to the music that Yule created as a solo artist. Since the release of ‘Aaaarrrggh!!!’, Yule has performed live on national television as well as at the Pasifika Festival.

Optimus Gryme (aka Charlie B) is one of Aotearoa's leading dubstep pioneers - last year he released NZ's first solo dubstep EP as well as releasing Aotearoa's first dubstep 12inch on his imprint 'Optimus Gryme Recordings'. Charlie has now launched his debut album 'Eclipse', which features remixes and collaborations with Billy Fluid, Truth, Organikismness, Fiona Soe Paing and Maraku Rewiti. Charlie’s love for dubstep stems from his 10 year addiction to drum & bass and jungle – he’s formed Offbeat Records, hosted ‘Roll TV’, managing Concord Dawn’s ‘Uprising’ label, hosted the ‘NZ D&B show’ on Kiwi FM and written as D&B editor for Infusion Magazine; he’s also DJed since 1999, supporting international acts including Black Sun Empire, Chase & Status and Outrage, as well as playing at some of Aotearoa’s biggest parties: Groove in the Park, Deep, Hard & Funky, and Phat, just to name a few; and although Charlie still DJs/produces D&B, it is dubstep which has recently caught his attention. The album will be followed up with a New Zealand tour with stacked shows in Christchurch, Dunedin, Auckland, Nelson, Wellington, Hamilton, Queenstown and Wanaka.

Julien Dyne – drummer, producer and visual artist – is probably best known as the drummer for Opensouls and Tyra and The Tornadoes; he has also worked with Fat Freddy’s Drop, Ladi 6, Nathan Haines and more. Since being selected for the Red Bull Music Academy Rome in 2004, Dyne has also worked with international artists such as the Mizell Brothers (Jackson 5, Donald Byrd), Om’mas Keith (Sa-Ra), Steve Spacek, Mark Pritchard, Theo Parrish and more. ‘Pins and Digits’ is Dyne’s debut album, following his critically acclaimed ‘Phantom Limbo’ EP and features Lewis McCallum, Jonathan Crayford, Jeremy Toy (Hollie Smith), Isaac Aesili, Steph Brown (Che Fu), Dyne’s Dad Paul, Mara TK (Electric Wire Hustle) and Parks (Ladi 6). Also from the Opensouls whanau, Isaac Aesili is a member of Solaa and the Recloose live band (aka Starblazers) as well. Isaac has written and produced songs with vocalists such as Ladi6, Tyra Hammond and Hollie Smith, and his recording session work includes sessions for Crowded House, Osunlade (USA), Mark de Clive-Lowe, Shapeshifter and House of Shem. Stranjah is the first single from Isaac’s forthcoming album ‘Eye See’ (due in September 2009). Also out now is PNC’s single Tonight, the fourth from his upcoming album ‘Bazooka Kid’, due for release on June 2nd; the single is available digitally and touches on a few local scandals.

Pitch Black recently posted one of their tracks, Harmonia, up for remixing on the web – but the demand for the files crashed the download site, the server & the network carrying them! Finally, they received 35 fully finished versions – 2 of which are to be found here, on the ‘Rude Mechanicals’ remix album ‘Rhythm, Sound & Movement’ (inspired by the lyric from the title track of ‘Rude Mechanicals’). Remixes are featured by Kiwis International Observer, Simon Flower and Kerretta, as well as Bluetech and Patch (US), Deep Fried Dub (Oz) and a wide range of noted names across 14 tracks. The Veils’ new album ‘Sun Gangs’ is now out; it’s being released internationally by Rough Trade with Rhythmethod on the case here. The band has 40 shows booked in Europe from May before they head to the US; they’ll be heading back to this part of the world at the end of this year.

