All sorts of interesting local news titbits have been flying around in the past week and using only the decaying remnants of my memory, I'll try and pin some of them down for you.

First up, the Kiss-88.1FM collection of music from the Bay and Waikato is inching closer to release. For those who missed last week, this set – called Kiss-Picks – comes in the form of a 1Gb flash drive (in the shape of a Gibson Les Paul guitar!) which contains MP3 and WAV music files plus liner notes, artwork and a crossfade mix of songs from 14 artists.

And the full list of artists, spanning 1986 to 2011, has been released. They are Brilleaux, Hard To Handle, Enercia, Grace Falls, Knightshade, Kindred, Slipping Tongue, Kokomo, Luke Thompson, Jaime Fitzgerald, Hannah Fryett, The Kaimai Cowboys, Aaron Saxon and Ritchie Pickett.

You can now pre-order copies of this from the Kiss-FM website (www.kissfm.co.nz) in exchange for a $20 donation to the radio station. And while you're there request a song.

This should also be a great tool for spreading Tauranga music around the country as Kiss-FM head honcho Max Christoffersen says Kiss-Picks will be sent to radio programmers around New Zealand and to local stations who ‘claim to be local' but continue to ignore the local talent in their daily playlists.

And, with any luck, this won't be the last release. As Max says, 'We hope Kiss-Picks becomes an annual event, with local musicians being recognised for their talent each year. There are so many outstanding local musicians that a second album could easily have been produced with a completely different song line-up.”

Okay. On to a rather exciting upcoming gig, which I'll try and plug a little closer to the time, but since it's only two weeks away, I suggest you put it in your diary now.

On Saturday, May 28, The Hipshooters are playing at Brewer's Bar at the Mount. For those not in the know, The Hipshooters are the band fronted by ex-Hard To Handle guitarist Anton Tipi Elkington, one of the most exciting and dynamic electric blues guitarists to ever ply their trade in this country.

He formed the trio along with ace bassist Billy Williams in 1992 after the H2H demise and you're probably wondering, in that case, why you haven't heard of them. The simple reason is that they decamped to Brisbane in 1995 where they spent the next decade being feted at festivals, winning various blues awards and releasing albums. I've heard the latest of those, a live document which is the sort of thing that bootleg collectors pass round and speak of in hushed tones. It's fantastic stuff, refracting roots in Stevie Ray Vaughan and Hendrix through the band's own prism to a point where their original material sits proudly against breathtaking versions of blues classics.

This should be a sensational gig and, as a little bonus, there will be support sets from John Michaelz and, in a unique pairing, John's son, singer/songwriter Dylan Israel. The gig is at 9pm, tickets are $10 at the door.

And updates have been coming in from the band formerly known as Mellowdrops.

Having played their last gig under that name at Imbibe a couple of weeks back the band will now be operating under the name Nine Mile Stone. Explanation for the new name can wait for the moment but I am assured it's an ‘Irish thing'.

After health scares, baby arrivals and a change of drummer, the boys have been ensconced in Tim Julian's Welcome Bay studio, The Colourfield, since Christmas and have recently wrapped recording on their new album, provisionally titled All Roads Lead To Home. Currently they are mixing the songs and singer/guitarist Derek Toner says they are 'thrilled with how it is turning out”. As well as his production expertise, Tim Julian has been adding his ever-excellent keyboards to the mix. Derek says Tim's presence on the album has 'really lifted it to a new level”.

All Roads Lead To Home will be launched at a one-off show in Baycourt's main theatre in July. We'll be regularly visiting the band to check on interim progress and you can find them at www.reverbnation.com/ninemilestone.

Till next time…