POWERTOOL RECORDS CELEBRATES 100 RELEASES

November 4th 2010
Hello, after a long and successful Tour with the Surf Friends, Andrews back and so, here are the News for November:

PT100 CD and Auckland Show:
The last chance to be part of the PT100-Festivities, is the Festival at the Kings Arms (AK).
 
Date: 7.11. (Sunday); Time: 3 pm. Bands: Bilders, Sandra Bell, Surf Friends, Enshrine.
 
Of course, the Double-CD-Retrospective "PT100" ( for the price of one ) is still available here:
or email andrew@powetoolrecords.co.nz
and at the show...(It´s "CD of the Week" in this weeks "Sunday Star Times", by the way.)

POWERTOOL RECORDS CELEBRATES 100 RELEASES

by Bill Direen: It hardly seems like nine years since the first news about Powertool Records broke on the streets of Auckland. Here was a new label committed to the live gig, committed to the artists, committed to hands-on recording and the DIY ethic! 2010 has birthed 100 glorious albums and EPs.
 
Powertool Records has been unstinting, putting in unstinting long hours, and tens of thousands of kilometres, burning the candle at both ends as never before to bring BOTH the live acts AND their product to the venues. In the days of downloads it's the human presence that counts; Powertool brings the artist into warm huggable closeness to the punters. And isn't it a sunny sight to see, to have and to hold actual CD art?
 
To celebrate 100 releases Powertool Records is staging a party this Sunday, 7th November at KINGS ARMS. Enshrine goes up around 3:30pm. This is Kelly Michael on guitar and Angela Forsman on drums, a format that many downhome groups have made New Zealand's own. Then the low-fi queen herself, Sandra Bell. Sandra has completed numberless tours of Germany to satisfy her European fan base, and is rumoured to be practising with a stripped down kiwi band to do the same for her home crowd. Third up is the new stars on the NZ music live scene. Young and brilliant, lively and staring eyed, Surf Friends are fresh from the release of their first-ever album, fresh from a string of great reviews in the best music papers, and fresh from a bouncey 27 date nation-wide tour. Surf Friends are fresh in the best sense. Eat them up while they are there. Closing act is an act that never goes stale simply because its frontman taps the human resources of great musicians all over the world, from town to town, from bar to cafe, from continent to continent to make up new bands that bring daring and vigour to his array of songs. Bill Direen will be playing with the same Bilders that toured nationally in 2007 and 2008. It's not quite the end of his dedicated underground career, but we do recommend that you see him while he is there.
 
Committed, fresh, the earliest and the latest of the kiwi DIY downhome artists. Come and join the fun.
 
ENSHRINE, SANDRA BELL, SURF FRIENDS, BILL DIREEN & THE BILDERS
KINGS ARMS SUNDAY 7th NOVEMBER 3PM


www.powertoolrecords.co.nz

Bilders- Mean Time:
Another great Bilders CD is available now, It's called "Mean Time".
It was recorded in the 18th Arrondissement in Paris between Jan 2009 - June 2010 and features Stuart Porter on drums, Richard Anderton on backing vocals, Brett Cross on bass and Bill Direen on everything else.
 
Bill Direen writes... This album is very personal but that doesn't mean it's an exercise in naval gazing. It is dedicated to the memory of a friend who died ten years ago this year, someone who used to go to see bands play during the proto-punk period (1975-1977) and followed my groups through to their time of mild popularity in the mid-1980s. These songs are a tribute to them all and to a period in time and in New Zealand's history that was a curious mixture of desperation, anger, long discussions and pure affection.
 
Click here to read a Review on Mean Time by Graham Reid.

The Black Watch- Led Zeppelin 5:
After a successful Tour though NZ in 2009, Powertool-Records is releasing the brandnew Album "Led Zeppelin 5" by Californian Band "The Black Watch". John Andrew Fredrick, Steven Schayer (ex. The chills) & Co. are offering a great bunch of melodic-guitar-pearls.

For fans of the Go Betweens, The Mutton Birds, Weather Prophets, Byrds etc.
 
You can grab one song for free here.
 
More:
www.myspace.com/theblackwatch


Surf Friends:
Long Tour's over, but they are still active as ever, puh..
SF have been offered a support slot for Luger Boa on the 18th November at the Kingslander.
 
Here is a link to the interview that Surf Friends did on National Radio last week.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/national/nrmtalk/surf_friends
 
Reviews for Confusion:
http://www.muzic.net.nz/articles/reviews/45095/surf-friends-confusion-album-review
http://craighaggis.wordpress.com/

Azalia Snail:
Hold your breath! Azalia will have a new Album out in January 2011: "CELESTIAL RESPECT"
 
...and...she will visit New Zealand again!!
 
But for now, theres one date confirmed:
27.1.11 Chicks Hotel, Port Chalmers.
 
but you can be sure, that Andrew will chase her accross the whole Country. Watch out for the December-News!

Live:
BLACK SCIENCE + SVELTE at the Indie Club, Dogs Bollix, Auckland. Tuesday 9th November
 
MALCONTENT + BLEEDING VIEW at the Indie Club, Dogs Bollix, Auckland. Tuesday 16th November
 
SCARLETT LASHES at the Indie Club, Dogs Bollix, Auckland. Tuesday 23rd November
 
COLOUR IN THE LINES + CARTHAGINIAN + NEW VINTAGE + YOLANDA + GHOSTS OF ELECTRICITY at the Indie Club, Masonic Tavern, Devonport. Friday the 26th November
 
A BEAUTIFUL CHAOS + ANTI-VENOM + BLEEDING VIEW at the Indie Club, Dogs Bollix, Auckland. Tuesday 30th November

Kiwi FM:
Kiwi fm. 102.2 on your dial and on the internet at www.kiwifm.co.nz . Andrew has a new weekly show on Kiwi called 'Outer Space' It happens at 10pm (NZ Time) every Wednesday night. Each week, he will have guests up and they chat about their favourite kiwi tracks and why they love them

Super Markets (Vulcan Lane, Auckland):
We have a stall each week at the Super Markets held every Saturday between 12-5pm. At the Market we are the Vinyl specialists. Other stalls include clothing, hand made jewellery, fashion items and delicious cup cakes. Come down and enjoy a complimentary beer while you bask in the laid back atmosphere.

CU in December...
Thomas & Andrew

www.powertoolrecords.co.nz

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