Cracker by Damian Christie

One day, someone into the reggae will realize what a great name for a gig Rockfreesmokequest would make.

I'd love to know the technical details behind John Bu's video.

I’d love to know the technical details behind John Bu’s video

He used a program called Cinema 4D I believe.

Rich, I LOLd.
Rockfreesmokequest. How long has that one been rolling around in your head?

Gee there's some great bands there. Paper City got screwed if they didn't go to the national final.

Grumble grumble at that list of bands from Smokefreerockquest. Die!Die!Die! did not compete there, they formed in 2003. Carriage H won in 2000, and then the band fell out and two members reformed as Die!Die!Die! The third, Tim Smith, was most recently seen in Idiot Prayer (plug: http://idiotprayer.bandcamp.com/).

Bloody wikipedia.

You can't avoid Lorde; this from today's New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/02/arts/music/shes-16-but-not-thinking-of-sweet.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20131002

You can’t avoid Lorde; this from today’s New York Times:

naaanaanaaacan'thearyounaaaanaaanaaanotlisteningnaaanaaanaa

(Also, massive congratulations to Lorde on reaching #1 spot in the Billboard Hot 100, that really is incredible).

This piece would have been a lot stronger if you'd deleted the first six paragraphs. 250 words to say that you don't care about Lorde? I'd rather just read about the rockquest!

It’s proof that New Zealand’s Got Far More Talent than silly TV shows would have you believe.

And then...

It’s hard to compare his against his ‘competition’, Khona Va’aga-Gray from McAuley High in Manukau. “I wrote this song for a dear friend of mine,” she began, “who just celebrated her 40th wedding anniversary.” Her Nana? No, a primary school teacher, “and this is about the journey that love takes.” I have chills remembering those words, followed as they were by a soulful, heart-felt original piece.

Interestingly enough, Khona made it to the second day of Bootcamp on The X Factor. I'm glad she's gone on to even better successes.

This piece would have been a lot stronger if you’d deleted the first six paragraphs. 250 words to say that you don’t care about Lorde? I

I'm not saying I don't care about Lorde. That's not what I'm saying, and I wouldn't want you to think that. I READ all those articles about her, quite willingly because I was interested. I just find it odd that my head is now full of the minutiae of a young woman's back story when I actually know almost NOTHING about what her music is like, and perhaps how people don't need to know all that stuff about someone to enjoy or appreciate their music.

Anyway, it's a blog, I only write a couple a year, so forgive me for trying to write about two things rather than just one.

LORDE!!! Now I have got your attention....

LORDE!!! Now I have got your attention....

Heh - yeah it might read a bit like that. But I just had some thoughts I wanted to put down in writing, which is kinda what a blog's about, no? :)

a pernickety pedant's post...

Sunday magazine piece by the prodigal singer herself,

Apropos nothing really, just wondering which sense of prodigal you were invoking here?
is it that she is:
- yielding abundantly (luxuriantly, even)?
- recklessly spendthrift or profligate?
(in wanting to give her music away perhaps?)

or were you alluding to her as a prodigy
and her prodigious output?

Sorry - but the English language is a minefield, and I just like to know I'm on the same page as the writer...

It's been a *ahem* fair few years since I made it to Quest gigs but I've enjoyed seeing young talents shine in interviews as well and where they're coming from, quite appropriately free to air.