As mentioned Will Ricketts new album came out a few months ago. He collaborated with Mike Fabulous (of Black Seeds fame) and the end result is Fabulous Meets Ricketts at Maitland Rd. It is something to behold – can you behold something aurally? If you can’t then you should and you definitely should behold this album.

It. Is. Fabulous.

The album features a horde of Wellington musicians so you go into it knowing you can expect it to have a very well polished sound. By well polished I mean well played, well put together not shiny and bright. In fact one of the things I love about this album is that it is stripped down a bit. There is a heavy reggae influence but more of the earlier rock-steady, rustic sounds from the late 50′s early ’60s. Ironic because so many of the artists on this album are from bands having that larger than life “Wellington [reggae] Sound”.

So have a listen to a few of the sweet tunes from the album and listen in as Will and I talk about the album. Well, we kinda talked about the album, ha! We actually chatted more about other things (shock!) than we did about the album. As always though it was enjoyable speaking with Will. What a nice fella and wow what a composer and musician he is. Tremendous.

Oh and check out the Amplifier site to purchase the album here.

Now onto to the podcast …

Fabulous Rickettscast

Stream

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Track listing
(All songs taken from Ricketts Meets Fabulous at Maitland Rd.)

Loo Loo
Riki

She has one the strongest and most soulful voices I have heard in a long time ever. I think you will agree when you hear the songs featured on this podcast. Something else you will notice is her versatility. It would seem she can adapt from genre to genre and yet maintain those unique qualities that make her such a powerful and soulful singer.

Check Lisa out on her MySpace page here and her Facebook Fan page here.

Also of note, this time around I have a “sidekick”. My best good friend Malinda sat in on the chat and I look forward to more of that in the future.

So here ya have it … three crazy ladies yakkin’ about music, work, and cake … oh and some amazing tunes from one Ms. Lisa Tomlins.

Lisa Tomlins

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Playlist

Angels – Fly My Pretties feat. Lisa Tomlins
Old Gold – Fly My Pretties feat. Lisa Tomlins
Spinnin’ Out – Recloose feat. Lisa Tomlins

Lucien Johnson is a multi-instrumentalists and composer based out of  Wellington, NZ. Featured in this podcast are a discussion with Lucien about his work and music from a group I am quite excited about the Shogun Orchestra.

Unfortunately the album isn’t ready for release. But when it is I will definitely let you know.

You can keep up with Lucien by way of his site here and at his page on Myspace here for the Shogun Orchestra (which by the way features the Dan Yeabsely, Chris Yeabsley, Justin Clarke, Mike Fab, Toby Laing, Joe Lindsay, Tim Jaray, Adan Tijerina, and Paul Hoskins and of course Lucien Johnson).

Get ready to hear elements of George Clinton, Fela Kuti, Mulatu Astatke,  Santana (dare I say?) and even the Skatalites with a distinctively Kiwi accent. 

The Shoguncast

Stream

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Songlist

Jacmel
Maman M’voye Peze Cafe
Falko

Now, in the 21st Century, buffalo dwell upon the ocean floor and feed upon plankton. It’s true, you can find it on Wikipedia!

OK so not really, but if are you looking for sea dwelling, plankton eatting,  buffalo you can find them on the latest (and brilliant) album by The Phoenix Foundation. The album is called, naturally, Buffalo and it hits store shelves (both above and below sea level) on April 26th, 2010. Oh and check out the new re-vamped Phoenix Foundation website here.

Samuel Flynn Scott, member and songwriter of The Phoenix Foundation, spoke with me via Skype a few days ago. We discussed the baby he and his wife are expecting, the new album, the changes the band have undergone, and buffalo and Great Plains, and Wikipedia, and well a few other enjoyable tangents.

The new album is fantastic and really demonstrates the individual strenghts of the band members.

I feature two songs from the album, alongside the chat with Samuel.

So giddy up pardner and have a listen (do buffalo riders really giddy up? Hmmm ….)

Either way enjoy the podcast!

Buffalocast


Click here to purchase the album

Stream

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Tracklisting
(All songs taken from The Phoenix Foundation’s “Buffalo”)

Track 2 Buffalo
Track 4 Pot

P.S. During the chat we discussed E.M.I. … of course with me being a moron I kept thinking of REM

REM were on IRS not EMI…

Yes folks … I completely flubbed that.

He is an incredibly talented and versatile guitar (among other instruments) player, a composer, songwriter and a music instructor. And (as you will hear in our discussion in this episode of Kiwi by Proxy) a part-time anthropologist! (I love that he referred to himself as such. It’s fitting. )

Justin and I chatted a few weeks back and we discussed how he decided to become a musician, his diversity in his method and style and his online guitar lessons (sign up, they’re great! You won’t regret it!)

Along with our discussion you will hear some of Justin’s own music. Featured are a song he wrote for the Woolshed Sessions collaboration and two stunning instrumental compositions – both with a jazz structure but one having an Indian influence and the other with a Grecian feel.

Be sure to check out Justin’s MySpace guitar lessons page here.

And his regular MySpace page here.

Email him for information on online guitar lessons at firefly guitar at gmail dot com (without the spaces and a . instead of the word dot of course.)

