Chances are that there's a Weekend Warrior program near you. There are over 20 music stores throughout Australia now running the Weekend Warriors programs in their local area, including Blackburn, Flemington, Horsham, Sale, East Brighton, Prahran, Bendigo (Vic), Lismore, Miranda, West Ryde and Penrith (NSW), Perth (WA) and Adelaide (SA), Brisbane, Cairns, Mackay, Gold Coast (Qld), Canberra (ACT) and Darwin (NT).
Weekend Warriors, national coordinator, Greg Dodge says participants play most genres of music including Rock, Blues, Metal, Pop, Country Rock, Soul, Punk, Funk, Groove and Rock 'n Roll.
"Ultimately, Weekend Warriors allows participants to recapture their love of playing music in a band and have a ball with their mates in the process," says Greg. "It gives them a new lease of life, reduces stress and strengthens bonds with their kids who might also play an instrument, so they can jam together."
The course runs for four weeks. Warriors are placed with other like minded people in a band, supplied with a rehearsal room, all equipment, including guitars etc and a music coach for the band. Then they top it off by performing in a "live" concert event with other newly formed bands where over 300 - 500 family, friends and work mates come along and support the live bands.
"Weekend Warriors is a winner for everyone," says Greg. "Participants get a second chance to achieve a dream they had as a youth to be in a band and the music coaches enjoy the enormous rewards of helping them play again and get on stage. For most Warriors, it is a life changing experience. We are very excited about giving something back to the community."
The concerts around the country give the proceeds from the concert to a local charity.
In each workshop round, participants select what instrument they want to play, all supplied by the local host music store, or they become the front lead singer/backing vocalist's and are placed in one of the bands. They rehearse songs of any style they choose, for two hours a week for four weeks and then perform at a final concert, produced with high quality sound and lighting.
Weekend Warriors started in Sacramento, California in 1993, by Skip Maggiora of Skip's Music store. His band had opened for Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. When he had to give up his rock star dreams to feed his family, he started the store in 1973. Ten years ago he noticed that musicians, who'd gone on to be brain surgeons and truck drivers, were in their '40s returning and wanting to rediscover their youth again through music making. Brought to Australia by Greg Dodge for the Australian Music Association and licensed from NAMM (International Music Products Association) in the USA.
"We are actually surprised (and pleased) in some areas where younger people in their twenties and thirties are also turning up and having the same fun playing with the older guys," states Greg. "The majority are, however, between 40 - 58 years young.
But then again, this should not be surprising, those Baby Boomers were the teenagers when the Rolling Stones started - and that means if they were 19 in 1983, at the height of the big hair metal guitar bands of the '80's, then today that same person is 40 this year! If they were 18 and attended the Sunbury Music Festival in 1972 (with Chain, Billy Thorpe etc) then this year they are all 50 years old. The Baby Boomers defined who they were through their love of music and they all still love the music of their respective generations. This is their ability to stay young through the great diverse range of music made in the '60s, '70s and '80s. Most are also now listening to what's new - and the Baby Boomers is where the wealth of the western world is currently at it's strongest. Hence most Weekend Warriors own a string of collectable guitars!
Weekend Warriors is a proud initiative of the Australian Music Association's, Music Makers programme. Because Weekend Warriors helps people GET OUT THERE!, The Metro Gnome is happy to sponsor and support Weekend Warriors!
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