Featured this week is the band identified as "formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo" - yes, it's Flight of the Conchords' newly released album. Check out some of the great tracks from the series - Inner City Pressure, Hiphopopotamus vs Rhymenoceros, A Kiss Is Not a Contract, The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room), Business Time - fleshed-out and professionally recorded versions of Flight of the Conchords concert and television favorites produced by Mickey Petralia ( Beck, Midnight Vultures) in Los Angeles, New York and Wellington. Also on high rotate - loads of Kiwi music including Dudley Benson (listen to our exclusive interview..... Dudley Benson - interview.mp3 )  The Ruby Suns, Charlette Hannah, The Phoenix Foundation, dDub, Kora, Salmonella Dub, Breaks Co-op, Tiki Taane, Brian Platt, Luke Thompson, Darcy Perry, Katchafire, The Tokey Tones, Dimmer and loads more.

Despite stiff competition from Radio India and our own Voices of Brazil, the boys from Candela took out top spot in the Best Ethnic and Access non-English Radio category at the weekend's 2008 NZ Radio Awards ceremony.  Luis and Mauricio were on hand to accept the award with a highly excited and emotional speech - and to receive praise from a number of the country's well known radio personalities.  The judging panel decribed Candela as "... reflecting Latin culture, having pace and energy, fluent presenters with high performance standards...".   Check out Candela this Friday night - I'm sure it will be quite a party!

The launch of the annual Community Media Grant on Thursday, 1 May offers a major boost for Hamilton’s not-for-profit sector.   The grant is an initiative of Community Radio Hamilton, Bettle Advertising, and Hamilton City Council’s City News magazine and provides one local charitable organisation with an advertising campaign valued at more than $15,000.  The successful recipient will benefit from strategic development and graphic design courtesy of award-winning agency Bettle Advertising, radio promotion on the Waikato’s only Access radio station Community Radio Hamilton, and print advertising in Hamilton City Council’s City News magazine. For more information about how to apply, click here.

Well, our Open Day on Saturday was a huge success! Several hundred people came along to look around the station, pop into Access Radio information seminars, check out the info stalls and ethnic foods on offer, and check out some amazing local talent including our Blues Society friends who were joined by none other than Darcy Perry!  We would like to thank everyone who helped make the day a success. If you missed it, check out what it was all about here, then have a look at the photos.

Sam from Food for Thought and Israel from Spotlight have been out at tvCentral today being interviewed about their shows, and how they came to be two of the country's youngest radio broadcasters. Check out their appearance this coming Monday at 8am, 1pm, 7.30pm and 10.30pm on tvCentral.

The 2008 NZ Radio Awards finalists were announced today, and we're very excited to have three Community Radio Hamilton shows in the finals!  Candela and Voices of Brazil are finalists in the Best Ethnic or Access Non-English Language category, and our fabulous Blues Room is a finalist in the Best Ethnic or Access Music Programme. This is a great achievement for the volunteer broadcasters concerned, and we have our fingers crossed for the awards night on May 3rd.