Smokefreerockquest 2016 – Bay of Plenty solo duo winners and band heats results

Brianna Rackham may be the next Smokefreerockquest success story after taking out the solo/duo title at the Bay of Plenty regional heats at Otumoetai College on Sunday.

Performing under her nick-name, Bree is in year 9 at Katikati College and has been playing guitar and piano for four years. She is self taught and plays acoustic guitar.

“My song today was about facing life’s challenges, such as inequality,” she says. “I think I may have stood out (for the judges) because I had confidence – I had pushed past my nerves.”

Fletcher Oxford from Tauranga Boys High placed second. These two solo-duos now submit 15 minutes of their best material for selection to play at the national finals in September.

The 12 top bands selected at the heats go on to play off for the top two places and other awards at the regional final at Mauao Performing Arts Centre on Friday 24 June start time 7pm, tickets from NZTix.co.nz.

The 12 bands selected to go on to the final are:

Downshift Trident High School
Litany of Lies Whakatane High School
The Phonics Otumoetai College
AhJeez Bethlehem College Tauranga Boys' College
The Smorgasbord Experience Trident High School
The Way the River Flows Mokoia Intermediate Rotorua Lakes HS Chapman College
Made Alive Whakatane High School
The Djentlemen Western Heights High School
All of the Above Otumoetai College
Knitted Biscuit Rotorua Lakes High School Western Heights High School
La Blanca Tauhara College Taupo-nui-a-Tia College
Timeless Black Trident High School

The other awards made at the Bay of Plenty heats were:
Smokefree Pacifica Beats Award: Mana Kotiro, Te Wharekura O Huiarau
The Lowdown Best Song Award: Andre Moffat, Tauranga Boys' College
Mainz Musicianship Award: Dominic Pearson, guitar & Vocals from Detached, Western Heights High School
Smokefree Best Vocals: Samantha McCutcheon, Taupo-nui-a-Tia College

Founder and director Glenn Common said the standard at the heats just keeps going up as entrants get more support for contemporary music from their schools and have access to on line information resources.

“Between now and the regional final they go through all the aspects that make Smokefreerockquest and Pacifica Beats such valuable learning experiences for young people,” he said. “The 12 bands going on to the finals need to practise hard, craft their set, get their supporters rallied and make good use of networking opportunties and social media to promote themselves and their achievements.”

The regional events for both Smokefreerockquest and Smokefree Pacifica beats run from May 13 until July 2, with the top regional bands and solo/duos submitting video footage for selection to play off at the Smokefree Pacifica Beats national final on Friday September 23 at the Raye Freedman Centre in Auckland, followed by the Smokefreerockquest national on Saturday September 24.

Smokefreerockquest, powered by Rockshop, has national winners’ prize packages for bands and solo/duo winners that includes $22,000 in Rockshop vouchers, a $20,000 NZ On Air recording, video and promo package’ a ‘Decent Exposure’ campaign on The Edge TV, a photo shoot and branding package from Imaginary Friends.

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, Smokefree Vocals Award, the Dominate Style Award and the People’s Choice voted by text with the opportunity to open the Smokefreerockquest national final.

ENDS

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