Great new music from independent labels and artists all around the world

Music from Hawaii (via Salt Lake City), California, Germany and Great Yarmouth (near Norway). Plus a location interview with Justine and Anna of UK-based indie rockers Hey Gravity!

Kimo Watanabe – Pauoa Valley
Kimo Watanabe currently resides in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he uses his musical skill to perpetuate ki ho’alu guitar. In addition to ki ho’alu, Kimo plays 6 string uke and acoustic guitar to produce some kick back island music with an indie feel.
Kimo described Pauoa Valley on 12 March as “a song I wrote last week on uke. This one is about . . . Pauoa Valley right outside of Honolulu. I put this one together last week and recorded it today.”
Now I’d often be a bit worried by a description like that but to me this song works like a dream, with no production, no effects, no nothing but a simple instrument and a bucket load of feeling.

Kimo Watanabe

Unsteady – Tokyo
A band from Mike Park’s Asian Man label in California.
Traditional ska influenced by jazz, funk, Latin, and reggae, with excellent musicianship and a terrific live show. They have an album on Asian Man: AM-017 “Double or Nothing” on CD/LP.
Other than that, I don’t know a lot about them. If you have more information I’d be very pleased to hear from you.
www.asianmanrecords.com

My Flint – My Ghosts
I think the band describe themselves perfectly well; “See us on stage to get the feeling of an amazing rock show! We love to heat the amps with finest highschool punkrock!”
Upcoming gigs include:
07.04.2006 – Indoorfestival – Herzogenaurach
22.04.2006 – Spring Rock Benefits 06 – Weissach info
30.04.2006 – KEMÖF Festival – Erlangen (E-Werk) info
13.05.2006 – Loud Croud Open Air – Langenzenn info
16.06.2006 – Haßfelden Open Air – Haßfelden
22.07.2006 – Playground Open-Air – Nennslingen
05.08.2006 – Welcome Goodbye Summer Open-Air – Rübenau
Now, if you are not a German speaker, perhaps you’ll understand my difficulty. Do look out for the Dress em all feature on the website – hours of almost innocent fun.

www.myflint.com

Hey Gravity
A special feature on my current favourite band. I went to see them on Tuesday in London and couldn’t have asked to meet a more entertaining bunch of individuals.
Anna and Justine talk a bit about the history of the band and pay a personal tribute to the late John Peel who encouraged and promoted the band. They also give some insights into the challenges of being a working indie band today and demonstrate the necessary single mindedness.
Justine did a very good job of pointing out that the interviewer was talking “bollocks” – as indeed he was!
The interview is topped and tailed by a couple of PMN songs that I’ve played before: Risen and the forthcoming single Inside Out
www.myspace.com/heygravity

Hello, and well done to Dave in Blackpool for proving that the Frappr Map on the main website works! How ’bout you put yourself on too – it would be great to know roughly where you are! If you don’t want to commit to that, an email just to let me know would be really good.
Peter