On Friday May 22, the High School Band, The Loaners, set foot on ASIJ’s massive campus to participate in their annual MUSEic Festival. The event was held as a fundraiser for the MUSE club, an ASIJ music club, and was organized by COSA (Community Oriented Student Action) a social service club.

With the aid of Mr. Tootell, Mr. George, and Mr. Delacharlery, the band took a long voyage to the faraway land of ASIJ, the trip even further lengthened due to heavy traffic. After a fashionably late arrival, The Loaners ended up being the last ones to perform.

The festival was held in the Black Box Theatre, with a small audience of a maximum of a few dozen people consisting mostly of ASIJ students and faculty. The Loaners were jittery with nerves, this event being their first time playing to a completely unfamiliar crowd. “I was very nervous. I almost felt a resignation that this was not going to go well”, said Haruka (11, Drums).

The crowd, though small, was lively and supportive, cheering the performers on enthusiastically. After the band performed their set of a selection of covers, Haruka and Moeka (11, Vocals, Keys, Guitar), also went on to play an encore, performing Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, joined on the bass by an ASIJ audience member, Jiro(12).

The opportunity to play at an away venue was a refreshing experience for the band, and also marked a fantastic end to their musical year. “It was fun. I liked how everything was ‘real’. I was able to play on a real drum kit for once. The audience was good as well,” said Haruka.