It’s hump day. There’s milk all over I-70. The weather is a little cooler than most would prefer for this time of year. So, why not reflect back on MACRoCK from about six weeks ago with this shot of Wailin Storms … wailin’ away (sorry, we had to). If this doesn’t say, “The Week Is Halfway Done!” then we don’t know what does. Photo courtesy of Cassandra Mullinix. For more of her photos, visit https://www.facebook.com/bucketofrock.
It was a long, long weekend (hello, Preakness!). Yet as we were limping our way through the days, we somehow managed to come across the lineup for this year’s Hot August Music Festival. And that reminded us that … well, golly gee, we have photos from last year’s Hot August Music Festival! Thus, we thought we’d look back at this photo of Houndmouth. To learn all you need to know about this year’s slate, click here. Here’s a hint: Counting Crows are headlining. We’ll be back in a little bit with a brand new set of exclusive videos. Are you excited? We are. Photo courtesy of Cassandra Mullinix. For more of her photos, visit https://www.facebook.com/bucketofrock.
It’s May now, so let’s start focusing on all the outdoor fun you can have this summer. As we said yesterday, our new playlist (below and to the right of these words) features some of the many bands you can check out as part of this year’s Alive @ Five series on the creek, which kicks off next week. Also happening this summer? The Red Wing Roots Music Festival at Natural Chimneys Park in Mount Solon, Virginia, on July 10, 11 and 12. The Steel Wheels are the host band, so we thought we’d share this shot from them at the Weinberg’s Americana Fest a couple months ago. The event will also feature The Punch Brothers, Robert Earl Keen and much, much more. We’re thinking about making the trip. Are you? Photo courtesy of Cassandra Mullinix. For more of her photos, visit https://www.facebook.com/bucketofrock.
Hey, did you know it’s Audrey Hepburn’s birthday today? She would have been 85 today. Anyway. Check out this photo of The Sea Life at last month’s MACRoCK. We don’t really have a food reason to be plucking this particular photo out of nowhere, but they look to be having fun, right? Right. So … well …. happy Monday! Photo courtesy of Cassandra Mullinix. For more of her photos, visit https://www.facebook.com/bucketofrock.
With April nearly gone and May marking the unofficial official start of the festival season (kind of), we thought we’d flash back to a few weeks ago when the great Cassandra Mullinix went to MACRoCK, took some photos, and clued us in on some of the things she learned. So … how about we take a look at the above photo of Eskimeaux performing as part of the Harrisonburg, Virginia, gathering? Sounds good? Good. Only three more days of April, friends. Will May bring its usual flowers? That’s quite the question. Photo courtesy of Cassandra Mullinix. For more of her photos, visit https://www.facebook.com/bucketofrock.
With spring now seemingly in full effect — weather-wise, at least — the season of outdoor music around the city is about to kick off. On Friday, the first 301 Anchor Fest will take place at the bandshell in Baker Park. Featuring performances by Micah Williams, Frisco, Sturge, Petti, TJ Black and more, the event is set to kick off at 4 p.m. We recently caught up with one of the event’s organizers, Marc Enongene, via email to talk about what’s in store for Friday, how he came up with the idea and who he’s looking forward to seeing the most this weekend.
How did you guys come up with the idea for the Anchor Fest and how did the ball start rolling?
Well, it wasn’t actually something that we planned. It came about because me and Micah Williams were writing a treatment for the next video we were going to shoot. We wanted a scene where he steps out performing on stage, so the only way to make that possible and make it look real was to throw a real showcase. I hit up my boy Alan Pettigrew and we chopped it up. He liked the idea to have a showcase and we came up with the name the same day we talked about it. My birthday was the next day so we just went to the armory (Talley Recreation Center) at Baker Park to fill out an application to rent out the bandshell. After that, the ball started rolling fast.
It’s neat that this is set in the Baker Park Band Shell. How did that come about? Were you ever interested in using the fairgrounds or maybe an indoor venue? Why or why not?
When I told Micah we should do a real showcase, the first place I thought of was the bandshell because it has a stage and I knew it would be easy to rent out.
How did you decide on who to get to play the event? Were there some artists you wanted, but couldn’t work out a deal with? If so, who were they?
The music scene in Frederick is growing very fast and it’s also very good and diverse. First I thought of the artists that have a lot of fans in the city (Anf, Dolo, Sturge) then I wanted it to be diverse because they are rappers. So I decided I wanted More to Monroe out there. They’re an alternative disco-core band and their stuff is very dope. We got a singer in the lineup as well. Also alternative, hip-hop, EDM and a DJ is coming out. Diversity was just very key for me when choosing the artists. I also got every artist I wanted.
Conversely, who are you excited to seeing the most at Anchor Fest and why?
Ahh man. That’s a hard one. I’d have to say my homie Micah Williams because his music is very different (alternative rap) than what you will be hearing, so I really want to see how the crowd reacts to his performance. He is new to Frederick from North Carolina so not a lot of people know him out here, but they will after this show. I will be shooting the music video I was talking about during his set as well, so look out for that.
Can you describe the event to someone who might not know anything about it? What’s planned? Which local food/clothing/art vendors will be featured and how did you decide on which vendors to get?
