Needless to say, vibes were already deeply established and rather potent.

I was delighted walking onto the grounds as I was welcomed by the seemingly collaborative art project that was the layout of the festival’s entrance. I stood there, frantically snapping photos of my new surroundings, while colorful youth passed me like eccentric fanatics, thirsty for vibrations.

I spent the first hours of my experience in search of subjects, situated in the limited light, I took into account all of the work that must have gone into the merchant tents, stage designs, and general festival layout. It made me appreciate why I and everyone else was there; to escape monotony, and affix ourselves neatly between light and vibration, while surrounded by like- minds. It sounds simple, but as we all know, often unobtainable.

Desert Dwellers took on the main stage, painting the eager canvas for those already transcended. It was the first set I found myself to be uninterrupted, and as that feeling evolved into bliss, I noticed those around me experiencing the same.

Macrodot and Krooked Drivers brought the roof down in the indoor, electronic stage, with heavy bass and super-sonic sound in their arsenal of funk, displaying their individual styles and grooves.

Before I saw Supervision and Paul Basic totally annihilate the main stage, I caught up with the very talented, Prescott based, touring behemoths Spafford, who were scheduled to go on Sunday Night. Over some food-truck chinese food, the dudes from Spafford and I discussed their sound, fruition, and general outlook on today’s music.

The AZ natives spontaneously joined together as mutually known musicians, to just play music together; music in the genre that they describe as, “electro-funk therapy.” I asked the guys, “without a real, lucrative music scene, why Prescott as a home-base for Spafford?”

“Prescott is just a good place for us to rest our heads, write, and relax with family, but then its all rage on the road!” Rage indeed, to say the least, as Spafford is one of the most prominent touring bands in the “jam,” scene, stretching their name from coast to coast. You can tell that these guys have a lot of fun with what they do.

We even shared our mutual love for Phish, and realized that we had been at the same show in Long Beach, CA as we proceeded to shout out the best songs from the set. The rest of the night, I was elated with he works of Purity Ring’s DJ set and the pure, raw, funk power of the Motet, who capped off the first night with an outrageous electric set.

The second night began with the same tangible atmosphere, and was lit up with late-night sets by headliners Thriftworks and Mimosa, while indoor sets by Kruza Kid and Smash and Grab took the audience to other dimensions. Fans were in awe by surrounding dancers and hoopers, who put themselves in the middle of it all, displaying their talents for everyone to ogle at. As the third and final night kicked off, it was obvious that festival-goers hadn’t tired in the nights passed, and brought a great energy to the closing night.

Headlined by Boombox, Sunday night was wrapped in vibratory elation and a sense of squeezing out every last bit of party the audience could muster. Spafford, Lynx, Love & Light and Random Rab got things going on the main stage in a big way, leading the ears of the crowd into thorough and deep jams escalating the mood of all who stood in whiteness.

Soulular, along with other indoor sets, really passed the bar set by their festival predecessors. Sunday night ended the festival with an amazing sense of togetherness, which I found to be the biggest attributor to the whole weekend’s meaning.

Gem and Jam is a radiant spectacle and made me realize that it was important not to get lost in the raging party aspect of it all. It made me remember what the jam-music scene is all about and made me recall it’s practice in a positive way. Embrace the love, the people, and above all, the music.

The post Gem and Jam 2014 Review appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

This weekend is no exception. David and myself are currently in San Franciso catching the last 3 nights of the Skrillex Takeover Tour, Anthony and his crew will be traveling down to Tucson to check out the Gem and Jam Festival, and a crew of writers and photographers will be up in Las Vegas to see Calvin Harris and Moby! Phew!

Are you in any of these cities? Wanna say hey? Hit us up on Facebook or Twitter!

Keep checking back for updates, photos, and more!

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An eclectic gathering of individuals from all walks of life are preparing themselves for a weekend of mind expanding (and possibly altering), music, art, light, dance, love, and togetherness. A weekend where this eclectic menagerie of beautiful souls come together to express themselves while baring witness to new and inspiring music and art. The Gem and Jam Festival, held from February 7th-9th in Tucson is not an event to miss out on. They provide attendees and festival family alike with an eclectic mystical blend of new sonic adventures paired gracefully with live art, meditation, yoga and performances.

Whether you are familiar with all of the lineup or none of it all, the musical agenda has a little bit for everyone whether it be rhythmic heavy bass, groovy jam bands, or hip hop influenced producers. Some musical acts we at JNTM personally take time to look out for are the ever infectious and unparalleled producers like, Thriftworks, Russ Liquid, and Eliot Lipp who melt you into their sets and make you feel in ways you never have before. If you’re fascinated by the surreal, you’ve found the right place.

Desert Dwellers, Kalya Scintilla, and Random Rab will be helping the audience get in touch with some deep ethereal sounds while combining smooth rolling baselines underneath mystifying soundscapes of world instruments and vocal samplings, while unifying the crowd under the desert sky.

A super coveted DJ set from Purity Ring is in the works for the opening night, which will be sure to get everyone moving and started off the right way, with Dilla-inspired beat work. A grip of pure musical talent throwin’ down the funk with bands like The Motet Boombox, and Spafford in attendance. When asked to describe what these kind of events are like and what to expect from the sets, most of all what people hear is that they are for a cosmic, mind and body experience that goes further than live music.

One of the first things to describe is how wonderful the crowd is. Rather than crowding like cattle towards the front of the stage where everyone can barely move, people have more respect and even more common sense than your typical festival crowd.

You’ll have plenty of room to dance and freely move around with the company of like minded people, engulfed in the energy around them, and in doing so the whole crowd moves as one with the most incredible synchronized energy. Everyone will be there to be together with the similar goal of gettin’ down, exchanging smiles with new faces, and living in the beautiful moments this festival provides.

We must also reflect on the absolutely awe inspiring and wondrous artwork and installations last year’s event had in store. Some of the most widely known visionary artist, Alex and Allyson Grey, will be performing and painting a live and original piece alongside other immense talents, Johnathan Singer who performs live multimedia light shows set in real-time to live music, Johnathan Solter, The Welch Brothers, Andy Reed, Jesse Noemind, and more. The festival offers a personal drawing workshop with Alex Grey as an additional package for sale for any interested artists.

To all the festival newcomers,

You’re going to meet a lot of amazing people that will touch your heart, and it’s money well spent as the tickets are modestly priced in comparison to what is provided. A 3-Day festival pass can be purchased online for $130. For everyone that wants to get silly into the late-night hours after the festival, there are intimate after parties at a local venue called Solar Culture. The after party features some of the major acts like Thriftworks and Random Rab. All three after parties can be bought for $40 which is a total steal. There are single day festival passes and single day after party passes for anyone who can’t make all three days but wants to come celebrate with the Fam.

Gem and Jam is not just a place to explore creative musical and artistic ventures, but a safe place for attendees to really feel like they’re participating in something more than just a party. This is a celebration of what it is to live and let live in harmony with each other while we marvel at the artifacts of human potential and expression. Come open yourself to this weekend of love and celebrate what unifies us, love radiating through music!

For more information, visit the official Gem and Jam website! 

Photos courtesy of Gem and Jam. 

The post The 8th Annual Gem and Jam Festival Preview appeared first on Just Noise To Me.