‘On the Horizon – Pages from Dunedin’ is a compilation of  local independent songwriters recorded at live concerts between May 2007 and March 2009, capturing a period of Dunedin music history through the eyes of Alastair Burns, based on three years spent promoting concerts in Dunedin. ‘Pages from Dunedin’ is the second release by Horizon Music NZ, following a 2006 compilation of Auckland-based artists called ‘On the Horizon – Songwriters’ Collection’. Featured on this new collection are Matt Langley, Tono, Tim McCartney (Knives at Noon), Matt Bodman, Julian Temple, The Alpha State, The Paper Planes, Casey Sharpe, Sunley, Nadia Reid, Kristin Macdonald, The Fea St Hustle, Hana Fahy, Andy Gibson, Alastair Burns and Raylee Bradeld; Tex Houston (The Clean, The Verlaines) recorded, mixed and mastered the album. The album is being toured music venues and cafés and the tour party includes Matt Langley, The Paper Planes, Hana Fahy and Casey Sharpe, plus additional acts in some centres, and the shows will be in a guitar pool format, where everyone is on stage throughout, alternating songs and collaborating where it fits.

Will Ricketts, percussionist for the Phoenix Foundation, has released his debut solo album 'John Dryden' - the album is named after his ancestor, a 17th century poet. Ricketts recently participated in the Red Bull Music Academy in Barcelona Sept/Oct 2008; during this time he also released a 12” called ‘Round at Bays’ in NZ, the UK, Australia and USA; so far this has been spun by Gilles Peterson, Benji b and Karen Pearson.  He’s also made guest appearances on Fat Freddy’s Drop and Black Seeds recordings as well as playing in Ladyhawke’s band over the summer; he’s planning to play more shows with her later this year in the UK. Guest vocalists on ‘John Dryden’ include Mara TK (Billy TK's son), Connan Mockasin, Rio Hemopo and Ben Fulton. Guest musicians include Riki Gooch aka Eru Dangerspiel, Julien Dyne, Dave Norris, Joe Lindsey, Toby Laing and Mike Fabulous.  

 Eva Prowse is turning heads in New Zealand's flourishing alt-country music scene; this, her first EP ‘Five Songs’ is co-produced with her guitarist/songwriter father Chris Prowse. As well as country, blues and hip hop, Eva's other musical interest is classical music - she is the Artistic Assistant for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. ‘Five Songs’ offers fresh country-pop arrangements of songs by writers as diverse as Little Feat's Lowell George and New Zealand's own Bic Runga; delves into the blues with a moody treatment of a Little Milton tune, and presents a pair of Chris Prowse originals.  

Craig Smith’s third album ‘Not Just For Kids’ has a real kiwi feel with songs such as Kaha the Kea, and Sand Fly Song, plus the Gollywog Song that is a favourite at Craig’s live shows. The album also includes the APRA NZ Children’s Song of the Year 2008 Wonkey Donkey. To celebrate NZ Music Month, Silverwoodstudios are offering a selection of US hits and latest releases for download (freely) from Amplifier.co.nz New Zealand music month (May).

On ‘Pacific Voyage’ world-famous classical cellist Alexander Ivashkin joins forces with Pacific Curls’ Kim Halliday (ukulele) and Ora Barlow (percussion, ukulele, Taonga Puoro, and voice) putting their own spin on well known melodies from the classical repertoire  such as Rimsky Korsakov’s Bumble Bee, and traditional Pacific favorites such as Moana Nui and Isa Lei. Paul Gaugin, the great French painter, often rested in Auckland on his way to Tahiti in the early 20th century, and ‘Pacific Voyage’ is an attempt to repeat Gaugin’s voyage on a symbolic level a hundred years later. Ode has represented Liam Ryan’s ‘Mississippi 2 Mauao’ because, as they say, “it’s too good to miss out on!” Liam Ryan was once the songwriter /keyboardist in the Narcs in the early 80’s, and this album is a series of collaborative music recordings composed and produced by Ryan and featuring some of New Zealand's finest jazz players such as Midge Marsden.

Tina Cross, Suzanne Lynch, Jackie Clarke and Taisha are The Lady Killers - a dream team of fine female singers and entertainers. The band formed in 2005 and since then have had a very full dance card with stellar engagements: they’ve performed to 150,000 at the Auckland Domain in Sky City Starlight Symphony, headlined the annual Lakeside Concert in 2007 in Rotorua for a crowd of 35,000 and twinkled their toes in the snow at the Queenstown Winter Festival 2006/2008: from Waitangi to Invercargill they’ve enthralled audiences with their power packed shows. They’ve also made many television appearances – including two Dancing With The Stars performances, an ANZAC Music special for Maori TV, a feature episode on Paul Holmes’ talk show, Good Morning, and featured in a tribute concert for Sir Howard Morrison in December 2008. ‘Black Is Black’ is their debut album, and features 14 pop hits including Black Is Black, Queen’s Somebody to Love, Madonna’s Like A Prayer and Guns n Roses’ Sweet Child O’ Mine.

