SkaterAid: News

Volunteer NOW to help with the 6th Annual SkaterAid event!  There will be two volunteer shifts, 2p-4:30pm and 4:30p-7pm (arrive 15 minutes early to sign in and obtain instructions).  There are also opportunities to help with equipment break-down afterwards from 7p-8:30p.

Contact Cathy Keeler at ckeeler@emory.edu to sign up for a volunteer shift.

Auditions are currently being held for bands to play the 6th annual SkaterAid festival in Decatur, Georgia. We are looking for raw talent - no gigging experience necessary - just a passion to play. All genres will be considered. Bands will play for charity, donating their time and talent to SkaterAid and the Brain Tumor Foundation for Children (http://www.braintumorkids.org).

SkaterAid auditions: Info and Requirements:

1. Your audition is considered a commitment to appear. You must be able to perform at the SkaterAid event on Sunday, September 26 in Decatur, Georgia between the hours of 2:00 and 7:00pm, Eastern time.

2. SkaterAid is a teen event. ALL band members MUST be 18 years old or younger, or enrolled full-time in high school or middle school. All band members are expected to secure parental agreement and support for their appearance at SkaterAid.

3. Sound support will be provided at the event.

4. SkaterAid bands will be featured in publicity including newspapers, magazines, posters, flyers and T-shirts sold at the event. A limited amount of publicity material will be made available to band members prior to the event for distribution to their fan base.

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Deadline for submission: July 2, 2010

2. Submit an MP3 of your work by the deadline to patrice.eastham@gmail.com. Myspace links will not be considered. You can also send a CD to:
SkaterAid Auditions
1006 East Ponce De Leon
Decatur, GA 30030
One sample per band only, please. If your CD contains more than one song, please indicate a single song that you would like us to consider for your audition. Samples cannot be returned.
3. Supply the name of your band, names and ages of band members and the instruments each plays, and the name of your school(s). Be sure to supply an e-mail address and mobile number of a primary contact for your band

Judging Process
1. Bands will be chosen by an impartial selection committee through a blind listening process – no names or information about band members will be presented to the panel.
2. All bands will be notified of their status by Sunday, July 25. If your band is selected you will be required to sign an agreement committing to perform at the event. Alternate bands will be selected in the event that primary bands are unable to appear due to an emergency. Alternate bands must also sign an agreement.

Mark your calendar for SkaterAid 2010, coming to East Decatur Station on Sunday, September 26. We'll have new bands, fabulous art, and more skating than ever before. We are actively recruiting bands, artists and volunteers, so if you're interested, please see our Contact Us page and send us an e-mail. And keep checking back...we'll have more info for you soon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3Km_yDFEkQ

 

Great video of SkaterAid 2009 from Atlanta Hates Us!

http://www.atlantahatesus.com/2009/09/30/skateraid-09/

SkaterAid 2008 from Alison Himes on Vimeo.

Skateboard deck art is now on display at the Brick Store Pub in Decatur, Georgia. The Brick Store is located on East Ponce De Leon directly on the courthouse square. Come by the Brick Store for lunch, dinner or a beer - the Brick Store is world famous for it's stunning array of ales, lagers, stouts, pilsners and more from around the world.

Deck art will be auctioned off at SkaterAid on September 27.

1. School Of Rock:
An all-star lineup from Atlanta's rock and roll bootcamp. "These guys sound like they can really get a crowd going."

2. Governor General:
A Decatur High band with "really cool sonics and an interesting soundscape."

3. Highway:
Three-time SkaterAid alums from Lakeside High, with "great energyand fabulous lead vocals."

4. PhoneyBones:
Containing former members of Rhinodust. this is an "unbelievable" Decatur High Band with "great layering and a gift for improvisation."

SkaterAid 2008 was a record breaking year! We had more skaters, more volunteers, more art, more bidders, more press coverage and more participants than ever before! Check back for final numbers, but it's safe to say we raised an unprecedented amount of money for The Brain Tumor Foundation for Children. On behalf of the SkaterAid team, we'd like to thank our wonderful sponsors, our tireless volunteers and all the friends of SkaterAid who made the event such a huge success. Special thanks to:

The Brick Store Pub - Kelly Turner, Carol Blanchard, Dave Blanchard, and all the rest of the generous people at this venerable establishment. Support your local Brick Store!

All the establishments at East Decatur Station, who put up with us every year.

Patty O'Keefe Hutton - our fabulous auction coordinator who took the deck auction to dizzying heights of success! Also Rahim and Amir Carlock, and James Way, who built the "gallery".

Thomas Taylor of Stratosphere Skateshop, who built the ramps, hosted the skate shows, brought in the skaters (including surprise guests Element and Grant Taylor), and MADE IT HAPPEN!

Our extraordinary sound man, Jack Brantley, our emcee, Jeff "Load" Stephenson, and our awesome bands - The Chicago Joe Jones Band, Zone Six featuring Tom P, Rhinodust and Highway.

And many many more extraordinary, generous people who make this the amazing event that it is.

Check it out...

