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

A right old mix of tuneage this week with couple of blues tracks, dub de France, straight on rock from New Jersey and the original Cambridge and Norfolk here in the UK, Zydeco from Louisiana, African sounds from northwest London and a little treat for you from Mexico. Joey Nightmare (photo by JC) showed their commitment as well as their technical skills in London.You beautiful thing you – Kimon & the Prophets (Newark, NJ, USA) From the album Roadhouse Party.Veteran musicians who have long since paid their dues in the NYC club circuit and beyond, the members of the Prophets have been in numerous bands with national releases. Early on Kimon survived a long stint as guitarist and co-writer with an over-the-top, edgy NYC garage band called The Wilsons, later joining Hoboken NJ favorites Fear of Falling as guitarist where he met drummer Rob Savoy.There they gained much experience in making albums and performing via touring in Europe and the U.S. They both went on to form the electronic rock group Psonica with bassist Pete Diaz, signing with the now defunct Navarre Entertainment. They released their national debut effort, but disbanded soon after due to internal disagreements, at which point, Kimon went on in the following five years to release four critically acclaimed solo albums, methodically cultivating his own brand of protest rock. Most of the material featured Rob Savoy on drums.In February of 2008 Kimon and Rob were joined by long time friend and musical conspirator Marc Gambino on bass and vocals. Marc enjoyed much European success as a member of the rock band Concrete Jungle and later a six year stint with Asbury Park favorites Maybe Pete. The trio emerged as Kimon & the Prophets. Enjoyable video.www.kimon.tvwww.myspace.com/kimonkFrom Geek.com – Study: pirates are the music industry’s largest source of legitimate customers (April 2009)According to a study conducted by the BI Norwegian School of Management, those who have used peer-to-peer applications, such as BitTorrent, to pirate music are ten times more likely to purchase songs online than those who haven"t used file-sharing applications.The study polled 1,901 applicants between the ages of 15 and 20. Of this demographic, those who had downloaded music illegally had also paid for legal downloads an average of 75 times; compared with 7 times for those who hadn’t engaged in piracy.This echoes results published by the Canadian Record Industry Association during 2006.Source http://tinyurl.com/d596hbZubremiska – Sirdeck VS Volfoniq (France)On the  Cristaux Liquident netlabel www.lescristauxliquident.org/ where all the music is under creative commons.Volfoniq is a French electro-dub band, melting reggae and other world music with electronics to create its very own interpretation of Dub. Respecting the roots of Jamaican music, Volfoniq features driving skanks with built-in low-fi and "electronic" moods, always keeping the focus on the heart of dub: bass!The band is composed by PakuPaku (programming, mixing & effects, melodica), incorporating guests on some occasions.Some live shows featuring Volfoniq:23 May Volfoniq + Volatil @ Keep on Dub – Saint Izaire (FR-12)+ Deapoh & MC Cessman (UK), Waddadda (D)05 June Volfoniq @ Bergen reggae festival – Bergen (NOR).+ Zion train (UK), Solo Banton (UK), Mikey Murka (UK), Deadly Huntah (UK), Disrupt & Rootah (D), MC SoomT (UK), Channel One soundsystem feat. Mikey Dread & Ras Kayleb, …Download the album at:http://pakupaku.celeonet.fr/joomla/content/view/28/59/www.lescristauxliquident.org/Lead me on – Kelly Joe Phelps (Oregon, USA)Kelly Joe Phelps is a musician and songwriter from Oregon State who is well-known as one of the best living "bluesman" and lapslide guitar players.From the album Lead me on (street release on April 15) although the digital version has been available for a month or so. Actually, I think it is a re-release of quite an old album."Hundreds of gigs and bloodied fingers led up to his first recording for Burnside Records, an independent label based in Portland, Oregon. ‘Lead Me On’ was released in June 1994, representing a recording session that was to set up the Kelly Joe Phelps standard for recording practice: "close your eyes and play".Download the track free here:

