Platinum albums and Grammys - what a month!

It’s been a huge time for many of the IMNZ whanau over the last month, and there are many more interesting happenings in the pipeline. Grab a hot or cold drink, sit back and find out what’s been going on…

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IMNZ Independent Album Chart January 2008

Rank Artist Title Label/Distributor
1 Kora Kora Kora/Border
2 Flight of the Conchords Distant Future EP Rhythmethod
3 Tiki Past, Present, Future Rhythmethod
4 Little Bushman Pendulum Dirty Dub/Rhythmethod
5 Various Conscious Roots IV Moving Production
6 Fat Freddy's Drop Based On A True Story Rhythmethod
7 Nathan Haines Right Now Rhythmethod
8 Shapeshifter Shapeshifter Live Truetone/Rhythmethod
9 Shapeshifter Soulstice Truetone/Rhythmethod
10 Tahuna Breaks Reflections Rhythmethod
11 Batucada Sound System Rhythm and Rhyme Border
12 Hollie Smith Long Player Soundsmith
13 Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra Heartache EP Rhythmethod
14 The Upbeats Nobody’s Out There Rhythmethod
15 Flight Of The Conchords The Complete BBC Radio Show Elite
16 The Rabble Battle’s Almost Over Border
17 Katchafire Double Pack Mai Music/SAM
18 The Ruby Suns Sea Lion Lil’ Chief/Rhythmethod
19 Katchafire Party Pack Mai Music/SAM
20 Cut Off Your Hands Blue On Blue EP Rhythmethod

(Shows sales from 1 – 31 January 2008. 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.)

February/March News

Well, this might be just about the biggest new we’ve ever had – it’s definitely up there in the ‘Wow’ stakes at least – Flight of the Conchords picked up the Grammy for Best Comedy Album at the 50th Grammy Awards on February 10 in LA for their EP ‘Distant Future’. This is the first time this category has been won by a non-American artist; previous recipients include Eddie Murphy, Steve Martin and Richard Pryor. Flight Of The Conchords' debut full-length will make its way onto American shelves on April 22, via legendary US label Sub Pop, which is also the current home of the Brunettes and the Ruby Suns; and its New Zealand release date is April 21, via Rhythmethod.

This month we welcome IMNZ new members Kora – whose album ‘Kora’ has just gone platinum, congratulations! Outward Sound has announced the first round of grant recipients for 2008: Phase Two grants were awarded to the Brunettes, (to promote the release of their album Structure and Cosmetics in Europe) and the Ruby Suns (to promote the release of their album ‘Sea Lion’ in the United States). And the Ruby Suns, Die! Die! Die! and Pig Out are amongst the artists selected to represent New Zealand at SXSW this month in Austin, Texas – the others are Rodney Fisher, Katchafire, The Mint Chicks and Liam Finn.
Speaking of which, the Ruby Suns are playing the Sub Pop showcase at SXSW and then they have a whole bunch of other US shows lined up from Georgia to Illinois, New York to LA and many spots in between with Washington DC’s Le Loup; they’re also being interviewed for a feature in Mojo magazine. The Brunettes will be in the UK over the next few months, supporting the Shout Out Louds and Broken Social Scene.

Die! Die! Die! have been featured in the NME section ‘Everyone’s Talking About…’; and the band are about to embark on a full US tour, with the album ‘Promises Promises’ released in the US February 5 and their Artrocker 7” out in the first week of April. They were recently #45 on the American college charts and featured on the cover of CMJ magazine in America. Fat Freddys’ Drop have a UK and French tour lined up for April, and Shapeshifter and Tiki are on tour in the UK and Europe in May, with a performance at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire on May 16. Cut Off Your Hands are garnering a lot of praise in the UK since touring with the Foals according to Indiepixie.

