Australian dance punk group DZ Deathrays have just announced a new grant designed to assist and inspire the next generation of guitarists from regional areas.
Founding members of the group Shane Parsons and Simon Ridley hail from Bundaberg and said they were always looking for ways to give back to regional communities like their own hometown.
Through a partnership with Fender, record label I OH YOU and The Artist Studio, the band will be able to do just that through The DZ Deathrays: Positive Rising Grant.
Support for regional areas important to DZ Deathrays
Former Bundaberg locals Shane and Simon said they knew how much it meant to them as young music fans when bands played at their local.
While touring, DZ Deathrays said they had always felt a great desire to try and ensure they had a chance to connect to fans all over Australia.
As Covid-19 made that difficult over the past 12 months, the grant was created with the focus of connecting regional musicians to quality instruments, and quality tutelage, regardless of their geographic location.
“One of the biggest hurdles starting out in music for me as a teenager was just being able to afford quality equipment that was not only actually enjoyable to play but also capable of being used for a gig, or even just an amp loud enough for playing with a full band,” DZ Deathrays' Simon Ridley said.
“Also growing up in a regional town, the quality and range of instruments available at the time was really limited.
“To be able to help people overcome that initial barrier and give someone the ability to jump straight into it is something I’m very grateful to be a part of.”
The three recipients of the grant will each receive a Squier guitar and Fender amp, a year’s worth of fortnightly online guitar classes through The Artist Studio, a copy of DZ Deathrays albums Positive Rising: Part 1 and Positive Rising: Part 2 on vinyl and a limited-edition pack of DZ Deathrays guitar picks.
Heath Blows from Fender Music Australia said the company was thrilled to partner with DZ Deathrays for the Positive Rising grant.
“Fender is committed to supporting new players all over Australia, and what better way to do this than equipping budding musicians with a Squier guitar and Fender amp,” Heath said.
“To start learning guitar with an instrument you love from day one can change everything, so we hope our contribution to this grant sets the recipients up for a lifelong obsession with music.”
Entries for DZ Deathrays: Positive Rising Grant are now open and will close at 11pm on Wednesday, 31 March.
Enter here dzdeathrays.com
DZ Deathrays continue music success across Australia
ARIA Award winning DZ Deathrays continue to solidify themselves as an Australian favourite, with a top #5 ARIA debuting album, the three piece band have taken home consecutive AIR and QMA awards and played hundreds of live shows and countless festivals across Australia and overseas.
Showing no sign of slowing down, the band gear up to release their fifth studio album Positive Rising: Part 2 on Friday, 9 July 2021.
