FReeZA Push Start

About FReeZA Push Start

About FReeZA Push Start
FReeZA Push Start Comments and Quotes
FReeZA Push Start Sponsors and Prizes
FReeZA Push Start Past Winners

Back

About FReeZA Push Start

FReeZA Push Start is a Victorian Battle of the Bands competition. It showcases young and emerging Victorian performers aged 15-21, and has been doing so since 1995.

Originally titled, "Push Start Battle-Comp", the program now incorporates 77 youth-music FReeZA committees across Victoria, allowing young bands living in both regional and metropolitan areas to have an opportunity to compete.

FReeZA Push Start heat events are run across Victoria from January to August every year. The winner of each heat goes on to compete in one of the 9 FReeZA Push Start Regional Finals, which run from October to December. The winners go on to compete on stage at the Push Over festival in March of the following year. An awesome prize package is up for grabs - see the details below.

Sponsors of the Push Start program include APRA, Hothouse, Jack the Bear's Deluxe Mastering, MP3.com.au, Hurley, Cutting Edge Music, Cavalier, Beat magazine, DEX Audio and Orsino Images.

FReeZA Push Start is coordinated by The Push's Artist Development Project Coordinator - Andrew Kitchen.

In 2007-08, 303 bands and artists performed to 23,305 punters.

Every year, the numbers grow.

Emprica performing live at the Warrnambool Entertainment Centre, Warrnambool on 05.10.07

Who can enter FReeZA Push Start?

1) All members must live, work or study in Victoria.

2) At least half of the band members must be 21 years of age or under, with no members exceeding 25 years of age at the time of the first heat event.

3) The band must have not won a FReeZA Push Start Heat event in any previous year.

4) The band or its members must not have a recording, publishing or distribution deal.

5) At the discretion of the FReeZA worker, the band must live, work, study or recreate in the City or Shire where their heat is held.

Autumn's Epidemic performing live at the Rosedale Mechanics Hall, Rosedale on 03.11.07

FReeZA Push Start Comments and Quotes

Thanks so much for giving us the opportunity to play at Push Over! It went off!!! I had the best day! Congratulations to Lemonsmile and The Fearless Vampire Killers, keep it up guys - rock on. We came to the consensus that Push Over was one of the best gig's we've played.
Mark Block - Innovation

It was a good opportunity for a small band to play in front of so many people and the program was a great learning curve. Thanks for having us!!
Matthew Sgarbi – Silhouette

FReeZA Push Start provides a great, inspirational opportunity for local bands and a great
experience for FReeZA Committee members to participate in
something that is broader than just their local municipality.
Heather Padden – FReeZA Worker

Keep up the great work
Vivienne Levy – FReeZA Worker

The FReeZA Push Start experience was rockin! Each heat and final gave
us small goals to work towards which really gave us direction and helped us improve. The best part of the whole program was the amount of referrals and gigs that were offered to us because of the exposure FReeZA Push Start gave us!
Mike Rogers – Inertia

Great exposure and experience to both young bands and committee members,
I thoroughly enjoyed this year’s FReeZA Push Start series.
Stewart Grieg FReeZA Worker

Demonic Tempest performing live at the Benalla Town Hall, Benalla on 09.11.07

We recently did an evaluation of the committee and many positive things came out of the FReeZA Push Start Heat event. The young people love putting on the event, they loved learning and taking ownership of it. They also really love the social outlet that being in a committee of the like minded young people gives them.
Venessa Osbourne – FReeZA Worker

It was a great opportunity for young bands and performers to participate in events on a state-wide level and an opportunity to highlight the local youth music scene in the local area especially with the great media coverage that occurred. Popcorn Productions also honed existing skills in event management and planning. It was easy to promote and increased the profile of Popcorn Productions.
Karl Karlsbach – FReeZA Worker

The organising committee have gained various skills in event organisation and had real ownership of the event. The bands participating had the opportunity to work with specialised equipment and showcase their talent in front of a big crowd of their peers.
Justin Ambrosio - FReeZA Worker