Jakob are on the road in New Zealand throughout March and April, celebrating their 10th anniversary, and they’ve scored themselves some shows in Europe alongside metal monsters Isis. Kerretta have a new 7” in New Zealand stores at the moment, each one with a different coloured cover, b-side and download code. For those that live in North America, this will be available in March. They recently impressed as supports for Texan mood masters Explosions in the Sky, and they’re playing on the tour with Jakob before they’re off to do some song collecting with audio tickler Dale Cotton. And if you’re partial to horseracing, look out for noteworthy newcomer Midium Provides, named after the erstwhile record label.

Ariana Tikao is releasing her bilingual album 'Tuia' on the 10th March 2008. The first single is 'Te Atatu' – the lyrics were found in her Kai Tahu family papers and it was originally written as a lullaby. She is heading to the University of London as a guest musician and residing artist, and her first gig is for the New Zealand Society at New Zealand House on 27th March, thanks to Te Waka Toi/Creative NZ.

With 3 months in the UK and many months in Australia under their belt, Batrider are releasing new album ‘Tara’ (their Australian debut). For this special NZ/AUS release, ‘Tara’ comes accompanied by the bonus disc, ‘Pink Guitars, Yellow Stars’, an acoustic album(!) containing unreleased songs and re-workings of existing favourites. Tokyo-based Maori musician Ben Kemp touches down this month for a national album tour of ‘The Un-Cut Apple’. Accompanied by Japanese musicians Koyu Suzuki, Taro and Mitsuru Ogata, Ben Kemp & Uminari (who formed in Tokyo in 2006) fuse modern Japanese music with sweet harmonies and Kemp’s Aotearoa-inspired vibe and motifs. A recognized poet, Kemp is releasing a book of poetry in April, a book that promises to further meld the power of words from the land of the long white cloud and the Japanese way of life.

House Of Shem commence recording their debut album in March; and Maxi Priest’s management were sufficiently impressed with the band’s performance at the Raggamuffin festival to be already booking 2009 dates for the band in Europe. Whirimako Black has just completed a tour as guest vocalist with Samonella Dub and the NZ Symphony Orchestra, and she headlined a concert with the NZSO on the steps of Te Papa to mark it's 10th birthday. Next month she's on tour with some respected Irish musicians, putting in an appearance with them at WOMAD; and in late March she appears at the Tauranga Jazz Festival with Kevin Field and band. Expect the debut album due soon from new rock act Redline (featuring Chris Yong, ex Tadpole), which was locally recorded and mixed, but mastered in Sweden.

Kora and SJD wave the flag for the locals on the WOMAD NZ 2008 compilation alongside Toumani Diabate’s Symmetric Orchestra, Mavis Staples, David D’Or, Beirut, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings and other international luminaries. Kora is also doing the full WOMAD international circuit starting this weekend with WOMADelaide, then New Zealand on the 16th and 17th March, and finally WOMAD UK in July. After more than ten years as one of New Zealand’s electronic pioneers, Epsilon Blue played his last public performance on March 1 at the Main Divide at Canterbury’s Pegasus Bay Winery, alongside Kora, Pitch Black, The Phoenix Foundation, Flip Grater, Dallas Tamaira, Hera, Module and Cosm.

SJD is also playing at the inaugural MarchFest, a festival of craft beer, food, music and fun, loosely based on Munich’s OktoberFest beer festival, which is to be held at Founders Heritage Park in Nelson on March 29. And SJD’s label Round Trip Mars have told us that they’re pants-ripplingly proud to announce the signing of brand new Auckland band The Naked And Famous, whose debut release, the 6 track 'This Machine' EP will be released in May; they are making strong noises about the band’s ability to knock socks off, so stay tuned!

