3 DAYS OF LIVE MUSIC, WORKSHOPS AND FUN FOR ALL!
* ALL DAY JAMMING * WORKSHOPS * LIVE MUSIC * 2 OPEN MICS *
* PROS AND KIDS BAND SCRAMBLE * RAFFLES * FOOD *
Festival Highlights
Our festival is a must-attend event for music lovers!
Interactive Music Workshops
Participate in hands-on workshops covering guitar, vocals, fiddle, bass, mandolin, dobro, and banjo, led by experienced musicians eager to share their knowledge.
Forest Thurman will be leading a workshop both Friday and Saturday for all those looking to motivate their guitar passions and learning.
Carolyn Rust Camp is an Old-Time Fiddler who's love for the genre is sure to inspire fiddlers young and old!
Carol Pearse is a top notch Dobro player and lots of fun! Come hear her play and talk about the instrument she has been putting her heart and soul into! Be sure to check out her band Blue Zeal as well on Sunday!
Jess Berry is an award winning Fiddle Player who has wowed us year after year right here in Safford at the annual Fiddle Contest. This year we've invited Jess to demonstrate and talk about what makes him so awesome and you won't want to miss it! His band, The Sahuaro Scramblers will be perfoming Friday evening!
Live Performances
Enjoy captivating performances from a diverse lineup of artists who embody the spirit of traditional acoustic music, creating an unforgettable atmosphere. Our groups include:
Forest Thurman & Friends
The Apocalypse Roadshow
JAMPAK
Crumpled Bills Kin
North of Lonesome
Cisco and the Racecars
Bro
The Sahuaro Scramblers
Blue Zeal
Carolyn Rust Camp
Three Angstrom Flat
These bands range from well established to brand new! We're happy to have such an exciting group of musicians gathering together for a good cause to support Music Education!
Family-Friendly Activities
Cornhole Tournament - Presented by SEACUS
Bring the whole family and join the fun! We’re thrilled to welcome SEACUS as they host a community-wide Cornhole Tournament, adding an exciting competitive edge to this year’s festival. It’s a great way to support a worthy cause while enjoying a lively activity right here in the Gila Valley.Vendors
Explore an array of unique vendors that bring added charm and excitement to the festival. Many vendors generously contribute in-kind donations, which we’ve turned into fantastic raffle prizes just for you!Raffles
Get ready to win big while supporting a great event! Participate in our 50/50 raffles and enter to win incredible prizes, including musical instruments. Don’t forget to grab your raffle tickets for your chance to take home something special!CHECK OUT THE APOCALYPSE ROADSHOW!!!
Athena Aktipis
Athena is a professor, podcaster, author, multi instrumentalist, and songwriter. She is the producer of The Apocalypse Roadshow, host of the Zombified podcast, cooperation researcher, and author of multiple books. Athena has produced events across the country and internationally at Universities, Music Festivals and Traditional Music Venues. She is passionate about building interdisciplinary teams to tackle tough questions, empowering students to learn about the topics they are most curious about, and leveraging cooperation science to improve our educational systems and the broader communities in which we are all embedded.
BAND LINE UP
Forest Thurman & Friends is high-energy superband led by Forest Thurman, a singer, songwriter and multiinstrumentalist with a talent for bringing together musicians who can shred - bringing skillful and intricate musicianship to fast tempo Bluegrass, Country, and Americana. With diverse musical influences from Heavy Metal to Folk to Jam Bands, Forest Thurman & Friends bring the party energy to every show, riveting audiences with syncopated rhythms, tight harmonies, rockin’ solos and foot-stompin’ fun.
Cisco and the Racecars
Cisco and the Racecars specializes in bluegrass, folk, and old time Americana music. Their energetic style and diverse arrangements and instrumentation create a unique blend of old and new. Under the management and vision of Francisco Briseno, Cisco & The Racecars has taken its place as one of the premier bluegrass bands in the Southwest.
The band is composed of Francisco Briseno on banjo, Mark Hickler on guitar, Giselle Lee on fiddle, Chester Carmer on mandolin, Katie Carmer on cello, and Joelle Tambe-Ebot on bass. Francisco, an Arizona State Banjo Champion, has gathered his band members over many years and together they've formed a highly unique and authentic sound. Although their roots are bluegrass, and they remain true to that tradition, they also play popular, country, and old-time music. The band plays festivals, special events, parties, weddings, and members also arranged and played 35 performances for the world premier theater production of "Burning in the Night".
