I’d like to thank Andrew Masseurs of AMMP for taking time out of his
busy schedule to do this interview.

Tell us what the music scene is like in New Zealand
Andrew: For Ammp its been one of opportunity. Basically, there are
incentives in place for new music with radio potential. We’ve been
lucky enough to have received music and video grants for our first two
singles. All I wanted was Ironman from New Zealand on Air – the funding
arm of the NZ government. The ball is really then in your court to
make the most of the opportunity.

We were given our first break through another music trust called “Play
it Strange” who really liked our first song “All I Wanted” and recorded
it with professional musicians. It was a wonderful experience as it
was a TV documentary and really taught us what we needed to do too. We
learned heaps from this experience – it was our first experience of
seeing a professional studio in action and we went on to form the Ammp
band and re-recorded “All I Wanted” ourselves. We owe a lot to these
organizations and it really worked for us and put us where we are
today.

Are there any bands to come out of New Zealand that we would have heard of?
Andrew: Shihad, Crowded House, Evermore, Split Enz, Dave Dobbyn,
possibly OMC with his Hit, How Bizarre, Bic Runga, Conan and the
Moccasins.

Are you biggest band in New Zealand?
Andrew: Yes, I weigh in at around 100 kilos I think the boys are all
around 80 so that would definitely make us the biggest four piece but
don’t quote me on that, oops to late!! Seriously – we’re finding our
way in a hugely competitive market. We love to play music and have it
move people. If we ever get to the stage of being classified as the
biggest band in NZ, it it would be an added bonus to an already
gratifying love for creating music.

Do you do many concerts or any tours?
Andrew: There is an insatiable itch to play live that is consistently
being rekindled whenever we practice or shoot a video. At the moment
Ammp is focused on studio work and making each single the best we can
– we’re in a creative space just at the moment – then the touring and
world domination!!

Your songs are so well crafted, so beautiful and the vocals are so
wonderful. Do you ever get out of the studios to do other things?

Andrew: Thanks man – that’s very nice of you to say so. If time
allows I like to hit the gym and run, there are so many things I’d
love to do. One day I’m going to write and draw a kid’s book. I’d
really like to write a screenplay for a movie. I’d like to get back
into painting. All farfetched goals but so was writing a single and
doing a video and we’ve almost done three and are planning the fourth.
For now it’s my family, music, work and getting up in the morning.

Tomorrow will be the conclusion of the interview with AMMP, as we talk
about their songs.

Check out AMMP Website and see their videos.
AMMP MySpace page
Free downloads of AMMP for fans at Mp3.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

You will hear AMMP as a wonderful band out of New Zealand with a
very beautiful sound. This will be one of the biggest exports from
New Zealand someday. They will be going to the top hopefully
soon.

AMMP includes:
Andrew Masseurs – Vocals, Keys (interview with)
Mathew Powell – Guitars
Jason Murphy – Bass
Andrew Richardson – Drums

This is not a hard rock or blues band like we usually have on here but
a band of well crafted, beautiful songs with wonderfully sounding
vocals.

I really don’t want to say to much right now, just listen and to AMMP
and tomorrow we’ll have the interview with Andrew Masseurs of AMMP.
After listening to the show you can rewind to 3:30 and skip the
talking at the beginning and hear the music all over again.

Songs played on the podcast:
All I Wanted
Nights Unbroken
Always
Go
Ironman

AMMP Website
AMMP MySpace page
Free downloads at Mp3.com

The Rock And Rollover Show
Don’t forget to check out Peter King’s Rock And Rollover Show where he
puts three new songs in with songs from past episodes. This is a great
way to really get to know these independent bands. Hearing a song one
time is not enough. You have to roll it over and over with The Rock
And Rollover Show. His last show, #19 may be the best show yet.

Matt Bloodwell of Megaphone said “I like to describe our music as honest, loud, stick-to-the-side-of-your-head, guitar rock. We aren’t trying to be what’s hot at the moment, It’s strait forward rock. We write the kind of music we like to listen to. To me a good song is one that when it’s over you want to hear it again. That’s what I mean by stick to the side or your head. Writing songs is like a puzzle. I try to craft each song so they keep playing in your head long after they’ve ended. Oh yeah and it’s got to ROCK! ” Megaphone was a spotlight artist on Nov. 29, 2007 show # 011
Listen to the spotlight show on Megaphone.

To buy Megaphone cd from CD BabyMegaphone Website

This is the conclusion of the interview with Maria Daines. Be sure to
go by her website there is a lot of good information, photos, music
and ways for you to help save our world also. Don’t just sit on the
side lines, get involved in the fight for animals rights. You really
can make a difference in the lives of many animals, you have the power.
Check the different organizations at the website they would be very
grateful for any thing you could do.

