His touring days behind him, Ruban Nielson set out to record a secret curator's egg of psych oddities - but Unknown Mortal Orchestra didn't stay that way for long.

Vile invites you into his world with his seemingly stream of consciousness lyrics, self-deprecating optimism on life and a no-gimmicks-required songwriting ability.

Oscar Kightley witnessed Run-D.M.C. play The Powerstation in Auckland on 18 November 1988.

The partners in love and music talked about collaboration, musical obsession and Nielson's new outfit, Opossom, for Talking Heads.

A column in which Duncan Greive scours the world’s charts in the hope of finding, if not the perfect beat, then something worth whistling at least.

After a decade of deeply conceptual releases, all-star collaborations, pissing off and enlightening hardcore punk purists in equal measures, and garnering near universal critical acclaim, where do F****d Up go from here?

To say Auckland trio Rackets hit the ground running would be an understatement - the scruffy punk-pop outfit have compressed an incredible amount of activity into its two-year lifespan with no sign of relenting.

"Pretty bad-ass". In the short time speaking to Austin, Texas-based Black Joe Lewis, he uses the term several times to describe his horn section in his band, The Honeybears, their live show and his influences.

Disturbing the comfortable and comforting the disturbed, London label/collective On-U Sound has been dishing out the dubwise damage for three decades, with Adrian Sherwood always at its core.

Ahead of Tim Finn's The View is Worth the Climb tour, Matt Heath and Tim Finn got together to talk mic technique and oral hygiene for Talking Heads.

A column in which Duncan Greive scours the world’s charts in the hope of finding, if not the perfect beat, then something worth whistling at least.

William Bensussen AKA The Gaslamp Killer doesn't even need to think about his answer when I ask him about his preferred rhythm structure.

The second consecutive night of Flying Nun's Nunvember celebrations saw a crowd filled with characters from Dunedin's musical history and father/son combos ready to celebrate the label's 30th anniversary in the historic Flying Nun home of Sammy's.

Duncan Greive scours the world's charts in the hope of finding, if not the perfect beat, then something worth whistling at least.

Dum Dum Girls’ frontwoman Dee Dee Penny knows marriage and rock’n’roll don’t always form a blissful union. But Penny remains philosophical regarding the bouts of separation from her husband, Chris Welchez.

Te Kupu and Upper Hutt Posse travelled to Detroit in October 1990 at the invitation of Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam.

Talking Heads: Don Brash and Wallace Chapman. Video / NZME

A column in which Duncan Greive scours the world’s charts in the hope of finding, if not the perfect beat, then something worth whistling at least.

The first we heard of St Vincent’s Annie Clark, she was the skilled instrumentalist from The Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens’ band who’d struck out on her own. But over time it’s become clear the 28-year-old Texan sings to a different tune.

Papatoetoe son David Dallas has had one of his biggest years yet. He tells us how it went down in his New York City tour diary.

Each week Volume magazine pitches two personalities - opposing or complementary - together in conversation. This week, award winning actress Madeleine Sami and aspiring starlet Pasha Patel

The Adults opened for Portishead who played for the first time in NZ since 1998 at Vector Arena.

DJ Shadow’s 1996 debut still looms large, but the Californian producer’s restless musical adventurism means that he continues to dodge expectations on his latest effort, The Less You Know, the Better.

Each week Volume magazine pitches two personalities - opposing or complementary - together in conversation. This week Peter Urlich and The Checks' frontman Ed Knowles.