Oh and one more thing before we get to the podcast, I love being back. I am a little rusty at both “interviewing” and writing out my blog but it’s still wonderful to be back at it folks! I tell ya,  I have missed doing the podcast, I have missed hearing new music, I have missed talking to great folks about their work, and I have missed being “Kiwi by Proxy” (although at this stage I don’t think I can ever really stop being that!)

It’s great to be back and what a way to come back from a very long absence than with a phenominal musician such as Justin Clarke.

And now …

The Fireflycast

 Stream

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Richie Singleton, the drummer from my favorite band, has a solo album out now! It is called The Walls of the Well and it is breathtakingly beautiful. It is a mighty fine piece of muscianship and songwriting.

Listen in as Richie discusses this new album of his.

Visit the Rebel Peasant page here.

Friend Richie on MySpace here .

Buy his album here at Amplifier, here at Smoke CDs or email Jeremy at Slow Boat Records and tell him ” I want to buy this groovy album please”.

And now it is time to take in the beauty and mystery of  The Walls of the Well and the person behind it – Richie Singleton….

RebelPeasantcast

Stream

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Subscribe to KBP on iTunes for the free download

Tracklisting

* All tracks from The Walls of the Well

Ushbhackt
For Control of the Mill
Inundare and the Moon
The Walls of the Well

Well I am back!

Since May I have moved house and moved into a new office in Edmond Oklahoma. I still can’t believe I live in Oklahoma! Ya know though this is a really great place? The folks here are very laid back and really humble. Much like what I think New Zealand would be like. Anyway enough about me… let’s get to the music.

I recently caught up with Mike Hodgson, one-half of the New Zealand duo Pitch Black. Mike discussed his music, and their upcoming tour. They will be in the States in two weeks! I will list the tour dates below so if they are in your town do try to go out to see them to support what they are doing.

They are by the way fantastic. I am quite picky about my dub and electronica and the tunes featured in the podcast are, I feel, exceptionally good. Featured alongside some great Pitch Black tunes are songs from Sola Rosa and Rhombus (who by the way are touring Australia this weekend, tour dates for that will be featured below as well.

As you listen in to this podcast do check out the artists sites. I have posted links to them below.

Pitch Black Tour Dates

• Sat. 18th July – Wellington ~ Sandwiches
• Sat. 1st August - Dragon’s Sphere Park, WA ~ Oracle Gathering
• Thu. 6th August – Portland, WA ~ Roseland Theater 
• Fri. 7th August – Seattle, WA ~ Neumos
• Sat. 8th August – Nelson, BC ~ Shamballa Festival 

Rhombus Australian Tour Dates

• Fri 17th July ~ Beach Road Hotel, Sydney, New South Wales
• Sat 18th July ~ Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay New South Wales
• Sun 19th July ~ The Soundlounge, Gold Coast, Queensland

Artists’ Websites

Pitch Black Website

Rhombus Website

Sola Rosa Website

So let’s get crackin’ here eh? Onward to the music….

Pitchblackcast

Stream

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Subscribe to KBP on iTunes for the free download

Track listing

Sola Rosa – Del Ray
Rhombus -  So Close (Optimus Grime Re-mix)
Pitch Black – 1000 Mile Drift (Simon Flower Re-mix)
Pitch Black – Speech (The White Amplitude Mix by International Observer)
Pitch Black – Lost in Translation
Pitch Black – The 48 Skanks

I feel like dancin', dancin', dancin, yeaaah

 
Well folks that’s right you heard it, Kiwi by Proxy is no longer “out of friggin’ bandwidth”!!

I will tell you I feel strange about all of it. I mean I am used to working behind the scenes (in my day job) and letting my boss get the spotlight and believe me that is something with which I am most comfortable.

When I initially had the idea for the podcast it simply involved me recording and mixing the interviews that other people were to do. I never wanted to be the one that did the interviewing or even the “DJ-ing”. I just wanted to get the music out somehow and thought the podcast would serve that purpose in a small way. I was hoping others would do that “public” part.

Well that wasn’t meant to be and now, well I mean that’s ok. My taking the DIY approach has led to opportunities in meeting some incredibly kind, generous, and humble people and better still talking music with them.

In talking with these people it has given me insight into how they go about making their music (something that completely fascinates me because it perplexes me how people take something they hear in their head or in their heart and translate it aurally.) But along with gaining a better understanding of the music making process I think I have figured out what makes it so good. It’s to do with those incredibly kind, generous and humble people. They got soul.

The last interview (well chat session) I did was with Dan Yeabsley. We were discussing this particular point after the official interview had ended. Dan wondered what exactly it is about New Zealand music that has a certain effect on folks – is it the technical aspect of things or is the feeling?  After further contemplation on this I think have to say it is both.

All the folks I have spoken with are well trained musicians. They know how to play. They know what notes go where and why. They know music. But they also have a passion for it. Again, they got soul.

In my line of work we stress the importance of not separating the heart from the mind in matters of faith. The heart will not accept what the mind rejects, nor should it. This basic truth has carried over into my understanding and love of music (and in the immediate context, New Zealand music).

I love watching a musician play strange and difficult chord progressions, I love hearing the subtleties of a certain instrument on a studio recording, I love all the technical stuff but I also love the feeling the music stirs deep within me. I love that not only can I think about the music but that I can feel it as well.

