First official charity event of S.A.N.E: Japanapalooza

It was a phenomenal weekend helping raise money for the humanitarian effort in Japan. We had an incredible amount of help and support from the Japanese Cultural Society, the BUC Anime Club at ETSU, The Dharma Community at ETSU, Vegans and Vegetarians of the Tri-Cities, and Campus Crusade for Christ.

We kicked off Friday night with fantastic performances: the night started with acoustic acts such as Revelator Station, St. Dominic and A Great Disaster. As the night went on, the music would gradually go from one dynamic to another. Black Roof Country played some fantastic classic rock tunes familiar to us all. Wayne Quasar and the Solar Flares would be followed by such equally impressive acts as The Lovely Goodbye and a solo act from Via la Vulture. Up next would be the notoriously entertaining Kryss Dula & Friends, with whom I had the pleasure of performing two songs. Finally, we ended the night with yet another fantastic performance by Contact the Militia. After all was said and done, we had raised over 800 dollars in the first night!

Saturday night featured some acts tailored to the heavier music scene in the Tri-Cities. We started off with To the Bitter End, followed by Matriculation. Unfortunately Sons of Cronos were unable to attend but thanks to Steven Garnett of the Vegans and Vegetarians of the Tri-Cities, we were able to get his very own band, The Velvet Cowboys to perform. Insanitarium and the equally brutal A Soul Disowned rallied the masses for some heavy metal mayhem. Later on, I would have the privilege of performing with Decade of Deceit. Finally, we ended the night with the fantastic energy of Plagueworn and Bacalou. By the time everything was finished, even after deducting our expenses, we wound up raising a total of over a 1050 dollars!

All in all, Japanapalooza turned into a success story that went above and beyond expectations. Many people took the opportunity to enter for the prize of a specially made electric guitar, donated by the ETSU Guitar Building community. Besides raising money for a good cause, we showed the power of unity; we showed the world that despite the vast differences that people may have, we could still work together as one to help our fellow man in crisis. This is a message that I think the world needs, especially at a time like this.

There is an incredible amount of people I cannot thank enough for their help and support. Jamie Dove of the Galaxy Lounge and his staff helped us incredibly, and I thank them for their enthusiasm. I also would like to thank Jim of the Acoustic Coffeehouse for giving us a venue to host the Saturday event. Another special thanks to Keith Smith of EKS for his sound engineering, and to Gregg Searles and DJ Non-Stop for Djing both events. Another big thanks to the ETSU guitar building community and BUCtainment for promotions. To all our volunteers and sponsors who helped at Japanapalooza, I thank you dearly. I would also like to thank the incredible bands that came out and gave the masses a good time for a good cause. We could not have had such a great success, were it not for the hard work and effort of every single person involved.

I hope with success stories like this that our organization may continue to flourish and host similar events in the future. Congratulations everyone!

March 23rd & 30th Meetings

March 23

Meeting begun at 5:39 pm. Officers present President Joseph Rasch, Vice President Perry Winters, Secretary Sheree Jackson, Treasurer Dini Williams, Social Media Director David Carroll.

• Discussed relief concert for Japan; groups that are interested in working with S.A.N.E include the Japanese Cultural Society, The Well, Crew, R.U.F., FMLA. It would an off-campus event: The Next Door or Galaxy Lounge downtown. Dates discussed were April 15th and /or April 16th, 2011. Discussed dividing up the event into: rock (hardcore, punk and ska) and acoustic nights. Also, have sidewalk booths for the groups represented in the event.
• “Japanapalooza: The Benefit Relief Concert for Japan” was chosen for the name of the concert.
• Discussed group flyers and possibilities for a group logo; David volunteered to create several options and post them on the blog, so it could be put to a vote.
• Discussed the “Ask an Atheist” booth, especially now that we have flyers and information to hand out, provided by the Secular Student Society.

Meeting adjourned at 6:32 pm.

March 30

Meeting began at 5:38 pm. Officers present President Joseph Rasch, Vice President Perry Winters, Secretary Sheree Jackson, Treasurer Dini Williams, Social Media Director David Carroll.

• Flyers handed out to establish a Secular Student Alliance on campus.
• Discussion of Japanapoolza’s progression – potential new venue, as well as catering for the event, including advertising through Buctainment, radio and local news station.
• Discussing the presentation given a couple months ago, including its pros and cons, and ways to improve it.
• East Tennessee Freethinkers Group is meeting at Barnes & Nobles at 7 pm. Everyone welcome.

Meeting adjourned at 6:03 pm. 

JAPANAPALOOZA Benefit Concert for Japan

JAPANAPALOOZA Benefit Concert for Japan

Time	Friday, April 15 at 4:00pm - April 17 at 2:00am
Location	(FRIDAY) The Galaxy Lounge, (SATURDAY) The Next Door 216 E. Main Street, 415 W. Walnut Street Johnson City, TN
Created By	Skeptics and Atheists Network at ETSU (S.A.N.E.),
More Info	In order to raise money for the humanitarian effort that continues in Japan, S.A.N.E. will be working with numerous other campus organizations to host a spectacular weekend event of music and fun. On the 15th of April we will be having our "light" night and on the 16th we’ll be having our "heavy" night. The event is for all ages. Bring all your friends and gather in this community opportunity to make a difference and have a positive effect on the lives of the Japanese people. Current acts include: FRIDAY EVENT: (STARTS 4PM AND ENDS AT 1:00AM) Contact the Militia Via la Vulture Lovely Goodbye Kryss Dula & Friends A Great Disaster Revelator Station Wayne Quasar and the Solar Flare Black Roof Country St. Dominic SATURDAY EVENT (STARTS 6:00PM TO 2:00AM) Decade of Deceit Matriculation A Soul Disowned Sons of Cronos Bacalou To the Bitter End Insanatarium SPONSORED BY: S.A.N.E. Japanese Cultural Society Vegans and Vegetarians of the Tri-Cities Reformed University Fellowship at ETSU ETSU BUC Anime Club ETSU Campus Crusade for Christ Since this is a charity event,donations fo 5 dollars are greatly encouraged and appreciated at the event. Look forward to see everyone there. Let's go out, have fun and make a difference!