Anthony Wayne grad living out his rock dream

Fiction 20 Down members include, from left, DJ Fritzges, Dre Toney, Jordan Lally, and Wes Anderson.

Wes Anderson knows what people think when they learn he gave up a career in finance in Chicago to join reggae-rock band Fiction 20 Down and give the music business a try.

"That usually gets a reaction out of people," he said, laughing in a phone interview from Maryland, where the band is headquartered. The band is playing at Frankie's Inner-City on Saturday night.

But for Anderson, a 2005 Anthony Wayne High School graduate whose parents Jeff and Sarah Anderson live in Maumee, the move made perfect sense. Why not give it a shot now while he's still young and has a lot of options?

"I'm at a point where I can take that risk and Fiction 20 Down definitely has that future that I'm looking for in the music business," he said.

After graduating from Ohio University, he had been working for a financial firm and living in Chicago when he rekindled his passion for music and began playing in a band there. Anderson, 25, was familiar with Fiction 20 Down's summery style of jam-band reggae and laid-back rock and when there was an opening on guitar late last year, he auditioned and joined.

Of course he analyzed the group's potential and saw "growth" -- in addition to loving the music -- and he was ready to take advantage of years of guitar lessons and playing around Toledo and Chicago to hit the road and rock.

"I really think my finance background and business gives me an edge as a musician and you don't see that often in musicians to have the artistic and creative side and the analytic and business side," he said. "I can look at things realistically and monetize things to see what would work realistically."

The band, which has released one full-length CD and two shorter EPs, is in the middle of a tour that will take them to various college towns around the country and will then hit the road again in the summer for various festivals.

Fiction 20 Down's Web site is f20d.com.

Fiction 20 Down will open for Lionize on Saturday at Frankie's Inner-City, 308 Main St. Tickets are $6 in advance from all TicketMaster outlets, by phone at 419-474-1333, ticketmaster.com, and at Culture Clash, 419-536-5693, and Ramalama Records, 419-531-7625. Tickets are $8 day of show at the doors, which open at 9 p.m.

Contact Rod Lockwood at rlockwood@theblade.com or 419-724-6159.