“ICE OUT OF GENESEO” concert
A night of good music and food for a good cause
The "ICE OUT OF GENESEO" was a great way to bring the community together and work together towards a shared cause.
Photo courtesy of staff editor Christian Chaffee
This past Friday, Feb. 27, local bands Clambo, Emergency 54, and Garden Club teamed up to perform a concert to benefit the Rochester Rapid Response Network (RRRN), a “Rochester-area mutual aid group formed to support immigrants facing detention and deportation,” according to the group. I saw four organizations at the event: RRRN, Genesee Valley Indivisible (GVI), ICE Out Geneseo, and Justice For Migrant Families (JFMF).
The concert “ICE OUT OF GENESEO” was held at Cosmic Charlie Cafe and the adjoining climbing gym. According to the Instagram post made between the bands, both establishments, and RRRN, while the event was open to all, it was encouraged to “pay what you can” as all of the night’s proceeds would go to RRRN.
It was made clear by the Instagram post, and to me upon my arrival by the event’s organizer Will Carmen of Garden Club, and by the owner of Sunrise Bouldering and co-owner of Cosmic Charlie Cafe Jake Caplan, that no violence or hate would be welcome at the concert. They had requested peace marshal support at the concert to help keep attendees safe and de-escalate any potential situations, and this call was answered by Peace Action Geneseo (PAG), Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace (GVCP), SUNY Geneseo Young Democratic Socialists of America (SUNY Geneseo YDSA), and by Rochester Democratic Socialists of America (ROC DSA). I was invited to marshal alongside a fellow member of PAG.
One of the marshals for GVCP, Chris, explained, “A highlight for me was the collaboration with members of Peace Action Geneseo & DSA. I very much enjoyed the cross-generational interaction.” Regarding the event as a whole, Chris thought “it was an excellent event in a perfect venue,” and hopes “going forward it will lead to other fundraisers or even just raising awareness or networking events.”
According to Carmen, singer and bassist for Garden Club, he was “overwhelmed by the amount of positivity and support regarding the event,” mentioning how the “first post about the concert received over 808 likes and 362 shares, and Cosmic Charlie’s eventually had to turn people away because the cafe was at full capacity.” He explained how the gym where the bands played in was “packed full of people” and everyone was “super into the music.” From my count, over 150 attended.
One student in attendance mentioned how they thought the event went amazing, explaining how “There was so much support, it was such a safe space to go and be around people who cared about this issue.” Another student expressed that they were “really happy with the turnout, it gives me a lot of hope.”
Marianna Loomis, an intern tabling for JFMF, explained that JFMF is a nonprofit based in Buffalo, NY with volunteer programs dedicated to helping detainees at the Batavia federal detention facility and their families. Loomis specifically helps facilitate release support for and visitation to detainees.
Speaking on the concert itself, Loomis explained, “I feel like it was very encouraging and beautiful to see how many people came to this event, and showed their support,” saying how she “liked that there was interest from both students as well as community members, and it was really kind of able to bring together and mesh the whole Geneseo community.”
She found that “those who planned it did a beautiful job, it was a great atmosphere, and working for the booth for JFMF, it was incredible to see how many people came up and were interested in helping out, and interested in the program.” Loomis noted that if anyone is interested in helping out, they can reach her at mkl9@geneseo.edu.
Speaking on the event’s success, Sam, bass player for Clambo and Co-Chair of SUNY Geneseo YDSA, explained YDSA’s “keep ICE off campus” letter and the change.org petition by ICE Out Geneseo, both intended to be seen by SUNY Geneseo President Melinda Treadwell, “all received hundreds of additional signatures on Friday night.” According to Carmen, the concert raised over 1,500 dollars, which “will be split equally between the Rochester Rapid Response Network and Justice For Migrant Families.”
In explaining why this concert was organized, Carmen wrote, “I’ve always been passionate about volunteering, and the band (Garden Club) has used the platform that we’ve created to raise money for other causes… Given what’s going on across the country, in New York State and in our town, a big reason why we put this show together is because of the relevancy of it all. People are dying, families are being ripped apart, and as college students with this platform we’re really fortunate to have the ability to raise money for what we believe in.”
Liam Debono, piano player for Emergency 54, spoke similarly to this point, saying how “we’d take any opportunity to play, but it’s better that it’s for a good cause. I think everybody, especially now, has some responsibility to be vocal on what’s going on and take some stance. I think this was the best avenue me and other musicians could have gone down to do that.”
Sam further explained, “Events like these are vital in community building and increasing political engagement and awareness. When ICE officers illegally enter other campuses in NY state and kidnap students from their dorms, that should be concerning to anyone who cares about maintaining our constitutional rights.” In the face of escalating “attacks on personal freedoms to desensitize us so we become apathetic towards their abuses of power,” events like Friday’s concert “make it clear that we’re not going to roll over and take it,” Sam said.
A joint statement shared with me by Sunrise Bouldering and Cosmic Charlie Cafe stated, “We think the event went really well, it was amazing to see so many students and community members show up for one cause. We are happy to provide a space in Geneseo where people can gather, share ideas and make the world a better place. We look forward to more events this spring with Garden Club and other local bands.”
Sam concluded that even with the success of the concert, “this should not be the end of political engagement and resistance among Geneseo students,” with there being organizations like PAG, YDSA, GVCP, and GVI that students interested in fighting back against “oppressive social, economic, and political systems” can join. As expanded on by Sam, Clambo plans to be involved in similar events moving forward, with Garden Club encouraging the band to host a “protest-style show that follows the format of this event” in the future.
Carmen thanked Cosmic Charlie’s for “letting us use the cafe/gym for the show and for being so helpful in the planning process,” thanked the bands, and thanked everyone for attending and donating, explaining “There’s only one thing to do post concert… start planning the next show!” Keep an eye on @gardenclubfunk on Instagram for future events.