Tea for Two

The series of music podcasts I started last week continues with a second episode. Creating these podcasts is a very pleasant experience for me. I'm beginning to sense that my joy is shared by listeners too. The RSS feed circulation is still quite low, however, I'd rather have a small appreciative audience than a mindless mass of listeners.

The second show starts with the title track from Dance Dance Baby by the Beangrowers who are currently on tour in central Europe. They were here in the UK earlier this week and now have moved on to Switzerland. Over the next two or three weeks they'll also play in Germany, Belgium and Austria. It seems that the Beanies are doing quite well on the gig circuit. Their years of hard work are clearly paying off. The Beangrowers never stuck me as a band in search of super-stardom, yet they are possibly Malta's most successful band in terms of overseas performances and record sales.

The one Maltese rock musician who has certainly achieved the most personal success is Marc Storace. Before becoming a metal demi-god as the lead singer in Krokus, Marc sang with another Swiss prog rock outfit called Tea. To mark the Beangrowers gig in Switzerland today I decided to include Tea's Cool in the Morning as the second track in my second music podcast. Krokus are back on the road with Marc now and after a recent trip to New York and Moscow, they're now heading to Stockholm next weekend.

The power of the Internet to change the way we listen to music, new and old, is truly amazing. I say this not only with regards to the potential I believe it has for music from Malta, but also beyond that, of course. One non-Maltese act that has caught my attention through the Internet is the duo Nizlopi. Hip-hop folk is a term that's thrown around to describe the music by these two British guys. Still, it's the sort of thing you really need to hear to appreciate. They may even hit the mainstream UK charts this Christmas. Meanwhile, if you like what you hear from them on my podcast you should really check out their video for JCB, the song they're unleashing for the upcoming season of cheer when the world economy marks the birth of Jesus.

To keep it fresh and current, this week's podcast includes a nod towards the CHOGM. I was seriously tempted to play Freddie Portelli's Viva Malta, even though the version I have is not as magical as the original from The Malta Bums. Instead I chose to play Malta by Xtruppaw as the closing song for this week. What can I say that I haven't already said about Xtruppaw? I'm a great fan of this new band. I was tickled pink when Noel, the band's singer, emailed to tell me that they're planning to record their debut album in early 2006. To put it mildly, I'm really looking forward to that!

Thanks for the comments about last week's podcast, to those who sent them in. Please keep them coming either directly on the blog or through my website. I will try to find some of the stuff you ask for, if at all possible. I will also continue to make it my mission to delight you with little gems and rarities that perhaps you wouldn't hear by other means. I already have a couple of amazing recordings lined up for next week.

The RSS feed for the podcast is available here or you can simply click here to subscribe directly with iTunes.