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!
