Vincent Antone – Emerald Stage
📷: Syn Gaspar @blissfullydrifting.media
Tucson, AZ – Gem & Jam Festival finished celebrating Its 16th annual edition that took place February 2-4th, 2024 on the desert landscapes of Pima County Fairgrounds. The renowned music festival held in Tucson has become a magnet for enthusiasts of EDM and its subgenres like house, future bass, trap, experimental bass, and dubstep. With its impressive lineup of artists representing these genres, the festival has gained popularity among the bass-heavy music crowd over the years. While Tucson hosts numerous events during the winter gem showcase, attracting a staggering 60,000 visitors from around the world, it is the allure of Gem and Jam that truly captivates active festival-goers.
Arrival at the festival grounds started with a downpour of hail and intermittent rain. While the rest of the weekend may not have been as chilly or windy as in previous years, it is still customary to come prepared with fur coats, layers of clothing, bucket hats, and pashminas. These items are essential to combat the temperatures that can go down to the 30-40’s during the event. However, on the closing day of the festival, attendees were pleasantly surprised by a warm and sunny day, providing the perfect ending to a memorable weekend.
Topaz Healing Sanctuary
📷: Syn Gaspar @blissfullydrifting.media
Gem and Jam Music Festival goes beyond just music, offering a diverse range of workshops for everyone to enjoy. Festival-goers can immerse themselves in flow arts, yoga, harm reduction, breath work, and shuffling workshops, among others. Additionally, the festival features the Topaz Healing Sanctuary, where attendees can indulge in reiki, sound healing, massage therapy, reflexology, and even oracle readings throughout the entire weekend. For families attending the festival, the Starseed Family Rainbow Circus provides workshops specifically designed for children aged 7-14, taking place from 11 am to 4 pm on Friday through Sunday.
Maddy O’Neal – Emerald Stage
📷: Syn Gaspar @blissfullydrifting.media
Over the weekend, we had the opportunity to experience some incredible performances. Let’s start with Friday, where I had the pleasure of seeing Vincent Antone and Maddy O’Neal live for the first time. Vincent is a multi-instrumentalist who effortlessly blends genres like future funk, hip hop, future bass, and house. His live performance, accompanied by the talented drummer Jose Gutierrez, was truly electrifying, captivating the audience with his guitar and keys skills.
Maddy O’Neal, on the other hand, showcased a captivating blend of diverse genres, creating a vibrant and soulful atmosphere. With roots in funk and soul, her music incorporated textured layers and a prominent low-end frequency foundation, providing a unique backdrop for future bass and synth elements. Her live performances were a treat, featuring original compositions and a cohesive narrative that ranged from gritty, bass-heavy tracks to infectious disco beats.
Of The Trees – Emerald Stage
📷: Syn Gaspar @blissfullydrifting.media
To close out Friday night we were fortunate enough to see Daily Bread perform live for the third time in less than a year. Daily Bread’s sound is a fusion of funk, hip-hop rhythms, and bass-driven electronic music. The influence of hip-hop is evident and brings a refreshing and engaging experience for the audience.
Finally, at the emerald stage, I witnessed Of The Trees perform for the sixth time and the energy that emanated from the stage and the unity among fellow Of The Trees fans was truly special. His intricate melodies and heavy bass lines, combined with his signature energy and innovative soundscapes set him apart.
Phyphr – Onyx Stage
📷: Syn Gaspar @blissfullydrifting.media
On the second day of the festival, which was a Saturday, we had the opportunity to witness three artists for the first time. Earlier in the evening, we entered the Onyx stage without prior knowledge of the ongoing performer. However, as we made our way to the front, we discovered that Phyphr was the artist currently shredding the electric guitar.
It is always a pleasant surprise to experience an artist in real-time without prior exposure to their music. I particularly enjoyed the live instrumentation during DJ sets, a characteristic that LP Giobbi also incorporated into her performances. LP Giobbi’s main focus is on the keys and she skillfully utilizes drum pads, captivating us with her magical performance and it took us on a beautiful musical journey.
Gone Gone Beyond – Emerald Stage
📷: Syn Gaspar @blissfullydrifting.media
Another musical act, Gone Gone Beyond, mesmerized the crowd with their incredibly healing and blissful energy. They describe their sound as “mesmerizing future folk” and their songwriting seamlessly blends influences from electronica, jazz, soul, and world music. As a sense of calmness and tranquility washed over me, my eyes welled up with tears. Observing the crowd around me, I could see that they too were deeply moved, with people dancing, smiling, laughing, and even crying. This experience has made me a lifelong fan of Gone Gone Beyond’s music.
Additionally, on Saturday, we had the pleasure of discovering some bonus performances at the Opal Stage, located behind the Onyx Stage. This smaller stage was organized by allthehomies. Official and featured artists such as Lumasi, Tree Gaud, Trip Drop, OG Coconut, and Tesla Nikole killed it at the Opal Stage..
Josh Teed – Onyx Stage
📷: Syn Gaspar @blissfullydrifting.media
On the closing day of the festival, attendees were pleasantly surprised by a warm and sunny day, providing the perfect ending to a memorable weekend. The Sunday lineup featured a diverse range of talented artists, each bringing their unique style to the stage. Josh Teed captivated the audience with his electrifying performances on the electric violin, adding a touch of elegance to the festival atmosphere. Super Future delighted the crowd with his downtempo styles of bass and trap beats, creating a hyphy vibe.
A Hundred Drums showcased her versatility by experimenting with different genres of dubstep, reggae, down-tempo, and psytrance. Yheti’s performance was best described as a fusion of glitch-hop, dubstep, and experimental bass, pushing the boundaries of traditional electronic music. Lastly, TRUTH delivered a set that was deep, dark, and dangerously heavy, immersing the crowd in the depths of dubstep.
OG Coconut – Opal Stage
📷: Syn Gaspar @blissfullydrifting.media
Silent Disco has always been an exciting feature to look forward to at music festivals, offering a unique way to keep the party going even after the main stages shut down. However, at Gem and Jam Music Festival, the silent disco experience was handled differently, which presented some challenges for attendees. The silent disco was organized by Discology at the Opal stage but unlike other festivals that provide headphone rentals, attendees were required to bring their own Bluetooth headphones. While this allowed individuals to enjoy the vibe at the stage, it posed a logistical challenge as most festival-goers do not carry headphones with them throughout the event.
📷: Syn Gaspar @blissfullydrifting.media
Gem and Jam music festival lives up to its hype, attracting a dedicated following of music festival enthusiasts from all over the country. What sets this festival apart is the intimate atmosphere, high vibes and respectful energy among attendees. Unlike larger EDM events, there was no pushing or shoving, which seems like a small thing but very much matters. The fashion showcased comfortability in faux fur or long coats as the staple pieces worn by the majority.
One standout aspect of Gem and Jam was the thriving flow arts community, which seemed even larger than what I have witnessed at bigger festivals. The selection of artists was highly satisfying, with the added delight of discovering new talents for the first time. Overall, Gem and Jam music festival was a true testament to the diverse and talented artists that graced the stage, leaving attendees with a sense of community, and lasting memories of an unforgettable weekend.
