Kimo - Surrender

My friend Rob is pretty much my hero. He works really hard, writes and produces fantastic music, has run one of New Zealand’s longest running labels (Failsafe Records), is much more himself than I am myself, is in a wonderful relationship, runs his own recording studio, doesn’t drink, doesn’t take drugs, and is more passionate about great music than almost anyone I know. In short, Rob is one of my very best friends, and I’m really proud of that fact.

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Undertheradar.co.nz give away three copies of our Acoustic EP

One of New Zealand’s raddest online zines has three copies of our Acoustic EP to giveaway - enter here.

Speaking of Undertheradar and sweet give-aways, if you haven’t already downloaded last year’s It’s A Sonic Summer compilation, then be sure to grab a copy before the myst of the wired swallows it whole. Aside from our song Scattering The Sun Like Gunshot, the compilation also includes fantastic tracks by Disasteradio, The L.E.D.s, Collapsing Cities, Cue The Sun, White On White, and Sora Shima.

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Help needed: putting up posters and fliers in Auckland?

Thomas and I are heading off on our North Island tour mid August, and we don’t know enough people in Auckland, so are having trouble finding a way of getting our posters and fliers out around town.

Want to help us out in exchange for a screen-printed Enright House t-shirt?

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Kiwi FM album of the week

During these past months I’ve been trapped in this horrid cycle of falling asleep around five in morning and sleeping well into the afternoon. Every night (or morning) I would set my cell phone alarm for a reasonable hour and tell myself that tomorrow would be the day that I would manage to wrestle myself out of bed at a decent hour. However, the bloody alarm was so abrasive, I always ended up turning it off and going back to sleep just to recover from the shock of it all. A futile attempt at resetting my internal clock.

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Chart give away copies of our Cat And Bird Split 7″

Jeff over at Chart just let me know that the give-away for our Cat and Bird Split 7″ is now live on their site. To win one of two limited edition lathe cuts, just head over to Chart’s website and email them the answer to a simple question.

(Hint: the answer to the question - posted on their page - can be found somewhere on www.theenrighthouse.com. Happy hunting!)

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Cat and Bird Split 7″

The Cat and Bird 7″ is a very limited edition split between us and the late Break Mission Kills. This collaboration, however, is more of a marriage than a split, with each of our band’s derelict post-pop aesthetic supporting the other’s. The entire run is limited to 100 copies, though the record (and bonus tracks) can be downloaded for free at www.catandbird.info.

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“It’s a Sonic Summer”: a free mp3 Compilation

Under The Radar brings you: “It’s a Sonic Summer” - a free mp3 compilation of innovative New Zealand music.

Check out the full track-listing featuring all these amazing New Zealand artists:

• Disateradio - “Computer Graphics”
• The L.E.D.s - “Rumba”
• Collapsing Cities - “In The Valley”
• Cue The Sun - “15 4″
• White On White - “Beta Dance”
• Sora Shima - “Hovercraft”
• The Enright House - “Scattering the Sun like Gunshot”

Visit Under The Radar’s download page to get your free compilation [33mb zip file].

And if you’re on the other side of the world, where currently it’s not at all summery, don’t fret, just think of it as a winter compilation. It’ll help keep you warm next to the open fire.

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Einstein and the story of who won the comp

I never enter any giveaways, I don’t play lotto, and every time I bet one or two dollars at a horse race, I lose. These things just cannot be won. Ever read the fine print on the coke bottle competitions? If Einstein had tried to enter these things in his day, the world would still be stuck on “e equals”.

In short, I just don’t believe in chasing prizes. The odds are always too poor to justify spending time, money or thought on.

Well, unless, that is, you entered our Southern Amp give away and happen to be either Earmonn Marra or Marcus Puentener. Earmonn and Marcus, namely, entered a contest that they actually ended up standing a 100% chance of winning. Huh? Yes. Two tickets, two emails, two uncontested winners.

So… congratulations to both of you! :)

My next step? I’m making sure this lesson isn’t wasted on me. Next week I’m going to join the adult world and have some business cards made just so I can finally enter into the monthly burrito draws down at my local Mexican joint.

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Southern Amp ticket give-away

So, as most of you will probably know by now, we’re scheduled to perform at Southern Amp this coming weekend. I’m wildly grateful to the guys at CHART and RDU for inviting us onto their stage, but I have to admit that as much as I am wildly looking forward to it, I am also rather anxious about it all. Why? I constantly have this horrid picture in my mind that I once saw at Germany’s Bizarre Festival in 2001.

In 2001 there were three stages, or more accurately, one main stage and two largish tents, one with upcoming alternative acts, one for dance and electronic music. In addition to these very enjoyable and respectable epicenters of live performances, there was a fourth stage, and the scenes I witnessed at this fourth stage are the cause of my anxieties.

You’ve probably all been to festivals like these or seen them on TV… 50.000-100.000 people, with tents, garbage and unsanitary toilets sprawled out like an apocalyptic refugee camp. Don’t get me wrong, it’s all great fun and all, but at some point over the 3 to 4 days you mentally tire, and all you want to do is chill out for a bit. So naturally one tends to spend at least one half of a day perusing the obligatory stalls filled to the brim with band t-shirts, bongs and batik wall hangings.

So anyhow, I wandered around and lo and behold I stumbled across a fourth stage! Wow, I thought, who plays here? There was no mention of a fourth stage in my program, no indication on the map, no… oh wait, yes there was! There in the far corner of my brochure… an (*) asterix symbol with a grand total explanation of: “local talent stage”.

The area around the stage was deserted. The PA was a tiny system reminiscent of country bands playing at the local farmer’s markets. No one watched, and, what’s more, despite being half a mile from the main stage, they were hardly audible over the wind-swept echos of the out-of-tune Offspring singer. I shuddered, walked on, and actually forgot all about this episode until a week or two ago when I started to ponder the rather more imminent Southern Amp and how this day might unfold for us.

As I see it, there are two fundamental ways our local stage might play out: 1) the local stage could be the equivalent of the Bizarre Festival’s tents (small, but with great vibes happening), or 2) like the comically absurd fourth “local talent” stage: abandoned, desolate - an embarrassing afterthought.

Fingers crossed! right? :) Thus far, it certainly looks like it should be great fun. The event, as a whole, seems like it has been very well organized, and there are definitely some exciting acts performing, so my worries are clearly not grounded in anything other than general performance anxiety and a sorry booking for some sorry German act in the summer of 2001. Hopefully, after Saturday, that memory will once again disappear into the mist.

Anyhow, if you’ve managed to read this far, you might yet be in for a treat. If, and only if, you live in Christchurch, email me during the next 48 hours at info(at)theenrighthouse(dot)com with “SA ticket give away” in the email subject and a contact name and phone number in the body, and on Thursday night, I will take all emails I receive and draw one winner (I don’t know how yet, but I’ll be sure to document it with photos in the interest of transparency! Ha). Once the fraud is committed, err, I mean the fair and balanced process completed, I’ll send the winner an email with my cell phone number, and txt/call you on Friday morning with info on where you can pick up two free tickets for Saturday’s Southern Amp!

Good luck.

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