The Kaos committee have developed a commitment to working professionally to ensure that events are organised and run smoothly. They have developed skills in – stage management – money handling and liaising with service providers. Also, band members gain experience in performing live and are also able to network with the aim of getting more gigs.
Daniel Taylor – FReeZA Worker

The FReeZA Push Start Battle of the Bands is more than an annual battle of the bands event. With the many benefits to FReeZA committees and the developmental components in place for young musicians, it is more of a ‘Better Your Band’ event than a ‘Battle of the bands’ event.
Andrew Kitchen – FReeZA Push Start Coordinator, The Push

FReeZA Push Start Sponsors and Prizes

Sponsors of the FReeZA Push Start program include APRA, Hothouse, Jack the Bear's Deluxe Mastering, MP3.com.au, Hurley, Cutting Edge Music, Cavalier, Beat magazine, DEX Audio and Orsino Images.

Please read below a breakdown of the prizes:

All Grand Finalists:

1 X Clothing pack supplied by Hurley
1 X equipment pack (guitar strings and stand, drum sticks etc) supplied by Cutting Edge Music
1 X DVD shoot of your live performance at the Grand Final at Push Over '08 supplied by Orsino Images
1 X band profile on the FReeZA Push Start page for 2 months before Grand Final
1 X live video clip (from the Grand Final) edited, mixed and hosted on The Push Inc Myspace page

APRA Songwriter's Award:

A prize awarded by the judges to one of the bands who compete at the FReeZA Push Start Grand Final

1 X APRA Songwriter's Certificate supplied by APRA
1 X Collection of music industry books, to the value of $150.00 supplied by APRA

FReeZA Push Start Grand Final Runner-up:

1 X 'Blade' electric guitar supplied by Cutting Edge Music
1 X EP recording and Mastering package supplied by Cavalier

FReeZA Push Start Winner:

1 X Day of recording/mixing supplied by Hothouse Studio
1 X Mastering of the Hothouse Studio recording supplied by Jack the Bear's Deluxe Mastering
1 X Pressing (500 copies) and artwork assistance supplied by Dex Audio
1 X Publicity consultation supplied by Oh Traveller Publicity
1 X Feature article in Beat magazine supplied by Beat magazine
1 X feature article/interview on Mp3.com.au supplied by Destra Corp

Insane Parsnip performing live at the Great Southern Woolshed, Ballarat on 16.11.07

FReeZA Push Start Past Winners

2007-08 Neon Love (http://www.myspace.com/theneonlove)

"FReeZA Push Start is a great opportunity to showcase your music to an all-ages audience and possibly win a nationally recognised achievement. The program gives you professional feedback on your performance which is priceless in our band and gives us something to improve on for our next performance."

Bryce Forrester (Bass)

______________________________________________________________________________________

2006-07 Lemonsmile (http://www.myspace.com/lemonsmileband)

Andrew and Lemonsmile
Andrew Kitchen with 2006-07 winners Lemonsmile

lemonsmile

Chris O'Neil of Lemonsmile performing at Push Over 07

"Winning Push Over 2007 was a huge achievement for us. It gave us a sense of self confidence in our ability as musicians, and has opened up many opportunities in the industry. The competition provided an excellent arena to practise our stagecraft and extend our fanbase. It was a highly enjoyable experience. I'd recommend it to anyone." Chris O'Neil (singer / guitarist)

____________________________________________________________________________________

2005-06 Crimson Flames (http://www.myspace.com/crimsonflamesrock)

"Being a band from a small country town, we didn't get a lot of chances to get our music out for new people to hear. Push Start not only gave us the oppertunity to play to a new crowd and share the stage with some greats bands but it also enable to use the recording time we won to create an EP which we used to score more gigs and widen our audience even futher. All in all, it is a competition we're glad to be able to have had the privilege to be involved in - There's not many comps around that offer as many opportunities as Push Start did for us."

