CHECK FUNDA bass-player Leighton Grinstead has put his band's success in the Wanganui Smokefreerockquest regional finals down to originality.
The five-piece band won top prize at the rock quest play-offs on Friday night,with fellow Wanganui High School band The Cessnas taking out second place.
"We listen to heaps of different music, from
classical to hip hop and draw on a lot of influences, but we always have our own element plus we had good stage presence with a real good energy and we had been practising a lot and were very tight," he said.
The two bands will now go on to compete for six finalist spots at this year's Smokefreerockquest on October 20. No-X-it of Taumarunui High School came in at third place. Other awards:
Mainz Musicianship Award, Ricky Simmonds (Check Funda and Cullinane College); Rockquest Promotions Best Song Award, ODC (Cullinane College); Smokefree Best Vocals Award and APRA Lyric Writers Award, Emily Legge (The Jackets, Ngatawa School); Smokefree Award for Women's Musicianship and The Set People's Choice Award, Jess Jones (Wanganui High School)..
PICTURED:Wanganui Smokefreerockquest winning bands Check Funda and The Cessnas and the Set People's Choice Award winner Jess Jones yesterday. (Front l-r) Jared Prasad, 16, and Ricky Simmonds, 16 (both Check Funda Jess Jones, 16, Leo McMenamin, 16 and Micah Livesay (both Check Funda). (Back l-r) Richard Claughton, 16, James Stutley, 16, Fergus Reid, 16 (all The Cessnas), Leighton Grinstead, 17, (Check Funda) and Michael Maddox, 16 (The Cessnas).
