SMOKEFREEROCKQUEST 2015- Hawkes Bay regional final results

SMOKEFREEROCKQUEST 2015- Hawkes Bay regional final results

All girl rock band Regal in Black had the ‘stand out factor’ that took the honours at this year’s Hawkes Bay Smokefreerockquest final at the Napier Municipal Theatre on Saturday.

Lead vocalist Saskia Stevenson says the band just got together this year, but they have all played in bands before, with two band members having also competed before in Smokefreerockquest.

“Our sound is influenced by bands like Nirvana and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and our songs are about individuality and being yourself,” she said. “I think just being an all girl rock band made us stand out, plus we have quite a high skill level and we had given each other lots of tips to make our overall sound better.”

The other members of Regal in Black are Isabelle Potbury (guitar), Zoe Bower (bass), and Jesse Schroder-Smale (drums) who also won the Smokefree Award For Women’s Musicianship. The girls are all students at Napier Girls' High School.

Second placed band was Critical Theory, a five piece band with an alternative sound, from Napier Boys' High School. The members are Joe Cornes (lead guitar), Oliver Cook (lead vocals) , Liam Meehan (drums), Sam Purdy (keyboard), and Ben Cornes (bass) who also won the Mainz Musicianship Award with a chance of a national tuition scholarship.

Mia Sohnge from Taradale High School was placed first in the solo/duo section. She won last year with her borther Jono, who has now left school, and has placed first or second every year since year 9.

Mia says her sound is ‘chilled acoustic pop’, and her songs, about her experiences, thoughts and the people she loves, also won her the APRA Lyric Writers’s Award on Saturday night.

“I think I stood out because I connected with my songs and with the audience,” she says. “It’s my biggest dream to make a career out of music.”

Teia Drysdale from Napier Girls' High School placed second in the solo/duo category

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These four acts win musical gear from associate sponsors NZ Rockshops, and the opportunity to gain selection for the national final at Auckland’s Raye Freedman Centre on Friday 11 September.

Smokefreerockquest Founder and director Glenn Common says there are more entrants than ever before reaching the high standard required from national finalists.

“This means that real dedication is required to achieve the ‘stand out quality’ that the judges will be looking for,” he said. “They have to capture 15 minutes of their original material on video in a process that demands creativity and musical ability, being able to work together as a group and having good organisational skills. What separates them out is perseverance – industry success seldom happens overnight.”

The full list of awards made on Saturday night was:

Band 1st place: Regal in Black, Napier Girls' High School

Band 2nd place: Critical Theory, Napier Boys' High School

Solo/Duo 1st place: Mia Sohnge, Taradale High School
Solo/Duo 2nd place: Teia Drysdale, Napier Girls' High School
Band 3rd place: SynC, Flaxmere College

APRA Lyric Award: Mia Sohnge, Taradale High School
Lowdown Best Song: SynC, Flaxmere College
Smokefree Award For Women’s Musicianship: Jesse Schroder-Smale, the drummer from Regal in Black
MAINZ musicianship award with the opportunity to win a $4000 MAINZ scholarship: Ben Cornes, the bass player from Critical Theory, Napier Boys' High School
People’s Choice voted by text: Madimac, Napier Girls' High School

Smokefreerockquest, powered by Rockshop, has national winners’ prize packages for bands and the solo/duo winners that include $22,000 in Rockshop vouchers, a $20,000 NZ On Air recording, video and promo package’ a ‘Decent Exposure’ campaign on FOUR, a photo shoot with Thievery Studio, a branding package from Imaginary Friends and the Unleashed Travel ambassador award – a seven day trip to Fiji.
There is also the MAINZ (Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand) Scholarship for Outstanding Musicianship, the APRA (Australasian Performing Right Association) Lyric Award, the Lowdown Best Song Award and the Smokefree Women’s Musicianship Award. The People’s Choice award is voted by text with the opportunity to open the Smokefreerockquest national final.

Finalist judging process: Two bands from each of the 24 regional finals submit video footage for selection as one of the six bands to play off in the national final. Judging is done from a pool of 50-60 bands that also includes Rockshop Second Chance, an opening for established bands (playing regular gigs) who don’t feel they played their best on the night. The top two solo/duos from each region go through the same process, and three of them will go ahead to the national final.

More info at sfrq.co.nz or facebook.com/thesfrq

ENDS

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