Ben Mackie (Vocals / guitar)

____________________________________________________________________________________

2004-05 Showcard (http://www.myspace.com/showcard)

"FReeZA Push Start was quintessential in really establishing our confidence as a band and as performers. It gave us something to work towards and as a result played a huge part in the development of our sound."
Gus Lord - Bass

____________________________________________________________________________________

2003-04 Vasco Era (http://www.myspace.com/thevascoera)
Sid O'Neil from The Vasco Era slamming it out for the Push Over crowd, Luna Park 2004

Above: Sid O'Neil from The Vasco Era slamming it out for the Push Over crowd, Luna Park 2004

____________________________________________________________________________________

2002-03 Flynt (http://www.myspace.com/flyntmusic)

"Winning the 'Push Start' battle in 2003 was a very important milestone for me. Not only did it give me performance experience in some of the premier spots in Melbourne, but it was also a vital confidence booster - well respected industry professionals and my peers reinforcing that i had what it takes, while following that up with tangible support such as press and industry connections was invaluable..."
Michael Paynter (singer/guitarist)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2001-02 Omen

____________________________________________________________________________________
2000 - 01 Something Big

____________________________________________________________________________________
1998 Spyn Pscycle

"We won push start competition in 1998, I was obsessed with style at the time so we were a drum'n'bass/Hip Hop/Dub band. I suppose that we won because we were so different, the opportunity was amazing, playing in front of a huge crowd and getting the chance to see how a serious festival worked from backstage as an artist."
Ryan Ritchie (vocalist)

____________________________________________________________________________________
1997 Skiptracer

____________________________________________________________________________________
1996 Gravel

Gravel

"FReeZA Push Start was a significant influence in taking our band Gravel to the next level. A variety of opportunities followed after winning the 1996 Grand Final including the recording and release of our second EP which led to working with national-profile producers Wayne Connolly and Paul McKercher. It was through this affiliation that our music would attract national airplay on stations such as Triple J which then led to offers for tours, management and artist representation. FReeZA Push Start started a snowball effect for our band and was a positive experience that we carried into the future. The Band Comp also helped cultivate a community of indie artists and paved a pathway into the industry that many of us thought was unreachable."
Shane Wickens (guitarist)

