Halloween is nearly here!

And a last minute Interview this week with writer Jo Davy, co-author with James Gilberd of 'Spooked: Exploring the Paranormal in New Zealand'.

Are the dead really all around us, treading the boards of theatres, pacing the corridors of prisons, or terrifying the occupants of scary old houses? Or are ghosts just in the mind of those who think they’ve seen them? What is ectoplasm? And can you really photograph a ghost?


People around the world are curious about ghosts, and New Zealanders are no exception. In Spooked, New Zealand paranormal investigators Strange Occurrences search for the truth behind the dark stories of some of the country’s most infamous haunted sites – including Wellington’s Town Hall, the Hawkes Bay Opera House and The Vulcan Hotel – as well as some of its lesser known ones, such as the Dunedin YHA Backpackers.

This week, the Kid goes all “bookworm”

This week, the Kid goes all “bookworm” with the first of his series on “What to buy for Xmas”. This week, it’s three different Rock ‘n’ Roll Legends: Steven Tyler; Dave Grohl and Katy Perry. Click here to read the reviews and don’t forget to tune in at 7.30 On Thursday Nights to “The Adventures of the Coffee Bar Kid” Only on Groove 107.7FM.

Does the Noise in my head bother you? A Rock’n’Roll Memoir. Steven Tyler. Harper Collins RRP $39.99

This would be one of the most appropriate book titles ever. Tyler is a dynamo of language and thought. He write, if you could call it that, like a Ralph Steadman cartoon: the image is there but you have to search through the splodges and ink blots, the outrageous colours and exaggerated lines, to find the true constructs. Whilst “ghost written’ to a degree, I would have preferred this book to be in the form of an interview, perhaps more structured, some way of containing Tyler’s mind explosions and harnessing the impossible tangents that he inevitably travels. For a man now sober, you wouldn’t know. On paper – at least – this one covers all the bases: Early days, Aerosmith, Sex, Drugs, Rock’n’Roll and family life, then more sex and drugs as Tyler proves himself to be the living effigy of Keith Moon and Mick Jagger.

Despite or perhaps because of all this, Tyler and Aerosmith have remained America’s own version of a good down to earth good time Bogan band, with their popularity as big in the States as ACA DACCA is down under, and every long haired or aspiring long haired teen from 10 – 50 yrs having a copy of, at least “Pump” in their collection.

On the whole, I’d plug this one for the significant male in your life. Take his mind off the tournament of the usually shaped ball for 10 minutes!


This is a call: the Life and Times of Dave Grohl. Paul Brannigan. Harper Collins RRP: $39.99

I recently saw Nirvana’s Live at the Paramount DVD and was reminded of the sheer amatueristic approach of three slackers from Seattle. Their entire set seemed like it was made up by jamming there and then, with little regard for professionalism, delivery or direction. Kurt, as always was moody, brooding and closed. Noveselic was tripping and vague. Grohl was concentrating for dear life, nervous as hell.

On the cover of “This is a call” Grohl admits he ‘lost it’ when he heard of Kurt’s death. He reveals through out that this was not only the loss of a band mate but a job as well. His entire reason for living, the accolades, the tour cycle-feedbag and the direction that taught him hour to lay, and more over, to perform on stage had gone. In the following chapters Grohl works through the pain, the loss of direction and the final hurdles that shaped him as the leader of Foo Fighters, a stadium sized band that on paper has output more, been heard by more and met more than Nirvana ever had. Had the monkey of Nevermind been lifted, though? Whilst Grohl cathartically works through that here on the page, I’m not so convinced. You be the judge. Brannigan, who’s actually hung with Grohl many times, has done a good job here and speaks like someone who knows his subject at the right level. He does reveal anything that Grohl doesn’t wand him to, and that’s a danger I guess. At least it would be if Grohl was the kind of guy to have a past that shdy. No that was Kurt who had the issues. Another one for the mature males in your household (say 25+ . Any earlier and they’d be uninterested. They’re too busy still living the R’n’R dream).