It’s essentially a concert showcasing local talent in Frederick as well as a few other musicians from other cities in Maryland. The name explains it all. An anchor holds things down so we figured, the artists holding down the 301 with music — 301 Anchor Fest. Lallos Pizza will be out there providing pizza and we will have hot dogs, water and chips. We are working on getting BEYU out there for clothes and also hopefully North of Nowhere. I chose these vendors because people like their clothes and they are both based in Frederick so I wanted to show support. They’re doing their thing.
Who are some of your favorite musical acts around town or in the Maryland/D.C./Virginia area?
Frisco LaRoche, Micah Williams, D.R.A.M., Goldlink, Dolo, just to name a few.
Is there a plan to do a second festival somewhere down the line?
I don’t want to think too much in the future right now. I’m only focused on this and we’ll see how it goes.
What’s the one thing nobody should miss at the 301 Anchor Fest?
The pizza, of course. The energy that will be out there and how awesome it will be to see the community come together to create something special for Frederick.
What are some hurdles you guys have run into while setting the event up? How did you get past them?
We haven’t really run into any, but the hardest thing we’re still working on is making sure we get the permits for the vendors and get everything organized with that.
And finally, what can we expect from the 301 Anchor Fest on April 17?
Come and you’ll find out. All I’m saying is you don’t want to miss it. We hope to see everyone there!
Remember the Weinberg’s Americana Fest? Holy cow, it seems like forever ago now. Here’s a photo from the first night of this year’s installment that profiles the great Nora Jane Struthers. Dr. Michio Kaku will be speaking there tonight … but the event is sold out, so for now, just enjoy a photo of what it’s like to actually be in the place. Besides, the Americana Fest is much cooler than listening to some doctor speak, right? Don’t answer that. Photo courtesy of Cassandra Mullinix. For more of her photos, visit https://www.facebook.com/bucketofrock.
Let’s start the week off with this photo of Kenny Tompkins at MACRoCK earlier this month. You know who Kenny Tompkins is, right? He’s in New God. And New God has a great album out. So, you should stream or purchase or bootleg or whatever you need to do in order to check it out. Why? Because your life will be better for it. A happy April 13 to all, and to all a good morning. Photo courtesy of Cassandra Mullinix. For more of her photos, visit https://www.facebook.com/bucketofrock.
Tyler Grady performs at MACRoCK over the weekend. Photo courtesy of Cassandra Mullinix. For more of her photos, visit https://www.facebook.com/bucketofrock.
The following was written by Cassandra Mullinix. We love her to death and while some of us were taking in Old Indian’s vinyl release show on Saturday, Cassandra was busy mac-rocking-and-rolling her way through Virginia. Below is her recap.
MACRoCK, hosted by WXJM out of Harrisonburg, Virginia, is consistently the best little music festival that you could spend your money on. If I had my own award for music festivals, I’d give it something like the J.K. Rowling underdog award for all the once-undiscovered bands that have played there, who are now making big names for themselves. It’s the place to catch great bands on the rise to national status.
Do you like college towns? Do you like college radio stations? Do you like the area’s best local bands? Those are three reasons — at the very least — why you should put MACRoCK 2016 on your calendar next year. Now, here are five more why MACRoCK is most excellent.
1. All of your friends play there. Whether you’re from Shepherdstown, West Virginia, Washington D.C., or Philadelphia, you are bound to see some homies at MACRock. We rocked out with our local friends Goodwolf, New God, Rozwell Kid, Wish List, and RHIN (in no specific order) and totally had a great time getting to know some D C. bands like The Sea Life and Paperhaus.
2. Bikes and bands. Need I say more? No, but I will anyway since I’m here writing and all. MACRoCK happens at the perfect time of year to knock the winter dust off your bicycle and take it for a spin around the alley ways of downtown Harrisonburg. It’s also the best way to quickly get back and forth between showcases and beat some of the lines at night. Shout out to the great folks at Shenandoah Bicycle Company — I always plan a little time to stop by the shop and talk bikes.
3. Where do you find out what the drink of choice is among bass players? Why, MACRoCK of course! Thanks Eskimeaux for that fun photo of your bass player sipping on a martini (extra olive) on stage. Keep it classy.
4. It’s crowded, but it’s fun crowded. Unlike a lot of festivals, the venues at MACRoCK maintain a sweet spot for capacity. It’s crowded enough to feel like you’re part of something, but not so crowded that if you go get a drink, you fear that you’ll never make it back up front to catch that one band you really want to see. After-parties at Crayola House? Well, that’s a different story.
5. The music and the bands are accessible. There is no great divide of backstages or barriers between fans and bands at MACRoCK. In fact, the closer the two are together, the more fun the experience. Go nuts! Tell the lead singer about your cheesy story of when you first heard their songs and instantly felt connected to the band. Or draw silly sketches of the band and have each of the band members sign the drawing. Whatever. It’s a music festival for you. It’s a music festival for the fans.
There were a lot of bands to see during the two day event that is MACRoCK. We wish we could have seen even more of the great bands on the lineup, but we were entirely grateful and satisfied to see performances by the folks listed below.
Today’s photo takes us back to the Americana Fest once again with this shot of The Steel Wheels performing on the first night of festivities. Hey, did you all know they grew up in Mennonite families? Their website says so. That’s interesting. Anyway, check this out and allow it to remedy the Rainy Middle Of The Week Blues that some of you might be having. We’re only two days away from the weekend, remember. And that’s got to count for something, right? Photo courtesy of Cassandra Mullinix. For more of her photos, visit https://www.facebook.com/bucketofrock.
