How old is Music is a Weapon and how did it get started?

Last summer I met a girl named Stacy McAllister who was raising money to build a school in the city of Mampong in Ghana. I had thrown a concert before so I decided I could help. We were lucky enough to get the help of the Students Association in the form of grants and things took off from there.

What type of things did you bring to the table for this fundraiser?

I ended up bringing in a break-dance workshop, a drum circle, a song circle and we did a full weekend of concerts at venues across the city. Overall, we did seven performances all to raise money for the school in Ghana.

That was obviously the focus early on. How has Music is a Weapon changed since then?

The focus is really on building community here in Edmonton and building community abroad. We’ve also been focusing a lot on collaborations and the idea of inclusive art and music.

So you use the community you’ve built here to help communities all over the world?

Yeah. Our second collaboration was with the Walk for Darfur. We set up a massive busking event and lined Whyte Ave with thirteen groups of musicians all raising money for Darfur and relief efforts for that country. We’re all about using music to bring about change.

Where does Music is a Weapon go from here? Do you see it being implemented across the country?

Right now, we’re in the process of taking a step back and writing everything we’ve learnt thus far down. Things have happened so quickly that we don’t want all the lessons we’ve learnt to go to waste. I really would be happy if it took off in other cities but I need to be able to let go and allow it to grow naturally and just guide it with the principles we’ve developed so far.

I really appreciate your “Axe of Kindness”... Get it!? Weapon... Music... Never mind.