Wellington & Hutt Valley Smokefreerockquest 2011 results

Media Release Wellington & Hutt Valley Smokefreerockquest 2011 results

A four piece indie-alt band from Naenae College and Hutt Valley High School won the 2011 Smokefreerockquest regional final at the Wellington Town Hall on Saturday night.

Two members from The Velvet Regime had entered Smokefreerockquest before, and vocalist Nigel Martinez said they learned a lot from that experience.

“We realised stage presence, style and image are a big part of the performance and you need to have the whole package.”

Nigel says they wore black outfits this year and although they thought they ‘looked silly’ next to the other entrants, it made them stand out.

“We also had a different sound from the others as our style is more focussed on guitar and bass rather than vocals.”

The other members of The Velvet Regime are Stefan Poad on guitar, Joel Averes on bass and Jason Reder on drums.

Second place went to Frank from Kapiti College, a three piece made up of Tyaan Singh, Isaac Simmonds and Shaan Singh.

These top two bands win musical gear from NZ Rockshops and go on to compete for one of six national finalist spots in this year’s Smokefreerockquest.

Rockquest Promotions Founders and Directors Glenn Common and Pete Rainey said from here on the Wellington and Hutt finalists would have to work hard and draw on their creativity to make the most of the opportunity Smokefreerockquest offered.

“The bands to play off at the national final in September are chosen from DVDs of their own music,” Common said. “This means they’ll need to work together as a group and develop the skills that will turn their talent into success.”

The six national finalists will be selected from a pool made up of first and second place-getters from each of the 27 regional finals, and bands from Rockshop Second Chance, an opportunity for established bands who feel they didn’t play at their best on the night. Last year’s record of 800 entrants has already been exceeded, with more entries to come as Christchurch bands have been given an extended deadline.

In term three, Smokefreerockquest and the NZ Music Commission, with funding from the Ministry of Education, will partner the regional winner with a mentor band - a band that is some years ahead and has first hand knowledge of the industry.

The national final will be held this year in the new 5000-seat Claudelands Arena in Hamilton on 17 September. The prize package is designed as a big helping hand into the music industry. It includes a NZ On Air new recording and music video grant worth $10,000, a place on the NZ On Air Kiwi Hit Disc, musical gear to the value of $10,000 from NZ Rockshops, recording time at York St Studio, 1000 single CDs produced by Forge Media, and radio and TV play of single. There is also the MAINZ Scholarship for outstanding musicianship, the APRA Lyric Award, the Lowdown Best Song Award and the Smokefree Women’s Musicianship Award.

In this year’s Wellington and Hutt Smokefreerockquest all entrants got the real life experience of rock stardom - performing on the big stage in the Wellington Town Hall. There were 50 entrants who performed in the afternoon and the eight called back for the evening final were:
The Velvet Regime Naenae College & Hutt Valley High School
Frank Kapiti College
Ash Graham Wellington High School & Com Ed Centre
Soviet Hutt International Boys' School
UrbanRootz Naenae College
Rhythmystikz St Mary's College (Wellington)
Alexis Cartwright Wellington High School and Com Ed Centre
The Onset Onslow College & Scots College

Other regional awards made on Saturday night.
Third place winning musical gear from NZ Rockshops and their suppliers: Ash Graham from Wellington High School and Com Ed Centre
Smokefree People’s Choice: The Onset from Onslow College & Scots College
The Mainz Musicianship Award with the opportunity to be selected for the $4500 Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand Scholarship, announced at the national final: Kit Jenkins, the drummer from Soviet, Hutt International Boys' School
The APRA Lyric Writer’s Award judged from lyrics submitted at the heats: Lucas Donnell from MAN!WOMAN! Hutt Valley High School
Smokefree Award For Women’s Musicianship: Alexis Cartwright from Wellington High School and Com Ed Centre. (Alexis very recently moved from Christchurch to Wellington to escape the quakes)

To find out more about Smokefreerockquest 2011, visit the official website sfrq.co.nz.

ENDS

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