You may know him from Dark Tower, Trillion, Bazuki Joe and She'll Be Right Records, now Jody Lloyd has a new pseudonym: Trillion Branson, son of illegitimate father, Sir Richard Branson; and he's released an Audio Movie called ‘SILENTinvisible’, with the input of around 30 other local and international musicians, including Wayne Lotek (Roots Manuva). The LP has been described in the Christchurch Press as 'unthinkable'. Trillion's song and video tribute to Sir Ed Hillary, Humble Mountain Man, has gained plenty of media interest and has been picked up as an opener in a film festival in Colorado, USA. Lindon Puffin is heading off on his first world tour (Japan, UK, Europe, USA) in late March, he'll be performing and photographing the experience in the hope of making a follow up to his previous documentary ‘Figure 8000’.

Singer-songwriter L.A. Mitchell has been chosen as the first musician to feature on the Max Foundation's initiative to promote homegrown female cultural and entrepreneurial enterprise; Mitchell says she’s honoured to be the first musician featured in the campaign as it recognises her achievement in releasing August 2007 album ‘Debut’ as an independent, self-managed female musician. The album was released to critical acclaim and strong IMNZ chart sales. Mitchell is set to record only the second album of the Live at the Matterhorn series; Fat Freddy’s Drop was the first, in 2001.

Makes No Sense from Recliner’s debut album ‘Rest Room’ has been aired on MTV's Real World; this comes after having secured licensing deals with 9 US Networks which have added ‘Rest Room’ to their music libraries. Wellington duo Pearl is performing a series of free shows at Auckland's Honey Bar over March alongside special guests Chris Jones, Tami Neilson, Monique Rhodes and Luke Thompson; and their new single Life Is Beautiful is out today. The Danny McCrum Band played a successful show with Odessa and Liam Finn at the Auckland Zoo on the 1st of February…they also learnt how to ride Segways! You can catch them again on March 9 performing an afternoon blues duo show at the Crest Hotel on K' Rd from 4pm.

Onelung's last two albums, ‘Nu Scientists’ and ‘Binary Pop Songs’, are being released this month in Korea and Monkey Records has just signed a sub-publishing deal for the same titles in France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland and Monaco. Sleepytime aka Johannes Contag (Cloudboy, Jay Clarkson, Mink) has finished the third chapter in the Sleepytime trilogy entitled 'The Twilight Drone' and it will be accompanied by the world's longest music video ever shot by Johannes himself. At 48 minutes ‘The Twilight Drone’ is more than twice the length of the previous world record holder by The Streets (2006) and almost four times the length of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' which had held the record since 1983. ‘The Twilight Drone’ will be released on DVD and CD on April 17th. The Benka Boradovsky Bordello Band have been chosen to support Beirut at the sold out Kings Arms show on the 13th March and are headlining Gypsy Fever 3 at the Whammy Bar (Auckland) on March 29th. Tim Guy is featuring at WOMAD on the 14th and 15th of March - his last performances in NZ for a while as he is traveling to Europe to play gigs and write some new material. Monkey has just signed 12 piece funk band The Hot Grits, who will be releasing their debut album in May entitled 'It's Too Drunk to Be This Late'.

KFC has joined forces with NZ On Air and Amplifer to issue a call up to local artists to enter Sounds from your Hometown, a competition for aspiring music artists which will run in 94 KFC stores across New Zealand – they’re looking for headline acts of all ages and all musical genres, which New Zealanders will then vote on, to perform at each of KFC’s 94 stores throughout the country on Saturday 03 May 08, in honour of NZ Music Month 08. From the 94 finalists, one ultimate winner will be chosen by Ashley Page of Warner Music and IMNZ Chair Mark Kneebone to win $15,000 prize package worth $15,000. You can visit kfc.co.nz or Amplifier.co.nz to register.

You can catch Otis Mace live to air on Radio New Zealand National this Friday March 7 (today!!!) at 1.10pm. His label Powertool Records have a new store named Alien which has just opened at 11 Veronica St New Lynn, where they’ll be hosting regular performances. This Saturday March 8 you can catch Bob Cardy and Little Stevie McCabe from the legendary Flying Nun band the Axemen in a rare live performance from 4pm in the afternoon; and on Sunday 9th you can catch Little O and the Found; both shows are all ages and free.

