McDowell Mountain Music Festival
2015 MEDIA KIT
MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL
EVENT INFORMATION
LOCATION
DATES
DOWNTOWN
PHOENIX
ARIZONA
HANC E PARK
ATTENDANCE
DAYS
MARC H
27-29, 2015
OVER 3 DAYS
12 YEARS OVER $1,000,000 DONATED TO LOCAL CHARITIES
HISTORY
12
YEAR S OF
DEVELOPING
C OMMUNI T Y
& CULTURE
TRENDS
GROWING
DEMAND FOR
LIVE MUSIC IN
PHOENIX
MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL
DEMOGRAPHICS
GENDER
AGE
REPEAT ATTENDEES
41%
59%
59%
10%
18-24
24%
25-34
26%
35-44
21%
45-54
18%
55-64
INCOME
10%
12%
12%
16%
15%
21%
14%
0 - $20k
$21k - $34k
$35k - $49k
$50k - $74k
$75k - $99k
$100k - $149k
$150k OR MORE
LOCATION
MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL
BENEFICIARIES
PHOENIX CHILDRENS HOSPITAL
UMOM NEW DAY CENTERS
PCH ranked in U.S. News & World Report’s Best
Children’s Hospitals, is Arizona’s only licensed children’s
hospital, providing world-class care in more than forty
five pediatric specialties to children from throughout
the state and region. Phoenix Children’s Hospital
recently completed a major expansion to meet the
needs of the Southwest’s rapid population growth.
The hospital’s expansion also includes an aggressive
physician recruitment effort and new satellite centers
in high growth areas of the Valley.
UMOM is the largest homeless shelter for families
in Arizona. UMOM’s mission is to provide homeless
families and individuals with safe shelter, housing, and
supportive services to assist them in reaching their
greatest potential.
For more information, visit the hospital’s website at:
For more information, visit the centers website at:
www.phoenixchildrens.com
www.umom.org
MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
VIP AREA
The VIP experience
includes catered meals,
five beers or mixed
drinks, access to the
Poser Deck (where you
can be up close and
personal with your favorite bands), as well as
private “luxury” bathrooms and valet parking; plus,
many other amenities only found within the VIP
area.
CAMPING
100 camping spaces
provide a home
for the hardcore
festival enthusiast.
The camping lots
are located near the
festival grounds and include camping for four
people, showers, trash disposal, and toilets. We
offer RV, car and tent camping spaces.
MARKETPLACE
The vendor
marketplace features
twenty vendors from
all over the country.
Handmade jewelry,
hula-hoops and face
painting are a few of the vendors that have
participated in the past years.
KID ZONE
Arts and crafts, stilt
walkers and drum circles
are some of the activities
that can be found at the
Kid Zone. Kids and adults
of all ages participate in
a daily parade that takes places around the entire
festival.
LOCAL STAGE
The local stage features
eleven of Arizona’s finest
up and coming bands.
Four of the top local
bands are given a spot
on the main stage in
the following year’s festival. The added local talent
exposure enhances the cultural experience for all
the attendees.
RECYCLE COMPOST
The environmental
impact of the festival
is important to the
sustainability of the
event. Trash, recycle and
compost bins are located throughout the festival
grounds and 100% products are compostable.
AFTERHOUR SHOWS
The afterhour shows are for folks who want to continue the party. Twenty bucks gets you
access to a few more shows located at the Crescent Ballroom and Renaissance Hotel.
MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL
PRESS RELEASE
Media Contact:
Nate Largay
602-343-0233
[email protected]
McDOWELL MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2015 BANDS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PHOENIX, Ariz. (January 5, 2015) – Music fans listen up, the 12th Annual McDowell Mountain Music Festival
presented by Deschutes Brewery proudly announces the lineup for 2015.
The lineup is as follow:
Widespread Panic, Passion Pit, Thievery Corporation, Phantogram, Portugal. The Man, Trombone Shorty &
Orleans Avenue, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Beats Antique, Trampled by Turtles, StrFkr, Robert Delong, and
Break Science.
The three-day festival will be held at Margaret T. Hance Park in downtown Phoenix, March 27-29, 2015. VIP,
three-day and single-day tickets are now on sale at www.mmmf.com. After hours event passes will also be on
sale at a later date. For more information about concert details and ticket prices, visit www.mmmf.com.
John Largay, President of Wespac Construction, which has produced the festival since 2004 says, “This festival
is a party for the people. It’s a community effort, engaging music enthusiasts to come out to enjoy an eclectic
mix of talents and also to support notable charities in the Valley.”