New Zealand music provokes both thought and feeling unlike any other “scene” that has come and gone in the past few decades. That is why I am so passionate about it and that is why I seek to do my little part in getting the word out to anyone willing to listen.

I thank everyone who is supporting this effort – be it by subscribing to the blog, the iTunes download, the newsletter, or even those who stumble across the blog and take time to download the podcasts here.  It is encouraging to know we are of like minds on this.

Of course we should all thank the wonderful musicians who are making this great music. I thank them for being true to their craft and being true to both their hearts and minds. I thank them for being humble as well. That is a hard thing to find in folks especially in musicians, and especially in musicians of a particular caliber (such as those found in New Zealand).

Keep doing what you do and I for one will keep supporting it in the best way I can.

So the final NZ Music Month podcast is devoted to the smooth and cool sounds of Twinset. I have wanted to do a Twinset podcast ever since I started doing Kiwi by Proxy because next to The Phoenix Foundation, Twinset are my favorite Kiwi band/group. From the moment I first saw the video of “Just the Way You Are” on their MySpace page two years ago, I have been mesmerized by their sound. Their albums Flavour Country and Mystical Soul were part of my very first Slow Boat order. They have a few other albums that I hope to acquire soon and I hope they have more to come in the future (I didn’t even ask Dan about that though…ugh! It was late when we chatted and I think KbP regulars will be able to detect a difference in my approach this time around oh and my voice… its lower than usual! Yikes!)

At any rate I really enjoyed chatting with Dan Yeabsley and I am confident you will enjoying hearing his insight into the music making process of Twinset as well as the comings and goings in the Wellington Jazz Scene.

Featured alongside the interview with Dan are some of my personal favorite Twinset tunes (although if it were up to me I would just simply put the entire albums on as a playlist! But then no one would go buy them … (oh and yes go buy them here …)

Have a look at the Twinset home page as you listen in.

And now we shall get into the podcast.

Here we go daddio…. Twinset.

Dan The Man (Twinsetcast) 

Stream

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Subscribe to KBP on iTunes for the free download (Due to popularity [a good thing] once folks download it at iTunes the bandwidth goes out for three weeks [bad thing]. If you encounter problems on iTunes for this reason simply download above.)

Tracklisting

Mystical Soul ( From Mystical Soul)
Tocky Locky (From Mystical Soul)
Just the Way You Are (From Flavour Country)
Flavour Country (From Flavour Country)
Sweet Thing feat. Dallas Tamara (From Mystical Soul)
Sunny feat. Barnaby Weir (From Mystical Soul)

I took some pictures with my webcam and thought hmmm this will give folks some insight into the podcast making process.

Here you go folks … some really hard hitting photojournalism.

The mic is coming after me.

Its getting closer...

Ha! I win.

The fourth in the series of five podcasts for NZ Music Month has been completed.

This time around we are going with dreamy, guitar, ethereal, almost ambient(esque) music. I snuck in a twinkly keyboards tune as well. Also a Bats song and Dear Time’s Waste tune are nestled in.

Have a look at the artists’ MySpace pages as you listen in.

• Enright House 
• Sora Shima 
• Dear Time’s Waste 
• Jakob 
• Conrad Wedde 
• The Bats 
• An Emerald City
•  Roy Montgomery (no MySpace page available)

Dream, dream, dream, all I have to do is dream, dream dream…

Ambiguitarcast

Stream

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Track Listing

Enright House – Scattering the Sun Like Gunshot
Sora Shima – Calor Humano
Dear Time’s Waste – Clandestine
Jakob – Faye
Conrad Wedde – Aboo
The Bats – Broken Path
An Emerald City – Qing Song
Roy Montgomery – Dawn Fades Over Ocean

That’s right folks, it was high time I did a podcast on this lovely bunch.

Last week I had the great fortune of meeting up with three members of the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra via Skype.

Megan Hosking, Dan Yeasbley and Sam Auger discussed how the group started, how they go about chosing the songs they perform, how to play the dreaded E Chord, their possible upcoming tour of the US and many other delightful little tidbits of ukulele goodness.

Also featured in this podcast are two mighty fine songs and a special surprise song snuck in at the end. Not gonna tell ya what it is, ya have to listen to the whole thing to find out.

Be sure to friend them on MySpace here at thier page and don’t forget to check out their main website where you can purchase their EPs and tee shirts!!

So I will not keep you in suspense any longer…

I give you the wonderful Wellingtonians known as the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra…

Welly Ukescast

Stream

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Subscribe to KBP on iTunes for the free download (Due to popularity [a good thing] once folks download it at iTunes the bandwidth goes out for three weeks [bad thing]. If you encounter problems on iTunes for this reason simply download above.)

Tracklisting

It’s A Heartache
Ruby (Don’t Take Your Love to Town)
**Special surprise performance

This is the second in a series of five podcasts I am doing for NZ Music month.

This time around I have decided to do a bit of a mixed disc (the first half has sort of a country feel while the second half has that indie-pop thing going on).

Lovely artists lovely tunes lovely way to celebrate NZ Music Month.

Have a look at the artists’ MySpace pages as you listen in.

