International and Industry Action
Congratulations to the 2011 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards winners from the IMNZ crew last Thursday November 3. Tuis announced on the night went to Tiki Taane, Ladi6, TrinityRoots, Parachute Band, Reuben Bradley, Nick Keller for Beastwars and Donna Dean for “What Am I Gonna Do?”. Don McGlashan is one of the recipients of the 2012 Distinguished Alumni Awards from the University Of Auckland. The Award recognises him as one of New Zealand's most celebrated songwriters, with five entries in the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA)'s 100 best New Zealand songs of all time and two APRA Silver Scroll Awards.He also heads the tally in the muiscal finalists for the Aotearoa Film and Television Awards (AFTA) - he is up for Best Original Music in the same category as  Sean Donnelly, Victoria Kelly and Gareth Farr, and Best Original Music in a Feature Film alongside Neville Copland and Plan 9. Don McGlashan's newly reformed Mutton Birds are also playing ( for their first shows in 10 years) alongside Gin Wigmore and 2011 APRA Silver Scroll winners Avalanche City in the 2012 Classic Hits Winery Tour. The Warratahs will play two shows in November to support their new single Kupe's Tears.  Our condolences go to the family and friends of Eric Marsden, drummer from the seminal Christchurch punk band The Androidss, who passed away last week. Here is a classic clip of one of their best-loved anthems, Auckland Tonight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88rNfOYf1rU 

New release fanfare
After a two year hiatus while illness kept the band in a state of limbo, Kokomo, Tauranga's favourite musical cottage industry, have gone back to their roots. With It All Comes Round, the band's ninth studio album, Kokomo returns to the world of pre-war blues, the fertile fields of Mississippi blues and sparkling East Coast ragtime. Dunedin-based pop-subersive trio Opposite Sex release their debut album on Fishrider Records on 7 November 2011 on CD and LP.  Their sound is, they say, an absurdist-logico mix of Euro pop, Beat poetry, and subterranean lo-fi adventuring.  Here's the new music video for Kapabal's latest single "Flammable" taken from the new album "No Rest", directed by Miles "Ace" Ovia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx-ttUiroFQ.  While known for her jazz background, L.A. Mitchell's love of innovation sees her constantly exploring new ways of recording and performing her songs. For the second of her collaborative EPs she worked with Wellington DJ/Producer D:UNK (George Duncan) to combine his digital funk with her mighty soul vocals. This week Tui winner Tiki Taane re-releases his 2011 #1 album In The World of Light with 3 bonus tracks - this limited release is a snapshot of the hectic year Tiki has had so far. Glass Vaults has just released a new single, Gold Star, taken from their new EP Into Clear, out this week. Paper Plane have been gracing the IMNZ Airplay chart for a few weeks now, and if you're wondering who they are, here's the story...Three years after his debut solo record 'The Crowd', Nathan King, former lead singer of Zed, is back with a new album and a new band - Paper Plane was formed between King and his 3 touring band mates.

On the live front
Jim Beam Homegrown proudly showcases the cream of New Zealand music this summer, and a further 17 acts have just been announced to grace the seven stages set along the beautiful Wellington waterfront, including Fat Freddy's Drop making their first Homegrown appearance amongst a who's who of headline acts including Kora, Six60, The Black Seeds, 1814, Sola Rosa and Sunshine Sound System. The Jim Beam Rock stage line-up sees Shihad headline alongside Blacklist, The Feelers, Opshop, Black River Drive, The Thomas Oliver Band, Shotgun Alley and The Checks. Tainted and Sinate are amongst the national and international rock and metal acts joining together to celebrate New Year 2012 at New Zealand's newest and heaviest festival - Beyond The Black.  Speaking of Don McGlashan, as we were earlier...his former band Blam Blam Blam is reforming to play a special benefit show - Rock for Starship - alongside other post-punk legends such as Fetus Productions, Scrunch (featuring members of The Newmatics), X-Features and Andrew Fagan. And you can also catch Fetus Productions as part of the Flying Nun 'Nunvember' 30th birthday celebrations which kicked off last week, with exciting recently-named support bands playing across the month such as Solid Gold Hell, X-Features, The Subliminals, The Verlaines, The Puddle and Dear Time's Waste.

Around the World
One of the most successful partnerships in Australian music history - between Vivian Lees and Ken West who've run Big Day Out since 1992 and did international tours together for ten years before - has ended. Lees has decided to bow out, citing the need to spend more time with his family, and interests outside the festival. West will continue to promote Big Day Out by himself although, he says, he might take in a minor partner down the track.