Cult musical duo win top NZ comedy award

MEDIA RELEASE 4 July 2007

Cult musical duo win top NZ comedy award

Musical comedy act Mrs. Peacock have been selected as the winners of the prestigious Billy T Award for 2007.

Perhaps the most prestigious accolade in New Zealand comedy, the Billy T Award is named for iconic Kiwi entertainer Billy T James, who passed away in 1991. Recipients of the award receive a yellow towel, in honour of the famous towel Billy wore in many of his comedy sketches, and a cash grant of $5000.

Mrs. Peacock are the latest in a line of winners which includes such luminaries as Brendhan Lovegrove, Dai Henwood, Sam Wills, Te Radar and The Humourbeasts. The duo, made up of Dave Smith and Jarrod Baker, won the award on the strength of their 2007 NZ International Comedy Festival show, Mrs. Peacock's ROCK 101, in which they provided audiences with a comprehensive lesson in the "art of rocking".

Mrs. Peacock now plan to begin work on an album of songs from their show, including crowd favourite Jack Johnson, Christian rock number Guy I Thought Was Jesus and their emo show-stopper You Don't Understand (My Pain). They are also beginning work on the music for their 2008 comedy festival show, which they describe as "the rock opera to end all rock operas".

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About Mrs. Peacock
Comedy-rock duo Mrs. Peacock (Jarrod Baker and Dave Smith) formed in 2000 and quickly became cult favourites on the Wellington comedy scene with their killer combination of sweet melodies and filthy lyrics.

The duo's reputation for offensiveness garnered them the "most offensive gag" gong at the NZ Comedy Guild Awards in 2005, and in 2006 they took out the same category at the Wellington Comedy Awards.

It's not all filth, however - Mrs. Peacock also do a nice line in musical parody and consider love songs a particular specialty. You know, for the ladies.

About Jarrod Baker
Jarrod Baker is one half of musical comedy act Mrs. Peacock, one third of musical comedy act The Suave Jockeys, and the only member of non-musical comedy act Jarrod Baker.

Jarrod is also the current President of the New Zealand Comedy Guild. So far, he has yet to grope any interns or start any wars while in this role.

When not performing comedy Jarrod has been known to act, write, be on the radio, and make the web comic Newtown Ghetto Anger which appears weekly on PublicAddress.net.

About Dave Smith
One half of musical comedy duo Mrs. Peacock, and a talented solo performer in his own right, Dave Smith has been on the comedy scene since 1998.

A graduate of EIT's drama programme, Dave is the resident technician at Auckland's Classic Comedy Bar, and the drummer for punk band Galloping Hooves of the Apocalypse.

A prolific songwriter, Dave is also a former star of reality television, having appeared as a competitor on TV2's "So You Think You're Funny?"

Dave likes to spend his days playing his guitar, smoking cigarettes and writing about himself in third person.

ENDS

mrs.peacock - winners of the 2007 Billy T Award
www.mrspeacock.com
www.myspace.com/mrspeacocknz

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