Latest news with #Rockquest
Otago Daily Times
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Year 11 trio win top title at Rockquest
Deaf Raccoon band members (from left) Christopher Body, 16, Leo Hill, 15, and Jamie Bradfield, 15, after taking the top spot at the Smokefree Rock Quest on Saturday. Photo: Kelsey Frost Dunedin band Deaf Raccoon are crediting lunchtime jam sessions for their success after taking top honours at a regional battle of the bands competition at the weekend. On Saturday, the John McGlashan College three-piece were shocked to hear they had beaten 14 other bands to win the Dunedin regional Smokefreerockquest final. The programme, now in its 37th year, sees bands, soloists and duos from Whangarei to Invercargill fight it out for a spot in the national final. The band is comprised of year 11 students Christopher Body, Leo Hill and Jamie Bradfield. Christopher said the three-piece were "buzzing", but also very surprised. "We were all just really confused as to how we won — all the other bands are so talented ... I just thought we had no chance." Christopher plays bass and provides back-up vocals, Leo does the main vocals and guitar and Jamie is the drummer. Deaf Raccoon band members (from left) Leo Hill, Jamie Bradfield and Christopher Body perform their set for the competition. Photo: supplied "There's always super-high tension, because we know other bands outside of Rockquest, so it seems like friendly competition, but everyone's also super-tense. "When you get on stage of course it's nerve-racking, but afterwards it was fine," Christopher said. He described Deaf Raccoon's genre as "indie-rock ska" and the group performed an original and untitled song, which was written during lunchtime jam sessions in the school music room. This was Christopher's third year playing at Smokefreerockquest, but his first with Dead Raccoon and his first since the competition was shifted from the Mayfair Theatre to the Regent Theatre. The new venue was significantly more intimidating, Christopher said. "It was a lot more terrifying this year — it's so much bigger ... but you can't see anything when the lights are on you, so it's fine once you're up there."
Otago Daily Times
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Jazz club's tribute to Quincy Jones
Jazz singer Maya Satake. Photo: supplied Dunedin Jazz Club will pay tribute to the life of Quincy Jones with a concert this weekend showcasing the arrangements he wrote for Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie. The "When Ella Met Quincy" concert will be held this Saturday, May 17, from 7.30pm at Hanover Hall. Filling the shoes of the "First Lady of Jazz" will be young jazz singer Maya Satake, a graduate of the Dunedin Jazz Foundation for secondary school students, and lead vocalist with the Dunedin Youth Jazz Orchestra. Satake is enjoying success as a performer, including winning the Otago regional finals of Rockquest in 2023 with her band Burberry Scarves, and as lead vocalist with All Blues jazz band that won the "best big band" award at the 2024 Dunedin Youth Jazz Festival. Satake's performance of Fitzgerald's Blue Skies at an end-of-year school concert convinced Dunedin Youth Jazz Band director Bill Martin to give her the lead vocalist role for Saturday's concert, a statement said. The Dunedin Youth Jazz Orchestra is driven by the rhythm section of Amelia Ross (drums), Matthew Tait (piano) and Guthrie Wakelin (bass), with solos from DYJO players Louis Robertson, Ethan Burton, Benji Pickering and Callan Power. — APL
Scoop
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Shouting Out, Singing In: Rockquest At Parliament
Article – RNZ In Parliament, MPs were shouting about pay equity and wildlife protection – next door, the mood was more upbeat and louder. , Editor: The House Last Wednesday at Parliament was unusually fraught. The House was under urgency and debating whether to walk back pay equity legislation and rework wildlife protection law to ease infrastructure projects. By the time the House reached its dinner break, a change of energy was more than welcome. Luckily, in the room next door (the old upper chamber), a function was launching the nationwide school-age performing arts event that began life as the Smokefree Rockquest. Top Shelf are from Manurewa High School. They beat nearly 900 bands to be crowned the 2024 winners of both Smokefree Rockquest and Smokefree Tangata Beats, and were one of the acts performing in Parliament's Legislative Council Chamber. Rockquest alumni Top Shelf again. You can't smash together hip-hop and big-band without a brass section. Shaneya Bayaban and Louise Ponifasio on brass, and bassist Ashton Emerson contributing vocals and volume. In another corner of the Top Shelf combo, Taparia 'Taps' Engu shreds guitar on his knees (of course). Taparia also won the inaugural Chloe Wright Scholarship, a three-year tertiary education grant. Rockquest isn't all senior college students. It has a sibling contest for junior students – Rockshop Bandquest. The combo Sweater Weather from Porirua's Rangikura School secured second place in the Rockshop Bandquest National Finals in 2024 with a rock/hip-hop/kapa-haka combo vibe, Including guitars obviously… Sweater Weather had an all-female front four. This photo shows the temporary performance stage, smack in front of the Legislative Council Chamber's 'throne zone', from where the sovereign would address Parliament. Not a bad location. Youth does not preclude speed. This Sweater Weather frontwoman is a rapid chopper. Because