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  • Viva Malta

    Show notes for the 226th Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast featuring music by performers from or in Malta:

    The Lesser Gods – Aurora
    Among 2010’s newcomers but made up of band members who are quite established in the local rock scene, The Lesser Gods are undoubtedly a band to watch. Fronted by Jody Fiteni, this band will certainly become one of most followed on Malta’s alternative rock scene in the coming years. They are among the six bands playing the M3P launch event Your Rarely Hear This On the Radio! at Hastings Garden in Valletta during Notte Bianca on Saturday 2010. They will be sharing this stage with Forsaken, Norm Rejection, Loathe, Memento Nostri and R.A.S. Many other bands, singers and musicians are appearing at other venues during Notte Bianca; Synergy and The Overouts will also be appearing at Hasting Garden from 6:30pm.

    Memento Nostri – Il-Fatt
    Hot from the release of their impressive Pro Patria, this band will continue to amaze new audiences with work, which has a clear Maltese dimension to it. This aspect is most pronounced on the track that I’ve selected to include on this podcast, which is an amazing rendition of traditional Maltese song into a contemporary heavy rock idiom. I’m really looking forward to seeing this band live during the M3P launch concert at Hastings Garden next Saturday. I hope you can join us.

    Rita Pace – Il-Fatt ta’ L-Għarusa tal-Mosta
    The M3P launch starts at 2pm with an Inaugural Symposium featuring many of the key stakeholders on this project, who will be discussing various aspects of their own work in the Maltese music scene. This will take place at St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity in Valletta. A full schedule is available here. A live concert of Maltese songs with Rita Pace starts at 6pm. In the first part of this gig, she will be accompanied by guitarists Denise and Kalcidon Vella ta’ Mustaċċa along with ex-Black Sorrows’ Willie Saliba. I had the great fortune of seeing them all perform together in February 2006 at the Manoel Theatre Courtyard during an event organized by Poezijaplus and Narraturi 21, produced by the late Ġorġ Mifsud-Chircop. This recording was originally featured on the 27th edition of the MMI podcast.

    Clifford Borg – Emergence
    Also appearing in the M3P launch event will be one of Malta’s foremost pianists. He will be performing a number of pieces from his CD releases of solo piano, as well as accompanying Rita Pace as she interprets some of her own Maltese-language songs. The track I’ve picked from his second CD album Origin will be among the ones we’ll hear live during the show.

    The RSS feed for the Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast is available here or you can simply click here to subscribe directly with iTunes. You can also follow each new episode through the MMI Podcast: Facebook Fan Page or on MySpace. If you have no idea what any of this means, just click here or listen to the podcast on the player right below this text.

    Mużika Mod Ieħor podcasts are brought to you by Vodafone.

  • Help Yourself

    Show notes for the 225th Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast featuring music by performers from or in Malta:

    Tears of Revenge – Bleed
    One of the very first bands to be featured on the MMI series broke up soon after a gig at the now defunct Naasha Events Lounge in San Gwann. A couple of members for this band are now playing with Saving Alexis, attracting considerable airplay in Malta. ToR’s only song has turned into a cult classic in my book so I was thrilled when my friend Michael Bugeja discovered that there’s a studio recording of the song as well as another song that’s never been aired anywhere.

    Renee Cassar – Live and Learn
    I’m surprised that this wonderful Maltese-Australian singer is not better known in Malta. Her new single, released by Island Records in Australia is quite good and could attract a larger audience for Renee Cassar. I’m not sure how well known she is in Australia either, but whatever the case, I’m sure she doesn’t care that much about any of this because she’s a very talented singer-songwriter.

    Emanuel Balzan – Mary
    From Melbourne’s underground comes another Maltese-Australian of note. Not particularly mainstream in direction or output, Emanuel Balzan ranges from psychedelic wonders to rockabilly romps. From Mr Ed and the Children of Providence, the first of the five albums he has released, I’ve picked a song that could be an homage to Hendrix without ripping off the classic guitar god in any way.

    ip-config – Particle Collision
    A few days ago, on the 25th of August 2010 (to be precise), Maltese net label Pink Pube released its 44th offering: Winter to Sine by ip-config (aka Justin Meli). This release marks 5 years (plus two days) since the label was launched, back in 2005. The new album blends in well in the eclectic selection of electronica and other sonic art wonders available as free downloads from the label’s website at PinkPube.com.

    The RSS feed for the Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast is available here or you can simply click here to subscribe directly with iTunes. You can also follow each new episode through the MMI Podcast: Facebook Fan Page or on MySpace. If you have no idea what any of this means, just click here or listen to the podcast on the player right below this text.

    Mużika Mod Ieħor podcasts are brought to you by Vodafone.

  • Keep Yourself Alive

    Show notes for the 224th Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast featuring music by performers in or from Malta:

    Fenech-Soler – Stop & Stare
    My friend and colleague Michael Bugeja brought this English band to my attention. Apparently they’re on the verge of making it big in the UK. They released this single (and video) last April and they have a new one coming up in a matter of weeks. They get their name from bassist Daniel Soler, who is of Maltese descent from the Fenech-Soler family. They sound fresh in a retro kind of way and I have a feeling that I’ll be playing their new single when it comes out too.

