#rockage

[rockagesj]

TWO WEEKS away! Coffee Zombie Collective just joined the Rockage 6.0 lineup! Full schedule of bands/ tournaments posted soon! Rockage 6.0 FEBRUARY 10-12, 2017 at AFKgg Gamer Lounge 3-day celebration of indie music + retro gaming in Downtown San Jose, CA FREE admission  |  all ages  |  presented by South Bay Button Mashers FB event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/204135293385263/ Donate here: http://tinyurl.com/z3ohbex

[curiousquail]

Steph's legal fees, organized by Stephanie Chang

Hi y'all! I wish I wasn't here typing this because I don't like to ask for help, but this is … Stephanie Chang needs your support for

In 2015 we severed all ties with Bay Area all-ages concert promoter Eric Fanali / Rockage / Grand Fanali presents after learning he'd sexually assaulted a minor, which turned out to be the tip of the iceberg for his behavior.

I'll go more into detail beneath the jump but some of the organizers who brought this information to light are being sued for defamation and they need help with legal funds to get the case dismissed. Please share the link above!

So:

Eric was a friend of ours and we as a band helped promote, organize and staff his annual video game music festival, Rockage.

During Rockage 4 in 2015, a tumblr blog called @boycottfanali popped up with a series of troubling allegations against him.

When I confronted him flat-out, his response at first was that it was all made up. When I pressed him, he relented and said that the alleged sexual relationship with the person who was 17 at the time (he was in his 30's) was "consensual", and they were "Coming after him" for ending it.

We cut all ties in that moment.

Afterward we'd learned that he'd preyed on several of our friends, as well as attempted to bribe some of our fans who were under the age of 18 with concert tickets in exchange for "sleepovers" because he felt like he was "young at heart".

Makes me sick to even type that shit out.

To avoid fallout leading up to Rockage 5, he made a public statement declaring that the allegations were all untrue (despite, again, confirming at least the most damning one to me in person) and that he nor his organization (Grand Fanali Presents / Rockage) had found any wrongdoing - he then "retired" from booking and closed down GFP. He "sold" Rockage to his second in command Davain Martinez (who had violently threatened one of the victims who had come forward) but stayed on unnamed as the talent booker.

Rockage was later "sold" by Davain to a group called South Bay Button Mashers who put on the next Rockage event, again with Fanali not credited, but booking the artists in the shadows.

He began working with the doomed downtown San José video game bar "AFKgg Lounge" as their talent booker, again not named anywhere on the website.

(an email shared with us confirming Eric was still in charge of event booking as late as 2018)

After AFK closed, other video game bars in the south bay would host "Rockage", "AFKgg" and "South Bay Button Mashers" events with him as the talent booker.

This weekend, the annual bay area arcade and pinball expo, California Extreme is taking place in Santa Clara, CA with a Rockage live music showcase.

It's incensing at best to see him lurk for years, continuing to have access to booking and young fans of music and video games, but that he would then be audacious enough to attempt to sue the organizers of the boycott blog for defamation is beyond the pale.

Please share the Gofundme and do not engage with any event ever labeled "Rockage", "AFKgg", "South Bay Button Mashers" or obviously, "Grand Fanali Presents." Doing so puts money in the hand of someone who perpetuates harm

[rockagesj]

Rockage 7.0 has come and gone, here's the part where we say THANK YOU to everyone who attended, new & old!

Big thanks to: South Bay Button Mashers volunteers, we did it! AFKgg Gamer Lounge staff & management <3 VIP Supporters, ma$$ive thank you! Artist Alan Campbell, designer of poster & scarf LoXRB Rock Band Team, everyone loved it! Indie Game Devs, dozen different teams Game Dev Club at SJSU, forever grateful The Beerwalk, that was crazy! O'Flaherty's Irish Pub, huge kitchen help Five Points, tolerating our noise Vector Hold, the legend- love ya, dude. Super MadNES, best set- ever(?) Viking Guitar, most triumphant (+ guests!) The Koopas, ace set & flash drive donation Travis Morgan, anyone not impressed? Continuum Kingdom, quartet of chaos Robbie / Francis sound team, fantastic CAX / California Extreme, pins/ games Nor Cal Smash Melee / 64, Javi shockfish All the Rockage: San Jose folks out there who couldn't make it but sent us their positive support.

[rockagesj]

ROCKAGE 7.0 | three-day celebration of indie music + retro gaming FEB 9-11 at AFKgg Gamer Lounge (163 W Santa Clara St) in Downtown San Jose | FREE admission | all ages welcome 2/9 Button Mash Bingo, Rock Band (6PM-1AM) 2/10 Indie game showcase (NOON-5PM), live music (6PM-1AM) 2/11 Swap Meet, Smash Tourneys (NOON-6PM)

[curiousquail]

As some of you know, I played at chiptune festival Rockage earlier this year. Rockage is the creation of longtime San Jose music promoter Eric Fanali. Recently, a friend approached me to tell me of…

I’ve been a huge fan of Ben’s work for a while, and I had the pleasure of performing with him at 8BitLA and Play It Loud’s #E3 show in Los Angeles; him taking a stand (as we’ve done in the past) against events thrown by Eric Fanali means a lot to us. Please read his post on why he’s backing out of the California Extreme ‘Rockage Showcase’, and know that if you support Rockage branded events or those thrown by AFK Gamer Lounge in San Jose, California that you’re supporting a man who serially abused and harassed members of our community. 

[obscuritory]

As some of you know, I played at chiptune festival Rockage earlier this year. Rockage is the creation of longtime San Jose music promoter Eric Fanali. Recently, a friend approached me to tell me of…

Signal boost for followers in the gaming community in California. There are many allegations that the organizer of the retro gaming event Rockage in San Jose is a sexual predator. Please do not attend Rockage events; support a positive, inclusive gaming event instead.

[brianaaea]

When was the last time you held one of these? • • • #Dreamcast #Rockage #VideoGames #RetroGames #SanJose #afkgamerlounge (at AFKgg Gamer Lounge)

[helafontrecs]

another shot from Rockage 6.0 ( via )