Federal Frenzy Set to Rock Youngstown

 

By Will Keffler

Penguin Productions presents their biggest event of the year: the second annual Federal Frenzy Music and Arts Festival.

The festival is a collaboration between Youngstown State University and the city of Youngstown from 2 to 11 p.m. The event, hosted on Federal Street, is free and open to the public and boasts three headliners: ska legends Reel Big Fish — a Milwaukee indie group, Vinyl Theatre and Youngstown’s own Sam Goodwill.  RBF

The festival hosts over 25 live bands, including JD Eicher & the Goodnights, FreshProduce, Thaddeus Anna Greene and Lili K.

The event will have 18 YSU affiliated bands, including students and faculty. Throughout the day, Downtown Circle, The Federal, Friends Specialty/So Smooth, O’Donold’s Irish Pub & Grill and Suzie’s Dogs & Drafts will host the live, YSU affiliated musical acts.

Mollie Crowe, event leader of Penguin Productions, said she is excited for the changes they have made to the festival this year and bands that will be performing.

“Our whole intent with Federal Frenzy this year was to progress forward, bring changes and do different things,” Crowe said. “We definitely considered not just YSU but the entire community, because it’s all about Youngstown. It’s about bringing people to the city.”

Members of Penguin Productions said it was a long, tiring process determining who would be the headliners, but eventually, they were able to select cohesive headliners that would bring high-energy to Youngstown.

“We look at the [music] charts. We look at the amount of plays on Spotify,” Crowe said. “We brought everything to the table and asked, ‘Who do we feel is best for our event?’ It has to be cohesive, so we had to be mindful of the entire event.”

Hannah Telesz, hospitality manager for Penguin Productions, said she is excited for the headliners and the energy they will bring to the city.

“Reel Big Fish brings a lot of enthusiasm, and I love Vinyl Theatre,” Telesz said. “I saw them open for Twenty One Pilots, and their energy is so real. I think they will be good for the city and good for the people of Youngstown.”

Along with the music, this year’s event will host vendors from Youngstown Flea, who will set up in the parking lot adjacent to the Covelli Centre and sell arts, goods and crafts from 4 to 10 p.m. The market is a short walk from Federal Street.

“Youngstown Flea is teaming up with us this year,” Telesz said. “So we get to have several vendors that will set up and sell throughout the night. It’s about collaboration rather than competition which is important.”

During the event, Youngstown CityScape, a non-profit community development organization dedicated to improving the Youngstown area, will be managing and benefiting from alcohol sales for the day.

For more information about the event, check Penguin Productions Facebook page or call 330-941-3575.