• Rosy Tin Tea Caddy
• Mel Parsons
• Raggamuffin Children
• The Bats
• Robo Distaste
• The Puddle
• David Kilgour
• Luke Buda

And here we go…

Mixed Disc Cast

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Subscribe to KBP on iTunes for the free download (Due to popularity [a good thing] once folks download it at iTunes the bandwidth goes out for three weeks [bad thing]. If you encounter problems on iTunes for this reason simply download above.)

Track listing

Rosy Tin Tea Caddy – Chestnut
Mel Parsons – Darlin’ Darlin’
The Bats - Castle Lights
Raggamuffin Children - A Fine Storm
Robo Distaste - Darth Vader Disco
The Puddle – Naked
David Kilgour (featuring the poetry of Sam Hunt) - Chord
Luke Buda - Blue Summer

Well it is New Zealand Music Month and I am stoked! I plan to do five podcasts this month to celebrate the excellence in Kiwi music. Seeing as how I usually do 1 podcast every 6 weeks or so, five in one month may prove daunting! We shall see how it goes…

Starting off the KbP marathon will be this podcast which features music from and an interview with Wild Bill Ricketts (Will Ricketts that is).

I caught up with Will last week and we discussed his new album John Dryden. You will find four tracks from this album featured in the podcast. These tracks represent a very broad spectrum of sound covered on this album. As most of you know, when you say broad and music together, you are talking my language. I spoke with Will about various influences of his and he stated that in fact he has very broad tastes which are made evident on this fine album.

It is a stunning display of skill in the art of songwriting and musicianship. It features the likes of Ricki Gooch, Rio Hemopo, Mara TK, Ben Fulton, Connan Mockasin, and Sam Lindsay among many other wonderful musicians.

Will Ricketts, as one of my friends and fellow Kiwi music lovers put it, “is not just the conga player from Phoenix Foundation, folks”.

I think you will agree.

Here we go with the WildBillCast…

Stream

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Tracklisting:
All tracks taken from John Dryden unless otherwise indicated

Mangi Mangi
I Was You
New J
Siamese Dream
Hitchcock (from Pegasus)

I recently had the great fortune of speaking with Ryan Prebble. Ryan is among other things a member of Spartacus R (and a member of one of the most musical families in all of New Zealand…The Prebbles.)

Spartacus R has a new album out (well it came out in January and I am now just getting around to talking about it.)

The album is When the Fever Takes Hold and it is superb. Eight tracks of pure sonic bliss with six (yes that’s right, count ‘em six) album covers. (Very cleverly done… you can insert each print into a clear cover and change it out according to your taste.)

This podcast will feature a few tunes off that album. Alongside the Spartacus tunes you will hear music from Ginger Brown, Little Bushman and Good Laika.

This is a groovy little number of Kiwi by Proxy as this music is reminiscent of late 60s early 70s pyschedelia/blues/rock. Solid stuff!

Also in between tunes you will hear Ryan discussing the music making process behind their new album and a little bit about his solo work.

So here we go… I Am Spartacuscast….

Stream

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Tracklisting

Ginger Brown – The Weekend
Spartacus R – When the Fever Takes Hold
Little Bushman – Nature of Man
Good Laika – Fires (Keep Burning)
Spartacus R – Synthia
Spartacus R – Last Trace of the Golden Glow
Spartacus R – White Zarconia (The Heist)

The votes are in and the final tally is in favor of Rod Thomas. W.I.U.O came in at a close second. It was all in good clean fun. Still wanted W.I.U.O to win though…hummpph… .

Thanks for everyone who went over from my blog to Uke Hunt to vote!

*****Update has now come to an end*****

There is a heated comptetion going on over at the Uke Hunt blog (ok well not a heated competition, I mean after all we are talking about ukulele players, some of the most cruisy people imaginable). But at the moment the W.I.U.O only have 15 or so votes. Let’s change that!

Take a second to go to this site  http://ukulelehunt.com/2009/01/28/ukulele-video-of-the-year-2008-your-vote/ and vote for the best ukulele video of 2008 at the Uke Hunt blog (which the best uke vid of 2008 is surely “It’s a Heartache by the W.I.U.O. )

Vote Kiwi! 
 
*Chirp*

Well that is because this most recent podcast contains much much musical goodness.

My most excellent co-host and equally excellent friend Ian Henderson took time to chat with me about the new Puddle album “The Shakespeare Monkey” (on which he plays drums, keyboards, and melodica!).

This newest effort from The Puddle has been getting a lot of airplay on various indie-type radio stations across the planet (as well it should because it is truly a fantastic album!). It is being well-received by critics also but I am not one to listen to the critics as if I like something I like that. That is pretty much my approach to anything I listen to. I hear it, I like it, I subsequently own it. And once you hear the new Puddle tracks featured on this podcast, I suspect you will wish to own the entire album as well.

Peppered in between talks of the various tracks from The Shakespeare Monkey, you will find discussion about Fishrider Records and the artists featured on the label (Junk Shop Star and The Dark Beaks).

This podcast will not be available on iTunes for a few weeks (yes… still the issues with bandwidth…alas).

So you can download it here exclusively at the blog (down below)

Also take some time (that will be very well spent) to visit the various MySpace pages listed below.