1157 is pleased to announce a new signing - Los Muertos, who are releasing their debut self-titled album in-stores and online April 7. Antagonist have just released a new video for Distance, and they’ll once again headline the annual Hamtown Smakdown festival held March 7th and 8th. Both Cobra Khan and Antagonist will be releasing new albums mid-2008. Cobra Khan were on the road in February alongside the Datsuns as part of the Orientation circuit; and the Datsuns share a bill with the Dirtbombs and the Bellrays on the new Kings Arms outdoor stage on March 11.

Kathryn Baker is about to release her debut solo album ‘Distrait’ on Twig Records; she was previously the lead singer/songwriter in the critically acclaimed Wellington band Vade. The Drop – the label behind Fat Freddy’s Drop – presents ‘Ride’, the debut vinyl 12” from Rio Hunuki-Hemopo, who was bass player and singer alongside Warren Maxwell (Little Bushman) and Riki Gooch (Eru Dangerspiel) in seminal NZ band Trinity Roots. Currently producing a debut solo album with Mu, Rio is also a Red Bull Academy tutor, has jammed with all manner of fine local musicians and was a bro-vocalist for Fat Freddy’s UK/Europe Fantastic Voyages Tour 2007.

Recloose returned on February 26 with his third studio album ‘Perfect Timing’; he’s touring the album with his live band over March and April. Recloose cut his musical teeth in Detroit in the mid-90s alongside techno luminary Carl Craig before relocating to New Zealand. ‘Perfect Timing’ features long time musical companions Joe Dukie (Fat Freddy’s Drop), Tyna and Jonathan Crayford amongst new local and international talents. For more than a decade Flowz aka Fiso Siloata has been on the mic, as a founder of Footsouljahs and 2Much Records and featuring on numerous collaborations. His debut 6-track 12” features appearances from Joe Dukie, Phraze, Savage, T’Vita Mafia, Tommy Graffiti and Tony Costa, with beats by Chong Nee, DJ Raw and CXL. Flowz has also recruited a live band, The Usos.

Let The Good Times Roll, the new single/video from Onehunga natives Red Eye Society (shot by Peter Cathro) follows rappers Tek and J1 on a tale of weekend excess. The recording of their new album is well under way they have a national tour with label mate Cyphanetik planned for the end of April. After that the boys head back to Australia to further establish themselves after last year’s successful tour.

‘Castle of Useless Junk’ is the second EP release from White Swan Black Swan, aka Arch Hill’s own Ben Howe and partner Sonya Waters, formerly of groups such as Fang, Superette and the Instigators, and who were featured in a recent issue of the Listener. It’s a taster for their forthcoming ‘double mini-album’. Joining Sonya and Ben here are Rick McShane on drums (Chainsaw Masochist, The Broken Heartbreakers) and Ben Furniss on bass (Surrealistic, The Broken Heartbreakers). Both the ‘double mini album’ and the ‘Castle of Useless Junk’ EP were mixed in the USA by the legendary Mark Nevers (Lambchop, Calexico, Will Oldham, David Kilgour). White Swan Black Swan have been playing live recently, doing an acoustic tour of NZ with David Kilgour, and other shows with Kelley Stoltz, Grand Prix, SJD and Pine.

‘Sweet Soul Music’ is Aaradhna's interpretation of hits from the music catalogues of renowned R&B and soul labels Motown, Stax and Atlantic Records. She is currently based in Los Angeles but recorded ‘Sweet Soul Music’ in her hometown of Wellington, using only live musicians, a new experience for the songstress that added a warm authentic sound to the new set. The lead single for the album Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing sees the reunion of Aaradhna with long time collaborators Adeaze. Mike Crook’s band the Gills have released their debut album ‘Delusions of Grandma’, Hamilton is a long way from the Appalachian Mountains, but according to our sources, that brooding gothic folk sentiment is there in the Gills’ album as well.

