Echoes of Yesterday – Finn Reymer, Harli Nicholas, Dorian Samuel, Morgan Samuel (manager), Owen Gower and Adam Mark – performed at Pirongia Rugby Sports Club’s 150th anniversary weekend.
Three Waipā-King Country bands will feature on stage in the Waikato regional Smokefree Rockquest heats in Hamilton on Saturday.
Echoes of Yesterday (Te Awamutu) Crescent Lane (Cambridge) and Dead Rose (Ōtorohanga) were selected for the final alongside eight Hamilton bands and one from Morrinsville.
Echoes of Yesterday during the Waikato regional Smokefree Rockquest heats.
The five-piece Echoes of Yesterday comprising Dorian Samuel (bass), Adam Mark (guitarist), Finn Reymer (guitarist), Harli Nicholas (drummer) and Owen Gower (vocals) – formed last August last year and Gower joined recently.
Aged 14 to17, the quintet draws on influences of bands spanning several decades, such as Rage Against The Machine, Tool, Kings of Leon and Highly Suspect.
About 60 bands from throughout the province performed during the heats at Hamilton’s Clarence St Theatre.
“When Owen joined us as vocalist, it was less than one month until the heats, we thought, do we give it a shot?” Dorian said.
Echoes of Yesterday have had great support from Mike Conlon and Jason Kerrison.
“It wasn’t much prep time, but Owen was a natural fit, so we made the jump to enter Rockquest.
The band, and Harli specifically, have a legacy to live up to. His uncle Kam Chadderton was a guitarist in Te Awamutu College band The Good Fun – national Rockquest winners in 2010.
“I want to follow in his footsteps. It was the only time Te Awamutu College have won the national event,” Harli said.
“In his band was Leroy Clampitt. He’s up in LA writing music for bigger artists now including Lily Allen, Madison Beer, Jennifer Lopez, Adam Lambert, Justin Bieber, Ava Max and Ruel.”
EOY recently opened the inaugural two-day festival Maihiihi Metal Mayhem in the King Country and played on the Friday night of the Pirongia Rugby Sports Club’s 150th anniversary weekend – their biggest gig to date.
The band play a mixture of cover songs and originals.
Finn paid tribute to Te Awamutu musician Mike Conlon and manager Morgan Samuel.
The Te Awamutu College band formed in August last year.
“Without Morgan, we wouldn’t have had the gig at Maihiihi. That helped us out so much,” Harli said.
A Waipā-based sound engineer and musician, Morgan is Dorian’s dad.
“Manager sounds official, but I think of myself as the ‘band dad’. They’re doing the real hard work – the writing, arranging and long rehearsals, that’s all them,” Morgan said.
Morgan said seeing that hard work come to fruition on the Rockquest stage was a rewarding and emotional experience for their families and supporters.
“All the boys’ families are hugely supportive too. They help with transport, carrying gear and showing up to rehearsals and gigs.
“EOY are very fortunate to have ongoing support from local musicians like Mike Conlon (One Man Big Sound).
“Mike has lent them PA gear and helped line up several local gigs, including a fundraiser at Stallions Te Awamutu on June 13 with Cambridge’s Jason Kerrison headlining.
“Jason has gone out of his way to rehearse with the band in prep for that show.”
