Join us as we uncover the story of Metal For Good and how their commitment to harnessing the power of music is making a world of difference. Prepare to be inspired and motivated by their dedication to using music for the greater good, and discover how you can be a part of this incredible journey during their upcoming charity day, Metal Merch Day which is taking place the 20th of October.
Hey team, thanks for joining us for a chat. To kick things off with the interview – could you tell our readers a bit more about what you do and how the idea of Metal For Good came together?
Of course! Metal For Good is a registered charity that uses the power of the rock and metal community for good! All the money we fundraise supports awesome community projects using music to help people and change lives. We provide grant funding to projects that use music to improve mental health, projects that use music to address inequalities and work with underrepresented groups, and finally projects that use music to help young people to thrive and achieve their potential.
We are lifelong rock and metal fans who have always loved how friendly and welcoming the rock and metal community is, and we had a random idea about how we could harness this positivity for good. We have also found music to be such a positive force in our lives and wanted other people to experience this. The initial idea just wouldn’t go away, so we decided to do something about it!
MFG places a strong emphasis on teamwork and collaboration. Can you talk about how you've collaborated with other brands and individuals to achieve a common goal, and why you feel it’s so important?
Metal For Good is about bringing the WHOLE community together, from individual fans and artists through to the brands and businesses that are synonymous with rock and metal. We have some amazing partners (including P&K!) that see MFG as a way to give back to a community that is fiercely loyal to them. We are partnered with some awesome festivals such as 2000trees and ArcTanGent who genuinely see the importance of giving back to the community. Over the next year we want to find new and interesting ways to encourage individuals to support us, which is where Metal Merch Day comes in!
Why metal, specifically? Why the focus on this specific genre?
As well as being the music we love, we genuinely believe that the rock and metal community are some of the friendliest, most inclusive, and well-behaved music fans out there. The old ‘no person down in the most pit’ isn’t just an old wives tale after all! I think many people who identify with the alternative community do so because they often don’t feel like they fit in, but through rock and metal have found a place they finally feel welcome. Because of this want other people to feel like they also belong.
Let’s talk about your upcoming fundraising event ‘Metal Merch Day’ – what’s the overall idea behind it, and how can people get involved?
Metal Merch Day, held on the 20th October is a bit like Christmas Jumper Day for Goths! In all seriousness, we see it as a way where the community can come together and show the rest of the world how important the rock and metal community is to them. Regardless of whether you usually wear your merch daily or not, we are asking everyone to wear their favourite merch (or the exclusive MMD t-shirt) whatever they are doing on that day for a small donation. We’re also encouraging people to hold metal-themed fundraising events, gigs, quizzes etc to raise some more cash! We have some awesome merch collaborations and exclusive auctions happening during the weeks around the 20th too. For more ideas, tips and support you can download our fundraising guide a www.metalforgood.org/metalmerchday
I’m sure most people don’t fully understand how much work goes into running a charity. What has been one of the most challenging aspects of running Metal for Good? And on the flip side, what has been the most rewarding?
Great question! My background (Katy) is in the charity sector, so came into this with a good understanding of all the things involved. But it is very easy to underestimate just how hard it can be to juggle everything on top of a full-time job and family. One of the hardest things has been being able to get people to buy into the idea before we have been able to show the impact – i.e. funding any projects. However, we have just awarded our first grants (more details coming soon!) to three incredible organisations. So as much as this has been a challenge, getting to a point where we can give money to brilliant community projects and organisations that truly change lives, has made all the sleepless nights and long days worth it.
If you had to boil it down to just one sentence, what’s the message you hope to bring across to the community?
Everyone deserves to benefit from the power of music, and through MFG the rock and metal community can genuinely change lives and help people.
How do you hope to see MFG grow in the near future?
We want to be the go-to charity for the rock and metal community, and as a result are changing the lives of thousands of people through the transformational power of music!
On a more personal note, what’s one band you simply have to see before you kick the bucket?
Katy – not very metal I know, but I would probably say Fleetwood Mac!
Chris – ACDC, we went to see them a few years ago when Axl Rose stood in for Brian Johnson, I’d love to see them again with Brian next time!