____________________________________________________________________________________
1995 Bacterium

____________________________________________________________________________________
Back to top


FReeZA Push Start
	About FReeZA Push Start About FReeZA Push Start FReeZA Push Start Comments and Quotes FReeZA Push Start Sponsors and Prizes FReeZA Push Start Past Winners Back About FReeZA Push Start FReeZA Push Start is a Victorian Battle of the Bands competition. It showcases young and emerging Victorian performers aged 15-21, and has been doing so since 1995. Originally titled, "Push Start Battle-Comp", the program now incorporates 77 youth-music FReeZA committees across Victoria, allowing young bands living in both regional and metropolitan areas to have an opportunity to compete. FReeZA Push Start heat events are run across Victoria from January to August every year. The winner of each heat goes on to compete in one of the 9 FReeZA Push Start Regional Finals, which run from October to December. The winners go on to compete on stage at the Push Over festival in March of the following year. An awesome prize package is up for grabs - see the details below. Sponsors of the Push Start program include APRA, Hothouse, Jack the Bear's Deluxe Mastering, MP3.com.au, Hurley, Cutting Edge Music, Cavalier, Beat magazine, DEX Audio and Orsino Images. FReeZA Push Start is coordinated by The Push's Artist Development Project Coordinator - Andrew Kitchen. In 2007-08, 303 bands and artists performed to 23,305 punters. Every year, the numbers grow. Emprica performing live at the Warrnambool Entertainment Centre, Warrnambool on 05.10.07 Who can enter FReeZA Push Start? 1) All members must live, work or study in Victoria. 2) At least half of the band members must be 21 years of age or under, with no members exceeding 25 years of age at the time of the first heat event. 3) The band must have not won a FReeZA Push Start Heat event in any previous year. 4) The band or its members must not have a recording, publishing or distribution deal. 5) At the discretion of the FReeZA worker, the band must live, work, study or recreate in the City or Shire where their heat is held. Autumn's Epidemic performing live at the Rosedale Mechanics Hall, Rosedale on 03.11.07 Back to top FReeZA Push Start Comments and Quotes Thanks so much for giving us the opportunity to play at Push Over! It went off!!! I had the best day! Congratulations to Lemonsmile and The Fearless Vampire Killers, keep it up guys - rock on. We came to the consensus that Push Over was one of the best gig's we've played. Mark Block - Innovation It was a good opportunity for a small band to play in front of so many people and the program was a great learning curve. Thanks for having us!! Matthew Sgarbi – Silhouette FReeZA Push Start provides a great, inspirational opportunity for local bands and a great experience for FReeZA Committee members to participate in something that is broader than just their local municipality. Heather Padden – FReeZA Worker Keep up the great work Vivienne Levy – FReeZA Worker The FReeZA Push Start experience was rockin! Each heat and final gave us small goals to work towards which really gave us direction and helped us improve. The best part of the whole program was the amount of referrals and gigs that were offered to us because of the exposure FReeZA Push Start gave us! Mike Rogers – Inertia Great exposure and experience to both young bands and committee members, I thoroughly enjoyed this year’s FReeZA Push Start series. Stewart Grieg FReeZA Worker Demonic Tempest performing live at the Benalla Town Hall, Benalla on 09.11.07 We recently did an evaluation of the committee and many positive things came out of the FReeZA Push Start Heat event. The young people love putting on the event, they loved learning and taking ownership of it. They also really love the social outlet that being in a committee of the like minded young people gives them. Venessa Osbourne – FReeZA Worker It was a great opportunity for young bands and performers to participate in events on a state-wide level and an opportunity to highlight the local youth music scene in the local area especially with the great media coverage that occurred. Popcorn Productions also honed existing skills in event management and planning. It was easy to promote and increased the profile of Popcorn Productions. Karl Karlsbach – FReeZA Worker The organising committee have gained various skills in event organisation and had real ownership of the event. The bands participating had the opportunity to work with specialised equipment and showcase their talent in front of a big crowd of their peers. Justin Ambrosio - FReeZA Worker The Kaos committee have developed a commitment to working professionally to ensure that events are organised and run smoothly. They have developed skills in – stage management – money handling and liaising with service providers. Also, band members gain experience in performing live and are also able to network with the aim of getting more gigs. Daniel Taylor – FReeZA Worker The FReeZA Push Start Battle of the Bands is more than an annual battle of the bands event. With the many benefits to FReeZA committees and the developmental components in place for young musicians, it is more of a ‘Better Your Band’ event than a ‘Battle of the bands’ event. Andrew Kitchen – FReeZA Push Start Coordinator, The Push Back to top FReeZA Push Start Sponsors and Prizes Sponsors of the FReeZA Push Start program include APRA, Hothouse, Jack the Bear's Deluxe Mastering, MP3.com.au, Hurley, Cutting Edge Music, Cavalier, Beat magazine, DEX Audio and Orsino Images. Please read below a breakdown of the prizes: All Grand Finalists: 1 X Clothing pack supplied by Hurley 1 X equipment pack (guitar strings and stand, drum sticks etc) supplied by Cutting Edge Music 1 X DVD shoot of your live