The Puddle MySpace page
The Dark Beaks MySpace page
Junk Shop Star MySpace page
Fishrider Records MySpace page

And here we go … 

Monkeypuddlejunkyfishbeakcast

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Tracklisting

The Puddle – The Shakespeare Monky (from The Shakespeare Monkey)
The Puddle – Friends (from The Shakespeare Monkey)
The Puddle – As it Was (from The Shakespeare Monkey)
The Puddle - Trauma Bear (from The Shakespeare Monkey)
The Puddle - Parasol (from The Shakespeare Monkey)
Junk Shop Star – Spacejunk (unreleased)
The Dark Beaks –  Spill Your Hear (from Spill Your Heart)

I finally have a new podcast up. Sorry about not getting one up for Decemeber but as you will find if you listen in, I was pretty much flat out all last month! I still am actually but dag gummit, I needed to get a podcast together so I did!

And just a quick FYI, I have it available for download here and it should be ready on iTunes in a week or so once the bandwidth resets at my server (stupid bandwidth limits … ugh!!!)

OK so this time around we are goin’ funky, dubby (kinda..) and rastahy(kinda).

Thanks to Sarah Hunter I discovered a few new artists last month. Sarah works with a lot of the funk/dub/reggae bands in Wellington and she emailed me and asked if I had thought about doing a podcast focusing on that aspect of the Wellington music scene. Yes I had thought about it but just never had a chance to really look into all that was going on there funk/dub wise…

Well again thanks to Sarah I found a few artists that really blew me away. I think y’all will be equally impressed with the artists too!

Check out their MySpace pages if you get a chance. I have linked to them below.

The Black Seeds
Eru Dangerspiel (Riki Gooch of Trinity Roots)
Fat Freddy’s Drop
Rhombus
Pacific Heights (Devin Abrams aka Reno of Shapeshifter)
Rio Hunuki – Hemopo (also of Trinity Roots)
Video Kid (no MySpace page – well except for the Flight of the Conchords’ page as Video Kid is Bret McKenzie)
Mara TK

***Ironically, as dub is in the title of this podcast I really didn’t include any dub because true dub has no lyrics… and the song in this podcast that has no lyrics isn’t really dub! Just had to qualify as it bugs me when certain songs are classified as dub, when in fact they are not…
***

And here we go….

FunkyDubbyRastacast

Stream

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Subscribe to KBP on iTunes for the free download (Give it about a week for my bandwidth to reset and then you can grab it at iTunes)

The Black Seeds - Cool Me Down
Eru Dangerspeil - Hikoi Teaki
Fat Freddy’s Drop - Pull the Catch
Rhombus (featuring MC Mana) - Losing it ADD
Pacific Heights - The Show is Over
Fat Freddie’s Drop - The Camel
Rio Hunuki – Hemopo - Wahinetoa
Video Kid - CCTV
Pacific Heights - Make it Easier
Mara TK - Gimme That Kinda
Eru Dangerspiel - Hold Up
The Black Seeds - Bad Apple

The Kiwis are coming, the Kiwis are coming...back

…on FunnyorDie dot com. http://funnyordie.com .

***Update**** Direct link to the video is here.

You can get a sneak preview of FotC season 2 opener starting Decemeber 17th and will subsequently be up for 4 days.

Sweet as!

***Update**** I just saw it, and am watching it again. Oh man… Crying here. If this is any indication of what we can expect from Season 2, I can safely say it will be even funnier (if it were possible!) than the first. Orsum.

*Graphic provided by Sar Bear’s site http://bananamisconception.com/

Well it would seem that Kiwi by Proxy is getting more popular than I would have ever dreamed. It would appear that only 10 days or so after putting up my last podcast, I have run out of bandwidth!

I am very excited by this because it means more people are downloading the podcast or streaming it from my blog. That means more people are hearing the music! Wheeeeee!

I am looking in to how to upgrade the file server where I have all the podcasts (and the XML file) stored. Things are a bit tight right now though so I have to wait a bit to go for the upgrade.

For now, if you are streaming the podcast daily, I ask that you simply download them from iTunes (it is free). That would help in conserving the bandwidth.  If you download it you can listen to it anytime you wish (on your iPod, on WinAmp, Media Player, etc…).

If you don’t have iTunes, send me an email ( kiwibyproxy@yahoo.com ) and I will reply with a link where you can download the podcast directly without going through iTunes.

This is a temporary fix. In time I will have more bandwidth. 

Sorry for any inconvenience.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to listen!

Amazingly enough in the flurry of all that has been going on in my life I still managed to discover some new (to me) Kiwi music. 

I received Woolshed Sessions a few weeks ago thanks my trusty co-host and most excellent friend, Ian Henderson. As a result I have been in a folky state of mind so I went on a treasure hunt for some really good New Zealand folk music.

I already had a few folks on my MySpace friends list - Tim Beals (and his sister Holly) aka Ashes of August, Shaun K. Anderson and Jess Chambers to name a few. One of the great things about MySpace (yes there are great things about MySpace!) is that your friends have other friends, and they have friends,  ad infinitum. So yes, I found other folk artists through the ones I already had on my list. (Again that great thing about MySpace.)

So I contacted a few folks on MySpace and asked if they would mind sending me a song or two for the podcast. They graciously provided me with songs and as a result they are featured on this podcast. I am very appreciative of their complying with my request (as you will be once you hear their lovely music).

As you listen in (either by streaming here or downloading from iTunes) have a look at their pages. I have linked to them below.

