Smokefreerockquest 2011 Format changes create opportunitie

Smokefreerockquest 2011 Format changes create opportunities

All three thousand entrants in this year¹s Smokefreerockquest will get the real life experience of rock stardom ¬ performing on the big stage in their region¹s major venue.

The nationwide youth original music competition is now in its 24th year, and co-founder and director Pete Rainey says changes to the format will create greater opportunities for all those who enter. He explains that rather than whittling down the numbers at heats held in school halls, all performers will go straight through to their main regional event.

³We have felt for some time that we could enhance the experience for all the kids who put their heart and soul into forming bands and writing songs, rather than just the top 14 in each region,² he said. ³This way all entrants will perform in a theatre with full lighting, sound system and a mosh-pit packed with fans ¬ we think this will inspire the young musicians, raise the level of performance and give all those peers and parents who come along a much better experience as well.²

The new style regional events will run in the afternoon, with the top bands performing again in the evening, along with a guest band. In Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Palmerston North, Christchurch and Dunedin each event will include an expo with workshops, hands-on displays and give-aways.

³We want parents and students to see that music careers, from production to performance, are a very valid option,² Rainey said. ³The expos will make Smokefreerockquest an interesting day out for students and their families, with plenty of activity to get engaged in while they are not in the main auditorium.²

Rainey said from the schools¹ perspective the fully lit stage would also provide a much better environment for filming bands for NZQA assessment.

In regions where there are less than 20 bands entered, and where heats haven¹t usually been held, all bands will compete from 7pm as in previous years. In Christchurch and Hamilton the events (plus expos) will run over two days and in Auckland there will be six events at three different venues, the Logan Campbell Centre, the Bruce Mason Centre and an event dedicated to singer-songwriters at the Dorothy Winstone Centre at Auckland Girls Grammar.

Entry packs are going out now to schools nationwide and entries are open until 17 May. The first events are in Northland, Nelson and Whanganui on 21 May, with 29 events continuing across the country, each weekend until 17 July. Full information at www.sfrq.co.nz

Last year Smokefreerockquest attracted a record 800 bands and singer-songwriters ¬ the expectation is that this will be exceeded this year. The top regional bands go on to the national final, to 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, radio promotional support for a single, the Edge airplay award with the opportunity to be played on The Edge, video play on youth music channel FOUR and an all expenses paid concert tour to Fiji with Unleashed Travel. There is also the Mainz Scholarship for outstanding musicianship, the Apra Lyric Award, the Lowdown Best Song Award and the Smokefree Women¹s Musicianship Award.

It has been a busy time for last year¹s Smokefreerockquest winners, Te Awamutu band The Good Fun, who have quickly made their mark on the music industry. They recorded their first single, Naughty Little Sin, at York St with Tui award winner Andrew Buckton, filmed their first music video for this single and have had 105,000 hits on it at You Tube www.youtube.com/The Good Fun . They have performed in Fiji on a youth concert series to over 2000 teenagers and were chosen for the new C4 summer marketing campaign - Decent Exposure.

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