Melody Trip raved:
"Fantastic weather, groovy music, and wonderful friends! Who could ask for more!"
Ick Music said:
"It’s a young festival (this was it’s 5th annual), and with the impressive lineups, the great organization, and so much room at the Westworld venue to expand, it’s going to pick up steam and continue to grow each year."
Glide Magaizne mentioned:
"what a well run small-scale festival the McDowell Mountain Music Festival has become in this crowded summer of big festivals."
AZWeekly’s Brent Diggins said:
“(MMMF) is one of the better run music festivals in the nation…I saw true culture and heard incredible music…All in all a suburb event that I highly suggest to everyone for next year.”
With tons of pictures online, some videos from some very talented cameraman and lots of sunburned smiles I’d say the McDowell Mountain Music Festival was a true success.
The excitement started on Thursday when I got out to the field and it wasn’t quite complete. I ran around with H putting signs up, making sure tents were in the right location, organized things before the Bands things got there (notice I capitalized Bands too? Yea…I did it without thinking? Huh.) Stopped for the occasional frothy beverage from the Tin Cooler that rode in the back of a gator all around the field and pretty much had the best time preparing for what I knew was going to be a busy, exciting, dance-filled, FANTASIC weekend.
Bright eyed and bushy tailed I got up and out to the field super early to start working...you know I’m not going to go into detail about what kind of work it takes to put on a festival, otherwise this would be very long and I would go way over my hours this week but I’ll just say for the 100 or so staff members that put on this Festival – it was at least 2 days of non-stop action.
Friday- Line up was great, I’m also not going to give you a review (click on one of the links above or give it a little google…haha. I just laughed after saying that out loud. So did H, give it a try and tell me you didn’t laugh a little.) Anyway, I can’t give you a review due to the fact that unfortunately I didn’t get to watch all of the bands. Although they all sounded great from wherever I was on the field!
I did however get a chance to watch Grace Potter and the Nocturnals tear it up just as the sun was getting ready to set. Standing there with H and a few other higher-ups singing along at the top of our lungs (heehee) was probably the highlight of Friday for me. hopefully you all got to check it out too!
Then there was Robert Randolph and the Family Band to which MC and I dropped what we were doing and H told me to take off my radio and enjoy. Which I did. Very much so. We even got two of the Festivals hardest workers to do a little jog with us while we got to watch from the side of the stage. Another highlight of my Friday. (I’m allowed to have two right?)
Ended the night after Gov’t Mule closed the show got a few more things done and ready for Friday and practically fell in my bed after some buddies who drove up to volunteer at the show took one look at my bloodshot eyeballs (i was quite tired and the grass that made me sneeze for hours caused the redness I promise!) and told me to go to bed. I happily obliged!
Saturday- woke up with my hair wet (it’s what happens when you shower before bed and then don’t sleep long enough for your hair to dry) and headed out to the field with me fellow festival workers and started another great day.
Saturday was a bit hotter but as the people streamed in the gates and the music flowed, so did the beer for many good festival patrons. (yay for frothy beverages).
I got to check out Peppermint James at the beginning (I’ve accidentally become a bit of a stalker to them so it was only fitting) but most of the afternoon flew while I was doing who knows what. Got to see a little bit of Toubab Krewe play their awesome African instruments and overheard The Wailers sing the songs I’ve heard forever while helping out Merchgirl in her…Merch Tent (naturally enough). Got to see a little Blues Traveler but was still running around a bit attempting to help out any situation I was needed in. But then. H told me again to take of the radio and enjoy the headliners: John Butler Trio. MC and I and a whole slew of other JBT fans danced along to their incredible sound and amazing showmanship (all in my opinion of course, but as this is my blog, I guess that’s all that matters right? =)) Point being: Great way to end a fantastic Festival.
Well that of course and the lovely surprise H called us all over to the VIP bar far. That was good too… =)
Yikes. Long blog today. Coming close to the end of an era. And by era I mean Ashley the Intern will no longer be an Intern soon.
