Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Saturday 20 March

2-3pm

Nick Bollinger turns his ears to the new triple album from harp playing art-song savant Joanna Newsom

and Trevor Reekie speaks to the "Father Of The British Blues Movement", John Mayall. He has  a staggering 57 albums to his credit. Some of the biggest names in Rock have passed through his band, including Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor, Jack Bruce, Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood, Aynsley Dunbar and John McVie.

John Mayall now in his late 70s is still a bluesman and is still on the road. Trevor Reekie asks about his special relationship with New Zealand ahead of a tour in April.

3-4pm

Hollie Smith talks about her new album, Humour And The Misfortune Of Others

New York anti-folkster Jeffrey Lewis sings cynical yet humourous tales of the modern condition.

4-5pm

4:10 pm Electric Ladyland Part 1 of 2
Join host Stuart Grundy as he takes listeners through the making of The Jimi Hendrix Experience's third and final studio release, Electric Ladyland. Released in 1968, it was Hendrix’s only #1 album in the U.S.A. He died two years later.

This exclusive radio special documents the making of the influential album and features interviews with Mitch Mitchell, Noel Redding, Eddie Kramer, Elvin Bishop, Velvert Turner and a host of others.

And we report back from the Pacifika festival at Western Springs, Central Auckland last weekend, and hang out with pianist and rapper Anonymouz, A.K.A Matthew Faiumu Salapu. He's on the bill for a sixth straight year and his tales of growing up and making music in Mangere are compelling.

Saturday 13 Mar 2010

Live At WOMAD Taranaki 2010

Music 101 comes to you live today from WOMAD Taranaki, where a feast of colourful music is on offer.

Artists from places as far flung as Ethiopia, France, Tibet and here in NZ converge on the beautiful Bowl of Brooklands for a weekend of diverse music, arts, dance, food and fashion, in a family-friendly exchange of culture and good will.

The Music 101 team is live in the field. Kirsten Johnstone, Trevor Reekie and Emma Smith will talk with artists, host live-to-air sessions, and share some of the performances from the main stage.

Hopefully we'll hear from: Nickodemus, Babylon Circus, Mariem Hassan, Ojos De Brujo, Kamel El Harrachi, Blue King Brown, Amal Murkus, Ross Daly and Paula Henderson of WOMAD UK.

Saturday 6 March

2-3pm

The Fourmyula were called the 'New Zealand's Beatles' in the mid 60s, for being the first local band to insist on recording their own songs. The successful results led to the U.K., and even recording a few songs at Abbey Road. The complete Fourmyula catalogue - including the previously unreleased fourth album 'Turn Your Back on The Wind' has just been released. In Access All Areas we hear from Wayne Mason and Carl Evensen ahead of The Fourmyula's reformation gigs later this month. listen here

Nick Bollinger reviews another career-spanning collection - that of the Pop Mechanix.

And we visit the Arch Hill Records 10th birthday BBQ, and find out more about this strong NZ indie label.

3-4

James Mercer of the Shins talks about working with Gnarls Barkley's Brian Burton (Dangermouse) on Broken Bells, the collaborative project that sees the pair bonding over Beatles albums, and drenching themselves in 60s psychedelia and vintage organs.

We catch up with unpredictable and innovative band The Mint Chicks, who released their rubber USB stick EP 'Bad Buzz' with a Beatles style roof-top gig complete with daring feats from Kody Neilson. We also speak to the people behind Musichy.pe - a web-site facilitating a creative dialogue between fans and acts.

And Swedish band Irya's Playground talk about running away with the circus. listen here

4-5 pm

Musical Chairs featuring Barry Leef

This Blenheim lad began his professional music career with Simple Image. (pictured - Barry is on the right.) After several hits including Spinning, Spinning, Spinning, Leef tired of sickly sweet pop songs and swapped places with the lead vocalist of Christchurch unit Retaliation. He moved with them to Australia.

Being asked to join Frank Zappa's band propelled Barry Leef into the limelight in Australia and soon he was in demand for residencies and an endless string of studio sessions for other people’s records and jingles.