‘Together Again’ teams up three of New Zealand Jazz’s leading figures: Alan Broadbent, Frank Gibson and Putter Smith. All three have had hugely important careers, playing with a multitude of greats ranging from Chet Baker, John Scofield and Errol Garner to Natalie Cole, Dusty Springfield and Burt Bacharach. The album is the brainchild of Frank Gibson, who wanted to get together with his long time cohorts on a trip to the West Coast of America - the album was recorded in LA and mingles originals with standards such as Charlie Parker’s Relaxin’ at Camarillo, Lee Morgan’s Ceora, and Sonny Reed’s Teef. Joining the trio on the album is saxophonist Chuck Manning.   

Raised in Taupo, Drew Bowden recorded his first demos in Melbourne, 1985, with a little help from people like Robbie Dillan, Bill McDonald, Steve Williams and James Reyne; he was also in party band Rooda with Pete Warren, Dave Gent and Andy Langsford; shows included special guests such as Dave Dobbyn, Graham Brazier, Dilworth Karaka and the late Charlie Tumahai (Herbs). After forming bands Big Trouble and Strange Desire, his solo career began in 1994 after meeting up with old friend Ross McDermott: TV appearances followed a few years later and finally in 2000, he released his debut solo album ‘Out Comes The Sun’. After moving to Melbourne with his family, in 2004 he released ‘The Water’s Edge’ through Soundvault.com.au: two songs from the album were used in the hit soap Neighbours. In 2006 he recorded eight live solo acoustic songs that became the album ’Live In The Lounge’, and in February this year, after moving home to New Zealand, he released his new album ‘Be Still’, which is available now on Ode Records.

NZ On Air’s latest funding decisions have been announced, and new IMNZ music videos will be made by Boh Runga, Cobra Khan, Ladi6, Lydia Cole, Minuit, Nathan King, Opensouls, P-Money, PNC, Savage, Smashproof, Sweet & Irie, Tha Feelstyle, The Datsuns, Timmy Schumacher feat Jason Kerrison and Vince Harder; and Radio Hits funding (based on airplay in the January/March 2009 quarter) has been announced for Anika Moa and Opshop, Vince Harder, Pieter T featuring PNC and Dei Hamo and Josh Leys.  Kiwi FM has brought back “31 Bands In A Box” for May, 2009 – and by the time June rolled around last year, forty-five acts had participated. This year you can tune in to performances by Charlie Ash, The Bads, Anna Coddington, Sam Hunt/David Kilgour, Ziko, Pitch Black, Mel Parsons, Miriam Clancy and at least 23 more.

You can stay warm too this May by getting out and about to experience some local live music – there are many great shows happening all around the country. If an event becomes a tradition at the half decade mark then Hamilton's Circle Jerk is about to qualify. Held annually since 2005, Circle Jerk is the brainchild of local musician Mark Tupuhi, and this year it will be found in Flow Bar on May 23. The lineup features a mighty 12-plus bands including The Deadly Deaths, Dynamo Go, The Shrugs, Sora Shima, Knights of the DUB Table and many more. 174 East are hosting two evenings to showcase their artists just after NZ Music Month, on June 5th and 19th. Performers will include Jordan Luck, Goldenhorse, Autozamm, Annabel Fay and Josh Leys, providing a bit of a feel for what this relatively new Kiwi label is about. And local rockers Autozamm shot their new video in a nail-biting episode of New Zealand’s Next Top Model, where the last eight Top Model finalists went head-to-head for the best cameo parts in Autozamm’s video for their new single Long Days; the video debuted on the May 1 episode. Autozamm have had a frantic year, playing everywhere from Vector Arena to the Big Day Out and achieving their most successful single with Closer To Home. 

