Annual Herndon performance supports local musicians and needy children.
By Lindsey Leake
Photo courtesy of Mark Fries
This Friday night, Frying Pan Farm Park will play host to the 4th Annual SuperDuper! The Benefit Concert, a summer event that promotes local music artists while raising money for charity. The concert, the brainchild of Chantilly High grads Mark Fries and Klaire Dixius, started out as a simple English class project and has grown to become a celebrated annual performance that strives to positively impact the community.
All of SuperDuper’s proceeds go directly to Charity Music Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that loans musical instruments to at-risk, homeless and other disadvantaged youth. On June 1, SuperDuper! 2012, featuring Send the City, All Access, MADAM Myopia, Archie, Andrew Rohlk, Nick Cabrejos (of Upper 90), Chardabat Musique and The Openers, aims to surpass last year’s total of $300 raised.
Nineteen-year-old Fries, now an elementary education major and music industry minor at James Madison University, shares the story behind SuperDuper’s creation, his love of music and his plans for the growing benefit concert’s future.
What do you hope to achieve through SuperDuper?
“I hope to raise a substantial donation as well as awareness for Charity Music Inc. so they can get more musical instruments to needy children. We also hope that we can show off the local music scene to people who wouldn’t normally go to local shows. There are so many bands and solo artists who deserve a larger following and in our area, there are so many other things that keep people from seeing them. I believe that by making this event, we can support music on both fronts; we can help those who haven’t started yet and those who want to further their careers.
The [concert] name is also the first thing that came into our minds. Klaire said it as a joke and I thought it was an awesome name. I look at other concerts like Bamboozle and Lollapalooza and those names have become huge, but they are also nonsense!”
Mark Fries plays in MADAM Myopia. | Photo courtesy of Jon Fleming Photography
How and when did you come up with the idea for SuperDuper? What challenges were there, if any, in putting your idea into action?
“Klaire actually came up with the idea. We were in our sophomore English class in high school and our teacher gave the class a project to do something to impact our community. I heard someone say ‘I want to do a benefit concert’ behind me and I instantly was on board. We didn’t know each other at all, but we ended up becoming good friends and putting on an awesome concert at my house that year.
The challenge the first year was just trying to cover every aspect of putting on a show. I had no idea how to do sound. I didn’t even know we needed someone to do sound until a few days before. After that year, the challenge has been to find a low-cost indoor venue in which to host the event. Frying Pan Park is one of the best options; it is relatively inexpensive and easy to rent, and also a very nice facility with a great staff.
This year, the challenge has been promotion. I picked bands that could draw and keep a crowd, but because of school, I have not been able to directly promote in the area. I am relying more on bands and Internet marketing to increase attendance.”
Of all the musical charities you could have chosen to have the concert proceeds go to, what made you decide to go with Charity Music Inc.?
“In all honesty, it was Klaire’s decision to pick an organization and I found the bands. She Googled ‘Music Charity’ and Charity Music Inc was the first one that came up. We liked the mission and stuck with it! I’ve tried to find another organization similar to Charity Music that is more local, but have had no such luck. I am available for suggestions.”
Last year you raised over $300. How much do you hope to raise this year?
“I hope that we can raise $400 and a lot of awareness. The cost of putting on an event in this area is so high that I honestly have been more worried about breaking even than anything else. Last year, we had great attendance and donations from some amazing people to reach that number and this year, we hope to match or better it.
I will put up the financial records from this current concert after the show because I feel it is important for everyone to know how the money is spent and to give suggestions as to how I can improve the bottom line. We are also not an official nonprofit so it is important to show that the money does go 100 percent to the organization or operating costs.”
Why do you feel music is important for children?
“When I was growing up, I always loved listening to music. I got to play recorder, viola and then settled on trombone. Playing an instrument helped me learn discipline and how to make goals and achieve them. This work ethic can also be found in other places like sports, but learning an instrument (especially in school) has been proven to help academics. Musicians think differently, act differently and have an outlet for their happiness, sadness, frustration and inspiration.”
All Access performs at SuperDuper! 2010. | Photo by Adrienne Page
What are your plans for SuperDuper in future years?
“I plan to keep putting on the concert and finding other music-related charities to promote and fund. This year, I experimented with doing an in-between concert. SuperDuper! 3.5 was an all-acoustic, free event hosted by Epicure Care in Fairfax. We had some great local bands, including Archie who is playing at Friday’s concert and Matt Porter who was releasing his debut album that day. The concert was a way to branch out of the typical format of the show and do something else under the SuperDuper! name.
I hope that the show also takes a name for itself and becomes something people look forward to each year, like Bamboozle or Warped Tour, regardless of who is playing. I want to expand to bigger venues, raise more money and make the event huge and beneficial to everyone involved.
I would also love to see someone who played our show get a huge boost from it and be able to know that I had a hand in furthering their career.”
What can you say about the NoVA music scene?
“There is something for everyone to enjoy. On any given night at Empire, Epicure Cafe, Jammin Java or any other local venue, one can see bands of every genre. There are metal, classic rock, punk, acoustic rock, R&B, hip-hop and even some awesome new genre-crossing projects out there! The first step is looking. I encourage people to go on Reverbnation and search for a genre they like in the ‘local’ search option and find a band they enjoy.
I can also say that there are a lot of great bands that could become lifelong touring acts, but there is not an infrastructure in this area, as in New York or LA, to launch such a band. That is why I try so hard to make the concert appeal to people outside the local scene.”
Archie performs at SuperDuper! 3.5. | Photo courtesy of Jon Fleming Photography
Do you play any instruments or write music? What is your favorite kind of music?
“I play guitar, bass, drums, trombone and baritone. I write and record my own music under the name Mark Bradley and play in the bands Forward Smash and MADAM Myopia (who is playing at this year’s benefit concert). I also enjoy playing in other bands and projects as well, such as Christopher Graham and Upper 90. I hope to keep playing in bands and writing my own music for my entire life.
I love pop/punk and hardcore music. My favorite bands at the moment are Switchfoot, A Day to Remember, Saosin, Conditions and the Dangerous Summer. I really like anything in the rock genre, like ska and reggae. I have been branching out to enjoy other forms of music as well. My band members in MADAM Myopia have been turning me on to dubstep (which I thought that I would never enjoy).”
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
“I hope that this concert can benefit all the people that it is intended to benefit and can help me learn more about promoting and running concerts.
One thing that I have learned is that one always needs to be building connections if they want to grow their business or their career. I would urge anyone who wants to get involved in music to start becoming a people person and be genuinely nice to everyone with whom you come into contact. A professor told me ‘you don’t go anywhere in this world without being liked.’ I live by my rule ‘the person you snub today could hold an opportunity tomorrow.’ I do my best not to burn bridges and to care about everyone around me, regardless of whether they hold opportunities or not. You can’t please everyone, but you can at least sleep well knowing that you were professional and courteous to them.”
SuperDuper! the Benefit Concert
Friday, June 1, 6-10 p.m., $7 admission
The Visitor Center at Frying Pan Farm Park
2709 West Ox Road
Herndon, VA 20171
703-437-9101