From Scratch, Serafin, Nosferatu and Sun Ra - meet the band who ties them all together, the New Telepathics. In addition to his work with Muse label mates Serafin, Kiwi Darryn Harkness has spent the last few years touring and recording the New Telepathics throughout Europe with his fellow ´Research Agents’, and now the band (including members of The Orb and Sun Ra Arkestra) is in New Zealand over summer to perform and record their next album. As a precursor to that, their EP ‘You Have Been Warned’ has been released as a sampler of the different moods of New Telepathics’ music. The New Telepathics played the 95bFM summer series and are supporting Can vocalist/living legend Damo Suzuki.

New from Elite, Ash Puriri as Barry White won the hearts of hundreds of thousands of fans around the world when he won the Judges’ Choice and melted their hearts on the highly rated Australian Channel 9 impersonation TV show Star Struck, launching Ash’s entertainment career. His bilingual album ‘Aroha - Just One Word – Love’ features songs composed and arranged by Ash. Snake Salvador, aka Darryl Hocking and Kevin Tutt, formed in 2001, and are influenced by musical forms from trip hop to old school funk to create music evocative of endless nights and long, lazy days. Elite also presents blues/rock guitarist Tama Taita’s debut album ‘Reflections’.

Skankamelia mix elements of reggae, dub and punk, and they’ve played events such as Rhythm & Vines, Soundsplash, Parihaka Peace Festival, University Orientations, as well as tour supports with Cornerstone Roots, Katchafire, Kora, Trinity Roots, Salmonella Dub, and Tommy. Recorded with engineer/producer Aidan Mills (Hollie Smith Live, Little Bushman, Opensouls, TrinityRoots), their self-titled EP is out now. ‘Paranoia’ is 5-piece Auckland hardcore/punk band The Chase’s first studio album, following a self-released EP in 2007. Over the last 2 years The Chase has supported internationals including Unearth, Parkway Drive and 50 Lions, as well as locals The Bleeders and Antagonist, with a slot at Parachute Festival too.

The ‘last festival of the Summer’, I-Nation, will be set in the beautiful Whitecliffs Valley, near Christchurch. Now in it's second year the I-Nation festival is spread over 2 days (March 29 and 30) with 2 zones of Drum n’ bass, jungle, reggae, dancehall, hip hop, dubstep, jazz, funk, soul and breaks. Shapeshifter will make their last New Zealand appearance of 2008 here, and other artists playing include Tiki, Departure Lounge, The Sunshine Soundsystem and Dubwize. Dirty Records presents the Tour Of Dirty, featuring Tiki, P-Money, Concord Dawn, Scribe, State Of Mind, PNC, Bulletproof, David Dallas, MC Twincam and guests playing right across the country - expect 6 hours of musical mayhem, a warp of genres and a soundclash to match. Tahuna Breaks play an extensive New Zealand tour following three dates in Australia.

The full squad for Sandwiches Summerset has been confirmed for the 12 hour day-nighter music festival at the Basin Reserve in Wellington over Easter. Sunshine Sound System will MC the live commentary, while two of last year’s in-form players, Shapeshifter (in their only performance in the Capital City for 2008) and Tom Middleton (UK) return to the squad. Other big hitters are Norman Jay, Crazy P, LTJ Bukem and MC Conrad, Dave Seaman, The Black Seeds, Rhombus, Minuit, Opensouls, topped off with Timmy Schumacher, B2B, Dunsta with MC Kyla, Jake Silver and Takas. And you can catch Recloose with Crazy P and Norman Jay in Auckland on Thursday March 20 at new venue Pontoon.

On April 26 the Wellington Waterfront hosts the first Vodafone Homegrown festival, hosting 5 stages with performers including Shihad, Pluto, The Mint Chicks, The Checks, OpShop, The Feelers, Goodnight Nurse, Motocade, Kora, Salmonella Dub, Concord Dawn, Tim Phin, Ladi6, Dick Johnson, Minuit, Tiki, The Phoenix Foundation, and many more to be announced; plus lashings of interactive activities, art installations and street performers. The festival falls on a long weekend for those who want to travel from other towns; and all stages are covered to protect you from any vagaries of the weather.