Danny McCrum will be supporting Tommy Emmanuel (solo) on all three of his NZ shows, in Hastings (June 4th) Auckland (June 5th) and Hamilton (June 6th). Yulia will be  headlining the ‘Concert at Karaka’ on 24th and 25th May, with Gray Bartlett as the opening act; and you can hear her interviewed live on Radio Rhema, talking about the show and the importance to her of her charity work. Alms Electronica’s debut album ‘New Zealand Stories’ has some success stories happening during May in USA in terms of licensing (Hollywood) and worldwide digital distribution. Glyn and Yulia have partnered with the "World March for Peace Aoatearoa Incorporated" charitable trust to help set up the World March for Peace (worldmarch.co.nz) plus a three page article in the international magazine Rainbow News. Alms Electronica is the first NZ music to be officially presented in the new mp3HD (high definition) format: 4 Alms Electronica tracks are being made available in the new mp3HD format as a promotional free download at all4mp3.com thanks to Thomson, the co-inventor of mp3.

The new incarnation of Fly My Pretties features original members Barnaby Weir (The Black Seeds), Jarney Murphy, Mike Fabulous, Nathan ‘Nato’ Hickey, Tessa Rain and fresh faces Anna Coddington, Eva Prowse, L.A. Mitchell, Lisa Tomlins, Mara T.K, Nigel Patterson, Paul McLaney (Gramsci), Ryan Prebble, Tom Watson (Cassette) and Riki Gooch and Rio Hunuki-Hemopo (TrinityRoots). Tickets are selling fast meaning a second show has now been announced for Wellington on Saturday 13th June and a fourth date, June 3, has been added to the Auckland shows. Five of the entourage also launched NZ Music Month along with Pacific Blue at an exclusive early morning gig at Wellington Airport on May 1.  

Cobra Khan are heading to the South Island on the continuation of their ‘Helgorithms’ tour; they play Dunedin and Christchurch, so check the Tour section for dates.  BSM have announced a special one-off show for NZ Music Month, and they are bringing in a bunch of very special friends to share the stage with. Having recently been to shows featuring Tama Waipara, Bex Peterson and Jennifer Zea; band leader James Hughes thought that these people would add some real colour to the already rich music of BSM, so make sure you check out this musical tapestry when they come together on May 22 at Auckland’s 4:20.
A Magical Evening with the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra on Saturday 27th June is all go for the Michael Fowler Centre – it’s the kind of show they'd put on for themselves in their living rooms, only with a few more people. Tickets are incredibly cheap at just $15 (plus booking fees) - an incredible price for an incredible evening of hot ukulele riffs, fancy outfits, witty banter and lovely harmonies in a gorgeous setting. And the tickets are seated, so the earlier you book, the better your seats will be; tickets go on sale on Monday 11th May. They’ll see you there, once they've figured out just what to wear – they think they’ll probably dress up and they hope you will too.

The Kaleidoscope World Series enables you to experience up to ten bands in one night – and as a bonus, upon entry each patron receives a CD featuring all the artists appearing on the night. The Kaleidoscope World Series began in 2003 at the magnificent Ambassador Theatre, Pt Chevalier, and the event was so successful that it continued on to become mainstay in the New Zealand music scene – so far, 24 shows have been staged throughout the country. After a two year hiatus, The Kaleidoscope World Series returns this month to stage two shows at the beautiful Masonic Tavern in Devonport, Auckland, on Saturday May 23 and May 30. The Masonic shows are KWS #25 and #26 will feature new acts like Lost Universe, Royal Wolf and Lights Over Kodiak as well as some established Powertool artists such as Brother Love, Sandra Bell and Rimu. Tickets for these shows are $15 per night and includes the compilation cd. You can purchase tickets direct from Powertool Records or at the door on the night.

Tainted are amongst the lineup for one of New Zealand's premier festivals of metal: the seventh incarnation of An Audience With The Devil. Over two nights Auckland’s Transmission Room hosts locals Subtract, Tainted, Just One Fix, Dawn of Azazel, Vassafor, Backyard Burial plus special international guests Lord and Morbid Angel.