    The Attika State – Celebration?
    Another British band with a Maltese connection, which has appeared on previous editions of the Mużika Mod Ieħor series. Warren and Martin Mallia return with the rest of their band and a new single, their first release with Alcopop Records, from Measures their next album, which is due out in October.

    The Rifffs – Arabian Romance
    To mark the first mention of a major research project I’ve just embarked on, I’ve selected something from Alfie Fabri’s personal collection. This rare gem from one of Malta’s most loved bands of all time comes from a cassette recording made some 30 years ago. M3P is the Malta Music Memory Project, which is set to launch officially in Valletta on the 25th of September and I’m pleased that this is how I’ve mentioned all this on my podcast the very first time. I’m sure that this is just an ice cube off the tip of the iceberg that we’re about to start exploring through M3P. More (much more!) to come in the weeks, months and years ahead.

    Freddie Portelli – Life Is What You Make It
    Malta’s king of rock ‘n roll is back with a song clearly made for his legions of loyal fans craving more music in this vein. The lyrics are pretty upbeat and Freddie’s singing and guitar playing remain as vibrant as ever. I expect this to make a fairly large splash in the week before and immediately after the end of this summer. Significant radio airplay will account for a considerable part of that, as will the many live appearances that the venerable singer makes across the Maltese islands week in week out. We’ve come a long way since the days when being an old-age pensioner meant sitting at home contemplating the twilight of one’s life.

    Tony Scott – Illusions of a Plastic Heart
    One of the most invisible names in the Maltese music scene is the man responsible for recording some of the most memorable music in Malta, including the much-loved Aħna Aħna Jew M’Aħnix satirical anthems that have now become classics. In the last decade or two Scott has reinvented himself as an easy listening quasi-new age composer and musician, with a noticeable string of online fans via MySpace, Reverbnation and other such online music dissemination services. This is one of his latest tracks and demonstrates the qualities that endear him to his new-found audience.

    The RSS feed for the Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast is available here or you can simply click here to subscribe directly with iTunes. You can also follow each new episode through the MMI Podcast: Facebook Fan Page or on MySpace. If you have no idea what any of this means, just click here or listen to the podcast on the player right below this text.

    Mużika Mod Ieħor podcasts are brought to you by Vodafone.

  • One More Time

    I’m on the road this weekend, returning from an international music conference in Germany, where I was invited to give a keynote lecture about how new technology is changing behaviour among young(er) people. During the last few weeks, various conversations I’ve had with people who follow the weekly Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast have prompted me to repeat the release of one of my previous podcasts from the series every now and then. This time, I’ve selected to re-run a podcast that was originally available from Saturday 24 October 2009. Enjoy!

    Show notes for the 185th Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast featuring music by performers in or from Malta:

    8 Ugly – Lady Let It Lie
    Cover versions are rare on the MMI podcast. The occasional exception makes it to the show simply because it’s a stand-out case. And so it is for 8 Ugly’s version of Lady Let It Lie by Fish. Apparently, clearing the mechanical rights for this song to appear on 8 Ugly’s long anticipated Sleeper album has delayed the release of that CD. If every other Maltese act was so scrupulous about these things I honestly believe that even fewer covers would be recorded. 8 Ugly give the song their own twist, which actually makes it sound as if it was one of their songs rather than a minor hit by the ex-Marillion singer who has visited Malta more than once.

    Beige – Feels Good
    This is one of those bands that appeared in the last couple of years that I wish we’d hear more of and more often. In he summer of 2009 they released this single, which makes me want even more from this band. Claire Galea (I think I got her name right this time!) has an unusual voice for a Maltese pop rock singer. It’s pleasant without being obvious and compliments the slick guitar work by Eric Santucci quite beautifully. It feels good indeed.

    Twenty-Six Other-Worlds – When Beauty Danced
    The local metal scene has good reason to rejoice on the 24th of October 2009 [the original date this podcast was released]. Twenty-Six Other-Worlds officially launched their CD album Manipulated with a live gig on that day. Metal fans are very loyal to the bands they like. Most fans like more than one band, of course, so I believe that this release will attract many new followers for this band. Not only can you purchase the CD through the band’s website but you can also buy the album from iTunes if you prefer a download rather than a shiny plastic disc.

    Hunters Palace – After The Dream
    Alex Vella Gera contacted me to point out that Hunters Palace released a live album of a show they gave at Chiaroscuro in Valletta on the 30 December 2008. The album was released as a limited online download only under the name 30/12/08. The band were been gigging and recording in London in October 2009 [when this podcast was originally released].

    The RSS feed for the Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast is available here or you can simply click here to subscribe directly with iTunes. You can also follow each new episode through the MMI Podcast: Facebook Fan Page or on MySpace. If you have no idea what any of this means, just click here or listen to the podcast on the player right below this text.

    Mużika Mod Ieħor podcasts are brought to you by Vodafone.