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

49 of the finest musical minutes. Personally selected from artists based all around the world. Again, the Canadians make a good showing, along with  Chicago, Rome, Boston, Istanbul, Montpellier and New York.Podcrawl looms ever closer and Rowley has been checking the pubs of central London, sampling the beer and generally being a diligent egg. The result is that plans are being updated and final arrangements will appear on the Podcrawl site at http://podcrawl.blogspot.com/ in the coming few days. There is even a Facebook event The emphasis this year is on opening up Podrawl and encourage more podcasters, musicians and listeners to meet up and make the "virtual" connections "real". If you can make it to London on 21 November you will be very welcome.This week’s pic was intended to be something truly gripping from London today but it was very, very wet and dull all day. I show you no mercy, here (right) is the delight of Goodge Street underground station on Tottenham Court Road. Here’s the location on a dry dull day!A song about California – Hey Ocean (Vancouver, BC, Canada)What began as a very casual musical partnership on the beaches of Costa Rica, has now morphed into one of Canada’s most successful independent bands. Their rapid success can be attributed to their do-it-yourself attitude, which has recently helped build their self-owned label, Pop Machine.Together, Ashleigh Ball, David Beckingham and David Vertesi have created a musical repertoire that cannot be ignored – be it on radio, television or your neighbor"s iPod, Hey Ocean will soon be everywhere.Continuously leaving fans in awe, Hey Ocean combines sheer talent, charismatic songs, and an undeniably energetic live show, making them a must see band for 2009! It’s Easier To Be Somebody Else is now available on iTunes.Hey Ocean! North America tour:Oct 1st – Montreal @ Club Soda (w/ Joel Plaskett) POP MONTREAL
Oct 2nd – Wakefield, QC @ Blacksheep Inn (Ottawa)
Oct 3rd – Peterborough @ Montreal House
Oct 7th – Philadelphia, PA @ M Room
Oct 8th – New York, NY @ Piano’s
Oct 14th – Philadelphia, PA @ M Room
Oct 15th – New York, NY @ Piano’s
Oct 17th – Toronto, ON @ The Rivoli
Oct 21st – Philadelphia, PA @ M Room
Oct 26th – Minneapolis, MN @ Uptown Bar
Oct 28th – Lethbridge, AB @ The Slice
Oct 29th – Edmonton, AB @ The Pawnshopwww.myspace.com/heyoceanEndless Water – The Darcys (Toronto and Halifax, Canada)These young fellows met in early 2006 at the University of King’s College in Halifax, They progressed quickly from shows in campus bars to releasing their first EP You, Me and the Light at a packed Horseshoe Tavern. They took off across Eastern Canada, Ontario and Quebec on a series of shorter tours to get their feet wet and figure out just what it means to tour this country. In June of 2007 the Darcys found themselves translating their newly discovered live sound on to their first LP in the Waterloo Children’s Museum of Technology. A month later their homemade creation: Endless Water was mixed, mastered and on its way out into the world. The Darcys live shows are moving quickly from a sloppy, boozy, love fest to a tight and muscular, well arranged boozy love fest. Their live exploits didn’t end after their triumphant show case at NXNE last year. In the fall of 2008, the band drove to both Canadian coasts, converting new fans along the way, and road testing songs that will make up the bulk of their second LP (due in Fall of 2009). We’ll be looking forward to that then!www.thedarcys.ca www.myspace.com/itsthedarcysYou’re alright – Tenry Johns (Chicago, IL, USA) Tenry Johns has come a long way from his humble beginnings in a small town in the Delta called Shelby, Mississippi. He started his own band at the age of 15 while he while still in high school.After graduating in the mid ’60s, his family moved to Chicago. Shortly after hitting town, Tenry looked up his cousin, notable local singer/ songwriter and performer, Johnny Drummer, and the two started playing together regularly.Eventually, Tenry and his brothers formed "The Johns Bros. Band" with the fabulous Denise LaSalle and Bill Coday fronting the band.After years of performing around Chicago and surrounding areas, Tenry met Harry Glen from Marvel Records. They worked together on releasing his first 4 song EPSome of his other experiences include teaming up with the Gemico label recording group called "The Notations", and as the bandleader for the touring band, "Nitro".After the group broke up, Tenry’s focus turned to writing and producing his own songs. Tenry’s latest release: Moving On is his fourth self-produced CD on the Tenry Music label. Like his previous releases:So WhatNeed Your LoveIn Here Tonightwww.tenryjohns.com/Strada – Pasqualino Ubaldini (Roma, Italy)From the album Il ViandanteThe Wayfarer it is the first job of Pasqualino Ubaldini. It picks up eight passages, of my composition, of ethnic extraction, all realized in really, both to house and in study. In the greatest part sound a Greek bouzouki, acoustic guitar, mandola and saz baglama. The love for the music of the Mediterranean one has pushed me and inspired to the realization of this.www.myspace.com/pasqualinoubaldiniwww.jamendo.com/en/album/40411November – Rubblebucket (Boston, MA, USA)The second Suffolk’n’Cool outing for Rubblebucket in recent weeks. Their new single Bikes was featured on 186.Defined as a polyrhythmic dance/rock band, Rubblebucket is a nine-piece group that combines the sounds of various brass instruments with catchy rhythms and soulful lead vocals. The resulting sound has hints of dance, rock, and funk, and is anything but ordinary. The unique music that this youthful, energetic group has managed to produce is universally appealing, as it defies genre boundaries and combines true musical talent with a spirited, positive attitude. www.myspace.com/rubblebucketHoly Marbles – Tymphony (Istanbul, Turkey)http://tymphony.anafikir.com/en/Jazz Kiff – Organic Despair (Montpellier, France)Organic Despair puts me on to lots of interesting music on Jamendo so it is a pleasure to return the favour by playing one of his tracks.Passionate about music "Organic Despair" formerly "First Jesus Christ" fell in love with the guitar …. first a psychedelic rock group was formed but broke up pretty quickly … He discovered the multi-track cassette that allowed him to record his first single tracks … then computer came along and every possibility opened up…. http://organicdespair.jimdo.com/www.jamendo.com/en/artist/organic.despairRunaround – Del Marquis (New York, NY, USA)Runaround is the final piece of a truly independent release from Scissor Sisters guitarist Del Marquis – and it closes out the cycle in high style.On a break from the Scissor Sisters in 2008, Del set out to break new ground with an unconventional music project. One that would break away from the traditional album-tour-album game plan with a series of short releases, each with video accompaniment.While Runaround steers away from the previous inclusion of a video, it focuses solely on the tunes, and is no less compelling. With its fantastically vintage production values – à la production legends Trevor Horn and Mike Thorne – Del’s songs may throw the listener, but that’s the beauty of it – no one else is making music like this today.Runaround, released in late September, is designed for the heart and soul, but also for the feet. The release, which features three new pop gems along with five killer remixes is a straight up MAXI-single.First a taste of the pop gem: Runaround, then one of the fine remixes, Runaround (Louis La Roche ‘In 1995’ Remix) Certainly unusual for Suffoilk’n’Cool but give it a listen, preferably through a sound system in a club in Ibiza!www.delmarquis.com/www.myspace.com/delmarquis