KEY POINTS:
Two musicians who have made a fair chunk of money from writing advertising jingles visit New Zealand in the coming months.
New York-based musician Regina Spektor, whose track Fidelity is used in the local Yahoo/Xtra ad, plays on July 18 in Auckland (venue to be confirmed).
Last year's album, Begin To Hope, was the Russian-born multi-instrumentalist's fourth album after the success of 2004's Soviet Kitsch which opened her up to a new audience after touring with the Strokes and Kings of Leon.
On stage Spektor plays guitar, piano and even hits and bangs a wooden chair that doubles as a drum. Anyone for some crazy folk music? Actually, make that anti-folk music.
Then, on August 14 at the Hopetoun Alpha, Swedish singer/songwriter Jose Gonzalez does a special performance of songs from his new album, In Our Nature, the follow-up to his debut, Veneer. That 2005 album included the song Heartbeats, a cover of a song by fellow Swedes the Knife, which was used on the Sony bouncing balls ad.
The new album features a cover of Massive Attack's Teardrop.
And for something a little more heavy, when Heaven & Hell play the Logan Campbell Centre in Auckland on August 16 it's the closest you're ever likely to get to seeing Black Sabbath live. Unless you've already seen them before, that is.
The early 80s line-up of the pioneering metal band, made up of guitarist Tony Iommo, bass player Geezer Butler, drummer Vinny Appice, and singer Ronnie James Dio, have reunited as Heaven & Hell (a name taken from a 1980 Black Sabbath album).
Also, the new Sabbath compilation album, The Dio Years, which takes in the times when Dio took over from Ozzy Osbourne on vocals, is out now.
And finally, Steve Kilbey, the lead singer and songwriter in Australian art-rockers The Church, does three acoustic concerts in New Zealand including a show on July 28 at the Transmission Room, Mayoral Dr, Auckland.
As well as performing songs like She Counts Up the Days from his solo albums he also plays classic Church tracks like Unguarded Moment, Under the Milky Way and Almost With You.