 
Tours

Antagonist A.D Chasing The Sun NZ Tour: MAY: 14th Wellington, Zeal 7pm (AA), 14th Wellington, Happy 12 midnight (R18), 16th Palmerston North, Fish House (AA), 21st Auckland, Deschlers (R18) W/ Los Muertos, 22nd, Whangarei, Zone Bar (R18) W/ Los Muertos, 23rd Hamilton, Meteor (AA) W/ The Chase, 29th New Plymouth, The Basement Bar (AA), 30th New Plymouth, The Basement Bar (R18); JUNE: 3rd Queenstown, Revolver, (R18), 4th Invercargill, Saints & Sinners (R18), 5th Dunedin, Refuel (R18), 6th Christchurch. Detour Basement (AA)

Batucada Sound Machine w/ Tama Waipara, Jennifer Zea & Bex Peterson: MAY 22 4:20 Auckland

Benka Boradovsky Bordello Band: MAY: 23rd 'Polkapocalyptic' Album Launch and farewell show w/ DJ Balkanetic and special guests Kings Arms, Auckland

Cobra Khan: MAY: 22nd Dunedin, Refuel (R18) W/ Soulseller, Incarnate, 23rd Al’s Bar (R18) W Second Gear Grind, Captain Buzzkill

Cornerstone Roots: MAY: 23 Phat Club, Nelson, 24 Le Cafe, Picton

Dear Time's Waste and Yule: MAY 14 Dux De Lux Queenstown, 15 Refuel Dunedin, 16 Wunderbar Lyttlelton Christchurch, 23 Mighty Mighty Wellington W/ Little Pictures/ Seth Frightening, 30 Dogs Bollix  Auckland; JUNE: 15 Dear Time’s Waste with Deerhunter, Kings Arms Auckland

Fly My Pretties: MAY: 22 Christchurch Isaac Theatre Royal (Sold Out), 29 Dunedin The Regent; JUNE: 3, 4, 5 and 6 ( 5th and 6th Sold Out) Sky City Theatre Auckland, 12 (Sold Out) and 13 Wellington St James Theatre

Grand Prix: 15th Wunderbar Lyttleton with The Dialtones, 16th Chicks, Port Chalmers with The Alpha State

 Labretta Suede and The Motel 6's 'Live Rock 'n Roll Spectacular' before they head off the USA. May 16th @ The Leigh Sawmill

Los Muertos: MAY: 21st Auckland, Deschlers (R18) W/ Antagonist A.D, 22nd Whangarei, Zone Bar (R18) W/ Antagonist A.D

Don McGlashan and the Seven Sisters’ Marvellous Year Tour with Reb Fountain: MAY: 11th Greymouth – Franks, 12th Kaikoura - The Mayfair Theatre, 13th Christchurch - The Harbourlight, 14th Oamaru - The Penguin Club, 15th Dunedin - Sammy's, 16th Queenstown – Revolver, 22nd Clevedon - The Clevedon Village Hall, 23rd Leigh - The Sawmill Café, 29th Auckland - Monte Cristo Room

The Mamaku Project: MAY: 13 Onewhero, OSPA Theatre (7.30pm), 14 Whangaroa, Whangaroa Gamefish Club (7.30pm), 15 Kerikeri, The Centre at Kerikeri (8.00pm), 16 Kaitaia, The Whare – Mainstreet Lodge (6.30pm)

On the Horizon: Pages from Dunedin tour with Matt Langley, The Paper Planes, Hana Fahy and Casey Sharpe: MAY: 12 The Wine Cellar Auckland, 13 Salut Bar and Brasserie Whangarei, 14 No.1 Strand Cafe Tauranga, 15 Hot Mamas Motueka, 16 Franks Cafe Greymouth, West Coast, 17 Chicks Hotel Port Chalmers, Otago

Sora Shima: MAY: 23 Circle Jerk, Hamilton; JUNE:  12 Flow Hamilton w/ Knights of the Dub Table, Conway

Smashproof: MAY: 16 Bedford Christchurch, 22 Zeal Café Henderson Waitakere City, 22 Real Groovy Auckland, 23 9Daytime) Manukau Square, (evening) Pacific Music Awards Manukau City

