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Down By The Water

Show notes for the 258th Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast featuring music by performers from or in Malta:

Walter MicallefĦażin
On Friday 3 June 2011, the second ‘You Rarely Hear This On The Radio!’ event organized by M3P took place at V-Gen. This song was beautifully covered by Duo Kukkanja, which at that point comprised Justin Galea (from PDM and BBB) and Steve “Id-Delli” Delia (from Brikkuni). As they played this song, it struck me that it’s quite a shame that this song is not one that Malta’s younger generations identify with. I have my own theories as to why it is so (the title of the event is a dead giveaway!) but I’m hoping that including it at the start of this week’s podcast will start the process of redressing this vacuum.

StalkoIn A Hurry
I went to watch this band live at the original Wirdien event in Mtarfa last year, but it rained buckets before they even got on stage and the gig was postponed. This is their first new release since then and I heard that they’re still drawing attention to themselves in good ways, most recently with an appearance at the legendary Cafe Riche in Cottonera, where Charles Clews was a regular two or three generations ago.

Richard EdwardsYou’re Gonna Thank Me
The Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2011 brought Richard Edwards to public attention (and acclaim) in Malta, as he placed second with just a few points behind Glen Vella. I believe that if he had taken part in the contest with this song he would have very possibly ended up as this year’s entry from Malta in Düsseldorf. I’m not sure if it would have made it to the final, but that’s actually irrelevant now. This song shows that this singer is not going away any time soon, and you can bet good money on his return to Malta’s Eurovision selection in 2012.

Freddie CastellettiMalta Ħanina
Aquarius and the Johnny Mick Band were two of the foremost Maltese bands in the 1970s, and Freddie Castelletti was one common thread between them. He returned in 2009 with a CD album of songs written by Alfred C. Sant. However, it’s only recently that I became aware of all this and only managed to hear tracks from this CD just a few days ago. The song I’ve chosen to include on this edition of the MMI podcast sounds wonderful to my ears, particularly because it captures various elements of popular Maltese songs from the last century.

Malta’s Lost Voices: Ġiużeppi Burlo’ & Orkestra Carabott – Rigal F’Banju
Listening to Freddie Castelletti and Walter Micallef as I prepared this edition of the MMI podcast, I thought it was essential (and about time) that I include something from Andrew Alamango’s outstanding double-CD production Malta’s Lost Voices 1931-32. It was also the mention of Big Band Brothers reinterpreting a number of songs from these original recordings at this weekend’s Għanafest that led me to pick this particular track. Justin Galea tells me that this song was particularly well received as an encore. Thankfully the show was also recorded for television by PBS, which still manages to capture some of the more significant moments of live music in Malta from time to time.

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