Since then he’s fronted top local bands Crossfire and Supermarket and continues to play the traps after 40-years fronting three different bands. listen here

And Nick Bollinger reviews the interpretations on two new albums of covers from Peter Gabriel and the Hotrats.

Saturday 27 February

2-3 pm

Casablanca Records: From their daring first signing of KISS, through the discovery and superstardom of Donna Summer, the Village People, and funk master George Clinton and his circus of freaks (Parliament Funkadelic), to the descent into the manic world of disco Casablanca's meteoric success and eventual collapse is a compelling tale of ambition, greed, excess, and some of the era's biggest musical acts. For Access All Areas this week Trevor Reekie talks to Larry Harris, Executive Vice President and co-founder of Casablanca Records. Listen here

Earl Gateshead is a selector and leader of Trojan Sound-system, the official sound of Trojan Records UK, the label that is largely responsible for excavating the rich heritage of reggae in the Caribbean. Dubhead gets together with him to flick through some rare 7 inch singles.

3-4 pm

DJ, broadcaster, music journalist and TV host Nick Dwyer is Making Tracks overseas again to investigate more underground music scenes - we speak to him ahead of his journey.

Mara TK and Dave Wright of Electric Wire Hustle take us on a guided tour of the art (and sound) trail at Splore last weekend. Listen here

Nick Bollinger reviews new music from Texan Anglophiles Midlake.

4-5 pm

Splore 2010

Imagine watching a great band while waves lap at your knees; wandering through the forest surrounded by continuously-changing works of art; eating mussels, sweetcorn and curry by the bucket-load then diving headfirst into a crystal lagoon and you’ll have some idea of what Melody Thomas experienced at Splore 2010. The biennial festival of music, arts and culture in mid February saw 7, 000 festival-goers checking out half a dozen stages and zones packed to the brim with fantastic international and national acts, all at the beautiful  Tapapakanga Regional Park, 70km south east of Auckland.

Musical acts include Basement Jaxx and local favourites Tahuna Breaks, Sola Rosa, Olmecha Supreme, North Shore Pony Club and Minuit. In the programme Melody talks to Jamie Lidell, Spektrum, Mystro, The Gaslamp Killer, Dub FX and the Flower Fairy. Listen here

And B.B. and Alex  - two banjoists play live. Yes, they'll be in tune. And no, there won't be any banjo jokes. Or will there? Listen here

Saturday 20 February

2-3 pm

New Orleans jam-band Galactic talk about second-line parades, transvestite rappers and moving on from Hurricane Katrina.

The Splore Arts and Music festival is happening right now in Coromandel. Melody Thomas reports live.

Little Bushman's Warren Maxwell and Rick Cranson talk about building their live performance, ahead of the release of their collaboration with the NZSO.

3-4 pm

We meet the inseparable duo MC Zulu & DJ Poirier, getting the party started the world over.

Ryan McPhun of the Ruby Suns shares insights on his new passive-aggressive album 'Fight Softly', 80s pop, being lumped in with the current wave of post-Animal Collective glo-fi bands, and selling out to Microsoft. Listen to the audio here

4-5 pm

Hip-Hop In The Motherland

Hip hop is having a huge impact on today’s generation of African musicians, much as funk and soul affected their forefathers. In areas where access to musical instruments is limited, a beat and a voice goes a long way- and what better place to find those two things than in Africa?

In 'Hip Hop In the Motherland', Auckland based DJ Barnie Duncan talks with a wealth of artists throughout West Africa, including up and comers from the hip-life scene, the man credited with recording Ghana's first rap song, Arrested Development in Morroco and some heavy open mic mechanics in Ghana's capital Accra. Listen to the audio here

The Skatalites has had some of the most illustrious names in Jamaican music pass through its ranks. Celebrating 45 years and still going strong the Skatelites keyboard player and manager Ken Stewart talks to Trevor Reekie ahead of their appearance at Womad Taranaki.

Rapper Clemson and friends in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso - photo by Barnie Duncan