Winter's biting and you're struggling to pay the power bill? Wondering why you even bother making new music for such an indifferent world? ...more

By 2003, Che Fu's second album 'The Navigator' had helped propel New Zealand hip hop into the mainstream and was followed by a raft of other successful local acts. In the meantime, Che Fu quietly disappeared... ...more

"He was a totally self-imposed hermit, a bit of a nerd really. He was fantastic, just the kind of guy you wanna work with - absolutely no bullshit." ...more

Having previewed Ermehn's album I admit to being slightly apprehensive about interviewing this character. 'The Path of Blood' is reasonably described as New Zealand's first pure gangsta album. ...more

It's been a while since we've heard from local punk-rock act Kitsch, long enough for speculation that the band had indeed dissolved into non-existence. There have been very few shows over the last 18 months, and certainly no advance news of future releases. ...more

Although journeys are generally considered to involve movement from one point in space to another, sometimes a journey can bring you right back to your point of departure, albeit the wiser and richer for your experiences. ...more

It was sure nice of Elemeno P to provide them with a pop radio soundtrack, but Auckland-based record label ElevenfiftySeven are happier playing in the hard core/punk market. ...more

Blue skies, warm winds - so this is what Brisbane thinks is winter! ...more

I've been with Jeremy Taylor for over two hours now, and we haven't started talking about him yet. Instead I've been a willing travel buddy on a non-stop tour through the pop music back catalogue, stopping only for opinions, personal anecdotes and insights. Then it's straight back onto State Highway 1 for a journey riding roughshod over the NZ music scene and all it offers. ...more

From little acorns mighty oak trees do indeed grow, and while the original Rockquest (back in '88 in Christchurch only - the first national competition was in 1990) was likely no small undertaking, the 2005 version is most certainly a mighty big one. ...more

The cause of 'the dancing mania', a mystery ailment which afflicted the 14th Century populace, is not known. Symptoms included victims dancing madly in the streets, furiously howling and gyrating. Modern speculation has it they were a case of mass hysteria or subject to the side effects of a toxic fungus. ...more