Branson’s Rock Band closed their final performance of the year on May 1 at the Great American Music Hall, and the concert also raised money to support the Northern California Innocence Project.
The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco is the same venue where world-renowned artists like Billy Joel and the Grateful Dead have recorded live albums, and where performers such as Duke Ellington and Robin Williams have taken the stage.
“It’s crazy that we’re able to play in the same room that some really talented people have played in. I think it’s a testament to how hard we work,” said Ali Evans ‘25, a member of the Branson Rock Band, after the performance.
“It’s just a higher level of exposure and higher opportunity for students, and so I think that that will absolutely bring more greatness from them,” Rock Band teacher Jaimeo Brown added.
Not only had Rock Band members put in hard work prior to their performance, they also found community.
“I’ll miss having the space with my friends, just to play music and sing, and especially with Jaimeo, it’s just truly such a great environment,” Evans said. “It’s really been like my comfort class.”
In addition to being a night to listen to great music, the annual Rock Band concert was also, for the first time ever, a fundraiser for the Northern California Innocence Project.
The Northern California Innocence Project is a non-profit clinical program of Santa Clara University School of Law that works to free innocent people from jail, in addition to helping to reform the criminal justice system.
Brown, an avid advocate, became involved with the Innocence Project through music. He was introduced to their work while performing at one of their fundraising galas.
By making the Rock Band concert a fundraiser, Brown, along with a group of student ambassadors that were also passionate about the Innocence Project, were able to raise over $2,000 and spread awareness about the Innocence Project’s mission.
Paloma Vano-Rice ‘27 was inspired to join the Innocence Project after hearing Obie Anthony, a man who spent 17 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, share his story during a school assembly.
As one of the many students who helped organize the Rock Band concert as an Innocence Project fundraiser alongside Brown, Vano-Rice said that “it’s a great way to bring two things together in a really enjoyable way.”
In addition to the joy that Branson’s Rock Band brings, it also strengthens the community.
“Arts in general are designed to celebrate the we and the me,” Brown said. “I think that it doesn’t only support the artists, it supports the health of the overall community as a whole.”