Kelly Joe Phelps, Kelly Joe Phelps "Lead Me On" (mp3) from "Lead Me On" (Burnside Records) Buy at iTunes Music Store Stream from Rhapsody More On This AlbumKimbala – Jose Konda (London) From the new album Bolingo Na Yo Nkolo on Jamendo. Jose Konda is based in the northwest outskirts of London.Jamendo album page: www.jamendo.com/en/album/45520"It has been out there for a good while and I have made a few TV appearance with OBE TV." You can see a few video-clips of these songs on:www.youtube.com/user/josekondapalmwine-production.vndv.com/A good time at Get Wanted last Wednesday. I particularly enjoyed the excirtem,ent and passion with which Joey Nightmare conducted their set. They were first on but turned it on and really got the place going. I’m convinced that some bass players are directed descended from the octopus. Joshua is a prime example and along with Benjamin on drums provided loads of interest, light and shade any yet also a rock solid foundation for all the fancy guitar work by Joeseth and Alexander. The instruments were complementing Tiff’s vocals rather then just playing along with the songs. Great set.www.myspace.com/joeynightmareThanks to Kiera and Magda for putting the shows on and creating such a buzz. I’m sorry that I had to leave early to get the train back to Suffolk so Jessie and I missed the headline act of the night The Alexandria Quartet. Although I did hear their drums for days afterwards!myspace.com/getwantedLoud bands in small venues – what’s the answer?Lily Allen Keys – The First  (Norfolk / Cambridgeshire, UK)Matt Smith – VocalsTim Crane – Guitar/VocalsTrev Smith – Bass/VocalsRob Knight – Drums/VocalsBen Knowles – GuitarThe First are a melodic rock band from Cambridgeshire. Completing the lineup during the summer of 2006, the band started working towards the release of their first EP, Straight Through Til Morning. The EP proves the bands ability to blend driving rock sound-scapes with catchy pop melodies, a unique sound that has lead them to support bands such as Wheatus, Gallows, Brigade, Bring Me The Horizon, Bloodhound Gang and Furthest Drive Home, to name but a few, The First are a band that’s happy tearing up the stage with indie shoegazers to metalcore screamophiles and every guitar genre in-between.March 23rd 2009 saw the release of Land & Sea on Lockjaw Records. The bands second EP brings a more hardcore edge to their signature sound. More solos, more riffs and bigger production!Playing:21 May The Man On The Moon. CambridgeThen Get Wanted ( www.myspace.com/getwanted ) on 10 June and into the summer:24 Jul The Royal Oak, Ipswich25 Jul Mattishall Annual Beer Festival! Mattishall (Norwich/Dereham)30 Jul B2. Norwich8 Aug Fordham Festival, Newmarket30 Aug SnettFest ’09 Snettisham (Norfolk Coast)www.myspace.com/thefirstMi Teniente – Rogelio Gutierrez (Mexico?)No information available. If you have anything please let me know, it’s peter [at] suffolkandcool.com

Rogelio Gutierrez "Mi Teniente" (mp3) from "Polkas Famosas 18 Exitos" (Modiner) Buy at Rhapsody Stream from Rhapsody More On This AlbumBad Seed – Kat Danser (Edmonton, Canada)From Kat’s superb 2007 album Somethin’ Familiar.Her ‘Swamp Blues’ style is steeped in early roots and blues traditions and delivered by her deep, resonant vocals and the soulful sound of her Weissenborn lap slide guitar.  Much like a long stretching railroad track, Danser draws a direct line from the Canadian prairie to the Mississippi Delta.  She is one part backwoods juke joint, one part plow puller and two parts dusty ol’ canvas tent revival.  Kat Danser delivers a refreshing approach to roots, blues, and gospel music for the 21st Century.A multi-instrumentalist, Danser plays the Weissenborn Hawaiian lap slide guitar, a vintage acoustic Gibson, National steel resophonic slide guitar, a tack head banjo and the Zydeco scrub-board.Danser is currently in production of her third full-length acoustic roots and blues album, is filming a documentary entitled Women in Blues: Turn the Page and is an Ethnomusicology graduate student at the University of Alberta.You can download that track and order the CDs from Kat’s site.Win a signed copy of the Somethin’ Familiar albumAfter/for which Memphis blues woman is Kat’s Minstrel Minnie guitar/bango named? Send me the answer by email to: peter[at]suffolkandcool.com.Hint: You’ll find the answer on Kat’s main site.www.katdanser.comwww.myspace.com/katdanserNinth Place – Buckwheat Zydeco (Louisiana, USA)From Lay your burden down, recorded in Maurice, Lousiana.The most adventurous release ever by an American music icon. Buckwheat is famous for fusing zydeco"s rhythmic energy to rock, R&B and funk. With guest appearances by Sonny Landreth, Warren Haynes, JJ Grey and Trombone Shorty.Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural started his career as an R&B organist, and then spent two years with accordionist Clifton Chenier before forming Buckwheat Zydeco in 1979. Besides learning zydeco from Chenier, its universally acknowledged king, Dural also absorbed his mentor’s maxim that music with real substance must be based on real-life experience: "I like to hear something with ideas," Chenier once told this writer. "See, a lot of young people don’t understand that, they cut a record but they don’t tell a story — and you know why? They ain’t got no story to tell, ’cause they ain’t been through nothin’."

Buckwheat Zydeco "Ninth Place" (mp3) from "Lay Your Burden Down" (Alligator Records) More On This Album