this was the launch of the 2025 edition of Smokefree Rockquest, Bandquest, Showquest, Toi, Tangata Beats and Onscreen, speeches were inevitable. Pete Rainey is one of the founders of Rockquest and was a teacher back in 1989, when he and others expanded the competition beyond Christchurch. Another alumni, Emerson was the solo/duo winner in 2024. Her song 'Bored' also won ZM's Best Song award at the National Final. Whenever an event like this comes to Parliament – and a lot do – it is 'sponsored' by an MP. You can't do much better than the landlord. Speaker Gerry Brownlee was quite obviously impressed with his guests. Troy Kingi was a Rockquest competitor in 2002. Kingi (Te Arawa, Ngāpuhi, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui) is one of many examples of highly successful artists whose early careers have included a tilt at a Smokefree Rockquest title. He has now acted in numerous films, won two Vodafone NZ Music Awards and a Taite Music Prize. In 2020, he was awarded the Mātairangi Mahi Toi Māori Artist Residency at Government House. Another alumnus, Georgia Lines won the Smokefree Rockquest in 2014 and Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the 2022 Aotearoa Music Awards. National MP Paul Goldsmith is a keyboardist himself, so probably appreciated a return to the 'me and my keyboard' format. The Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage showed his loyalty on the day with a NZ Music Month pin. Among the recently added competitions is one for wearable arts. There are also contests for video production and stills photography. Both were on show in Parliament's Grand Hall and the outcomes were impressive. To round off the evening, as MPs were back next door to debate the protection of wildlife, Wellington Girls' College student Greer Castle added some smooth jazz and R&B originals.
Scoop
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Shouting Out, Singing In: Rockquest At Parliament
, Editor: The House Last Wednesday at Parliament was unusually fraught. The House was under urgency and debating whether to walk back pay equity legislation and rework wildlife protection law to ease infrastructure projects. By the time the House reached its dinner break, a change of energy was more than welcome. Luckily, in the room next door (the old upper chamber), a function was launching the nationwide school-age performing arts event that began life as the Smokefree Rockquest. Top Shelf are from Manurewa High School. They beat nearly 900 bands to be crowned the 2024 winners of both Smokefree Rockquest and Smokefree Tangata Beats, and were one of the acts performing in Parliament's Legislative Council Chamber. Rockquest alumni Top Shelf again. You can't smash together hip-hop and big-band without a brass section. Shaneya Bayaban and Louise Ponifasio on brass, and bassist Ashton Emerson contributing vocals and volume. In another corner of the Top Shelf combo, Taparia 'Taps' Engu shreds guitar on his knees (of course). Taparia also won the inaugural Chloe Wright Scholarship, a three-year tertiary education grant. Rockquest isn't all senior college students. It has a sibling contest for junior students - Rockshop Bandquest. The combo Sweater Weather from Porirua's Rangikura School secured second place in the Rockshop Bandquest National Finals in 2024 with a rock/hip-hop/kapa-haka combo vibe, Including guitars obviously... Sweater Weather had an all-female front four. This photo shows the temporary performance stage, smack in front of the Legislative Council Chamber's 'throne zone', from where the sovereign would address Parliament. Not a bad location. Youth does not preclude speed. This Sweater Weather frontwoman is a rapid chopper. Because this was the launch of the 2025 edition of Smokefree Rockquest, Bandquest, Showquest, Toi, Tangata Beats and Onscreen, speeches were inevitable. Pete Rainey is one of the founders of Rockquest and was a teacher back in 1989, when he and others expanded the competition beyond Christchurch. Another alumni, Emerson was the solo/duo winner in 2024. Her song 'Bored' also won ZM's Best Song award at the National Final. Whenever an event like this comes to Parliament - and a lot do - it is 'sponsored' by an MP. You can't do much better than the landlord. Speaker Gerry Brownlee was quite obviously impressed with his guests. Troy Kingi was a Rockquest competitor in 2002. Kingi (Te Arawa, Ngāpuhi, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui) is one of many examples of highly successful artists whose early careers have included a tilt at a Smokefree Rockquest title. He has now acted in numerous films, won two Vodafone NZ Music Awards and a Taite Music Prize. In 2020, he was awarded the Mātairangi Mahi Toi Māori Artist Residency at Government House. Another alumnus, Georgia Lines won the Smokefree Rockquest in 2014 and Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the 2022 Aotearoa Music Awards. National MP Paul Goldsmith is a keyboardist himself, so probably appreciated a return to the 'me and my keyboard' format. The Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage showed his loyalty on the day with a NZ Music Month pin. Among the recently added competitions is one for wearable arts. There are also contests for video production and stills photography. Both were on show in Parliament's Grand Hall and the outcomes were impressive. To round off the evening, as MPs were back next door to debate the protection of wildlife, Wellington Girls' College student Greer Castle added some smooth jazz and R&B originals.