Oh also, an interesting side note, it just so happens that all of these artists are based in Wellington. It didn’t even occur to me until after I had put the playlist together. So yea, Welly seems to be the place to be for whatever you are hankerin’ for musically.

MySpace pages for all the artists featured in this podcast.

• Chloe Langley 
• Ashes of August
• Shaun K. Anderson
• Matthew Holleman
• Age Pryor
• Jess Chambers and the Firefly Orchestra
• The Phoenix Foundation
• Woolshed Sessions

Without further ado I give you the KbP folkcast.

Folkcast

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Due to bandwidth limits I can only offer the free download via this blog for one week. However all archived podcasts are available at iTunes and are of course free. 

Subscribe to KBP on iTunes for the free download

Tracklisting

Chole Langley – Fly Straight
Shaun K. Anderson – The Stand Sure Oak
Jess Chambers and the Firefly Orchestra – Island
Matthew Holleman – Great Foundation
Age Pryor (featuring Tessa Rain) – King of You All
Ashes of August – Truth You Know
Shaun K. Anderson – The Overcomer
Chloe Langley – Work of Faith
Jess Chambers and the Firefly Orchestra – Soldiers
The Phoenix Foundation – Wildlife
Ashes of August – To Be With You
Woolshed Sessions – Acceptance

F to da O to da T to da C

Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement (aka Flight of the Conchords) won 4 well deserved awards for their brilliant self-titled album. You must have a look here at their acceptance speeches.

Funny stuff! But then dats how dey roll, eh?

I am sad however, well devestated actually, that The Phoenix Foundation didn’t get their props (however they were in the same category as Flight of the Conchords for two of the awards so it would have been a bit difficult for both groups to win!). Lee Preeble did win two awards, one for Best Producer and another for Best Engineer for The Phoenix Foundation album Happy Ending, so it wasn’t a total loss.

For a full list of the winners in all the categories go here. (Thanks to Owen’s Valley’s very own Tomatohead for this bit of info).

Well after being away for weeks and weeks, I came back with three new podcasts two short weeks ago. Just when I thought it would be a bit before I got to a new one I managed to catch up with Age Pryor and we had a great chat.

We discussed his solo work, collaborative efforts with Fly My Pretties, Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra, and his most recent work with Woolshed Sessions.

Age is such an incredible musician and well he is just an all around great guy. I am a bigger fan now more than ever.

You can find out more about Age Pryor by visiting his MySpace page. Also while hanging about on MySpace check out the Woolshed Sessions’ page (take a look at the pic folder too… wonderful shots of the beautiful New Zealand countryside and equally beautiful New Zealand musicians.)

Also featured in this podcast are songs from Age’s solo albums Shanks’ Pony and City Chorus, and his newest song from the collaborative work Woolshed Sessions – Waterfall (a truly breathtaking piece of music with haunting lyrics. I can’t describe the feeling I get from hearing it. Amazing.)

Purchase Shanks’ Pony here, City Chorus here and Woolshed Sessions here. Also check out the Wellington Ukulele Orchestra’s web site here.

Age Pryor Podcast

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Tracklisting

Shanks’ Pony - Album: Shanks’ Pony
Shouldn’t I Know - Album: Shanks’ Pony
Best for You - Album: City Chorus
Waterfall – Album: Woolshed Sessions

I am now back. Back after moving from Georgia to Oklahoma. Back after getting the flu 10 days after being here. Back after my daughter getting strep throat after having the flu. Back after heaps of other things that have been going on.

Most importantly I am back with a new podcast! Actually … THREE new podcasts!

The first one is devoted to the music of The Clean.

The Clean are one of the most prolific New Zeland bands ever…ever, ever. As in ever.

I caught up with Ian Henderson and we talked about about the history of the band and what they have been up too lately.

They recently released a live album called Mashed and they have a new studio album nearing the completion stage. (Woohoo! I am too stoked about that).

Ian spoke with David Kilgour and Robert Scott seperately about their work with the Clean and their various side projects and solo work.  AND both David and Robert recorded a song each especially for Kiwi by Proxy. 

While you are listening in to the podcast have a look at a few sites.

Arch Hill Recordings – Go here to purchase the live album Mashed that is featured in the Cleancast.

David Kilgour’s MySpace page – Keep up with projects David is working on.

Robert Scott MySpace page – Keep up with the projects Robert is working on and get in touch with Robert on how to purchase rare material from The Clean, The Bats, and his solo work.

The Bats MySpace page – Keep up with all the comings and goings of the Christchurch/Duedin band The Bats.

So here ya go folks… three new podcasts with some very sweet music, excellent interviews, and live KBP exclusive recordings from David and Robert. (Oh and ignore the bits about … “next week and then the next”…. I went ahead and uploaded everything all at once for your listening pleasure.)

