Couldn’t make it to Coachella or Lollapalooza? Well you’re in luck, as on March 28, Sigma Alpha Epsilon will be hosting Phoenix Fest, a music festival open to McDaniel students and featuring a variety of local artists. Students can expect to rock out to everything from reggae beats to blaring heavy metal guitar riffs.
Also involved in the festival will be Terror TV, Green Terror Productions and other Greek Life organizations on campus. The concert itself will take place in Old Gill Gym and benefit the Children’s Miracle Network, a non-profit organization that aims to raise money to provide care for children at over a hundred member hospitals nationwide.
Brian Everrit, philanthropy chair for SAE, is in charge of preparations for the event. Everrit stated that the goals of Phoenix Fest were twofold in that the aim was both “to bring in money for the Children’s Miracle Network, and to bring together the other organizations around the campus.” He remarked on how the event would be bringing together Greek and non-Greek organizations in a manner rarely seen at McDaniel.
Everrit then went on to discuss the show’s lineup, stating there were a variety of bands from the immediate vicinity are set to play, including bands from as far away as Pennsylvania and Virginia. These include bands such as Hejira and Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing. Likewise, five student-fronted bands and acts will be performing, including Tim Jaroninski, Kristian Popov and Ray Turner.
Popov and his band mate Blake Hodges, both SAE brothers, will be performing in a heavy metal/hard rock band currently operating under the working name of “Strife.” Popov mentioned how the concert would aim to get “[SAE’s] philanthropy out there” as well as to establish SAE’s name at McDaniel.
Hodges echoed his band mate’s remarks and discussed how he was looking forward to the “sheer fun of it,” as well as how events such as this are seemingly absent from the McDaniel campus for a majority of the school year.
Savannah Dawson, another student act, stated she would be doing a solo vocal performance “using Symphonic Metal, a bit of Soft Rock, and maybe a song from a band that could be considered Alternative Metal.” She went on to state that despite being a bit nervous, she was looking forward to the event, and is “looking forward to performing and seeing the community pull together for such an amazing purpose.”
Tickets pre-sales for Phoenix Fest have been taking place outside of Englar Dining Hall and the Pub since Monday Feb. 9, with tickets costing $10. Tickets will also be available for $15 at the door or $10 if the buyer brings with them three non-perishable food items. For more information, visit the Phoenix Fest event page on Facebook.
