By Anthony Savvides, News Correspondent

Crammed into the meeting space at 442 Curry Student Center (CSC), more than 60 students introduced themselves and named their favorite album or concert of 2010. Seats were hard to come by as the Music and Entertainment Industry Student Association (MEISA) kicked off the spring 2011 semester with its first meeting Jan. 20, where the e-board members discussed upcoming programs and events  planned for the next four months.
After successful events during the fall semester, including well-attended concerts in afterHOURS, MEISA is hoping to continue to broaden its horizons this semester.
“We’re trying to expand this semester and co-sponsor more entertainment events with other student groups across campus,” said MEISA president Bill Kohler, a middler music industry major.
One such collaborative event, the first of many planned for the semester, took place Jan. 22, when MEISA co-sponsored Green Eggs and Jams with NUBarkada, the Filipino and Filipino American student group, and the Asian American Center. Green Eggs was a benefit concert to assist underprivileged children in the Philippines. Those who attended brought old children’s books as a donation to Bagong Kulturang Pinoy, which is a local charity that collects books in Massachusetts for children in the Philippines.
Kohler said he is excited about some new pilot events that he said he hopes will become MEISA staples, including the next MEISA event scheduled for this year, which is the club’s first-ever Do-It-Yourself (DIY) concert on Feb. 2.
The DIY concert will include a performance by Rodeo Church, an Allston-based rock group. The aim of a DIY concert is to allow MEISA members the opportunity to gain real-world experience in booking and planning a live concert at afterHOURS.
“[The e-board] will help teach members the skills they need to plan an event. [They] will give members a budget, outline and timeline to help prepare them for different tasks involved in the booking and planning process,” Kohler said.
MEISA’s most recent event was the first open mic night of the semester, held at afterHOURS Jan. 26. This event allowed for students to express and share their varied talents with the audience.
“I like how you [could] hear a lot of types of music from rock to pop to Bob Dylan type stuff. I just love the diversity,” said freshman architecture major Caitlin Monahan, who attended open mic night.
Junior accounting major John Creech said he played guitar at open mic night with his friend. He described his style as a blues-funk jam band.
“I really had a good time, everyone was supportive,” Creech said.
Open mic night offers insight into student diversity. Acts usually include singers, musicians, and poets among other talents, Kohler said.
“It’s really great to see Northeastern students come out and support each other – friends, classmates, or roommates that they didn’t know sang or played instruments,” said Alexandra Bragagnolo, middler communications major and head of promotions for MEISA.
Another event coming up is a live Guster DVD viewing party with free food, which will be in 440 CSC Feb. 9. The band’s newest videos will be streaming for the party attendees.
MEISA is also planning a Jazz Fest, tentatively scheduled for Feb. 23, but the details are still unavailable.
Kohler said MEISA also has another DIY concert in the works, which is tentatively scheduled for March 23.
The hope is that through these DIY concerts, members will become more comfortable dealing with booking agents, Kohler said. The members won’t be totally on their own, though, as an e-board member will be assigned to oversee the planning and assist them.
“The board member will be more of an advisor to our members as opposed to the administrator, leaving most of the work and experience to the member,” Kohler said.
Andrew Bercik, a middler music industry major and MEISA member who recently returned from a co-op in New York said he is looking forward to getting involved with MEISA again, and is especially looking forward to the DIY shows.
“A good show that leaves people speechless could really resonate with [the] student body.  It could potentially get them excited about future events on campus and could get people to look forward to more successful, fun events and shows,”  Bercik said.
Kohler also spoke about the upcoming national Music & Entertainment Industry Educators Association (MEIEA) conference, which will be held April 1 and 2 in Los Angeles. Northeastern’s MEISA chapter has had a presence at these conferences in the past, and was named chapter of the year in 2007.
“They have different panelists come and discuss entertainment law, intellectual properties, and how to run a venue. They’re very informative and they’re the ones who [our members] will be working with in the future, so it’s a great networking opportunity,” Kohler said.
MEISA also has some long-term plans in the works, including a large-scale event for the end of the semester.
“We hope it will cater to the entire Northeastern student body, but I won’t say more than that,” Kohler said.  “Keep an eye out.”

– Katherine Landergan, News Staff contributed to this report.