Anya Van Rose turned a lot of heads at the 2022 Pro Football Hall of Fame Parade in downtown Canton.
The rocker, a Canton native, played a guitar while sitting on a carousel horse on a float, with her band playing behind her. Afterward, she used the footage in the video for her song “Rush.” Watch it HERE.
The Hall of Fame Parade, which features newly enshrined players and returning Hall of Famers, is a big deal in Canton. The Hall claims it is seen by 200,000 people, which makes it the fifth largest parade in the country.
Van Rose won’t play for that many people Saturday at Federal Frenzy, but the annual rock fest in downtown Youngstown is a big deal in this city.
The festival’s lineup boasts 30 of the region’s best acts, plus national headliner Ultra Q.
Van Rose will headline the Summit FM Stage (West Federal at Hazel Street) at 8 p.m.
The artist fits into the subgenre sometimes referred to as bubblegrunge: dreamy and girlish vocals layered over fuzzy – sometimes churning – guitars, and delivered at a relaxed pace.
Purveyors include the likes of Alvvays, Snail Mail and Charly Bliss. In Van Rose’s case, the style influences also include Waxahatchee and even shades of Kacey Musgraves.
So how did Van Rose get to appear in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Parade?
It started when she was planning the video for the title song from her “Lucky Stars” album (2023). The video was to have a parade theme, so she approached the Hall of Fame Parade organizers for information about making a float.
Van Rose recalled that interaction.
“They were like, what are you doing? And would you like to be in our parade? And I couldn’t sign up fast enough,” she said.
The band reconfigured its float for the actual parade.
“I now call myself the Ferris Bueller of the Hall of Fame Parade,” she said, referring to the 1986 film. “It was such a cool experience, playing in my hometown on a parade float. I’ll never forget it.”
Van Rose had earlier thought about how great it would be to land a spot in the Hall of Fame Parade but quickly dismissed the notion.
“I thought, that’s too crazy of an idea. It will never happen,” she recalled.
It would also be a risky way to make a video. “If you’re art directing a music video while you’re in a parade, you can’t control a lot of the elements [because it is in public],” she said.
But they did it anyway, and it turned out great. She and filmmaker Peter John Campbell cut and pasted the parade footage into a visual montage for “Rush,” which was released in 2024.
Van Rose’s set at Federal Frenzy will likely include “Rush” and definitely some unreleased songs that will appear on upcoming records.
“They’ve never been played live before,” she said.
The band is in the midst of a very busy stretch.
“It sounds crazy, but I’m working on two albums at the same time right now,” Van Rose said. Release dates for either have yet to be determined.
The band will also release a single, and a video for it, in the coming months.
A short tour will take place in June, with gigs currently booked in Philadelphia and Brooklyn.
“There’s a lot to come from us this year,” Van Rose said.
The Federal Frenzy appearance will be the band’s fourth Mahoning Valley appearance. Its most recent – and biggest – was a November show at a packed Westside Bowl as an opener for The Vindys.
Van Rose also was one of the vocalists at the 330 Day concert, presented by The Summit FM on March 30 at Akron Civic Theatre.
In that concert, regional artists sang songs by Ohio acts that were national hits over the past 70 years. Van Rose sang Dean Martin’s Latin-flavored “Sway.”
To learn more about Federal Frenzy and view the schedule, click HERE.
For a complete look at everything going on in the Mahoning Valley, check out The List.
Pictured at top: Anya Van Rose.