Question: Could you tell the listeners something about these songs we heard?
Rollin
Maria: Rollin’ is a song that came to us in the middle of working on
another song, just one of those moments where you start singing or
playing something in your head and you instantly know that it must be
recorded. It’s the only song that Paul plays slide on & it’s probably
our most popular track to date.
Business Ain’t Music
Maria: Well this is a sideways swipe at the corporate music business
which has not been kind to us or to many other struggling musicians.
The ‘business’ is not what we like about music. That side of our
career has always been problematic and we prefer to concentrate on the
creative aspect of songwriting. If you devote your time to making
music that you believe in I think it speaks to people on a level that
you could say is felt instinctively, people know a phony when they
hear it so you just let yourself go with your gut feeling. These days
you can be whatever you want to be and build your own fan base, sell
your own music, even set up your own gigs, it’s all there if you want
to go out and find it. This song kind of puts a sound to the many
shark stories of the 60′s and 70′s when a lot of musicians were stuck
in bad deals.
Save Our World
Maria: Yes we’ve just finished a song called ‘Save Our World’ which we
hope will enlighten people to the plight of endangered species. All
download proceeds are for Wildlife Direct and we hope the song is a
reminder that the planet is in danger of losing some of the most
vibrant creatures and their habitats.
“Save Our World” – to download the song

Maria: We’d like to thank everyone for supporting our music and for
keeping rock n’ roll alive and kicking, it’s a pleasure to be included
on the A1 Artist Spotlight .Com, cheers!

For those of you lucky enough to be in the U.K. check out her live shows I
know you will not be disappointed.

Thank you very much for all your help in putting this together Maria.

Like I said at the beginning she is the Queen of the Blues with the
Heart of a Saint

Cornwall’s Voice for Animals
Member: ( OIPA ) International Organisation for Animal Protection.
NGO affiliated to the UN Department of Public Information
Wag NY (Welfare For Animals Global)

Check out their website, and MySpace page.

Pick up their cd Wisdom’s Tooth at CD Baby’s Website.

If you haven’t had enough of Maria Daines, check out “Blues in the Night“. James played “House of the Rising Sun” as well as several others (some I’ve never heard) by Maria. Show # 176 “Ladies Night”.

This is the first part of the Maria Daines interview.

Question: What got you into music?

Maria: I think it was inside me from an early age. Music was playing
constantly in our house and as I grew up I wrote poetry but never
thought of singing it. Something seems to trigger an outpouring and
the first time I sung in front of an audience I was hooked for life.
Question: What were some of the early records you liked or bought?
I like good strong voices and I heard a lot of country music, Willie
Nelson, Diana Trask, and also blues, rock and gospel. When I reached
teen age the first record I was hooked on was Kate Bush ‘The Kick
Inside’ and I remember playing it to death, such a beautiful voice and
music, it was poetic and mysterious. I was impressed big time.
Question: In your BBC Radio Cambridge Interview you said you and Paul
are going to do a blues cd. How is that coming along?
Maria: The recording was finished a while ago but we haven’t been able
to concentrate on getting the cd out there due to lack of time. We may
write a bonus track because the blues collection has been a favorite
of our fans and we can’t wait to package it. It’s always exciting to
come to the end of a journey. The title track is ‘Your Time Will
Come’.
Question: Could you give us some back ground and information about
Paul Killington?
Maria: Yes of course. Paul is the dark horse of the two of us I guess!
He originates from Harold Hill in Essex and he’s played with many
bands over the years as guitarist and often sung lead and backing
vocal. He prefers to stay out of the limelight and I respect his
wishes but I’m immensely proud to work with a musician of Paul’s
caliber. Many people believe the band is playing live on our tracks
but the music is created by Paul playing guitar, bass, occasionally
keys and he programs the drums. Many drummers have complimented Paul
on his real drum sound, it’s a skill that he plays down but I think
he’s pretty unique as a producer of so many genres and styles. It’s
been helpful to play finished songs to our band members to give them a
good idea of what we’re aiming at in rehearsal for live work.
Question: Very happy to see you are interested in animal rights. How
did you get interested in this?
Maria: Through a friend of mine, Mary Alice Pollard, Cornwall’s Voice
For Animals. We met online just before Christmas 2005 and through Mary
I learned a lot about animal cruelty. It was a real eye opener and I
think I was in shock for some time. I didn’t know how to get rid of my
sadness or how to help. Then we wrote a song for Mary’s anti-fur
campaign, the title ‘I am the owner of this coat’. It made quite an
impact around the world and helped animal rights & welfare groups to
share their message. Since then we have become involved in other
campaigns to end cruelty and in a lot of cases we’ve written a song to
speak up for the animals.

Maria Daines cd “Music United For Animals”
Question: What would you like to tell the listeners about animal rights.
Maria: I’d like to say it isn’t something we can ignore. We should all
be involved in ending cruelty wherever it may occur or for whatever
reason. If we can turn our backs on animal suffering we can also turn
our backs to human suffering. Sentient beings have a right to live
without pain and I would urge everyone to make a difference in any way
they can. Taking blankets to the local dog shelter or writing a poem,
a song, any talent you can offer or simply giving your time is a
tremendous boost for rescuer’s and groups campaigning for a better
life for the voiceless. There’s many links on our website where you
can find educational information and I hope we can all help to create
a more peaceful and understanding world for future generations.
We’ve just finished a song called ‘Save Our World’ which we hope will
enlighten people to the plight of endangered species. All download
proceeds are for Wildlife Direct and we hope the song is a reminder
that the planet is in danger of losing some of the most vibrant creatures
and their habitats.
Please support: Save our World this is less than you would spend on
a candy bar or beer, please help.

Cornwall’s Voice for Animals
Member: ( OIPA ) International Organisation for Animal Protection.
NGO affiliated to the UN Department of Public Information
Wag NY (Welfare For Animals Global)
Tomorrow I’ll have the conclusion of the interview with Maria Daines
and she talks about some of the songs she and Paul have recorded.
Till then check out their website, and MySpace page.

Don’t forget to pick their great cd “Music United For Animals” at CD Baby