London-born, Christchurch-raised Jamie Greenslade, aka Maitreya, has recently returned from New York to New Zealand to launch his debut album titled (perhaps wistfully) 'Close to Home'. ...more

'DISCO grunge' is the way Auckland's Brand New Math describe their sound. Sometimes. "I don't think we're sophisticated or tight enough to create disco punk, so it's disco grunge," lead singer Brad Artist explains. ...more

WELLINGTON is a veritable cornucopia of musicians, so it's not uncommon for promising singers and bands to fade away into obscurity. We should all hope that the soulful voice of Iva Lamkum won't be one of them. ...more

Knives at Noon are the architects of a new, eclectic brand of music, drawing inspiration from across a musical spectrum including dance, rock and electronica. ...more

Los Muertos ('the dead', as in celebrating and acknowledging the dead - Samhain/Hallowe'en and Mexico's Day Of The Dead) are very much alive and kicking around Auckland. ...more

It was Vaughn Roberts who alerted me to Myele's existence around three years ago, a few months before auditions were due to be held at the (NZ School of Music) conservatorium. "This kid is a mother, grab him!" he told me. Needless to say he flew through at audition time, and has continued flying since day one. Myele has a great work ethic, and is totally fearless musically, a fact borne out by the number of musical colleagues he enjoys the company of (one of my personal favourites is the group with Jonathan Crayford). The future of drums in NZ is firmly in the 20 year old hands of Myele Manzanza, believe it! ...more

Rob Mayes epitomises a life long independence and work ethic that runs on uncompromising self-belief and a cash flow that would scare off anyone not possessing the same motivation. Rob is well endowed with 'attitude' which, in combination with courage and inventiveness, has given him the broad knowledge and expertise he tirelessly lends towards keeping the Christchurch music scene vibrant. The Rob Mayes moxie is a typically can-do 'mainland' attitude and the music industry down south would be poorer without it. ...more

Although the recently enacted Copyright (New Technologies) Act 2008 isn't focused specifically on music, copyright is without doubt the most important legal concept when it comes to the operation of the music industry. ...more

I arrived in Oamaru prepared to give my guitars to the kids and stow away my harps… just in case. Coming from London I wasn't overawed by the Victorian architecture and dressing up wasn't my scene. What I did find though was The Penguin Entertainers Club. ...more