As Arizona’s only 100 percent non-profit music festival, McDowell Mountain Music Festival McDowell Mountain
Music Festival is proud to continue its alliance with two local, family-based, non-profits beneficiaries: Phoenix
Children’s Hospital Foundation and UMOM New Day Center, which provides homeless families and individuals
with safe shelter, housing and supportive services. Over the years, the festival has raised more than one-million-dollars in funds for charity.
-###About McDowell Mountain Music Festival
The McDowell Mountain Music Festival is Arizona’s musical and cultural destination. Since its inception in
2004, The McDowell Mountain Music Festival is the only 100% non-profit music festival in Arizona. Designed
to promote three elements – community involvement, corporate participation and charity – McDowell Mountain
Music Festival exists to support, entertain and educate the community, the arts and families throughout the
state. The Festival attracts thousands of visitors each year from around the country for great music, beautiful
Arizona weather and an opportunity to experience true culture. All of the proceeds from the festival will benefit
local charities, which are chosen during a distinct selection process each year.
MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL
2015 LINEUP
PHOENIX, AZ
WWW.MMMF.COM
MAR 27-29, 2015
PORTUGAL. THE MAN • TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE • BEATS ANTIQUE
TRAMPLED BY TURTLES • REAL ESTATE • STRFKR • KARL DENSON'S TINY UNIVERSE
BREAK SCIENCE • ROBERT DELONG • THE REVIVALISTS • RYAN BINGHAM • TEA LEAF GREEN
SUNSQUABI • SLOW MAGIC • TREEZUS • BLACK BOTTOM LIGHTERS • SPAFFORD
TOMMY ASH BAND • THE HOURGLASS CATS
“ARIZONA’S ONLY 100% NON-PROFIT MUSIC FESTIVAL”
PURCHASE EARLY AND SAVE • GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY • MMMF.COM
MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL
FESTIVAL PHOTOS
MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL
WIDESPREAD PANIC
BIO:
27 years ago this week, a singer everyone called
J.B., a bass-playing future journalism school
dropout and a guitarist nicknamed Panic for his
bouts with anxiety went looking for a drummer
for their next gig.
After striking out with the usual suspects around
Athens, Georgia, the three friends made an eleventh-hour call to a high-school band mate of the
guitar player living in Atlanta, thinking he might still have his kit handy.
A few days later, Todd Nance rolled up to the house at 320 King Avenue shared by John Bell, Michael Houser and David Schools in an old, beat-up white Maverick, his drums crammed into the
back. After a night of rehearsing, the new quartet hopped onstage together for the first time
the next day at the old Mad Hatter Ballroom to play a short set that opened with the Buffalo
Springfield classic “For What It’s Worth.” Widespread Panic was born.
Over the next two decades, Widespread Panic released nine more studio albums and sold
more than three million records, building a loyal following on the road beginning in dingy dive bars
across the South and eventually headlining nearly every major U.S. music festival and selling
out some of the world’s most prestigious venues. No artist has more sold-out concerts at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheater, and their headlining appearance at the New Orleans Jazz &
Heritage Festival set the single-day attendance record. The celebration for their first live album,
Light Fuse, Get Away, drew more than 100,000 fans for a free show in downtown Athens and is
still considered one of the largest CD-release parties in music history.
To learn more about Widespread Panic visit: http://www.widespreadpanic.com/
MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL
PASSION PIT
BIO:
Hundreds of hipsters, college kids and music
biz schmoozers gather under a massive white
tent to see Passion Pit. It is an afternoon shindig
hosted by the blog Brooklyn Vegan, at the 2009
South by Southwest festival. The sun is setting
and it is a classic make-it-or-break-it moment
for Passion Pit, who is headlining despite having
just released a lone EP, Chunk of Change. The
crowd is giddy on both free Izze fruit soda and
the Boston band’s bubbly pop. Between songs, frontman Michael Angelakos runs his fingers and
sweat through his thick, curly, Greek hair. He starts to rant—about a shirt he bought for his new
girlfriend, about veganism, about inane blog comments. After a few awkward minutes, the music kicks back in. By the end of the performance, Michael is rolling on a red Persian rug amongst
many, many keyboard and effects pedal cables, clutching his microphone, wailing in his signature
helium falsetto. The audience cheers, the Tweeters tweet, the bloggers blog ecstatically.
Michael leaves the stage and begins crying. He has made it, and he has broken.
When the festival ends, the rest of the Passion Pit guys van back to Massachusetts. Michael
stays behind in Texas. He calls a friend for support and begs her to come be with him. In a panic,
he buys her a plane ticket. It is for the wrong year, 2010. He calls his parents in Buffalo, New York.
