Amaan Merchant (left, back to camera), Te Paerata Tichbon (obscured), Ryan Peralta, and Mitchell Brett-Atkins (obscured) embracing bass player Finn Brown. Photo/Lewis Gardner
Amaan Merchant (left, back to camera), Te Paerata Tichbon (obscured), Ryan Peralta, and Mitchell Brett-Atkins (obscured) embracing bass player Finn Brown. Photo/Lewis Gardner
Together only a couple of months, Wanganui High School (WHS) alt-rock band Contraband was named Wanganui winner of Smokefree Rockquest.
In front of an enthusiastic audience in the Royal Wanganui Opera House on Friday night, the five-piece band emerged the best, and now - along with the second-placed MK Deep,also from WHS - will join the 23 other regional finalists and send in their video footage for selection as one of the six bands to play off in the national final.
Grace McGregor (WHS) won the solo/duo section and also took out the People's Choice Award voted by text on the night. Kate Van Elswijk (WHS) was runner-up and also won the Smokefree Award For Women's Musicianship.
These two are also eligible for the judging across the other regional winners and judges will select three of them to go to the national final in Auckland on September 27.
Te Paerata Tichbon, lead guitarist for Contraband, said two members - guitarist Amaan Merchant and bassist Finn Brown - had entered the event before. Indeed Finn's brother Max Brown was in the band Culture Kids that made it to the national final in 2012.
Second place in the band category was MK Deep (WHS). The band includes Brigham Fantham (lead vocals/keyboard), Brendan Cooper (drums), Finn Mitchell-Anyon (keyboard/synthesizer) and Jeremy Cooper (bass).
Grace McGregor, 17, started singing at church when she was six and has been playing guitar for four years. She said it was her "sound" that made her stand out on Friday night.
"My songs are about random things that I'm interested in - like wolves, for example, and the indie style that I play was just a totally different sound to the other bands," she said.
The event's founder and director Glenn Common said from here on the Wanganui finalists would have to work hard to make the most of the opportunity Smokefree Rockquest offered.
"They now send in video footage of their original music that will be judged in August as we lead up to the national final," he said.
"It's a process that demands creativity and musical ability, as well as learning to work together as a group and developing the skills they'll need if they're going to make it on the Kiwi music scene."
The full list of awards made on Friday night:
Bands: Contraband (Wanganui High School) 1, MK Deep (WHS) 2, Welcome to Thailand (WHS) 3.
Solo/Duo: Grace McGregor (WHS) 1, Kate Van Elswijk (WHS) 2.
Lowdown Best Song: Madison Eades (Wanganui City College).
Mainz Musicianship Award with the opportunity to be selected for the $4500 Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand Scholarship: Logan Anderson (Cullinane College).
Smokefree award for women's musicianship: Optic Illusion.
People's choice: Grace McGregor.
Image 1 of 19: Connor Eades, The Backstage Hazards, Wanganui High School.
.May 2014 Wanganui Chronicle Photograph by Lewis Gardner
