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A Future Skills Lecturer is getting ready to compete in the grand final of the prestigious Battle of the Bands National Championship.
Building Lecturer James Trotman is the rhythm guitarist for the five-piece band Jeff and the Angry Stick.
The band also comprises Nikki King on vocals, her husband Peter King on bass, their son Sam King on guitar, and Coral Griffis on drums.
James says the band plays original rock’n’roll music on the heavy end of the spectrum but with a nice groove to it.
James joined the band last summer when he saw their ad for a guitarist. He already knew Coral well and also had connections to the King family.
“I went around for a jam. All went well and we started writing and performing,” says James.
Things have taken off since then, with the band having released their first single “Slow Burn” on Spotify.
They also organised a series of concerts around Masterton, inviting bands from around the North Island, to showcase Kiwi music.
While performing those concerts they came across the opportunity to enter Battle of the Bands.
“We decided we would give it a go, I hadn’t been involved in one before and thought it would be a bit of a laugh,” says James.
“Our goal was just to get some stage time as a band and meet some new musicians. We got through the heats, had a good time at the semi-finals, blasted the regional finals, and now we get a chance to strut at the nationals.”
The Battle of the Bands National Championship has been an annual feature of the New Zealand music scene since 1993. Previous winners and finalists have included Opshop, Tadpole, Blindspott, and Valkyrie.
This year’s finals will be held on Friday 13 October and Saturday 14 October at Valhalla in Wellington, with James’ band performing on the Friday. Tickets to the event are now available.
There are some great prizes on offer for those who place in the finals.
“The winners will get recording time, a music video, a national tour, and some other stuff,” says James.
“There are some excellent bands in it, so I’m not expecting too much – we’ll just go out there, do our best to blow the roof off, and see what the judges decide.”