“I’m going to a hospital,” he tells them.
Michael is standing with his father outside a hospital in Houston, looking at mock-ups of album
artwork on his cellphone. Passion Pit has just signed to Columbia Records, and a debut album,
Manners, is due in a couple months. The record cover is green and messy and murky. Michael is
not crazy about it, but there is no time, as the hospital is about to take his phone away from him.
“It looks fine, Michael,” his dad says. “Just go.”
In the hospital, Michael is not allowed to talk about work. “Up there, onstage, you’re alone, darling, ” a nurse tells him. “And if your life evolves into ruin, everyone will watch what you’re doing.”
Michael thinks these would make good lyrics. His friends smuggle in positive reviews of Manners.
When one magazine blesses the record with an 8 out of ten, he almost cries again.
To learn more about Passion Pit visit: http://passionpitmusic.com/
MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL
THIEVERY CORPORATION
BIO:
When they met in the mid-1990s, Thievery Corporation’s Eric Hilton and Rob Garza instantly
bonded over their shared passion for bossa
nova. Dedicating their 1996 debut ‘Sounds from
the Thievery Hi-Fi’ to bossa nova pioneer Antonio
Carlos Jobim, the Washington, D.C.-based duo
have spent nearly two decades creating boundary-warping, complexly crafted electronic music
partly inspired by bossa nova’s intricate rhythms
and lush textures. Now, with their seventh studio album ‘Saudade,’ Thievery Corporation present
their first release devoted entirely to the Brazilian-born genre that first connected them. “We always try to progress into something different and stretch our musical chops, and taking a whole
album to dive into this one sound seemed like a really great way to do that,” says Hilton. Adds
Garza: “It’s a bit of a departure for us, but at the same time these are our roots, this is what
brought us together. It’s us coming full circle from electronic music back to something organic
before we move on to our next chapter.”
Although Thievery Corporation stay true to traditional bossa nova’s elegant fusion of samba and
jazz all throughout ‘Saudade,’ the album is rich with strange and wonderful flourishes that revel in the duo’s hyper-inventive tendencies. Opening with the dusky “Décollage,” ‘Saudade’ glides
from the smoldering and string-drenched “Quem Me Leva” to the hushed and mysterious “Sola
In Citta” (an Italian-sung nod to the legendary sound tracks of Ennio Morricone, featuring Wurlitzer electric piano by Enea Diotaiuti) to the sweetly ethereal “No More Disguise” (a dream-like
piece laced with orchestral strings and bolero rhythms). With the instrumental title track serving as its gently stunning centerpiece, ‘Saudade’ also offers the sultry and spacey”Claridad” (a
swaying Latin number propelled by analog organ beats) and the French lullaby of “Le Coeur”
(featuring the sublime saxophone work of Frank Mitchell, Jr.). And on the final track “Depth of My
Soul,” Halligan delivers a haunting vocal performance that merges with the song’s swirling symphonic soundscape to hypnotic effect.
To learn more about Thievery Corporation visit: http://thieverycorporation.com/
MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL
PHANTOGRAM
BIO:
The duo was originally called Charlie Everywhere
when performing around the Saratoga Springs
area on the local label Sub-Bombin Records.
Upon signing with BBE on 26 January 2009, they
changed their name to Phantogram.
Their self-titled debut EP was released on 12 May
2009, followed in the same year by another EP,
Running From the Cops. They signed with Barsuk
Records in October 2009. Phantogram released their debut album Eyelid Movies in September
2009 on BBE and February 2010 on Barsuk Records. The album received generally favorable
reviews. From this album, they issued the singles “Mouthful of Diamonds”, “When I’m Small” and
“As Far As I Can See”. The EP Nightlife, was released on 1 November 2011 and included the single
“Don’t Move”. “Don’t Move” was featured in the 2012 film Pitch Perfect, and the CW’s adaptation
of The Secret Circle.
The duo collaborated with Big Boi from OutKast on three songs (“Objectum Sexuality”, “CPU” &
“Lines”) from his second studio album, Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors. Phantogram are also
credited as producers for the song “Objectum Sexuality”. Phantogram are also featured on the
song “You Lust” by the Flaming Lips from their 2013 album The Terror.
On 30 September 2013, they released the four songs EP Phantogram. It was followed by their
second studio album, Voices, that was released on February 18, 2014. A fifth single “Nothing But
Trouble” was released on January 14.
Barthel revealed in an interview with Variance Magazine in February 2014 that Phantogram
plans to release an EP with Big Boi.
