GEARED talks to RODNEY HOLDER of ROCKSHCOOL CHALLENGE – a school band/ under-18 talent competition held by Brisbane’s Southbank Institute Of Technology.

GEARED: Firstly, do you want to tell us a little about yourself Rodney?

RODNEY HOLDER: Sure – I’ve been in the music industry for about twenty-three years now. During that time, I’ve done most of my learning on the job with my metal band Alchemist. I have a degree in communication and media production, but most of my own education has been via negotiating my own recording and publishing deals, dealing with the artists, agents, managers, promoters, venues, media etc. Booking my own national and international tours, I was also a partner in running Australia’s largest and longest running metal festival – Metal For The Brain, where I learned a lot of good skills producing that event – so you could say that most of my skills have been learnt on the job. I have also been teaching music business, media production and music production since 1999. I really enjoy teaching as it enables me to continue learning as well as pass onto students the mistakes I’ve made in my own career.

G: How did you initially get involved with Southbank Rockschool? 

RH: I was teaching music business and music production in Canberra before I moved to Brisbane. When I arrived here, I researched the best music education organisations in town and was lucky enough to get a casual start in 2004 at Rockschool. I actually worked for one of Rockschool’s competitors in Brisbane for a couple of years after finally getting the opportunity to come here on a permanent basis. It’s certainly fantastic being here and after teaching in Canberra, NSW and other education institutions here in Brisbane, I can honestly say that this institute, with its incredible people, facilities and equipment is second to none anywhere.

G: When and how did the idea of Rockschool Challenge originate?

RH: Many training organisations use “simulated workplaces” to educate their students. Here at Southbank, we aim to train our students in real world events to give them the best and most realistic learning opportunity possible, as well as enable them to network with real industry professionals. This is how the Rockschool Challenge originated – technical production students doing all the live sound, live recording, mixing, lighting, stage management, roadieing, PA setup, packdown etc while the music business students do all the running sheets, budgets, marketing plans, performance agreements, artist liaison and negotiations, running the door and merch stalls and financial reconciliation. In second semester, the business students book and organise their own shows as a part of their assessment. It’s a real event where people who want to get into the industry can see how an event like a rock concert works from the inside. It is also a great way to nurture young acts who haven’t gotten out there yet and it offers them a great opportunity to compete against other young artists in a professional arena – it’s a win-win for everyone involved. 

G: How did [sponsors] Ellaways Music and Musicadium get involved with Rockschool?

RH: Ellaways is a company that has traditionally supported the local music scene and young musicians and they were very excited to be involved in the Rockschool Challenge. They take a very active role in how the comp unfolds and are very generous with their prize donations. Similarly, Musicadium are very supportive of the local scene and are actively helping us not only promote live music to young people, but also offering mentoring and digital distribution to the future rock stars of tomorrow. Both companies are actively involved in judging the final heat.

G: Who typically judges the contestants on comp nights?

RH: We really open it up to as many industry professionals as we can and this year we have representatives from local production companies, promoters, labels, music teachers, managers, agents, APRA and the media. We like to think it represents a non-biased view of the local music scene as a whole. 

G: What do you think it takes for a school band to win the challenge?

RH: Basically, having your shit together – great act, good songs, well-rehearsed, good performance, crowd interaction, artist image and stage appearance, audience response and a splash of X-factor. These are what the judges are looking for in every heat night’s winners.

G: Can you name some of your favourite moments during previous challenges?

Toowoomba act Skywriter’s winning performance and acceptance speech from last year’s final was very good, but the discovery of local act Dirtybird and their performance was also a highlight for me. Watch out for those young fellas – attitude to boot with music to back it up with.

G: Which Brisbane schools are commonly represented in the challenge?

RH: It’s not just Brisbane schools performing – we’ll accept submissions from anywhere.

Last year we had applications from all over the state. All we are really looking for is artists who are eighteen years or younger. And by the way, it DOES NOT have to be rock. Rockschool is about the attitude of rock & roll and we invite all artists with attitude – from blues & roots through to hip hop and funk.

G: Can you tell us a little about the new recording and live facilities at the Southbank TAFE?

RH: It really has to be seen to be believed. The QLD Government has spent a great deal of money on creating a very special and real music entertainment and education venue and recording facility. This place is as professional as any venue or studio anywhere in the country. It has been created to remain state-of-the-art for many years to come. My best advice is to come along to Rockschool and take a look at it for yourself – it really is amazing. We had Greg Donovan [Grinspoon/Josh Pyke manager] here recently and he was absolutely blown away with the facilities and the opportunity our students have. He told me he wished he had access to a place like this when he was starting out. 

G: What do you think is the community aim of Rockschool Challenge?

RH: To provide a professional performance experience for new and up and coming young artists as well as nurture the local music scene and keep Brissy on the map as a place of great musical significance. We want to discover and assist the Powderfingers of the future.

With cool prizes valued at over $1000 up for grabs, Southbank TAFE’s ROCKSCHOOL CHALLENGE runs for five consecutive weeks in May-June 2010 with the first heat on Wed May 5 and the grand final on Wednesday Jun 2. Submission deadline is Friday Mar 5. Check out www.rockschoolchallenge.com, www.southbankrockschool.com and www.myspace.com/southbankrockschool  for more info.

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