performance at the Grand Final at Push Over '08 supplied by Orsino Images 1 X band profile on the FReeZA Push Start page for 2 months before Grand Final 1 X live video clip (from the Grand Final) edited, mixed and hosted on The Push Inc Myspace page APRA Songwriter's Award: A prize awarded by the judges to one of the bands who compete at the FReeZA Push Start Grand Final 1 X APRA Songwriter's Certificate supplied by APRA 1 X Collection of music industry books, to the value of $150.00 supplied by APRA FReeZA Push Start Grand Final Runner-up: 1 X 'Blade' electric guitar supplied by Cutting Edge Music 1 X EP recording and Mastering package supplied by Cavalier FReeZA Push Start Winner: 1 X Day of recording/mixing supplied by Hothouse Studio 1 X Mastering of the Hothouse Studio recording supplied by Jack the Bear's Deluxe Mastering 1 X Pressing (500 copies) and artwork assistance supplied by Dex Audio 1 X Publicity consultation supplied by Oh Traveller Publicity 1 X Feature article in Beat magazine supplied by Beat magazine 1 X feature article/interview on Mp3.com.au supplied by Destra Corp Insane Parsnip performing live at the Great Southern Woolshed, Ballarat on 16.11.07 Back to top FReeZA Push Start Past Winners 2007-08 Neon Love (http://www.myspace.com/theneonlove) "FReeZA Push Start is a great opportunity to showcase your music to an all-ages audience and possibly win a nationally recognised achievement. The program gives you professional feedback on your performance which is priceless in our band and gives us something to improve on for our next performance." Bryce Forrester (Bass) ______________________________________________________________________________________ 2006-07 Lemonsmile (http://www.myspace.com/lemonsmileband) Andrew Kitchen with 2006-07 winners Lemonsmile Chris O'Neil of Lemonsmile performing at Push Over 07 "Winning Push Over 2007 was a huge achievement for us. It gave us a sense of self confidence in our ability as musicians, and has opened up many opportunities in the industry. The competition provided an excellent arena to practise our stagecraft and extend our fanbase. It was a highly enjoyable experience. I'd recommend it to anyone." Chris O'Neil (singer / guitarist) ____________________________________________________________________________________ 2005-06 Crimson Flames (http://www.myspace.com/crimsonflamesrock) "Being a band from a small country town, we didn't get a lot of chances to get our music out for new people to hear. Push Start not only gave us the oppertunity to play to a new crowd and share the stage with some greats bands but it also enable to use the recording time we won to create an EP which we used to score more gigs and widen our audience even futher. All in all, it is a competition we're glad to be able to have had the privilege to be involved in - There's not many comps around that offer as many opportunities as Push Start did for us." Ben Mackie (Vocals / guitar) ____________________________________________________________________________________ 2004-05 Showcard (http://www.myspace.com/showcard) "FReeZA Push Start was quintessential in really establishing our confidence as a band and as performers. It gave us something to work towards and as a result played a huge part in the development of our sound." Gus Lord - Bass ____________________________________________________________________________________ 2003-04 Vasco Era (http://www.myspace.com/thevascoera) Above: Sid O'Neil from The Vasco Era slamming it out for the Push Over crowd, Luna Park 2004 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 2002-03 Flynt (http://www.myspace.com/flyntmusic) "Winning the 'Push Start' battle in 2003 was a very important milestone for me. Not only did it give me performance experience in some of the premier spots in Melbourne, but it was also a vital confidence booster - well respected industry professionals and my peers reinforcing that i had what it takes, while following that up with tangible support such as press and industry connections was invaluable..." Michael Paynter (singer/guitarist) _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2001-02 Omen ____________________________________________________________________________________ 2000 - 01 Something Big ____________________________________________________________________________________ 1998 Spyn Pscycle "We won push start competition in 1998, I was obsessed with style at the time so we were a drum'n'bass/Hip Hop/Dub band. I suppose that we won because we were so different, the opportunity was amazing, playing in front of a huge crowd and getting the chance to see how a serious festival worked from backstage as an artist." Ryan Ritchie (vocalist) ____________________________________________________________________________________ 1997 Skiptracer ____________________________________________________________________________________ 1996 Gravel "FReeZA Push Start was a significant influence in taking our band Gravel to the next level. A variety of opportunities followed after winning the 1996 Grand Final including the recording and release of our second EP which led to working with national-profile producers Wayne Connolly and Paul McKercher. It was through this affiliation that our music would attract national airplay on stations such as Triple J which then led to offers for tours, management and artist representation. FReeZA Push Start started a snowball effect for our band and was a positive experience that we carried into the future. The Band Comp also helped cultivate a community of indie artists and paved a pathway into the industry that many of us thought was unreachable." Shane Wickens (guitarist) ____________________________________________________________________________________ 1995 Bacterium ____________________________________________________________________________________ Back to top