To learn more about Phantogram visit: http://www.phantogram.com/
MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL
PORTUGAL. THE MAN
BIO:
Portugal. The Man’s insatiable need to create
extends far from the recorded product itself, as
the band has a detailed hand in their painstakingly assembled artwork—courtesy of The Fantastic The, a collective teaming of Gourley and
longtime art director Austin Sellers—unique stage
backdrops, merchandise, and just about all other
façades of an image that they lovingly control.
But much like art, control can be relative, and in
the past the band has happily offered the raw artwork files from The Satanic Satanist to fans;
asking them to reinterpret and recreate the album’s sprawling artistic vision, and thus continuing
a long open dialogue between Portugal. The Man and their followers.
And of course there is the issue we can’t ignore here, that of a band with a unique and hardwired DIY pedigree signing to Atlantic Records. While our punk rock muscle memory might be
trained to react vehemently against bands that are seduced into putting ink to page on a major
label contract, keep in mind that the Portugal. The Man and Atlantic Records relationship was
the result of a long, mutually respectful courtship. While their new label has a well-documented
history of famed recordings left in its wake, it was Atlantic’s artist development that brought the
band into the fold. As Gourley explained in a gushing open letter to the band’s fiercely loyal flock,
“We are people. We are people that happen to love music, we happen to live, eat, sleep, think
and love within this bubble of music.” He continues, “Don’t expect to hear from our mouths things
like paying our dues, or working towards this moment. No mention of eating poorly or sleeping
on hardwood floors. That is what we do for music. We did not go through all that because we
thought one day we would hit our payday, we did it because we love what we do. This will not
change… It is who we are.”
To learn more about Portugal. The Man visit: http://www.portugaltheman.com/
MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL
TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE
BIO:
New Orleans native Trombone Shorty is the
bandleader and frontman of Trombone Shorty
& Orleans Avenue, a hard-edged funk band that
employs hip-hop beats, rock dynamics and improvisation in a jazz tradition. Together, Trombone Shorty and his band have toured the U.S.
and Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan, Russia
and Brazil. Trombone Shorty began his career
as a bandleader at the tender age of six, and
toured internationally for the first time at age 12 before joining Lenny Kravitz’ horn section at the
age of 19 for a 105-date world tour in 2005-2006.
His third outing for Verve Records, “Say That To Say This,” co-produced by Shorty and R&B
titan Raphael Saadiq, was released in September 2013. In 2010, Trombone Shorty released the
Grammy-nominated “Backatown,” followed in 2011 by “For True,” which topped Billboard Magazine’s Contemporary Jazz Chart for 12 weeks.
In January 2014 Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue performed on the 56th Annual Grammy
Awards with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Mary Lambert, Madonna and Queen Latifah, and the
band has made guest appearances on Conan, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel
Live, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Arsenio, and Austin City Limits. Shorty also played himself
in a recurring role on the hit HBO series “Treme” In 2012, he performed at the White House in
honor of Black History Month with music royalty such as B.B. King, Mick Jagger, Jeff Beck, Booker
T. Jones, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, and Gary Clark Jr. Later that same year he received
the President’s Medal from Tulane University in recognition of his charitable work with his own
Trombone Shorty Foundation.
To learn more about Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue visit: http://www.tromboneshorty.com/
MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL
BEATS ANTIQUE
BIO:
Electronic/World fusion dance trio Beats Antique
brings you their new album and multi-media
touring show A Thousand Faces, a journey beyond the sonic realm that’s part odyssey, part
genre-warping rock opera. The album is an epic
two-volume adventure that follows every stage
of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey with sweeping and lushly textured new compositions. While
the fully immersive show will carry audiences
through the complete journey, A Thousand Faces – Act 1 represents just the first half of the
monomyth, with the second volume released in spring of 2014.
As veterans of a vibrant Bay Area underground arts scene committed to pushing boundaries
through collaboration, Beats Antique first and foremost strove to offer a uniquely communal
experience with A Thousand Faces. “This is a universal story that’s been told for thousands of
years,” notes Jakes. “We are each a spoke in the wheel of the monomyth, and there’s a deep
sense of unity in all of us sharing the same story.” To that end, Beats Antique chose to tell the
narrative that runs throughout A Thousand Faces from the perspective of the listener. “Our
main ambition for the album and the show was to create an unforgettable experience for the
audience,” says Satori. “We’re the characters they’re encountering along the way, the scenery
that’s constantly changing all around them, and it’s the audience members themselves who are
the heroes on this journey.”
From mgmt: Beats Antique’s music incorporates Middle Eastern grooves, Balkan wedding music,
flamenco, French Gypsy jazz, hip-hop, dub reggae, and other Eastern tonalities, all pulled together with electronica that won’t put off club kids, but will appeal to world music lovers as well.
