Sounds Like Us

[threemonkeys]

Many many years ago when I was a student in Christchurch, I flatted with a girl who was regularly being visited by members of her extended family. One of her cousins was a school age chap who was very interested in music. His name was Rob Mayes. He and I used to chat about what was happening on the local indie scene. The next year when he went to university, he got a job as music critic for the student newspaper. He used to drop around from time to time to share the latest review copies that he had received. Motivated I suspect because at the time I had a much better sound system than any other he had access to. Even after I left the flat, I'd bump into him from time to time on campus and he would tell me about what was happening in local music and try to foist low quality tapes of live recordings onto me from the recording label he was trying to set up - Failsafe Records. I still have one or two I think. I haven't had any contact with him since I moved to Wellington.

Today I was reading Simon Sweetman's blog about the ridiculous state of funding for local music and the farce of cronyism that it has become. At the end of the blog there is a link to a document about the issue written by that same Rob Mayes. It seems that he is still a champion of the local indie scene. I am impressed by his ability to maintain that sort of passion over so many years. If you are interested in the way NZ on Air funds New Zealand music, then you really must read this document.