Motueka Memorial Hall will say howdy to 35 country music performers of all ages who have thrown their cowboy hats in the ring for the Top of the South Country Talent Quest.
The event doubles as a fundraiser for the annual New Zealand Sun City Country Music Awards, held in Richmond over Labour Weekend.
In previous years, raising some Johnny Cash had involved a showcase of performances by local and visiting acts, but this year marks its first rodeo in crowning a winner.
Organiser Jim Palmer says holding a showdown at this time of year keeps the local country music scene humming and also provides valuable preparation for those heading south to the New Zealand Gold Guitar Awards, Aotearoa’s premier country music competition, hosted in Gore in June.
“This year we decided, why don’t we have a weekend talent quest? That way we get country music acts from away as well as locals, and people from Mot can come along for the whole weekend or part of the weekend and see some really good acts,” he says.
“It also means keeping people interested in country music, so we don’t just fade into obscurity.
“We can raise anything from $1000 to $3000, and to run the big awards in October we need in the region of $35,000 to $40,000.
“We have other fundraising showcases, quiz nights, bingo nights and all sorts of fundraisers that we can come up with, but largely, we do get supported very well by Nelson Pine Industries.”
Jim says country performers from Nelson, Richmond and Motueka, as well as acts travelling from as far away as Dunedin and the North Island, will be hoping to strike a chord with audiences and, most importantly, the judging panel, for the inaugural Top of the South Country Talent Quest title.
“There’s a judging criteria that takes into account some technical singing and presentation, suitability of songs, etc,” he says.
“We’ve got juniors, intermediate, senior and veteran, and each age group will have an open section, gospel section and a country rock section. Collectively, they can also enter a New Zealand song or perform as a group or duo.”
Nikita and Mark McKenzie from Nelson are the guest performers, while Sharon Russell, a well-known country artist from Christchurch, is the guest MC.
The talent quest heats will be held on Saturday, 2 May, from 10:30am to 5pm, and Sunday, 3 May, from 10am to 12.30pm. The grand final will be held on Sunday from 2pm to 5pm.
Admission for the heats is $5, while tickets for the final cost $20. Entry is free for children.
