Cheswick Photography
Audio By Carbonatix
The benefits of kids playing music are well-documented: It develops motor skills, builds confidence and helps with math proficiency, among other things
One organization boosting the movement is Girls Rock!, an international group of individually operated nonprofits around the globe developing and facilitating mostly music-oriented programming to educate and empower girls and gender-expansive youth between the ages of 8 and 17.
On Friday night, Girls Rock! Phoenix is hosting a benefit show at Yucca Tap Room with a very particular lineup.
Girls Rock! Phoenix volunteer Shana Backman, a member of local bands Louis On Tour and Tell All Your Friends, wanted to take on hosting a benefit, says board member Amy Young.
The Venomous Pinks are one of the local bands on the benefit bill.
Jack Grisham
“When it came time to think about it for 2024, she was all over it,” Young says. “She wanted to have a roster of femme-led rockers on the bill and brought in MRCH, Daphne and the Glitches and The Maybe Next Years, along with her band Tell All Your Friends. We had room for one more band and I started thinking about who’d tear up that stage and The Venomous Pinks came to mind quickly. I saw they were going to be back from one of their many tours, so I reached out and they were immediately down.”
In addition to the stacked lineup, attendees can buy Girls Rock! Phoenix merch and buy raffle tickets for prizes from local businesses like The Salted Knot and Cowtown Skateboards. Yucca Tap Room is donating a percentage of bar sales to the Girls Rock! 2024 summer camp program, and the attached Electric Bat Arcade is making a special Girls Rock! cocktail and mocktail for the night; $1 of each drink sold will benefit the organization.
Girls Rock! Phoenix was launched in 2015 by founder Sarah Ventre, and the group held its first mini camp session in 2016.
“Campers come in without having to have any experience and they learn how to play an instrument, they form a band, get music instruction, coaching and support, write an original song and perform at a community showcase on stage for hundreds of people,” Young says. “Beyond that, though, is the opportunity to meet other campers and camp leaders from all walks of life and to learn about thoughtful and productive communication and to feel empowered, and to take up
space, to use their voice and to have fun.”
Girls Rock! Phoenix volunteers.
Cheswick Photography
There’s a sliding scale of payment for Girls Rock! Phoenix programs, and no one is ever turned away because of an inability to pay, which is why the benefit concert is so important, Young says.
And beyond the community’s financial support, Girls Rock! Phoenix could always use more volunteers.
“You don’t have to know how to play anything to volunteer for Girls Rock – there are many types of roles we need folks to fill,” Young says. “And our volunteers have had so much fun, and learned through challenging times, as well. It’s beneficial for everyone involved.”
Girls Rock! Phoenix benefit show. With MRCH, Daphne and the Glitches, The Maybe Next Years, Tell All Your Friends and The Venomous Pinks. 8 p.m. Friday, May 17. Yucca Tap Room, 29 W. Southern Ave., Tempe. Free. Visit the Yucca Tap Room website for more info.