Really though – go google the reviews. They’re pretty good =)
"Fantastic weather, groovy music, and wonderful friends! Who could ask for more!"
Ick Music said:
"It’s a young festival (this was it’s 5th annual), and with the impressive lineups, the great organization, and so much room at the Westworld venue to expand, it’s going to pick up steam and continue to grow each year."
Glide Magaizne mentioned:
"what a well run small-scale festival the McDowell Mountain Music Festival has become in this crowded summer of big festivals."
AZWeekly’s Brent Diggins said:
“(MMMF) is one of the better run music festivals in the nation…I saw true culture and heard incredible music…All in all a suburb event that I highly suggest to everyone for next year.”
With tons of pictures online, some videos from some very talented cameraman and lots of sunburned smiles I’d say the McDowell Mountain Music Festival was a true success.
The excitement started on Thursday when I got out to the field and it wasn’t quite complete. I ran around with H putting signs up, making sure tents were in the right location, organized things before the Bands things got there (notice I capitalized Bands too? Yea…I did it without thinking? Huh.) Stopped for the occasional frothy beverage from the Tin Cooler that rode in the back of a gator all around the field and pretty much had the best time preparing for what I knew was going to be a busy, exciting, dance-filled, FANTASIC weekend.
Bright eyed and bushy tailed I got up and out to the field super early to start working...you know I’m not going to go into detail about what kind of work it takes to put on a festival, otherwise this would be very long and I would go way over my hours this week but I’ll just say for the 100 or so staff members that put on this Festival – it was at least 2 days of non-stop action.
Friday- Line up was great, I’m also not going to give you a review (click on one of the links above or give it a little google…haha. I just laughed after saying that out loud. So did H, give it a try and tell me you didn’t laugh a little.) Anyway, I can’t give you a review due to the fact that unfortunately I didn’t get to watch all of the bands. Although they all sounded great from wherever I was on the field!
I did however get a chance to watch Grace Potter and the Nocturnals tear it up just as the sun was getting ready to set. Standing there with H and a few other higher-ups singing along at the top of our lungs (heehee) was probably the highlight of Friday for me. hopefully you all got to check it out too!
Then there was Robert Randolph and the Family Band to which MC and I dropped what we were doing and H told me to take off my radio and enjoy. Which I did. Very much so. We even got two of the Festivals hardest workers to do a little jog with us while we got to watch from the side of the stage. Another highlight of my Friday. (I’m allowed to have two right?)
Ended the night after Gov’t Mule closed the show got a few more things done and ready for Friday and practically fell in my bed after some buddies who drove up to volunteer at the show took one look at my bloodshot eyeballs (i was quite tired and the grass that made me sneeze for hours caused the redness I promise!) and told me to go to bed. I happily obliged!
Saturday- woke up with my hair wet (it’s what happens when you shower before bed and then don’t sleep long enough for your hair to dry) and headed out to the field with me fellow festival workers and started another great day.
Saturday was a bit hotter but as the people streamed in the gates and the music flowed, so did the beer for many good festival patrons. (yay for frothy beverages).
I got to check out Peppermint James at the beginning (I’ve accidentally become a bit of a stalker to them so it was only fitting) but most of the afternoon flew while I was doing who knows what. Got to see a little bit of Toubab Krewe play their awesome African instruments and overheard The Wailers sing the songs I’ve heard forever while helping out Merchgirl in her…Merch Tent (naturally enough). Got to see a little Blues Traveler but was still running around a bit attempting to help out any situation I was needed in. But then. H told me again to take of the radio and enjoy the headliners: John Butler Trio. MC and I and a whole slew of other JBT fans danced along to their incredible sound and amazing showmanship (all in my opinion of course, but as this is my blog, I guess that’s all that matters right? =)) Point being: Great way to end a fantastic Festival.
Well that of course and the lovely surprise H called us all over to the VIP bar far. That was good too… =)
Yikes. Long blog today. Coming close to the end of an era. And by era I mean Ashley the Intern will no longer be an Intern soon.
Really though – go google the reviews. They’re pretty good =)