PROCEEDS FROM SKATERAID 2005: $14,247.55

PROCEEDS FROM SKATERAID 2006: $11,169.57

PROCEEDS FROM SKATERAID 2007: $11,630.00

PROCEEDS FROM SKATERAID 2008: $18,882.74

WOW! A 62% increase over last year! Thanks to all who donated to the Brain Tumor Foundation for Children through SkaterAid 2008. Your generosity has really made all the difference.

Check our PHOTOS page for 17 new decks!

Check our PERFORMANCES page for a new band lineup.

See this years decks in the PHOTOS link on this website. More photos coming soon. Bidding for these gorgeous, one-of-a-kind pieces of art will happen at SkaterAid on Sunday, Sept. 21.

The Skate Deck Exhibit will hang at The Brick Store Pub for three weeks. On September 21 the decks will move to the Skater Aid event, where bids will be taken all day. Bidding will close at 8pm.

Volunteers needed for the fourth annual SkaterAid event! We need people to help with setup, cleanup, ticket management, event management, and other essential duties. If you can volunteer a few hours of your time to SkaterAid, contact Laura Deming at ltdeming@earthlink.net

No schedule yet, but we have all our bands in place - looks like it's going to be a great year!

Chicago Joe Jones Band. This is Chicago Joe's fourth year with SkaterAid. Blues musician extraordinaire, you can catch Joe and his band at Maddy's. Joe also teaches guitar at Midtown Music, and has been "instrumental" (sorry) in getting some of other bands their start.

Highway. From Lakeside High, this band blew us all away at SkaterAid 2007. This year, they'll be even better.

George Pettis. A graduate of Decatur High School, George is already a veteran musician. Multi-instrumentalist, lyricist, arranger, and vocalist, George is a talent not to be missed. This will be George's third appearance at SkaterAid.

Rhinodust. From Decatur High, this band includes several musicians from bands you may be familiar with, like Bluberry Wave, Perfect Orange, and Film. Come to SkaterAid to check out their latest configuration.

Zone Six featuring Tom P. A hip-hop duo featuring a Decatur High alum, this group brings a new dimension to the SkaterAid stage.

Don't forget to swing by The Brick Store Pub at the end of the month for the kickoff of the annual SkaterAid Deck Auction! This year it will be bigger and better than ever. Watch for more info, coming soon.

Mark you calendar for SkaterAid 2008, coming to East Decatur Station on Sunday, September 21! We'll have some great bands, gorgeous art, and more skating than ever before. We are actively recruiting bands, artists and volunteers, so if you're interested, please see our Contact Us page and send us an e-mail. And keep checking back...we'll have more info for you soon.

Check out the PHOTOS page for 17 more decks to bid on at SkaterAid!

NOTE: NEW BAND SCHEDULE! Check our performances page for an update.

Thanks to all the skaters, musicians, artists, fans, volunteers, parents, kids, dogs and neighbors that supported SkaterAid 2007! The weather was perfect and we couldn't have asked for more. Over 700 people attended SkaterAid 2007, including over 80 volunteers. The event generated $11,630, $461.00 more than the 2006 event. A hearfelt thanks to everyone that contributed, volunteered, made music, designed a deck, skated and partied. Your participation in SkaterAid keeps the event alive, and through it, our memories of Ian. See you on Sept. 21 2008!

Please send photos and video to pbeastham@comcast.net for our records and possible inclusion on the website.

We'd like to hear your comments! Please post a note through the Guestbook and let us hear from you.

And they look great. New this year - tank tops! Get yours at SkaterAid for $15

Take a look at the AJC to find a great story about SkaterAid. It's in the Living section on the News For Kids page, on Tuesday 9/11. We've also been featured in The Champion, The Neighbor and the Decatur Focus. Thanks to all these publications for helping to promoet SkaterAid!

Come get a sneak preview of this year's Skateboard Deck Art at an opening reception from 5:00-7:00pm Sept. 10 at The Brick Store Pub, located in the heart of Decatur's central square. Plan your strategy for securing your favorite deck at SkaterAid, and go ahead and purchase your wristband in advance. The decks will be on view and wristbands available for purchase all week.

BIDDING STARTS: 3:00PM 9/16 AT SkaterAid

BIDDING CLOSES: 7:00PM 9/16

Payment due at close of bidding.

SkaterAid 3 has another great group of bands lined up for you this year. Decatur's favorite, "Avery," will return as our headliner. Also returning this year will be the "The Chicago Joe Jones Band." New this year will be "Highway," a popular band with members from Lakeside High, George Pettis, formerly of "A Hat For Every Mood," and "Film", a new band from Decatur High. Keep checking back for more info about the bands, links to their sites, music clips and photos.

Collect all 20 SkaterAid calling cards! These tiny calling cards have great shots from previous SkaterAid events on one side, and important info on the other other. Collect them all.

We're gearing up for a fantastic SkaterAid3 so mark you calendar now! The band lineup is close to completion and we'll be posting it shortly. This year we're going to focus back on the skaters, so dust off your deck and prepare to skate. We'll have a designated timeslot for a real skateboard show and will be running contests with great prizes. There'll be a repeat of the hugely successful Deck Auction, so save your pennies, quarters and dollars. Local artists will be making fabulous art out of these old skateboard decks and you could take one home. This year we won't forget the little kids. We're planning to feature two fantastic misters for cooling off in the heat, and just having fun. Check back...we'll have more info for you soon.