Tainted: MAY: 29th   Transmission Room, Audience with the Devil 7; AUGUST: 7th Whangarei, 8th Auckland, HMHR Metalfest 3

Tono: MAY: 22 Tbc, 23 May Wine Cellar Auckland, 28 Wunderbar Lyttleton, 31 Yaza! Café Nelson

The Tutts: JULY: 22 Queenstown - Dux De Lux, 23 Wanaka - Red Rock, 24 Dunedin – Refuel, 25 Christchurch - Al's Bar, 31 Auckland - Ellen Melville Hall, 31 Auckland - Monte Cristo Room; AUGUST: 7 Hamilton - Altitude Bar, 8 Wellington - San Francisco Bathhouse

The Volunteers: MAY: 26th Live on the Interislander (8.25am sailing South bound), 27th Dunedin Chicks Hotel, 28th Wanaka Mint Bar, 29th Queenstown Revolver, 30th Christchurch Dux De Lux with Locean, 31st Live on the Interislander (2.25pm sailing North bound)

Yulia: MAY: 23 and 24 “Concert At Karaka" NZ Bloodstock Centre at Karaka, Auckland; AUGUST: 30 Yulia & Kevin Friedrich Dargaville; OCTOBER: 2 All Day: The Global March for Peace and Nonviolence Wellington Railway Station through to the Botanical Gardens, New Zealand

Festivals/Special Events

Auckland City Libraries - NZ Music Month  shows: MAY: 13 noon to 1pm Tim Guy Central City Library, 14 Central City Library, 12pm to 1pm Mr Slackjaw (aka Andrew Tolley), 16 Central City Library, 12pm to 1pm Otis Mace, 23 Central City Library, Noon to 1pm Shaft, 29 noon to 1pm Hannah Curwood Central City Library

CHARTFEST: 20 acts across 4 stages - Solaa, Shocking Pinks, Nathan King, Clap Clap Riot, Beneath The Silence, The Eastern, Lindon Puffin & The Transgressions, Ragamuffin Children, The Harbour Sessions, Truth, Maitreya, Isaac Chambers, Reality Chant Sound, Rare Shot Blue

Chill on the Terrace: MAY: 23 The Terrace Christchurch: 6pm til midnight with dDub, Sacha Vee, Lotus and DJ Sticky Fingaz           

Christchurch: NZMM City Lunch: MAY: 13th Oakley Grenell Trio, 15th Craig Smith & The Bonehouse Band, 18th Ruthie Veronica, 19th Naomi Ferguson & The Three of Hearts, 20th Flip Grater, 22nd Big Roof, 26th Izzy Miller Bell Trio presents "Ma Bell's Blues", w Steve Gainsford & Carmel Courtney

Circle Jerk: Hamilton: Flow Bar: MAY 23 with The Deadly Deaths, Dynamo Go, The Shrugs, Sora Shima, Knights of the DUB Table and more

Kaleidoscope World Series: MAY: 23rd Masonic Tavern Devonport with Ian Simpson, Neves, Partouche (Ex. Bored Gordon) + Otis Mace & David Eggleton + Brother Love, Royal Wolf, Lights Over Kodiak, Rimu, Surf Friends; 30th Masonic Tavern Devonport with Ross Harper, Heroes And Villains, Ladyboy, Sandra Bell, Lost Universe, The Randoms, Hangman, Audio Pilots, Without Conscious Thought

 Manukau Celebrates Music Month: Manukau Square, near Westfield Manukau, Free 12 noon – 1pm Saturdays: MAY 16 Oceania Storm, 23 Smashproof, 30 Cydel

Real Groovy instores:
Auckland: MAY: 16th Drab Doo Riffs 4pm, 22th Smashproof 5pm, 23rd Johnny Barker 4pm, 30th Lisa Crawley 4pm;
Wellington: MAY: 15 Punchbowl 6.30pm, 16 Sacha Vee 2pm, 22 The Outsiders 6.30pm, 23 Hannah Howes 2pm, 29 Hikoikoi 5pm, 30 Rosy Tin Teacaddy 2pm.

ends

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