ON THURSDAY, Wanganui student band Iambic Rhythms played a gig at Stellar.
On Friday, Iambic Rhythms won the Smokefreerockquest Wanganui regional title.
Then, on Saturday, it was back to practising for that night's gig at Stellar. Iambic Rhythms members are Ricky Simmonds, 17, (drums); Simon-Marc Attrill, 17, (bass); Aidan Joblin-Mills, 17, (guitar); Ryan Molan, 16, (guitar and synthesizer); all from Cullinane College, and female vocalist Jess Jones from Wanganui High School.
To say they are stoked at the band winning the regional title of the nationwide competition, is an understatement. Last year Ricky played with Check Funda (a mainly Wanganui High School student band), which won the 2007 Wanganui Regional Smokefree title.
Ricky, Simon and Aidan also played with Manifest (a mainly Cullinane College student band), which won the 2006 Wanganui Regional Smokefree title.
Jess Jones last year won the Smokefree Award for Women's Musicianship, as well as also the Set People's Choice Award. Jess yesterday said she joined Iambic Rhythms just three months ago, with Smokefreerockquest in mind.
"We play a mixture of rock, funk and blues. The different styles and aspects of what we call music just come together," she said. "I think that makes us quite different, and that helped us to stand out. Plus we all get on really well."
Jess also goes into the Mainz Musicianship Award with the opportunity to be selected for the $4500 Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand Scholarship, announced at the national finals.
Ricky, Simon-Marc, Aidan and Ryan all paid tribute to their Cullinane College music teacher, Mark Perry.
"Mr Perry is very supportive and helpful. He is a big influence on the band as a whole," Ricky said.
Smokefreerockquest Wanganui Regional second place went to The Palaebiogeographists from Taumarunui High School.
Its drummer, Rayelle Beck, won the Smokefree award for women's musicianship with a prize of $150 and its vocalist Kerstin Thungstr?m won the APRA Lyric Writer's Award judged from lyrics submitted at the heats.
Iambic Rhythms and The Palaebiogeographists will now compete for one of the six finalist spots. To be selected for the national finals, which will be held in Christchurch on September 5, the bands have to make a 15-minute video of their own music.
The national finalists will be selected from a pool of around 60 videos from the first and second place-getters from each of 24 regional finals, plus those from Second Chance or People's Choice. Other 2008 Smokefreerockquest Wanganui Regional awards went to:
Promotions Best Song Award: Nik Richards, (Wanganui High School) for Heart Attack. People's Choice Award: Echoplex, (Taumarunui High School), Third place: The Syncopath, (Wanganui High School).
PICTURED: THEY GOT RHYTHM ... Iambic Rhythms were strutting their stuff at Stellar's function room on Saturday night, about 24 hours after they had won the Smokefreerockquest Wanganui regional title. From left are Aidan Joblin-Mills (guitar), Ryan Molan (guitar and synthesizer), Ricky Simmonds (drums), and vocalist Jess Jones. Obscured is Simon-Marc Attrill (bass).
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