Music has the incredible ability to transcend boundaries and bring people together worldwide. Our vibrant town has nurtured some extraordinary talent and the organisers of Whāingaroa Talent Factory (WTF) are thrilled to uncover the next generation of musical prodigies from Raglan!
The application deadline for WTF is just around the corner, closing this Sunday. If you’re a guitar virtuoso, a microphone maestro, or a deck-spinning wizard (or anything else that rocks!), make sure you sign up – you can message the WTF Facebook or Instagram pages to register.
The best part of this experience is that every performer will receive professional artist fees and invaluable feedback from experienced musician mentors to take their performances to the next level. This year we have a great lineup of local mentors including Conor McCabe, Kaea Ruawai and Joel Newport.
Conor McCabe grew up in Raglan before moving to Melbourne where he formed Fortunes with Hamiltonian Barnaby Mathews in 2015.
They produced a number of records and built a strong following over a 5 year period to rave reviews and were signed to Australian label Future Classic. Spending more time in Raglan these days Conor performs solo now as Keeper and has also been DJing around Raglan as Judy Free. Conor was one of the mentors at the first Whaingaroa Talent factory in 2020 and we’re excited that he’s back in town at just the right moment to work with this year’s crop of young talent.
Kaea Ruawai is the drumming backbone for band Masaya which she performs in along with brother Reiki, Jules Blewman (Tunes Of I) and Joe Kaptein. Having performed at a number of big-name festivals in Aotearoa (including Soundsplash ofcourse), Masaya has recently returned from an Australian tour, opening for L.A.B., and Kaea has scores of performance knowledge to share with local rangatahi.
Joel Newport is back from his duties as a mentor from last year. He has just wrapped up work for his Bachelor or Music and Performing Art at Wintec this month and has started doing the sound at Nivara Lounge in Hamilton after also doing the sound and lighting at local venue The Yard for the last couple of years.
Joel is guitarist for the band Mondogreen which he formed with local Alex Carter and 2 others from over the divvy, including drummer Connor who played in WTF20. They played at Soundsplash earlier this year, have just spent a couple of days in the studio working on their second album and are putting plans together for a tour this summer.
The mentoring sessions are a huge opportunity for young performers to get industry feedback around their performance and prepare their performance for the audience at the live showcase which is set for Saturday, July 8, 2023.
Don’t miss out on this amazing chance to gain valuable experience and unleash your artistic potential. Join us at WTF 20223 and let your talent take centre stage! WTF is open to youth with any connection to Whāingaroa so if you’re from another town and want to join a band from here then get in touch to jump on board!
Whāingaroa Talent Factory is a joint project supported by Raglan Community Radio, Soundsplash, CSR Studios and Raglan Community House.
WTF EVENT Live Performance at the Raglan Town Hall – Saturday 8th July. MENTORING SESSION – Monday 3rd July at The Yard. To enter WTF 2023 please submit this form before 5pm June 25, 2023 – https://airtable.com/shrXhReyGCEWUbrIX