Cleancast

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Tracklisting

Stars – Album: The Getaway
The Blue – Album: Anthology
Anything Can Happen – Album: Anthology
Fish – Album: Mashed
Tee Pee and Tom Toms – Album: Mashed
Tallyho - Album: Anthology

DKcast

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Tracklisting

Today is Gonna be Mine – Album: Feather in the Engine
All the Rest - Album: Feather in the Engine
Blue Sky - Album: Frozen Orange
Gold in Sound - Album: Frozen Orange
BBC World - Album: The Far Now
*** With an interview with David and an exclusive KBP performance of ”Under Cloud” from The Far Now

BobnBatscast

          

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Tracklisting 
 
Around You Like Snow- Album: Couchmaster (The Bat’s)
Lost Weekend – Album: Couchmaster (The Bat’s)
North by North – Daddy’s Highway (The Bat’s)
Up to the Sky – At the National Grid (The Bat’s)
Back Beach – Tudor Gates (solo)
A Trip Down South – Songs of Otago’s Past (solo)
***With an interview with Robert and an exclusive KBP performance of “Silent Treatment”

Howdy all,

I guess it doesn’t matter where I am physically as this is the interweb, the world wide net, cyber-space and all that good stuff… But I am moving state!

This Peach is moving to Oklahoma.

Anyway thought I would let everyone know a little bit more about me. You know, come to think of it, most people that read my blog know nothing about me. Maybe that is best! haha. Then again, maybe I will bore everyone one day with a post about who I am, what I do for a living, and all that stuff.  We’ll see.

Anyway, as a result of the move, I will be laying low for a few weeks. BUT, when I get back into action I have a verrrrrrrrry sweet podcast planned. Ian Henderson will be interviewing two very prominent Kiwi musicians and we may just have a live acoustic set of some of their tunes. It will be a KbP Exclusive!

So yes, keep an eye out (or  well, an ear out!)

Alrighty folks, that is about it for my update.

I must get back to packing and preparing for the big day…Thursday August 7th!

Keep listeing in to KbP and feel free to give me your feedback!

Carrie

I threw together a little podcast today filled with some lovely, quirky, yet elegant tunes from some pretty darn good Kiwi artists (they are always pretty darn good though, eh?)

Don’t forget you can download it via ITunes now. Woot Woot… I am still stoked about that.

Hope you enjoy these lovely tunes! I sure do!

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or Subscribe to KBP on iTunes for the free download

Tracklisting

Flight of the Conchords - Bowie
Bachorlerette - Intergalactic Solitude
Lawrence Arabia - Half the Right Size
Cloudboy - Red Rubicon
Dimmer - All the Way to Her
Bachorlerette - My Electric Husband
Skallander – Follow Me
Tokey Tones – The Beach
The Phoenix Foundation – Sea World
Flight of the Conchords – Robots

Go here to shop for all the groovy music heard in this podcast.

Simple equation

Kiwi by Proxy is now officially a podcast.

You can go here and it will bring up the Kiwi by Proxy iTunes page in iTunes. From there you can subscribe! I am just a wee bit excited.

Give it a few days for the graphic to show up. I don’t know what the craic is with that. I have coded the XML file everyway possible and the image simply isn’t showing up. At this point I think it is just a matter of waiting it out until iTunes approves it.

OK there ya have it folks!

You can now subscribe to these podcasts directly through iTunes!

Yeee dawgies!

I spoke with one Samuel Flynn Scott a few nights ago and discussed his work with Phoenix Foundation and Bunnies on Ponies. We had such a great chat (and a lengthy one) that I have three (yes three!) podcasts worth of material.

Well I can’t pace myself and leave a little to the imagination. Oh no. I am just going to let it all hang out and give you all of the podcasts at once.

The first podcast is a Bunnycast … with Samuel discussing Straight Answer Machine his most recent effort with Bunnies on Ponies. Also featured are some of my personal favorites from the album. 

The next two are part of a double session of a Phoenixcast. The first part features the interview with Samuel and  the songs discussed during the interview. The second part is just my being self-indulgent playing many of my favorite songs by The Phoenix Foundation.

I hope you enjoy them! I know I certainly enjoyed everything that went into these podcasts. Especially the part about speaking with one of my all-time favorite musicians.

1. Bunnies and ponies and Samuel, oh my!

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Tracklisting (all songs from Straight Answer Machine by Bunnies on Ponies)

Sodium Ions 
Black Mark
Llewellyn
Ravers on Probation

Excellent posture brings forth excellent music.

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Tracklisting 

Bright Grey – from Happy Ending
The Drinker – from Horsepower
This Charming Van – from Horsepower
Slightest Shift in the Weather – from Pegasus

3. Shameless self-indulgence of imposing my own tastes on everyone! But well, I LOVE this band!

Squid Song Trilogy

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Tracklisting

Sister Risk – from Horsepower
Going Fishing – from Horsepower
All in an Afternoon – from Pegasus
Cars of Eden – from Pegasus
Nest Egg – from Pegasus
Irrelevant Noise – from Happy Ending
A Day in the Sun – from Happy Ending
40 Years – from Happy Ending

Red Bull Studio …is sweet as y’all! (Like how I blend Kiwi slang with my southern US vernacular?!)

There are hours upon hours worth of filmed live studio session recordings of some of the absolute best bands New Zealand has to offer (there are a few non-Kiwi bands there as well and they are equally as awesome!). 

I had difficulty viewing this in Internet Explorer 6 (I won’t update to IE7 and I won’t go into why…because that topic is best left for the nerd forums I visit). However it is easily enough viewed in Firefox and I am sure Mac users won’t have any difficulties with Safari.