This Easter the Tauranga National Jazz Festival features a fair selection of IMNZ artists - Whirimako Black, Charmaine Ford, One Million Dollars along with Nu-Fusion Ensemble, The Alan Brown Trio, Lewis Mc Callum, Gahu and Kokomo. Artistic Director Liam Ryan says that the programming of more progressive bands signals “a move to the left – we are going for a little more edge. We are dragging the festival into the twenty-first century exposing new bands and new concert formats”. The Festival runs March 20 –24, visit jazz.org.nz. And in the South Island, Nathan Haines, Departure Lounge, Karen Hunter and LA Mitchell are on the bill alongside Maceo Parker, Deni Hines and Georgie Fame and many others at the NZ International Jazz and Blues Festival in Christchurch March 25 – April 4.

Parachute ‘08 was one of the most successful yet, with over 25,000 punters in attendance. The new line-up of the Parachute Band sold 1000 albums over the 3 days, an all-time record for any band at Parachute Festival, including international headliners. Wellington’s Rapture Ruckus sold out of albums too and his latest single Lose Control is currently on the NZ radio top 40. Close to 500 children were sponsored through the World Vision Sponsorship Programme and $60,000 was raised for a housing project in Rwanda that Parachute Music supports.

Some expensive hijinks at Camp A Low Hum have lead to a couple of fundraiser shows being put on to cover some of the costs incurred from overenthusiastic partying; so a mini camp A Low Hum reunion of Disasteradio, Frase+Bri, Golden Axe, Brand New Math and Bear Cat will happen at Whammy Bar on April 29. A Low Hum is working with new Wellington artist Secret Knives; their 7 track EP ‘The Wolves’ is out now, as a free digital download from alowhum.com. Having toured bands many times around NZ in the past 4 years, A Low Hum founder Blink is off to travel with Over the Atlantic as they head away for their second round of US shows and a sprinkling of shows in Europe; so there will be a definite lack of A Low Hum live shows in 2008; they’ll return in 2009. After a crazy summer of national tours with The Mint Chicks, Supergroove and his first run of shows in Australia, plus doing 8 shows in Melbourne, Disasteradio is also taking a bit of a live break soon. Disasteradio was one of the artists involved in multimedia event ‘Seance for Nam June Paik’ on February 23 in Christchurch; Nam June Paik, who passed away in 2006, is widely regarded as the father of video art.

The New Zealand Fringe Festival closed in Wellington with an awards ceremony and closing night party in Wellington, drawing to an end the biggest and most successful Fringe in its 19-year history, with over 100 shows. Motocade’s Eden Mulholland picked up a Highly Commended in the Best Music category, and the production he was involved with, Dark Tourists, was named Best Dance of the Festival.

