Smokefreerockquest finalists announced

A pianist singer-songwriter from Wellington, two brothers from Timaru and a seven-piece ska band from Auckland are three of the 12 hopefuls shortlisted for the finals of this year's Smokefreerockquest.

A record 624 bands played off in heats and finals around the country starting back in May, and the 47 regional finalists have now been shortlisted to 12, based on 15 minute videos of their original music.

The 12 that made the shortlist are:
Sons of Solomon - North Shore
Geneva - Auckland
The 80s Jacket Club - Auckland
Sons of Darrah - Auckland
ADD - Auckland East
The Braxton Hicks - Hamilton
The Excuse - Levin
Five Fold Kiss - Hutt Valley
Moana Ete - Wellington (solo)
Neil Robinson - Christchurch (band)
Black Market - Art Christchurch
No Indication - Timaru

Ashley Page, A&R Manager, from Warner Music NZ who was on the judging panel said it was a very, very tough decision.

"The quality, technical ability, and variety of artists coming through this year is of a noticeably higher standard than in previous years," he said. "In particular the standard of the song writing is now becoming comparable with any musician in the country. The legacy of the Smokefreeockquest, working with and nurturing the best new talents in the New Zealand music industry, seems to just go from strength to strength."

These 12 bands and soloists will be recorded for a music compilation that will be released later in the year. The twelve will then be further narrowed to six finalists to be announced in mid September for the finals on October 7. At stake for the winning band is a prize of $10,000 worth of music gear, recording time and potential recognition by the music industry.

Other awards made at the finals reinforce the key Smokefreerockquest aim of encouraging students to write and perform their own music. Individual prizes are awarded for best lyrics, best vocals, women's musicianship and the best song. A scholarship to the Tai Poutini contemporary music course is also awarded. This year there are new media awards, The Rip It Up Journalism Award for fledgling music writers and the Tearaway photo award.

The Smokefreerockquest National Finals are at the Bruce Mason Centre on Auckland's North Shore, on October 7, starting at 8pm. Tickets at ticketek. The finals will be filmed to feature on the music and youth culture television channel C4, along with footage from the regional finals.

Visit the Smokefreerockquest website www.theset.co.nz to access more information, band profiles, MP3 files, media releases, story angles and more.

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