Smokefreerockquest 2012 Auckland Central Heats results

Smokefreerockquest 2012 Auckland Central Heats results

Aspiring rock musicians sang, strummed and strutted their stuff at Avondale College this weekend’s Smokefreerockquest Auckland Central heats, with the 24 top bands and soloists selected by the judges go on to the regional final next month.

SFRQ founder and director Glenn Common says Smokefreerockquest is a unique vehicle for engaging and inspiring young people right around New Zealand.

“This year we expect to crack the level of 800 bands entering – that is around 3000 kids being giving the experience of playing their own music live on stage to their peers,” he says. “Smokefreerockquest is an empowering and valuable experience even for the bands who don’t make it through to the finals.”

The bands selected to compete in the regional final are:

From Saturday’s heats:

Scarlette: Marist College
Undercover Rock: Mt Eden Normal, St Peter’s College, ACG, Western Springs College & Kowhai Intermediate
Phace: Auckland International College
Descend: Auckland Grammar
Young and Reckless: Sacred Heart College (Auckland)
Animal Child: Marcellin College
We Are The Pirates: Epsom Girls' Grammar School
Eyes of Evergreen: Selwyn College
Argila: St Cuthbert's College (Epsom)
Eden: Western Springs College
Teletubbies: Selwyn College
Forest Shakes: Glendowie College

From Sunday’s heats:

1pm
Painted Sun: St Cuthbert's College Mt Roskill Grammar
Mailtime: Auckland Grammar
Vivid: Diocesan School For Girls
Between The Lines: Auckland Grammar, Northcote Coll, Takapuna Grammar
Your Grace: St Kentigern College
Indi: ACG Senior College
Evan Sinton: Glendowie College
Academic Dress Hire: Western Springs Coll St Kentigern Coll Westlake Boys' High School
Drum and Keys: Auckland Grammar
The Teleprompters: St Peter's College (Epsom)
Je Suis Oui: St Peter's College (Epsom)

The Auckland Central finals are at Mercury Theatre on Friday 8 June and Saturday 9 June, starting at 7pm, tickets $20 at Ticket Direct or at the door.

The other Auckland region smokefreerockquest heats are in Manukau on Friday 25 May, start time 4pm (TBC). The North Shore heats are at the Bruce Mason Centre on Saturday 26 May starting at 12noon tickets $10 at the door for all events.

Music teacher Kyle Proffit who now mentors last year’s national winners, The Peasants, says he really values having Smokefreerockquest as a goal for his students.

“The structure of the competition creates opportunities for teachers to assess students’ progress and grade them for NCEA,” he says. “Although it’s primarily a music competition, it is much more than just another performance opportunity. It shows young people how much fun playing music together can be, it teaches them to cooperate and learn together, to support and challenge each other – a whole range of skills that can be applied across their broader education and in everyday life.”

The regional SFRQ events run every weekend until 21 July, then the top regional bands submit videos, from which eight bands or soloists are selected to play off at the national final at Claudelands Arena in Hamilton on 22 September. The big incentive is a prize package that includes a NZ On Air new recording and music video grant worth over $10,000, a place on the NZ On Air Kiwi Hit Disc, musical gear to the value of $10,000 from NZ Rockshops, radio promotional support for a single, and video play on youth music channel FOUR. There is also the MAINZ Scholarship for outstanding musicianship, the APRA Lyric Award, the Lowdown Best Song Award, the Smokefree Women’s Musicianship Award and the Skinny People’s Choice Award, voted by text during the regionals, with the opportunity to open at the SFRQ national final.

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

Smokefreerockquest – 24 years of musical success

Smokefreerockquest is New Zealand’s only nationwide, live, original music, youth event. Now well into its third decade, the series of over 40 events reaches audiences from Whangarei to Invercargill.

Founded in 1988 by music teachers Glenn Common and Pete Rainey, who now run Rockquest Promotions full time out of Nelson, Smokefreerockquest has become a New Zealand institution.

Smokefreerockquest 2012 powered by Rockshop aims to motivate young musicians to prove their ability and realise the heights they can reach in their music careers, and to encourage their peers to support 100% original New Zealand music. For more information visit www.sfrq.co.nz

Hall of Fame
Musical successes from Smokefreerockquest over its 24-year history include Kimbra, Midnight Youth, Opshop, Evermore, Ladyhawke, Minuit, Kids of 88, Die!Die!Die!, Pistol Youth, Annah Mac, Bang!Bang!Eche!, Ivy Lies, Cairo Knife Fight, Cut Off Your Hands, Luke Thompson, the Datsuns, Brooke Fraser, Anika Moa, Anna Coddington, The Electric Confectionaires, Steriogram, Aaradhna, Spacifix, Phoenix Foundation, The Feelers, The Black Seeds, Nesian Mystik, Bic Runga, The Checks, Julia Deans, Pine, King Kapisi, Kingston, The Naked and Famous, Autozamm and Elemeno P.

Smokefree’s Smoking Not Our Future Campaign
Research from HSC shows that 94 percent of all young people have seen the Smoking Not Our Future initiative and that Smokefreerockquest plays a large part in getting its key messages and its celebrities in front of young people. Smokefree has been the naming rights sponsor of Smokefreerockquest for 22 of its 24 years and this longstanding partnership between the two agencies has been mutually beneficial. Smokefree is able to deliver its messages to large numbers of secondary school students attending the regional events. While participants in the event are provided with connections to their schools and communities and develop skills and aspirations, which will help create the future musical stars of New Zealand. For more information visit notourfuture.co.nz

ENDS

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