New and Forthcoming Releases
Aaradhna ‘Sweet Soul Music, The Actualities ‘Workers Leaving the Factory’, Amy Racecar ‘Conclusions’, Badtown ‘Rockers Run Riot’, Kathryn Baker ‘Distrait’, Batrider ‘Tara’, Dudley Benson ‘The Awakening’, Whirimako Black ‘Whirimako Black Sings’, The Broken Heartbreakers ‘The Broken Heartbreakers’, Brotha D and the Dawn Raid Family ‘Element of Surprise’, The Chase ‘Paranoia’, Jay Clarkson ‘Over the Mountain’, Coshercot Honeys ‘We’re All Lions’ EP, Jonathan Crayford ‘Big Foot’, Cydel ‘Soul Finder’, The Darlings ‘The Cicada Sessions’, Ethical ‘Ages Turn’, Flight of the Conchords album April 21, Flowz 12”, The Hot Grits ‘It's Too Drunk to Be This Late', Rio Hunuki-Hemopo Ride 12”, Just One Fix ‘The Price of $ellvation’, Ben Kemp and Uminari ‘The Un-Cut Apple’, Keretta 7”, The Horsemen Family ‘My Shout’, Michael Houston ‘Inland’, Shona Laing ‘Pass the Whisper’, The Lookie Loos ‘Timing is Everything’ EP, Los Muertos ‘Los Muertos’, Otis Mace ‘Bird in Bush Road’, Paul McLaney ‘Diamond Side’, Missing Teeth ‘Ill Gotten Gains’, OdESSA ‘The Prize’, OMC Please, One Man Bannister ‘Moth’, one million dollars ‘Stand Up to the Shakedown’, Pearl Life is Beautiful, Ash Puriri ‘Aroha (Just One Word…Love)’, The Rabble ‘The Battle’s Almost Over’, Recloose ‘Perfect Timing’, RES Let the Good Times Roll, The Ruby Suns ‘Sea Lion’, Skankamelia EP, Sleepytime ‘The Twilight Drone’, Hollie Smith ‘Long Player Deluxe Edition’, Snake Salvador ‘Live at the Oyster Bay’, Carol Storey ‘Mokomoko’, Strangers ‘The Weight’, Tahuna Breaks ‘Reflections’, Tama Taita ‘Reflections’, Ariana Tikao 'Tuia', Tiki ‘Past, Present, Future’, Trillion ‘SILENTinvisible’, Trip to the Moon ‘Welcome to the Big Room’, The Upbeats ‘Nobody’s Out There’, Various ‘Breakin Wreckwordz – It's a Monster’, Various ‘The Hills Have Ears’, Ward 4 ‘Overflow’, John White ‘Mogwash’, White Swan Black Swan ‘Castle of Useless Junk’, Young Sid ‘The Truth’

Tours
Lawrence Arabia: MARCH: 7 Dux De Lux with Cowboy Machine, 8 Dunedin Refuel with John White

Recloose ‘Perfect Timing’ Tour: MARCH: Queenstown Revolver, 14 Dunedin Backstage, 15 Christchurch Al’s Bar, 28 Auckland 4:20, 29 Tauranga Brewers Bar; APRIL: 3 Palmerston North Bar Mode, 4 Wellington San Francisco Bath House, 5 Eastbourne Life Boat

Jakob and Keretta: MARCH: 7 Gisborne Poverty Bay Club, 8 Mt Maunganui Brewers Bar, 21 Auckland Kings Arms, 28 Palmerston North Bar Mode, 29 Wellington SFBH; APRIL: 4 Hamilton Yellow Submarine, 5 New Plymouth Basement Bar

Ben Kemp & Uminari - The Un-Cut Apple Tour : MARCH: 6 The Classic AUCKLAND with Anna Coddington, 13 Mighty Mighty WELLINGTON with Good Laika, 14 Harbourlight Theatre

Tour of Dirty: Tiki*, P-Money, Concord Dawn, Scribe*, State Of Mind*, PNC, Bulletproof, David Dallas and MC Twincam* (* Selected shows only): MARCH: 13th Hamilton Altitude, 14th Palmerston North Bar Mode, 20th Auckland Zen Bar, 28th Wellington San Francisco Bathhouse, 29th Napier Sideline Bar; APRIL 3rd Nelson Phat Club, 4th Christchurch Ministry, 5th Dunedin Refuel

Little Bushman: MARCH: 7 Galatos Auckland

One Million Dollars: MARCH: 22 Tauranga Jazz Festival, 28 Te Whero Island Music In Parks, 29 Titirangi Festival, 30th Narrowneck Beach Devonport

Pearl ‘Life Is Beautiful’ Acoustic Tour: MARCH: 6, 13, 20 and 27 Honey Bar, O'Connell Street, Auckland. 9pm

Tahuna Breaks: MAY: 6 – Dunedin, 7 – Queenstown, 8 – Christchurch, 17 Wellington, 23 - Mt Maunganui,
May 24 – Auckland (venues TBC)

