Smokefreerockquest

Smokefreerockquest is an annual competition between school-age (up to 19 years old) bands throughout New Zealand.

The first Rockquest was held in 1988, and was organised by a Christchurch radio station, C93FM, as a local event. The following year, Glenn Common and Pete Rainey formed Rockquest Promotions and by 1990 it had become a national event, with five regional finals and a national final. In 1991, Smokefree became a major sponsor, and the name was slightly altered to become the Smokefreerockquest.

The event has since grown to have twenty-two regional finals, from Northland to Southland, and has paved the path to mainstream media for bands and artists such as Bic Runga, Zed, Falter and Nesian Mystik, and in 1996, one of the finalists was Brad from Steriogram.

Past Winners

*1989 - Outer Control
*1990 - De Funk Express
*1991 - Auntie Beatrice
*1992 - Exploding Poppies
*1993 - Hallucian
*1994 - Kate and the Lemon Tree
*1995 - Dancing Azians
*1996 - Mary Staple
*1997 - Atlas Woods
*1998 - Handsome Geoffrey
*1999 - Son of Spank
*2000 - Evermore
*2001 - Carriage H
*2002 - The Have
*2003 - Falter
*2004 - Incursa
*2005 - The Electric Confectionaires
*2006 - Neil Robinson
*2007 - Solomon
*2008 - Beneath the Silence

ee also

*Smokefree RockQuest 2005 - an album of the finalists of 2005.

External links

* [http://www.smokefreerockquest.co.nz The Official Smokefreerockquest website]
* [http://www.tki.org.nz/r/arts/music/rockquest/history_e.php Rockquest timeline]