by Matt Kelchner
Philadelphia’s annual Made In America festival is right around the corner and we are counting down the hours until the gates are open. Earlier this week we shared our interview with Timothy Showalter, the leader of the group Strand of Oaks, our can’t miss hometown act for the first day. We are back with our can’t miss locals for day two, sultry pop act Marian Hill!
With only a handful of songs to their name (so far that is), the duo of Jeremy Lloyd and Samantha Gongol have managed to gain quite the following so far. Thanks to a series of strong singles, they are already selling out venues across the country. On Sunday they will be gracing the Skate Stage at Made In America early in the afternoon, from 2:45 to 3:30PM.
“We’ve been excited about Made In America since its inception, especially because it was Philly’s first major music festival,” they explain in a quick interview break from their busy schedule. Lloyd and Gongol find themselves sitting amongst a lineup loaded with talent, nestled right along side two New York natives, Action Bronson and Fabolous. “We’re so excited to play and share the bill with many other crazy talented performers.”
When asked to list a few of their top acts that they are looking forward to seeing this weekend, there is a bit of difficulty it doing so. “There are actually so many! It’s definitely our favorite festival lineup so far.”
Their tastes end up being just as eclectic as the lineup itself. “Beyonce, Death Cab For Cutie, The Weeknd, Big Sean, Banks, to name a few, but seriously many more.”
Despite being a relatively young group, Marian Hill have already found themselves listed amongst some of the country’s top festivals, including Firefly and Austin City Limits. Their favorite part of it all so far? Looking out and seeing the waves of fans in front of them, and the scenery even further back. “It’s always crazy to see the festival environment from that standpoint, and depending where you are there’s always interesting stuff in the background.”
For this upcoming weekend though, eyes are set on wowing the hometown crowd. “Being on a bill like this is huge for any up and coming band and it’s a beautiful thing to be able to do it at home,” they proudly say. With their debut full length album out on the horizon, things will continue looking up for the duo. Be sure to check them out this Sunday afternoon at the Skate Stage at Made In America!
Marian Hill will be back in Philadelphia on October 1st at Union Transfer.