Katy Perry: The Unauthorised Biography – Alice Montgomery – Penguin RRP: $35.00

Who knew the demure Christian popster, Katy Hudson would go on to change her name, marry Russell Brand, sell millions, have the Chipmunks cover her songs, and become the tabloid darling she is today? Not so much a rags to riches story, this one but and interesting little journey. There’s the usual bad-ass boy friend, Record Company dumpings and in-your-face success that only Hollywood would lap up these days. Still, it’s a good effort. I’ve only read four chapters so far but I can see Alice Montgomery, who recently saw success with Susan Boyle’s bio ‘Dreams can Come True’ has done her homework. The only thing I have against unauthorised biographies is the propensity to rely on second hand sources and people “close’ to the Star in question, which usually turns out to be the domestic help or a barista at a favourite coffee shop. And in this case, this is mostly a narrative of previously published articles and a few choice interviews with editors and such. If you know nothing about Perry, it’s a good 101 Text to refer to. But if you’re a fan. I suspect you’ve already read the tweets and facebook comments from the star her self, and that, at least these days, it a closer ‘source’. If you can stand the “OMGs” on Christmas morning then buy this for your teen daughter or her cousin.

THe Groove Book Report: House Of Holes - Nicholson Baker - Simon and Shuster - $36.00

First, a wee commercial message: 'If you have a sex ache that needs relief, jump onto a Smutship and jig right over to the House of Holes. Oh,yes indeed, you'll find all sorts of gratification available, the huge variety is limited only by your own imagination. Ask and ye shall receive -- inhibitionists need not apply.

Baker, himself may look like quiet, calm almost puritanical - judging by his cover photo - but his writing is a veritable aladins cave of sexual fantasies and daliances. Yet there is an overwhelming femini touch here. In House of Holes only women get to visit this adult fun-park for free. Men, it seems must pay. If they run ot of money they can forfeit a limb or even their head to keep 'going'. One even gives up their most sacred appendage, as one man did swapping his penis for a womans' bits Then, in an amzing twist ended up being screwed by his own dick.! Another gives his right arm, literally to swap his for alargerpenis. Just a couple of examples of how Baker twists standard sexual fantasies into a very raunchy take on the standard wet dream.

There's no such thing as kinky sex in the House of Holes; every technique appears to be regarded as perfectly normal. For example, women visiting the House of Holes sometimes select a no-brainer option: sex with a headless (but otherwise alive) male body. Perhaps that's an apt metaphor for our contemporary popular culture, in which professional models and athletes are spectacularly rewarded, whereas the TV show Jeopardy constitutes our most profound national celebration of intellectual activity.

Nevertheless, the publication of House of Holes is not a major literary event. There's no deep plot or character development appears here to interfere with the unrelenting march of orgasmic vignettes. All chapters are short and only a few characters intertwine throughout the book, so we neverreally get to a final, err climax!. Sorry, had to be said.

There is plenty sporadic humor, but its few literary pretensions reduce to some clever puns and occasional references to cultural luminaries like Borodin, Dickens, and Hawking. The principal achievement is likely that it yields a huge thesaurus of novel sexual synonyms for genitalia. Yet again,despite the lurid graphic depiction of sexual activity, this is a book of 'un-titillation', which I get - is the point!

This week's Show. From 7.30PM

We have two interviews tonight.

Singer Songwriter Mel Parsons. And Carolina Moon.
Here's some info about Mel ....

Website: http://melparsons.com/

Following the success of her debut record ‘Over My Shoulder’, Tui-award finalist Mel Parsons has just released her brand new album RED GREY BLUE and is currently on a 20 date tour of NZ with her trusty backing band the Rhythm Kings.

One of NZ’s rising songwriting stars, Mel Parsons is in her element on stage, and is known for ‘pin-drop’ performances – drawing in her audiences and keeping them all night.

With a voice that “could work any night in Nashville, yet somehow sounds intrinsically New Zealand” (Black Magazine) Parsons draws on the folk tradition of telling stories, and blends it with pop hooks and a unique sensibility to melody and harmony.

Her debut album was a finalist in the NZ Music Awards for Folk Album of the Year in 2009, and she has toured NZ numerous times both as a solo artist and with her backing band “The Rhythm Kings”. Along with her own shows, Parsons has supported and played alongside some of NZ’s best including Anika Moa; Don McGlashan; The Warratahs; Anna Coddington and Greg Johnson.
After a growing up on NZ’s rural West Coast, Parsons has spent the past 10 years on the road: touring, travelling and gleaming material from life, love and loss. Her experiences translate to song in a true, bare and at times heartbreaking manner, weaved together with an infectious optimism and ever-memorable lyrics.

