Mark DeRose and the Way Home to Play Musikfest
Mark DeRose and the Way Home has been fortunate to score some great gigs; they’ve opened for such top 40 heavy hitters as Michelle Branch, Edwin McCain, Gin Blossoms, Rusted Root, and Blues Traveler. They’ve played a Baltimore Ravens halftime show – a sold-out game with a crowd of 70,000 people. They’ve even had eight of their songs featured on a network TV soap opera. And they’ve been busy hosting their own special events to bring area musicians together and raise money for local charities. But they’ve never played Musikfest.
Mark DeRose & The Way Home @ Brewfest 2012 earlier this year
DeRose: “We’ve submitted for a good handful of years,” says frontman Mark DeRose. This year, their persistence paid off.
The Central PA acoustic-driven rock band will play Plaza Tropical this Friday, August 10, from 5:30 – 7 p.m. DeRose and his bandmates are excited to play for this particular crowd.
DeRose: “It’s a festival devoted to music and…there are a lot of well-seasoned, avid music lovers at the show.”
The festival, now in its 29th year, draws an estimated one million people to Bethlehem over the course of 10 days. This year’s installment will feature over 500 performances on 15 stages. Thanks to a well-run festival and a well-curated line-up, the annual event does in fact attract serious music fans, and bands that are lucky enough to play Musikfest enjoy attentive and appreciative audiences.
Derose: “We’re looking forward to playing for a bunch of music lovers.”
DeRose hopes the opportunity will connect the band with new fans from the region who will attend upcoming Mark DeRose Music events, such as the annual Rootenanny at Heritage Hills (August 19) and a new food, music, and beer experience at Maewyn’s Abbey in York that will feature beer pairings from Troeg’s (September 6).
Derose: “We play in the area quite a bit,… and hopefully folks will keep their eyes out for us.”
Words & Interview By: JJ Sheffer
