ELLENTON – Several Anna Maria Island bands and musicians will participate in the Rock N’ The Sand music festival and hurricane relief fundraiser at Whiskey Joe’s in Ellenton on Saturday, Jan. 25 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
The funds raised will be donated to The Center of Anna Maria Island’s Rock N’ Support hurricane relief grant program.
“100% of the proceeds will go to Island employees who lost their income due to hurricanes Helene and/or Milton. Every penny raised will be donated to The Center of Anna Maria for disbursement to Island employees,” according to the Rock N’ The Sand website.
The musical roster includes Jah Movement, 301 Travelers, Concrete Edgar, Rob Hamm, Black Thorn Rose, Luke Andrews, Cabana Dogs, Dos Macs, Steve Paradis, Nauti Girl Band, Tommy B. and Nobody’s Fool.
Tickets can be purchased at the eventbrite website and also on the day of the event. General admission tickets are $25, VIP tickets are $100 and non-attendees can also make a $25 donation to support the cause. Whiskey Joe’s is located at 5313 19th St. E. in Ellenton and discounts will be given to their patrons who also wish to enter the festival.
The event was organized by Beach Dogs Island Essentials owner Patty Nazarre, Island Marketing owner Amy McCloskey-Tobin and Cabana Dogs lead guitarist and singer Jimmy Camastro, who organized the live music. Bowes Imaging Center, Time Saver Wine & Spirits, Beach Dogs Island Essentials, Island Marketing and the Cabana Dogs are sponsoring the event.
“We’re more than three months out from the hurricanes, but there’s still a lot of people hurting,” Nazarre said. “Hopefully, we’ll make some money for them. I have a lot of friends that are musicians. I love frequenting the venues. I know a lot of the bartenders and servers on the Island and some are still living in hotels. Whiskey Joe’s wanted to help. They’re donating the VIP food and drinks and donating a portion of the food sales to the cause.”
Tobin said, “A lot of the musicians playing the event were hurt by the hurricane themselves. This is islanders helping islanders. None of us are getting a penny and Bowes Imaging is helping a lot.”
Camastro wrote a song called “Anna Maria” and a musician friend suggested he release the song for sale to help raise money for local hurricane victims. That suggestion helped inspire the Rock N’ The Sand fundraiser and the wheels were set in motion.
“I love Anna Maria Island and I play out there all the time. We lost a lot of gigs and had to find gigs off the Island. So did a lot of other musicians and bands,” Camastro said.
Grant applications
Primarily funded by the proceeds from the recent Lynyrd Skynyrd concert in Palmetto, the Rock N’ Support program has already provided $250-$500 grants to more than 628 applicants, totaling more than $293,500.
The grants are available to Anna Maria Island and Cortez hospitality and tourism industry employees financially impacted by the hurricanes. Regarding the Rock N’ The Sand fundraiser, Center Executive Director Chris Culhane said the grant program might be expanded to include musicians and retail employees too, but that remains to be determined. To submit a grant application, visit The Center’s Rock ‘N’ Support web page.