“One of those nice treats you occasionally stumble over while trawling through a sea of mediocrity” Nick Ward, The Nelson Mail

RED GREY BLUE
Cape Road Recordings is proud to present Mel Parsons’ highly anticipated sophomore release ‘Red Grey Blue’. Co-produced by Parsons and award-winning producer Jeremy Toy (She’s So Rad, Opensouls, Hollie Smith) the record was made in Auckland, NZ over the summer and autumn of 2011, and features a host of musician friends from near and far.


Following on from the success of her Tui-nominated debut album ‘Over My Shoulder’ in 2009, ‘Red Grey Blue’ runs the gamut from gentle and assured, to the depths of darkness and everything in between. Quiet ballads rub shoulders with fall-in-love pop gems and dark alt-country numbers. Written over the past two years whilst touring her first record, the album is inspired by the melting-pot of Parsons’ musical influences from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young to Paul Simon, Dire Straits to Fleetwood Mac. The song-writing itself is a reflection of the highs and lows on her own journey, delivered with Parsons’ trademark heart-on-sleeve lyrical style.


Forever a fan of soaring vocal harmony, Parsons is joined in the vocal booth by Anika Moa, Christof (UK), and Anji Sami (The Sami Sisters/She’s So Rad). Guitar duties are shared by Toy and Parsons’ long-time guitarist Neil Watson, while drums are taken care of by rising sensation Alistair Deverick (Ruby Suns, Lisa Crawley), with additional percussion by Paul Taylor (Feist). Ex-Cat Stevens bassist Bruce Lynch steps in on double bass, along with guest spots from Greg Johnson and Don McGlashan among others.


Mixed by award-winning engineer Andre Upston at Radio NZ and mastered by Don Bartley at Benchmark in Sydney, ‘Red Grey Blue’ is out now and available here



Cape Road Recordings is proud to present Mel Parsons’ highly anticipatedsophomore release ‘Red Grey Blue’. Co-produced by Parsons and awardwinning producer Jeremy Toy (She’s So Rad, Opensouls, Hollie Smith) the record was made in Auckland, NZ over the summer and autumn of 2011, and features a host of musician friends from near and far.Following on from the success of her Tui-nominated debut album ‘OverMy Shoulder’ in 2009, ‘Red Grey Blue’ runs the gamut from gentle andassured, to the depths of darkness and everything in between. Quietballads rub shoulders with fall-in-love pop gems and dark alt-countrynumbers. Written over the past two years whilst touring her first record, the album is inspired by the melting-pot of Parsons’ musical influences from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young to Paul Simon, Dire Straits to Fleetwood Mac. The song-writing itself is a reflection of the highs and lows on her own journey, delivered with Parsons’ trademark heart-on-sleeve lyrical style.Forever a fan of soaring vocal harmony, Parsons is joined in the vocalbooth by Anika Moa, Christof (UK), and Anji Sami (The Sami Sisters/She’sSo Rad). Guitar duties are shared by Toy and Parsons’ long-time guitaristNeil Watson, while drums are taken care of by rising sensation AlistairDeverick (Ruby Suns, Lisa Crawley), with additional percussion by PaulTaylor (Feist). Ex-Cat Stevens bassist Bruce Lynch steps in on double bass, along with guest spots from Greg Johnson and Don McGlashan among others.Mixed by award-winning engineer Andre Upston at Radio NZ andmastered by Don Bartley at Benchmark in Sydney, ‘Red Grey Blue’ is duefor release September 19th 2011.

And here's some info about Carolina Moon

And link to her site: http://moonmusik.com/

CAROLINA MOON (UK/AUS/NZ) ~ vocals, bells, arrangements
Carolina spent her formative years on the London jazz and world music scene, moving to Sydney in 1995. She performed and collaborated with many leading artists including Mark Isaacs with whom she first performed the Sephardic repertoire. In 2002, she travelled, performed and studied voice and raga at the Jazz India Vocal Institute, Mumbai. The Shaman’s Kiss CD was nominated for a Bell in the Australian Jazz Awards 2003. Carolina is now based in Auckland New Zealand. She completed her Masters of Music in Performance in 2009 and has performed widely throughout the UK, Australia, India, China, Aotearoa and the Greater Pacific.

This week on the Adventures of the Coffee Bar Kid: Mel Parsons & Carolina Moon

This wek we have two fantastic interviews. One with West Coast singer Songwriter Mel Parsons and the other with Carolina Moon, Auckland based jazz singer and virtuoso.

Also, arather saucy review of Nicholson Barker's 'House of Holes'.

For details from theshow click the link: http://adventuresofthecoffeebarkid.blogspot.com/