Smokefreerockquest 2011 – Format changes create opportunities

All three thousand entrants in this year’s Smokefreerockquest will get the real life experience of rock stardom – performing on the big stage in their region’s major venue.

The nationwide youth original music competition is now in its 24^th 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.

“We 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,” he said. “This 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.”

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 the Smokefreerockquest  Circus – an expo with workshops, hands-on displays and give-aways.

“We want parents and students to see that music careers, from production to performance, are a very valid option,” Rainey said. “The Smokefreerockquest Circus 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.”

Rainey said from the schools’ 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 haven’t usually been held, all bands will compete from 7pm as in previous years. In Christchurch and Hamilton the events (plus the Smokefreerockquest Circus) 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, 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 and the Smokefree Women’s Musicianship Award.

It has been a busy time for last year’s 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 118,000 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.

ends

Jacquetta Bell
Nelson Media Agency  – publicist            03 546 9661              027 249 1206

Rockquest Promotions Ltd.

Pete Rainey            03 545 6591 or 021 747 383
Glenn Common   03 545 6574 or 021 744 536
Dan Kendrick   03 545 6574 or 021 746 876
Matt Ealand    027 555 7007

HSC – Youth Smokefree Team
Susie Robertson           04 472 5777

Smokefree’s Smoking Not Our Future Campaign
This is a direct to youth campaign that uses testimonials from high profile music, sports and media personalities to deliver a variety of smokefree messages in environments where young people choose to be. Many of the celebrities in the campaign have gained success through their involvement in Smokefreerockquest and Smokefree Pacifica Beats. Smokefree is proud to have been involved with this event for the last 21 years.

Smokefreerockquest – 23 years of musical success
Smokefreerockquest is New Zealand’s only nationwide, live, original music, youth event. Now well into its second decade, the series of 28 events reaches audience numbers in excess of 24,000 every year. This year the Smokefreerockquest Circus, an expo with hands-on displays, workshops and careers info will be held as part of Smokefreerockquest in main centres.
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. Musical successes from Smokefreerockquest over its 23-year history include Midnight Youth, Opshop, Evermore, Ladyhawke, Minuit, Kids of 88, Die!Die!Die!, Pistol Youth, 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, Liam Finn, Pine, King Kapisi, Kingston, The Naked and Famous, Autozamm and Elemeno P. Smokefreerockquest 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 <http://www.sfrq.co.nz>

Hamilton – Home of the national final
Hamilton is the now the home of the Smokefreerockquest National Finals. And it is easy to see why when you consider that the city is charged with one of the country’s most youthful demographics (15-24 yrs) and that it is the location of New Zealand’s newest, 5000-seat purpose-built music arena – Claudelands. Each year Hamilton adds to its already impressive portfolio of major events, including the now international Parachute Music Festival, the 2010 World Rowing Champs, the Fuel Festivals of NZ Music and Theatre, 2011 Rugby World Cup matches and V8 Supercars Australia. Building on that platform and bringing events of this calibre to Hamilton is what the city is all about. Smokefreerockquest has spent the past 23 years making kiwi music legends; it is a national institution that has gone from strength to strength. With a Vector-style arena set to open and over two million people on the city’s doorstep, Hamilton is the perfect venue to grow Smokefreerockquest even more. www.hamilton.co.nz/smokefreerockquest for more info.

Smokefreerockquest  events 2011

Whanganui            21-May             Opera House

Nelson                   21-May             Trafalgar Centre

Northland            21-May            Forum North

Manawatu            11-Jun                        Regent on Broadway (includes Circus)

Timaru                     11-Jun                        Theatre Royal

Wairarapa            17-Jun                        Masterton Town Hall

Auckland              17-Jun                        Logan Campbell Centre (includes Circus)

West Coast             18-Jun                        Regent Theatre

Hawkes Bay             18-Jun                        Opera House

Auckland              18-Jun                        Logan Campbell Centre (includes Circus)

Auckland              19-Jun                        Logan Campbell Centre (includes Circus)

Southland             25-Jun                        Civic Theatre Invercargill

Taranaki            25-Jun                        TSB Showplace

Bay of Plenty            2-Jul                        Baycourt Theatre

Wgtn & Hutt    2-Jul                        Wellington Town Hall & Ilott Theatre (includes Circus)

Marlborough            2-Jul                        Convention Centre

Rotorua            3-Jul                        Convention Centre

East Coast            9 Jul                        Gisborne Showgrounds Park Event Centre

Otago                        9-Jul                        Dunedin Town Hall (includes Circus)

Auckland            9-Jul                        Bruce Mason Centre (includes Circus)

Auckland            10-Jul                        Bruce Mason Centre (includes Circus)

Central Otago            15-Jul                        Lake Wanaka Centre

Waikato            16-Jul                        Founders Theatre  (includes Circus)

Waikato            17-Jul                        Founders Theatre  (includes Circus)

Christchurch    5,6 & 7 August      Hornby High School (includes Circus)

National Final            17-Sep                        Claudelands, Hamilton