They’ve Got the ‘Beat

They’ve Got the ‘Beat’ Billy Marovich and Mark Long play the hits at Anthem Days By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

Billy Marovich moved to Arizona when he was 19 to attend ASU. It wasn’t long before he discovered the magic of music.

“I heard the siren call of music,” says Marovich, who attended Purdue and Arizona State universities. “That’s what I wanted to do. I’ve never had a job. When I get up and I know I have to play a gig, I’m in a good mood. I’m happy to go to work.”

Marovich and his musical partner, Mark Long of Ahwatukee, team up for Otis & the Beat, who will perform at Anthem Days on Saturday, March 28.

“We’ll have a four-piece band there,” Marovich says from his remote cabin 40 miles northwest of Payson in the Mogollon Rim foothills. “Mark is also the lead singer of the Groove Merchants.”

During Anthem Days, Otis & the Beat will perform classic rock songs from the 1960s onward, with a little country thrown in. “We try to keep the music recognizable so people can relate,” he says. “I think what differentiates us from a normal band is we don’t just play music. We engage the audience. We don’t write out setlists. When we set up on stage, we don’t have anything planned out.

“At most of my gigs, people are throwing songs at me left and right. As a musician, you learn songs and hopefully retain them. I probably know—just with my solo show—1,000 songs.”

Marovich and Long know how to read the crowd. When audience members aren’t requesting songs, the duo figures out what to play.

“When they’re tapping their feet and singing along, we know we connected with them,” Marovich says.

The musician grew up in Indiana but moved to Arizona at age 19 to be near his brother. Soon thereafter, he discovered the Valley had a wealth of clubs that featured live music.

“I played little clubs to work my way through college and never quit,” he says.

He co-owned and played lead guitar for Chuck E. Baby & the All Stars until seven years ago, when he left to pursue a solo career. He reluctantly began singing and realized he was “pretty good at it.”

He cites The Eagles, Tom Petty and the Zac Brown Band as his favorites. Marovich also listens to bluegrass music and plays a few songs from the film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”—“I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow” and “Copperhead Road.”

“I get up there and have fun and people notice that,” says Marovich, who plays Dvine in Mesa from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturdays. “There are nights I don’t feel well and I’m not always 100%, but most of the time I’m really happy. I could be having the worst day ever, but when I step up on stage, everything’s OK.” Billy Marovich and his musical partner, Mark Long, will perform as Otis & the Beat at Anthem Days on Saturday, March 28. (Photo courtesy Billy Marovich) Anthem Community Park will be abuzz with residents and visitors for Anthem Days.

Residents and visitors invited to celebrate Anthem

Anthem Community Park will be abuzz with residents and visitors Saturday, March 28, and Sunday, March 29, for Anthem Days, the area’s premier business expo and festival.

The free, family-friendly event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission and parking are free.

Highlights of the two-day event include live musical entertainment (Otis & the Beat on Saturday; Slingshot on Sunday); a food court and Rotary beer garden; a kids’ zone with inflatables (fees apply); and a free egg hunt for kids (Sunday), featuring the Hippity Hop Band, Mother Nature and Peter Cottontail, and hosted by Christ’s Church of the Valley.

An egg hunt exclusively for special needs children will precede the public egg hunt at 10:15 a.m. Sunday on Softball Field No. 4. OSR Physical Therapy returns with a soccer challenge (Saturday) on the basketball courts, in partnership with Phoenix Rising.

The Frazier Shows Carnival opens ahead of the event at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 26. The fun continues at 5 p.m. Friday, and 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Unlimited ride wristbands will be available for purchase at the carnival ticket booth only. Discount coupons will be available in advance at the Community Center and Civic Building, on the Anthem Community Council and Frazier Shows Carnival Facebook pages, and at the Anthem Community Council booth at Anthem Days. The carnival schedule will be posted online.

With visits to 10 booths (receive a stamp at each booth), attendees ages 18 and older can enter to win a Cosori Air Fryer system. Raffle cards completed with 10 stamps can be returned to the Anthem Community Council booth for entry. The winner will be notified the week following the event.

The Title Sponsor for this year’s Anthem Days event is ProSkill Services.

Anthem Community Park is located at 41703 N. Gavilan Peak Parkway. For more information or detailed event schedules, visit onlineatanthem.com/anthem-days, call 623-742-6050 or email dpulido@anthemcouncil.com.

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