In addition to performing, Cisco & the Racecars mentors the young players of the Jam Pak Blues 'N' Grass Neighborhood Band, a local after school music program that gave several of the band's members their start.
In summer 2018, the band had the opportunity to tour Ukraine, playing concerts in villages and towns across the country. This musical diplomacy trip was arranged by the Peace Corps and generously funded by the Trust for Mutual Understanding and the American Embassy in Kiev.. Cisco & the Racecars returned to Ukraine in summer 2019 for a second tour. They look forward to future opportunities to travel the world, share their music, and promote international understanding.North of Lonesome
Arizona based bluegrass band with deep roots in traditional bluegrass music. North of Lonesome is a band designed for festival gigs where the music connects with bluegrass festival goers.
jampak
The Jam Pak Band, with a consistent membership of 30 and ranging in ages from 5 to 76, has performed at many festivals throughout the years, and for several Arizona festivals they are always on the program, which attests to the love the producers and patrons have for this unusual group of children playing the cherished traditional songs.
Some of Jam Pak’s favorite venues have been the Pioneer Bluegrass Festival, the Tucson Bluegrass Festival, the Wickenburg Bluegrass Festival, the Blythe Bluegrass Festival in California, the Agricountry Bluegrass Festival in Casa Grande, and the Marana Bluegrass Festival.
Emphasising the community involvement of Jam Pak, Anni Beach says, “The band also entertains at many other venues including senior living communities, city events and especially always fun is performing for the Arizona Bluegrass Association Holiday Party and being part of the band scrambles”. -Bluegrass Today
link to article from BLUEGRASS TODAY
https://bluegrasstoday.com/anni-beach-and-jam-pak-are-teaching-bluegrass/
Three ANGSTROM FLATT
Three Angstrom Flat is the duo of Will Vincent and Hudson Everett. What started with a chance encounter at an old time jam has become an intimate duo of folk, americana, old time, and bluegrass influenced music. Three Angstrom Flat perform original songs and original takes on covers, and have played all around Arizona.
blue zeal
Blue Zeal
2024 Gila Valley Fiddle Contest and Music Festival Highlights! Thank you Carpe and Zen Productions
More from The Foundation
The Matheson Music Foundation is excited to be working with our community to bring music into everyones lives.
SalsaFest 2024
The Matheson Music Foundation was the new featured event at our largest community event in Graham County, SALSAFEST! We were excited to serve and perform for 1700 community members over the event!
Summer Camps
A great way for kids to dive into music with friends, our summer camps gave us an opportunity to connect more youth musicians and foster their growth and learning. Katie and Brianna held two weeks of camps serving 20 students in fostering their love for music.
Family-Friendly Fun
We love serving our community with music lessons and events that inspire and build up the next generation! Our family has always had a passion for performance and sharing our love of music in all genres! We're excited to be bringing together a diverse group of musicians this year to enjoy the fruits of everyones labors, spending the hours of practice time and rehersals. Join us as we celebrate one another and continue to connect and network in this amazing field of musical energy!
Camping and Lodging
The Graham County Fairgrounds has ample space for RV and Dry Camping
$25/night for RV hook ups
RV
Hook up are limited and are $25/night. Payment will be taken at the registration table and you'll be give and dash tag.
Dry Camping
Dry camping is also $25/night at this time. We are always working to get you the best deal possible to make this event as affordable as possible for all our guests to the Gila Valley! Payment will be taken at the registration table and you'll be give and dash tag.
Hotels
We have many hotels in the Gila Valley and there will be a discount code available at the Best Western Plus and La Quinta inn. Tell the front desk when you reserve your room that you are with the Matheson Music Festival.
Thank you to our sponsors
WE DO WHAT WE DO BECAUSE OF YOU!
United Way of Graham and Greenlee Counties
SEACUS
The Graham County Chamber of Commerce
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The Matheson Music Foundation is a 501(c)(3)
92-3936380
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