When I was about 5, I learnt two incredibly important sentences: Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit, and All Cows Eat Grass. My piano teacher solemnly inscribed these phrases into the deepest roots of my teensy little brain, before she let me loose on her ‘teenage’ grand piano (not quite a baby, but it wasn’t full-sized either). I haven’t seen her in over ten years, but those two sentences still light up like neon signs in my head each time I am presented with the five horizontal lines of a stave.

I didn’t know it at the time, but that damned obedient boy who really liked his apples was one of the best things I’d ever learn. I was lucky to have a childhood filled with yellow plastic xylophones, excruciating recorder lessons and embarrassing Christmas carol performances with my sister at the school talent quest. Music was a huge part of my education, and I can’t imagine the kind of creature I’d be without it.

So alright, alright: why am I waving my nostalgia all up in your computer’s grill? Blame Major Raiser, run by the 21-year-old superhero Dom Greenwood. If you’re not familiar with MR, they are a charity organisation – but rather than asking for your cash straight-up, they throw parties for you. THAT SOUNDS OKAY, RIGHT? The proceeds all go to a hand-selected, well-deserving charity.

They’ve been doing this for one whole year now, so to celebrate their 12 months of charitable butt-kicking, they are – yep, you know it – THROWING A HUGE PARTY. And the beneficiary of this monster Major Raiser – the raisee, if you will – is the Music Outback Foundation, an organisation that provides indigenous youths in remote areas with musical and educational opportunities. The MOF brings music to kids who would otherwise have no access to it, giving them the chance to connect with their indigenous heritage and identity through a far more powerful medium than a book or a simple classroom. As they put it: “Music can effectively address serious needs in areas such as education, health, language preservation, and remote Indigenous employment.”

The lineup so far includes Mitzi, Glass Towers, Conics, Colour Coding and Lancelot, with more to be announced. If you need a taste-tester, they’ve put out a compilation call ‘Let’s Band Together‘ that you can download now for a buck. Literally, one buck. Even the Caramello Koalas in charity chocolate boxes cost more than that now! (I KNOW, OUTRAGE.)

So, once you’ve recovered from your own wave of music education nostalgia, check out what some of the bands had to say about their own schooling…

CONICS

Artist name/real name/superhero name?

Conics/Conics/Conics

How did you get involved with Dom Greenwood and Major Raiser?

He cleaned our windscreen at the lights and we were out of change so he asked for a favour.

What has your music education been like? (Embarrassing tweenage bands? Crappy high school keyboards?)

Blink 182 cover band. Circa ’03.

What is the most charitable thing you’ve done recently?

An acoustic set at a fun run for brain cancer down at Manly. Keeping morale high.

And the most charitable thing you’ve had done for you?

The farmhouse we’ve been lent for free where we’re currently writing tunes. Preview: think Dixie Chicks but with more synth.

Major Raiser is turning one with this party – what tune would you dedicate to someone on their first birthday?

Probably Happy Birthday….

Token 5-word challenge: Five things to expect from you in 2012?

Hopefully an EP soon / ever.

GLASS TOWERS

Artist name/real name/superhero name?

Glass Towers / Ben Hannam / Well, according to this Superhero name generator that I just used my Superhero name is “The Incredible Freak”. I wanted something better than that!

How did you get involved with Dom Greenwood and Major Raiser?

Our management approached us about it and we immediately wanted to get involved when we saw that it was for a good cause!

What is the most charitable thing you’ve done recently?

Every time I fly Jetstar I donate any spare change I have to the world vision envelope.

And the most charitable thing you’ve had done for you?

My manager gave me a ticket to see Elbow and Bombay Bicycle Club at The Hordern!

What has your music education been like? (Embarrassing tweenage bands? Crappy high school keyboards?)

It’s funny that you mention crappy high school keyboards because Sam (guitarist) and I, plus this other guy had this band in high school where we all played crappy school keyboards and made songs with such titles such as “Ocean Girl Theme”, “Transylvania” and “Ants”. We also had a hip hop group called Big Benji and The Low Riders. Yeah we got a lot of girls back then…

Major Raiser is turning one with this party – what tune would you dedicate to someone on their first birthday?

Well if it was for someone’s first birthday I’d dress up as a Wiggle and sing a Wiggles medley with all of the wiggles classics. That’s actually untapped territory, a Wiggles cover band!

Token 5-word challenge: Five things to expect from you in 2012?

Releasing our debut album! Touring hard all over the country, lots of drunken performances as per usual.

MITZI

Artist name?

Mitzi

How did you get involved with Dom Greenwood and Major Raiser?

We met the guys while in Sydney last year after a show, they were telling us about Major Raiser and we thought it sounded like a cool idea. They asked us if we would like to play and we cordially accepted.

What is the most charitable thing you’ve done recently?

Gave my iPhone to my brother Bonesy the Frothlord after he lost his.

And the most charitable thing you’ve had done for you?

Charlie told me he met a really charitable lady friend who took him into the bushes once.

What has your music education been like? (Embarrassing tweenage bands? Crappy high school keyboards?)

Major Raiser is turning one with this party – what tune would you dedicate to someone on their first birthday?

“Miss Honey” by the legendary Moi Renee.

Token 5-word challenge: Five things to expect from you in 2012?

Frivolity, Music, Solemnity, Fear, Fun

IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS:

WHAT: Major Raiser’s Music Outback Foundation Party

WHERE: Beach Rd Hotel, Bondi

WHEN: Saturday 5 May

TICKETS: $14 + BF  http://www.moshtix.com.au/event.aspx?id=55295&ref=mofparty2012