Back for its 9th year is Park Rock Fest 2011!   This weekend, Chancellors Run Regional Park will be transformed into the region’s largest and longest running rock festival.  New for 2011 is a Carnival Midway that will be providing an exciting rides and games of skill.  The site layout for 2011 has shifted the focus of the music program to the center of the park with 5 music venue with an all new approach to the band program too.  The pavilion on top of Hall of Fame in the center of the Park will be the site for the Checkers/Cheeseburger In Paradise Venue features Rap, Hip-Hop, Soloist, Acoustic, and track Artist.  South of the building is the Toyota Pavilion featuring local rock bands.  East of the building is the DC Air National Guard Venue featuring Washington/Baltimore Regional Bands.  North of the building is the My Cause Water Venue featuring major bands.  At the entry to the fest is the Be Awesome Louder Venue featuring touring bands.  In all there will be over 90 bands performing over the two days!

In the open space between the music venue will be a wide range of food vendors, merchandise vendors and many of the bands with their merchandise and music for sale.

The Carnival will be open on Friday from 4pm to 9pm, there is no gate charge to get into the carnival, including the Saturday and Sunday of the Park Rock Fest.  Stop by the Carnival ticket booth to buy tickets or all ride wrist bands.  A special free sneak peak Park Rock music program will be given on Friday from 6pm to 8pm.

The Park Rock Fest will open it gates on 11am and close at 9pm on both Saturday and Sunday.  The music program runs from Noon to 8pm.  The Carnival will remain open to 9pm.  The gate fee is $20 each day per person; advance tickets at $15 per day per person are available at Hot Licks Guitar Shop (Waldorf and Prince Frederick), Allegro Music (California), Parks & Recs at the Chancellors Run, and at the www.parkrock .com website. 

For the next couple of days we are going to provide a byline on the featured acts for each of the venue The first byline will cover the Checkers/Cheeseburger in Paradise Venue and the Toyota Venue.

The Checkers/Cheeseburger in Paradise Venue is our most intimate setting where the fans enjoy a high view of the event and close seating with the artist.  The music program features 28 acts, 14 are Hip-Hop artist and 14 are rock artist.  Do not miss “The Trees” at 2pm who mix Hip-Hop with rock in an outrageous metro sound.  Returning for a second year is rapper Respeck and Bobby Drake.  Audiostrobelight from VA Beach will be providing a special acoustic set of their high energy hard rock.  Next will be two sets by some very beautiful female soloist Carly Rose and then Jes Loren.  Carly hails from Calvert and will performing her original songs accompanied by her playing acoustic guitar.  Jes Loren come to us all the way from NYC, she has soul moving songs, with accompaniment by acoustic and or electric guitar and tracks.  Next is a hardcore supporter of M Matthew Mills for many years with his flaming electric guitar shredding.  Saturday ends with High Speed Chase, St. Mary’s county most active rap artist.  High Speed Chase is also organizing a Hip-hop contest for the general public.  During the breaks, the mic will be shared with one contestant with their best performance.  The judges from local studios and from Columbia records will be there to determine the best act by Sunday.

The highlights of the Sunday program starts with Rex Mckinnis a successful Hip-Hop artist from the New York metro area, with his life in the big apple.  Next is Marq=Paul LaRose, an award winning guitar player who will amaze fans as he rips at his guitar with a steady stream of unforgettable rifs.  Coming to Park Rock from New Jersey is another award winning rap artist Scotti; who blend rock, hip-hop and   techno for his unique act.  Tyler Layne will follow with outstanding solo act.   The next act is The Casket Clik, a local rap group that has a lot to say about county life.  The day rounds out with the Baltimorons, featuring the vocal of long time Park Rock favorite Steven Heller.  The closing act is a series of short hip-hop act from Soul B Productions featuring Truth, The Great H.I and J. Bonez.

The Checkers/Cheeseburger in Paradise Venue has something for everyone under the coolest place to be at the fest.

The Toyota Venue is actually two venues in one.  The stage is what everyone see scheduled for the of the featured Southern Maryland bands. However, sure to be very popular will the Toyota Tent where there is an Open Mic stage available to anyone who want to stop in and jam.  Two Sions will be parked and open to hear the performance on the car’s premium sound system.  The Saturday program on the stage features Collapse the Night, Mongus, Logjammin', Astrodon and Thrown to the Depths. Collapse the Night is a new popular hard rock band from Waldorf.  Mongus and Logjammin’ are both made up of musicians from former major southern Maryland band, now regrouped to bring out some rocking good tunes. The transition band for this stage is Astrodon from Calvert County with their straight to the core metal. The closing band on Saturday is Thrown to the Depths, coming from Waldorf the have a huge following for their unique southern Maryland metal.

On Sunday the Toyota Venue features Space Lumberjacks, The Reach Arounds, Law-Less, Borderline and Saturday Night Frights.  All of these bands are a showcase for the emerging talent in Southern Maryland.  Space Lumberjacks has managed to stay on the top with there ever evolving metal sound.  The Reach Arounds formerly known as Just Add Water, bring to the stage their version of reinvented Punk.  Law-Less is a tight group of high school musician from St. Mary’s County with an awesome female vocalist that is not to be missed. Hailing from Charles County, next is Borderline, with their lineup of hard rock and popular rock.  The fest closes with Saturday Night Frights, a new band from St. Mary’s County, hitting hard with a mix of original and covers that had made them a popular band to see in concert.

Southern Maryland has talent, and the Toyota Venue is the place to be at Park Rock to see the very best of it!