Despite trying to answer all emails, I must confess I'm a lousy correspondent.

I say this by way of an apology to everyone I haven't replied to. Sorry. I really meant to. Your emails are important and do affect what I write about.

Recently this came from a reader: 'Like many in this town, I have recently moved here, and with time on my hands I have picked up playing (badly) again.

However, as a newcomer I don't really know anyone to jam with, and I'm sure that applies to many others. Have you any ideas about how I could catch up with like-minded casual players who are really more interested in a few beers and laughs than playing stadiums?” (Thanks for the email, Ross!)

It's a not uncommon question and one I'd ask y'all to help me with. Where are the casual jam sessions happening these days? Email me and I'll spread the word.

In the meantime, here are a couple of suggestions: there's a country jam every Wednesday at The Matua, friendly folk, friendly music. The Tauranga Acoustic Music Club gets together every Tuesday night at the RSA in Greerton – three Tuesdays are jam sessions while the fourth one each month is a blackboard concert. There are also a couple of monthly jams at Drivers Bar; blues on the second Wednesday and a classic rock one on the last Wednesday of each month.

Any more suggestions? Lemme know...

Genre genie
And last week I mentioned a couple of new local albums. There are more. Damn fine. Bring ‘em on. Interestingly, one thing that unites the five releases I've heard recently is that they are all ‘genre' albums and each in completely different genres.

Many albums aren't strictly in one genre. They're a bit of this, a bit of that. Even a Taylor Swift album doesn't really fit a genre. She started as a country singer but there's bits of all sorts now. Likewise AC/DC – hard rock? Metal? Bluesy rock? No strict genre. The same is true of most local releases, be they from Kokomo, Sons of Beaches, The Line Up, Leilani, or Derek Toner.

Local flavour
But these new albums from Tauranga are surprisingly defined and, unusually, easy to define. How many musicians or bands have to pause after being asked ‘what kind of music do you play?' None of these do.

I've already mentioned Anthony Coulter's ‘Shaking Her Wings' – solid seventies music, to be launched next Tuesday, July 21, at Drivers Bar – and Tim Julian's upcoming ‘Southern Utopia,' an ambitious exploration of 1980s styles.

Any week now there'll be the new Brilleaux album, ‘Pictures Of The Queen', which is English-style rhythm and blues.

There's the self-titled debut from guitarist Mark Wright's band The Eternal Sea: modern heavy metal. And there's the upcoming ‘La Noche De China' from Argentinian singer/guitarist Santiago: acoustic Latino, songs in Spanish.

All absolutely true to one style, one genre. I'll offer fuller reviews in coming weeks – the more local music the better!

And, talking of Santiago, he's keeping busy at the Mount with his guitar and looping gear. This weekend he's playing at Mount Social Club (ex-Armazem) tonight, Friday, July 17, and is back there from 4pm on Sunday.

Keeping with tradition
Or for something exotic from closer to home, there's a performance at the Tauranga Art Gallery from Jo'el Komene and Te Kahu Rolleston tomorrow, Saturday, July 18, at 2pm.

It's also the finale of the gallery's Matariki programme – and Te Kahu is a poet who has featured on television and radio and has performed live throughout the country.

Meanwhile, Jo'el will be bringing a bunch of Taonga Puoro, in the form of traditional Maori musical instruments – he's an expert at making, playing and performing with them which should offer both some real insight into the instruments and the pleasure of hearing them played in a terrific setting.

It's also a chance to catch the Uku Rere Nga Kaihanga Uku and Beyond exhibition, showing ceramics that tell the story of Nga Kaihanga Uku from its beginnings in 1986 when a group of artists started making sculptures in clay based on Kaupapa Maori. There's some very cool stuff.

watusi@thesun.co.nz