So stock up on Red Bull so you can stay awake ’til the wee hours viewing and hearing all the wonderful music this site has to offer. Me, well I have to go to bed early ’cause I have to get up early, so Red Bull really isn’t in my daily dietary plan…

Still, I have found the time to take in some of the amazing recordings housed at this site.

No excuses from any of you…. take the time to listen in. You won’t regret it!

Apparently this is a series of live action shots and there was nothing added in the post editing process. Truly impressive. I think it speaks to the impressive nature of the album as well. I highly recommend purchasing it!

Age Pryor – Shanks’ Pony

“…directed by Taika Waititi, at Nektar Films in Wellington…”
(Taken from the YouTube description)

Purchase Shanks Pony
 

Spartacus R offers up Sunset to Sunrise. This song was featured as the summer theme song for Radio New Zealand a few years back. Stunning work from all six members on this song. Having said that I am especially keen on Ben James’ clarinet playing. As a former clarinet player myself I have a bit of a soft spot for that instrument and those who play it. The vocals are mighty fine as well. I can’t sing though so I have a soft spot for singers but evny them at the same time.

Also you will hear some funk/R&B/jazz from the organ trio Twinset (Booker T & The MGs are alive and well). Flight of the Conchords fans will recognize the voice of Video Kid in his song Dawnskate - 88 as it is Bret McKenzie (the “weedy shy guy” of FotC). Module and Rhombus also lend themselves to the mellow theme of this podcast with two very laid back tracks.

Be warned, any activity that requires any sort of physical exurtion is not recommended while listening to this podcast. This is meant for kicking back on the porch on a summer night, driving ’round town with the windows down and the breeze blowing in, or vegging out on the couch after a very long day.

Hope you enjoy it.

Carrie

MelloWellocast

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Track Listing

Rebeal Peasant - Eraque
Spartacus R - Sunset to Sunrise
Twinset - Flavour Country
Video Kid - Dawnskate – 88
Rhombus - Sweetness
Twinset - Sweet Thing (Featuring Dallas)
Module - Twilight Stolen (Featuring Jessica Chambers)
Rebel Peasant - Little Swan

For a list of retailers where you can purchase the music heard in this podcast go here.

Stream

Stream

*Features and interview with that artist

*Liam Finn – Second Chance and Gather to the Chapel
*The Ruby Suns – This Adventure Tour and Tane Mahuta
*Die! Die! Die! – Sideways Here We Come and A.T.T.I.T.U.D.

For a list of retailers where you can purchase the music heard in this podcast go here.

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or Subscribe to KBP on iTunes for the free download

Track Listing

The Phoenix Foundation – Let Me Die A Woman
Samuel Flynn Scott - War Over Water
Age Pryor - Summer
Ryan Prebble - Fruits
The Dark Beaks - Roll Along
The Puddle - I’ve Lost My Way In This World
The Bats - Flowers and Trees
The Nudie Suits - Sweetacres
Shaft - Can You Feel It (Parts I & II)
C.L. BOB - Voices

For a list of retailers where you can purchase the music heard in this podcast go here.

Kiwi by Proxy was born out of my love of music coupled with my amazement at how little exposure there was to such a rich and full music scene hidden away in the Southern Hemisphere.

Podcasts

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• Ampilfier – (Onliner retailer – Auckland) – www.amplifier.co.nz
• Arch Hill Recordings (Label – Auckland) – www.archhill.co.nz
• Bob Scott – (Artist/Musician – Dunedin) – Bob Scott is a staple in the New Zealand music scene being a member of both The Bats and The Clean (among many others). He sells his own CDs with hand made album covers (oh yes he paints as well!)www.myspace.com/robertscottx
• Dunedin Music dot com (Dunedin) – www.dunedinmusic.com/store.php
• Fishrider Records (Label – Dunedin) – www.darkbeaks.com and at MySpace @ www.myspace.com/fishriderrecords
• Lil’ Chief Records (Label – Auckland) – www.lilchiefrecords.com and at MySpace @ www.myspace.com/lilchiefrecords
• Real Groovy (Store nationwide in New Zealand) – www.realgroovy.co.nz
• Marbecks (Store – Auckland) – www.marbecks.co.nz
• Slow Boat Records (Store – Wellington) – www.slowboatrecords.co.nz
• Smoke CDs (Store – Wellington) – www.smokecds.com
• William on MySpace – www.myspace.com/antipas

Ian Henderson of Fishrider Records said on my MySpace group “Well those have most of the bases covered…There are some other on-line retailers I’ll list below that may be worth checking. I haven’t used any of these but I know that New Zealand CDs has a lot of “out of print” stuff from the old days so is worth a look.

www.newzealandcds.com
www.cdkiwi.co.nz

One of the best labels/distributors to trawl through is Powertool Records. Is there anyone in recent years who has done more to bring the under-appreciated artists of the New Zealand underground to the attention of others Kiwis and the world than Andrew Maitai of Powertool Records and also Powertool Records German connection Thomas Keitsch of Hamburg?

www.powertoolrecords.co.nz
www.powertoolrecords.de

I can’t sing the praises of these guys highly enough. OK, I can’t sing at all, but that’s neither here nor there…And speaking of not being able to sing at all, don’t forget

www.wingmusic.co.nz “

Koru Branch said on my MySpace group forum. “For anyone in the UK reading this, Spacific net have an online store selling a range of CDs by NZ artists.

www.spacific.net “