Damn, dude, that sounds pretty choice. I have to take a subway and 2 buses to get to work (1 hour), it's foggy in the summertime, and the Pacific is butt cold!

Anyway, IMO, you Kiwis need to feel proud about the music coming out of such a sparsely populated country. I would say that per capita, NZ produces more awesome music than anywhere else in the world, and like a national park (no, seriously), it needs to be preserved and protected, or otherwise will suffer a tragic demise, wiped out by the corporate juggernaut of the US. Maybe not right away, but over time it will become diluted, and brought down to the lowest common denominator, that being whatever music has the most money behind it will ultimately prevail. It's a sad predicament that afflicts many countries in different ways, I would guess. I know France has strict rules on letting "franglais" enter their speech, and Canada also has Canadian-created music quotas for radio airplay. It may sound stupid, and seem kinda lame after the 4th Celine Dion song in a row, but in the big picture, I think it is a vital measure to preserve a part of one's national identity, and not be laid to waste by the US music industry. Just my thoughts, I guess.

i think NZ music month is actually a pretty good idea, it gives an oppurtunity for the many NZ bands to be heard, and if people like their music, they get to achieve more than they expect, and they might get the chance to go overseas and release their music like shihad and zed. We should be proud of NZ music and there's no reason why we shouldn't help out our bands

Wicked stuff, pleased to get some great replies. I'd have to agree with Chris and Mingo, that the exclusive nature of sites like this, un-chart-ed, my radio show, NZ music week etc. is justified as a form of self defense against the cultural imperialism that is propogated in America and pertpetuated by the mainstream media here. In fact I'd have to point the finger closer to home, at programme directors in the New Zealand media, for allowing the floodgates of mass-produced foreign culture to infiltrate and dilute our own. That said, I am really stoked to feel like I'm part of a huge wave of proud kiwis, a new young culture of immense creative power that is just exploding all over the place. Is Aotearoa coming of age, leaving the awkward teenage years behind?

sure is mate...

a creative paradise...

just remember to look to those around you and younger than yourself...

our culture is evolving at a horrendous rate and a lot of people who still control the media in old school ways are quickly losing their grasp and relevance...

well, having been involved in one way of other in the music scene in wellington since i was fifteen, you could say kiwi music is in my blood.... now i find myself in the mid-lands of england, its raining out, and my body thinks its supposed to be summer. but c. fu can still bring a huge grin to my face no matter how shit it is outside.... aotearoa music is the bomb. shame not to have to endure another spice-girl-gone-solo single for all that time, but hey, you cant have it all. to me the prospect of a whole month of n.z. music is so appealing, i cant really draw my attention to any possible nationalistic connotations. it all seems somehow insignificant.

(cant wait till someone sends me over the trinity roots ep... then my grin will be even bigger).

Being from England, I can offer some thoughts from an "outsider". I personally think you should be proud of the wonderful music coming from your country and you are completely justified in in your NZ month.
Personally I wish one of the British radio stations would do the same (a New Zealand month that is) instead of playing the same old rubbish by the same old rubbish bands all the time.

i agree with most of the stuff thats been said here.... apart from one thing: "some (bands) are blatant ripoffs of overseas "styles" showing an insecurity all to common in our country". well i think music styles are global and compartmentalising ourselves into restricted genres because we dont want to 'be like overseas styles' is narrow minded. just because a band is of a style prevalent in overseas industries, doesnt mean theyre any less deserving of our respect for making it to where they are. of course you can dislike certain sorts of music, thats human nature, but knocking quality nz bands cos they sound like they arent from here is pathetic.