Moon Jam band and artist showcase benefits G.L.A.D

Moon Jam headliners The Meerkats. Photo by Maja Costello

by Sofia Williams

Moon Jam, a 9-hour showcase featuring 10 young bands, and work by a dozen young artists, was hosted on Saturday, July 29, by the South Bay Young Artist Society at Resin Art Gallery in Hermosa Beach.

Moon Jam also included young vendors selling tote bags, jewelry, T-shirts, and art.

Admission and refreshments were free.

 

Band Madam Bombs perform at Moon Jam on Saturday at Resin Gallery. Photo by Maja Costello

 

“We want to make YAS a really inclusive space for young people to get opportunities in the art world,” said YAS co-founder Gwyneth Dowdee. “Which is why it is really important to make it so teenagers can show up without worrying about paying for tickets.”

Proceeds from YAS merchandise sales were donated to G.L.A.D.(GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders). G.L.A.D. supports the fight against anti-LGBTQ legislation. 

YAS co-founder Sasha Lerman said Moon Jam’s fundraising efforts support a different charity each year.

“The charity we choose depends on the issues that have arisen in the past year,” Lerman said. “Last year, we sold T-shirts to raise money for  reproductive rights. This year, for G.L.A.D., we sold tote bags, shirts, and stickers.”

Funds to support Moon Jam come from Sun Jam, YAS’s other annual music and art showcase, held in July.

“We’ve gotten into a system where Sun Jam is a fundraiser for Moon Jam, so we can afford to pay for both and make Moon Jam tickets, and snacks free,” said Dowdee.

“Before the event, we post an application for artists,” said YAS co-founder Audrey Whitehead. “We also go through past lineups to see what bands did well, and the music we liked the most.”

“This year, we had a big challenge with the lineup,” Dowdee said. “I think because people were on summer vacation it was tough to get bands nailed down. It all ended up working out in the end though. We were all really happy with the bands.”

 

Chloe Moser performs at Moon Jam on Saturday at Resin. Photo by Sofia Williams

 

While the five co-directors of YAS (Dowdee, Lerman, Whitehead, Aiden Delaney, and Maja Costello) typically organize and set up events on their own, Moon Jam was put together with the help of volunteers to ensure that the event ran smoothly. According to Lerman, “We really tried to lean into our community more. We had people who were super interested in the community aspect of the Young Artist Society. It was awesome to see all of these people whom I’d never met want to help.”

Something that stood out to me was the number of people came who had never been to a YAS show. They realized what a great time this was, how many great people were involved, and what an amazing community we have,” Lerman said. “They stayed for the night because they were so blown away by the energy and how much fun everyone was having.” ER

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