Heard It Here First

The infectious good energy and vibes were sky-high at this year’s Gem & Jem Festival in Arizona. With an array of interactive art installations and musical genres that speak to the soul, this festival delivered an unforgettable intimate experience for the 4,500 attendees to start off festival season 2024.

Across four stages of unique music, there was a diverse selection of jam and bass styles that had everyone getting in their feels. Dubstep phenoms, Of The Trees, Boogie T, Daily Bread, Maddy O’Neal, TRUTH, and Yheti graced the stages, testing out their fresh IDs and newest tracks since the new year. Maddy O’Neal served two riveting sets, throwing a bass-heavy performance on Friday night and also playing under her house alias Madhaus at the Onyx stage on Saturday. Iconic jam acts like The Disco Biscuits, Lettuce, Spafford, Andy Frasco & The UN, and lespecial hypnotized crowds with their live sounds and improvised instrumentation. The Disco Biscuits also teamed up with luminary visual artist, Jonathan Singer, known for his work alongside Dead & Co and Tipper, to collaborate for the first time with the Biscuits and bring fans a magical breathtaking set.

The lineup was jam-packed with incredible underground bass talents including VCTRE, Chmura, Super Future, G Space, K+Lab, Diamond Saints, and Josh Teed. Even smaller acts showed up big time, including Lumasi, Trip Drop B2B Tree Gaud, Christmas, LilIndigo, and Tesla Nikole, who took over the Opal stage with its impeccable Hennessy sound system. There were flow artists, aerial yoga performers, and fire spinners elegantly dancing throughout the venue which brought even more life to the performances and the special community of Gem and Jam.

There were beautiful connections to be made and experiences to create with the workshops, healing sessions, meditations, group ceremonies, and yoga. Amongst the otherworldly soundscapes, people gathered to interact with live story art, community art spaces, the festival favorites Frick-Frack blackjack, glass blowing, crystals, and so much more. There was even a man in an insanely creative, gigantic praying mantis costume who said he took over a year to create the wearable piece’s wild design.

The atmosphere was truly stellar with all of the amazing food, vendors, and performances. There were tons of flavorful food options at vendors like The Grilled Cheese Incident, 10 Carat Kitchen, and The Pizza Spot. Without a doubt, we will be dreaming about their burgers and grilled cheeses for weeks to come. Other vendors also brought their design A-game, with unique clothing, jewelry, and, of course, gems. Everywhere you went there was a journey waiting for you and that’s why we loved this festival so much.

We got to sit down with the brilliant guitarist, producer, and songwriter, Phyphr, onsite to hear about his new Valley of Death EP and his upcoming tour of the same name. Make sure to stay tuned for that interview to get an exclusive peek into his musical journey and inspiring advice for up-and-comers.

Gem & Jam also partnered with the organization, Green Disco, to help improve their environmental footprint and sell enough Eco-Band add-ons to plant over 150 trees! We were so lucky to create memorable experiences at this wonderful festival and definitely recommend checking it out in years to come.

Would you go to this extraordinary event? Let us know in the comments below or on our socials! Hope to see you at Gem & Jam 2025!

All photos courtesy of the Gem & Jam media team.

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