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

Rain today – all day and for the first time since early August. I just wish I hadn’t been driving in it most of the day, with the headlights on.We’re back from a great weekend Chez Codger in leafy Sussex characterised by some fine ales, fine dining and great company. Thanks to all. We had a look at Wakehurst Place (right) on Sunday – rather a spectacular building.25 years – Rude City Riot (Vancouver, BC, Canada) RCR is a "POWER-SKA" BAND from Vancouver BC working overtime to bring you great original songs with powerful vocals & big juicy melodic hooks. If you see us live, you will remember the guitar solos & horn riffs the next day. We are 100% Power-Ska.www.rudecityriot.comwww.myspace.com/rudecityriotEternal Youth – Audra Connolly (Boise, ID, USA)"I’m an independent artist from Boise, ID. I have dropped three tracks for your consideration: Eternal Youth, Blue Eyes and Dear Friend. These tracks are from my debut album which I released on my independent label, Hole Heart Records, in August of this year. Thank you for your time!"www.audraconnolly.comwww.myspace.com/audraconnollysongs Birthday Wishes and Goodbye Kisses – Jesse Alejandro and the Big Fatt (Brooklyn, NY, USA)Like zombie Batman coming back from the grave to exact revenge on the joker who stole his woman, this band is intelligent, vicious and unstoppable. The Big Fatt hold permanent resident statuses in funk, blues, and classical music, but spend most of their time in Brooklyn.From "Belly Full of Brains" LP – Release Date: 9/9/09 The music of this ensemble mirrors the monster of amalgam that is the Brooklyn music scene, stealing from heros as far flung as Duke Ellington, Tom Waits, Claude Debussy and Stevie Wonder. The group’s morbidly obese base of influences and guillotine sharp execution ensure an entertaining evening for anyone who isn’t a Nazi child molester.Jesse Alejandro – Vocals, GuitarMatthew Ferry – DrumsWestbrook Johnson  – TromboneMatt Scott – BassHeather Sommerlad – ViolinPeter Ferrari – SaxophoneMarie Valigorsky – Violawww.thebigfatt.comwww.myspace.com/thebigfattBig Easy – Uphill (N Carolina, USA)Uphill plays blues straight out of the swampland. With a mix of original blues and revitalized versions of lost classics, Uphill has brought their own Carolina tang to the table since 2005. Injected with humor, passion and mojo, Uphill has a unique sound: steeped intradition yet ferociously alive.www.uphilltheband.comMore sublime blues at The G Spot with Jeremy Gugenheimwww.smallsystems.co.uk/thegspot/Na Na Na (Spark Remix) – 46 Bliss (Brooklyn, NY, USA)Another track from the great 46Bliss remix project.The voluptuous alto voice of Clare Veniot gives way to a satiny upper register that feels timeless in its simplicity, providing a perfect balance to the technological mastery of vocalist, programmer and keyboardist David Cooper and electronic drummer Jack Freudenheim, creator of ambient music software Sounder.46bliss, perhaps best known for their song The Way You Are featured on the show Veronica Mars and CSI-NY, and In A Long Time, one of the most played songs in podcasting, are releasing a 2-CD set of 46bliss tracks reworked by remixers from 6 countries. The 46bliss campaign in support of the CDs is called 20 remixes in 20 weeks, during which they will release a remix a week to the public via PodsSafe Music Network, Myspace, Facebook etc.www.46bliss.com/www.myspace.com/46blissThis – Tryad (various locations)I nominated Struttin’ by Tryad as my track on the AMPed 200 special. I’ve been listen to lots of Tryad just lately. They are on www.jamendo.comhttp://tryad.org/Happy – Jimmie Bratcher (Missouri, USA)Yes, it’s the theme to SnC. Prompted as a last minute addition by listener Martin Byrom who saw Jimmie play live last weekend doing an acoustic set.Enjoy it, this time without Clithers talking all over it.www.jimmiebratcher.comWarap – Andrew Delpiono (Trinidad) IODAFrom Wikipedia:The details of the birth of parang are disputed. One theory is that parang has its origins in the music of Spanish or French Catholic monks, present in Trinidad during the Spanish colonial period. Another theory is that Venezuelans brought the first elements of parang with them when they migrated to Trinidad to work on cocoa farms in the early part of the nineteenth century. Parang flourished under the British rule from 1814. It absorbed elements of African and French creole and was influenced by the constant interaction between the people of Trinidad and those of Venezuela, where similar musical forms developed in parallel.Parang remains an important element both of Trinidadian Christmas rituals and of the rituals of other islands and countries, including Grenada, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela. Today, parang is especially vibrant in Trinidad & Tobago communities such as Paramin, Lopinot and Arima.Free download from IODA:

Andrew Delpino "Warap" (mp3) from "Strictly Parang – The Best of Trinidad Parang, Vol III" (Caribbean Music Group) Buy at iTunes Music Store Stream from Rhapsody More On This Album