The trio is composed of David Satori (guitar, saz, viola, and percussion), Sidecar Tommy Cappel
(keys, toy piano, drums, and percussion), and Zoë Jakes (belly dancer, composer, and arranger).
To learn more about Beats Antique visit: http://beatsantique.com/ | “Beauty Beats”
MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL
TRAMPLED BY TURTLES
BIO:
Lead songwriter Dave Simonett has been especially affected by change over the last few years.
He relocated from Duluth to the city of Minneapolis. “When I lived in Duluth, I think I took connection with uncivilized nature for granted. There, I
had to drive 20 minutes and I was in the middle
of nowhere, and I did this almost daily,” says Simonett. “This was a very important ritual for me.
Solitary time in a nearly untouched landscape is
my version of church, so I think there is a bit of loss of religion in a lot of my work these days. I’ve
always been a little obsessed with our struggle to stay connected to our simple animal side, the
part of our nature that lived off the earth, hunted live game, worshipped trees and mountains. I
believe a lot of sadness is caused by feeling disconnected with the rest of nature. A lot of what
is instinctual for us is beaten down and frowned upon in modern society. It has to be confusing
for the subconscious.”
Wild Animals found Trampled by Turtles working with a producer for the first time in four studio
records. The band placed themselves in the capable hands of longtime Duluth, MN compatriot
Alan Sparhawk of the band Low and engineer B.J. Burton (Poliça, Megafaun, Volcano Choir) who
crafted a sonic landscape that was spatial and new at Cannon Falls, MN’s Pachyderm Studio
(Nirvana, The Jayhawks).
Says Simonett on working with Sparhawk: “Alan is one of the most musically courageous people
I know and that’s exactly the attitude we were looking for. He’s great at taking a song from its
false conclusion all the way down to its very core and then building it back in new and interesting
ways.”
Wild Animals is the sound of a band at the peak of their potential, strengthened from a decade
together, winning some and losing some, but growing nonetheless. The album captures the intense nature that goes with being alive, melding the universal and the personal.
To learn more about Trampled By Turtles visit: http://trampledbyturtles.com/
MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL
KEY MESSAGES
• The McDowell Mountain Music Festival was established in 2004 and is Arizona’s musical and
cultural destination. This year, the festival is celebrating its 11th year since its inception, attracting
visitors from around the country.
• Wespac Construction, founded by John Largay, started the music festival to bring together
music enthusiasts and community-minded people.
• Employees of Wespac donate their time to support the festival’s cause to celebrate culture
and community and their involvement in the festival is one of the greatest examples of corporate responsibility. Their donated time has helped to bring in more than $1,000,000 for local
charities throughout Arizona.
• Wespac Construction is a commercial general contracting and construction management firm,
offering a full range of preconstruction and construction services in a variety of market sectors.
The company has the background and experience to make any project, including the McDowell
Music Festival, a reality.
• Presenting sponsor Deschutes Brewery began as a small brew pub in Bend, OR back in 1988
and is known for its flagship brew Black Butte Porter and popular craft beer Mirror Pond Pale
Ale.
• Deschutes is family and employee-owned and has opened a second brew pub in Portland’s
Pearl District and sells beet in 22 states and two provinces.
• The McDowell Mountain Music Festival is the only 100% non-profit music festival in Arizona and
it is designed to promote three elements—community involvement, corporate participation and
charity.
• The McDowell Mountain Music Festival exists to support, entertain and educate the community, the arts and families throughout the state. All proceeds from this year’s festival will benefit
two local, family-based, non-profits: Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation and UMOM New Day
Center.
• 100% of proceeds from the festival are donated to the non-profits.
• Past headliners include David Crosby, The Black Crowes, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals,
Blues Travelers, Michael Franti, The Shins, The Roots and Umphrey’s McGee.
• Hash tags: #MMMF #MMMF2015 #Karmaforthepeople
MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL
CONTACTS
For general information inquiries:
[email protected]
For all national musical act inquiries:
RJ Largay
[email protected]
For all local music talent inquiries:
Nate Largay
[email protected]
For marketing:
Kyle Zirkus
[email protected]
For volunteer inquiries:
Larry Hanks
[email protected]
For food and beverage related inquiries:
Cathy Largay
[email protected]
For vendor marketplace inquiries:
Denise Dunn
[email protected]
Sponsorship inquiries:
Cathy Largay
[email protected]
For public relations:
Nate Largay
[email protected]
For general information, please contact
(602) 343-0453
MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL