STRICTLY GLOBAL

(by Dawn Reed) Continuing on in our marathon of year end episodes, at 10 PM we will continue churning out the most requested videos of 2010 from you guys because we couldn't fit them all into the first hour! That's amazing.  We'll also feature the best runner-up videos from the contest we recently held through Sonicbids.com.  We had a tremendous amount of submissions from all over the world (from Turkey to Puerto Rico) and every genre imaginable (from Americana to glitch-pop.)  Here's a teaser of what's to come... 

Originally formed in New Zealand and now based out of Melbourne, Australia, we'll check out the powerpop indie rock group Damn the Maps in their skillfully created animated video.  Quoting from their EPK, their band name "represents simply going in your own direction as opposed to following the directions and pre-planned destinies of others. It’s about believing in yourself more than anything or anyone else."  That could attest to their history a little too.  Earlier this decade, they were originally known as Nervous Wreck and had a different line-up.  With former members leaving, singer/bassist Martin J. Green found the current line-up, Nick Riley (guitar) and Mark Coats (drums), via Melbourne’s music site Melband. After an American band trademarked the Nervous Wreck name, they changed it to Damn the Maps figuring it was more 'applicable with the journey they had taken so far,' and just in time for the release of their debut album, Input Output (2008.) They plan to start recording their second album in early 2011.

We'll also check out a live performance from the South Pacific group Te Vaka, who meld the traditional sounds of the South Pacific through log drums and Polynesian chants with rock rhythms and infectious melodies.  Together, the band mates represent Tokelau, Tuvalu, Samoa, Cook Islands and New Zealand, and have been touring the world extensively for the past 14 years.  They've performed in over 35 countries, headlined world music festivals, performed at huge events such as the Rugby World Cup in Paris and the Olympic Games in Beijing, and have released 6 internationally acclaimed albums to date!!!