Festivals
Auckland City Music in Parks Auckland: MARCH: 9 Holden Astra Summer Sounds, Pt England Reserve Maori Music at Parks 3 –6pm featuring The Kingites, Brother Love, Billy TK senior and Billy TK junior, Sat 15 Mar 6pm-8pm The Culture Garden Tahaki Reserve Mt Eden, Johnny Devlin and the Tornadoes with special guest Ray Columbus, Fri 28 Mar 5.30pm-8.30pm Summer Sounds Te Wero Island Viaduct Harbour, SJD, One Million Dollars

BluesfestNZ (The Coromandel Peninsula Blues and Roots Music Festival 2008) MARCH 22: Hollie Smith, Little Bushman, Buddy Guy, KT Tunstall, Keb Mo, Wilco, Ian Brown, Midge Marsden, Pluto and The Checks.

Hamtown Smakdown - March 7th & 8th, Meteor Theatre, Hamilton W/ Antagonist, The Chase, Brick Vs Face, Tourettes, Strangers, This Is This, EMFH, Bad Medicine, Wasteland, Cry Wolf, Autohate, Blackout, Shitripper and Saving Grace

I-Nation: MARCH: 29 and 30: Shapeshifter, Tiki, Sunshine Soundsystem, Mighty Asterix & Rudeboy, Departure Lounge, Dubwize , Stickyfingaz, The Otautahi Allstars, O.G. Confucious b2b Mysterious D, Gooba, Dreadford, Nazarite, Poncho san Pedro, Jungle, Aleon & I-Sis, Dexta, Red-I, Katalyst, Ill-Figa DS, D-erb b2b Lque, Insomniac, Partido & R.I.A.

Sandwiches Summerset: MARCH: 22 Basin Reserve, Wellington 12.00pm – 12.00 Midnight Easter Saturday with Sunshine Sound System (NZ), Shapeshifter (NZ), Tom Middleton (UK), Norman Jay (UK), Crazy P (UK), LTJ Bukem and MC Conrad (UK), Dave Seaman UK), The Black Seeds, Rhombus, Minuit, Opensouls, Timmy Schumacher, B2B, Dunsta with MC Kyla, Jake Silver and Takas.

Shake the Lake, Hamilton Lake, MARCH: 9th with Chuganaut, The Stevie Ray, Cream &Hendrix Experience, World War Four, 8 Forty 8, Shayne Malone, Opshop

Shore Sounds 2008: MARCH: 8th 95bFM Summer Series with Little Bushman, Unity Pacific, An Emerald City, Onepoto Domain Northcote 1pm, 9th Edge Jam in the Park with Scribe, Elemeno P, Atlas, Goodnight Nurse, 15th 95bFM Summer Series with Batucada Sound Machine, Tangent, Motor City Family Funk, Gould Reserve/Takapuna Beach, Takapuna, 1pm, 29th 95bFM Summer Series Cornerstone Roots, The Midnights, Sonz Of Zion, Centennial Park Campbell’s Bay 1pm,
30th 95bFM Summer Series featuring One Million Dollars, The Hot Grits and The Shades, Fort Takapuna/Narrow Neck Beach, Devonport, 1pm

Vodafone Homegrown: APRIL: 26 Wellington Waterfront with Shihad, Pluto, The Mint Chicks, The Checks, OpShop, The Feelers, Goodnight Nurse, Motocade, Kora, Salmonella Dub, Concord Dawn, Tim Phin & Ladi6 , Dick Johnson, Minuit, Tiki, The Phoenix Foundation and more to be announced.

Waitakere Sounds: 95 bFM Summer Series: MARCH: 16: 95bFM Summer Series Henderson Park Waitakere with The Managers, Tenement Yard, Batucada Sound Machine and State of Mind. Titirangi Festival of Music: MARCH: Mamaku Project, Mahinarangi Tocker, One Million Dollars and the Ropehead Rhythms Sound System.

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