This week in Southampton three bands released new material that does this area proud.

Dlugokecki, The Rebs and Broken Links have all recorded quality songs that deserve being heard by a wider audience.

But the frustration they all share is that local and regional daytime radio will ignore their music.

It’s true that BBC Radio Solent, Wave 105 and Play Radio have slots giving local musicians air time but you’ll find these at safe moments in the schedule where people have to make an effort to listen.

During the day, however, you’ll hear new music from the rest of the country promoted as fresh and exciting.

In fact the easiest way to spread the look of horror across radio faces would be to suggest that Dlugokecki, The Rebs or even Broken Links should be scheduled into the daily playlist.

Radio’s reluctance is based on fear: fear that the listener will switch stations when they hear something unfamiliar.

This is why most radio stations sound like audio museums.

They celebrate the 80’s as if it’s a recently discovered trend and their ever narrowing taste in music is making many parents’ record collection seem hip and trendy.

But tell a radio station’s news team they can’t report ‘local’ stories, or their sales team to avoid ‘local’ businesses, or that local callers can’t be put on air and there would be wide spread hilarity over your inept attitude towards broadcasting.

Does it matter? Well ask the Liberal Democrats if a little extra airtime helps.

For me, last Friday has become ‘unsigned Friday’.

In the morning we held meetings about a compilation CD full of unsigned artists, the evening’s task was judging five unsigned bands in the ‘Southampton Takedown’ at the Talking Heads and between those events I was invited to present a radio show on a national DAB station that only plays unsigned music.

The winners of ‘Southampton Takedown’ were ‘Plastic Toys‘ and they’ll now be supporting ‘YouMeAtSix’ when they play The Salisbury Takedown on July 26^th.

‘Plastic Toys’ narrowly beat deep grunge rockers ‘Burn The Fleet‘ who win the unofficial runners-up prize of an acoustic set at ‘Showcase UK’ in the Soul Cellar on Monday 20^th.

Meanwhile the CD is a collaboration between ‘Showcase UK‘ and ‘Angry Badger Records‘ and titled “Showcase Sett“.

Julian Aplin’s label is fast becoming a feature in the South’s music scene and this album will give 16 acts from Southampton and Portsmouth a great boost.

We’re also using Southampton artists for the cover and sleeve design and with one glimpse you’ll understand why the first collection is called ‘Propeller‘.

It’s released on Saturday 1^st August with a four band show at the Soul Cellar featuring ‘Dlugokecki‘, ‘The Queue‘, ‘Moody Tuesday‘ & ‘Thinking For Tuesday‘.

And finally the radio station is ‘Amazing Radio‘ which I believe is going to shake up both the radio and music industries.

It’s a great thrill and honour to be asked to join them and I’ll only be playing music from the South coast.

First published in the Daily Echo, Friday 10th July www.dailyecho.co.uk/leisure/music/news/4486773./

It’s the wrong time of the year for snowballs but Lee Marchant and Nick Illingsworth seem to have created a giant one which is rolling to St Mary’s stadium this weekend (23rd May).

These two are responsible for Saints Aid, a musical extravaganza which is raising money to help Southampton’s football team.

It started as a one day event but has now spread around the city, rapidly turning into a weekend of gigs and entertainment.

As Lee told me: “The idea started when David Reid from Olympian offered to play a gig to raise a few pounds for the club. Glynn Root from Fingermen also said his band would like to play. I spoke to to Nick Illingsworth about moving the event to St Mary’s and making it an all day affair. After this myself and Nick joked about being Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in red and white stripes, so Saints Aid was born!”

Headlining at St Mary’s on Saturday 23rd will be The Rebs and Dlugokecki. On Bank Holiday Monday The Artful Dodger will be back home at Oceana on the 25th May in a unique performance specially for Saints Aid.

On Friday 22nd Melodee Rockmore will be ending eight hours of music at the King Alfred in Northam Road. And on the same day a heavy rock night at Louisiana Nightclub, Leisure World.

Showcase UK is also taking part and tonight Monday 18th we’re having a preview night at the Soul Cellar, playing tracks by all of the artists taking part in Saints Aid, call it pre-match training if you like but we’ll be raising money for the team and building the anticipation for the weekend to come.

Musicians from around the city, and even beyond, are trying to save the Southampton FC, according to Lee: “It’s part of the feeling in the city of people wanting to do something to help the club but do not quite know what they can. As we have asked for local musicians, the bands have approached us in their droves. ”

“The response has been both overwhelming and quite inspiring. The support for Saints-aid has been fantastic and it has snowballed into something quite enormous, which is why we have had to use over venues and take it all over the city. It just goes to show how much the football club means to the city of Southampton.”

For more details and ticket information visit www.saints-aid.co.uk

The good news: I’ve been invited to see Dlugokeckisupport the Proclaimers at the South by South West music conference in Austin, Texas.

Unfortunately I am not going by plane, boat or courtesy of Rolling Stone magazine: it’s the virtual world of Second Life that’s calling and I’m off to a bar called The Blarney Stone.

If you are unaware of Second Life then think of it as a computer generated world in which you control a character that can interact with all the other inhabitants.

You can buy land, buildings and clothes and it has become established enough for a few small countries to open embassies.

Early this Sunday morning (3am) you can take your character to the Blarney Stone and watch a live feed of Dlugokekci’s gig which, according to the organisers, is a first for South by Southwest.

However live music in Second Life is nothing new and it’s thought a dozen or so similar events happen every day.

But it is an apt reminder that keeping on top of technology is a must for musicians and followers alike.

The virtual world will not replace real, in your face, gigs but you need to find an audience at least Second Lifers are pro-active.

In this case where band and fan part company will be the start time and possible graphic card limitations on the computer.

But it won’t be long before bands will be adding Second Life accounts to their portfolio of Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube.

First published in the Southern Daily Echo Friday March 20th