McDowell Mountain Music Festival (M3F)’s 2016 lineup was revealed Saturday, finally allowing the 13th annual event to boast one of the biggest acts ever seen on an M3F stage: Beck.
“We’ve been trying to get him for a while,” said Nate Largay, public relations coordinator for M3F.
While the full lineup and set times have not been announced, the following national acts are set to perform at the music festival March 11-13, 2016 in the Margaret T. Hance Park:
• Friday: Animal Collective, Beck, Big Wild
• Saturday: Goldfish, GRiZ, The Main Squeeze, M!nt, Porter Robinson, St. Lucia
• Sunday: The Avett Brothers, Bird Dog, Gary Clark Jr., Kaleo
“One of the things we pride ourselves on is three solid days, and a lot of people have a lot of fun over the days,” Largay said.
As a part of the announcement festivities, M3F held its third-annual Yardstock at Culinary Dropout at The Yard on Saturday night, featuring performances from four local bands: Harper and the Moths, CooBee Coo, Huckleberry and Fairy Bones. These musicians will all perform at M3F 2016 as well.
“It’s a good opportunity to play with a lot of different eclectic bands, and a lot of good national acts come in, like Beck and The Avett Brothers,” said David Campbell, bassist of Harper and the Moths. “It’s just a big festival, so we’re really honored to be a part of it and add our own take to it.”
A handful of local acts will also be returning, after performing in the 2015 festival this March: Captain Squeegee, The Haymarket Squares, The Senators and Gus Campbell.
In addition, local band Ruca has been added to the lineup.
To make the most out of the 2016 edition of the music festival and its lineup, Largay said the M3F team will be shooting for better production, eliminating the divide between local and national artists.
“We had a local stage last year,” Largay said. “We’re transforming that into a second stage to have some national acts on that. We’re trying to work on the flow, logistically, and trying to get people to move around and have it not just be a one-stage festival.”
This will also bring local musicians more opportunities to share the stage with national acts.
“We love showcasing local talent,” Largay said. “There’s a little more local talent on the main stage this year than we did last year.”
Even with a strong lineup already set, M3F will feature more than just music in 2016. While continuing to benefit two local nonprofits — the Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation and UMOM New Day Centers — the music festival will enhance its sustainability efforts, said M3F employee Raquel Gonzales.
With an added emphasis on culture, M3F will also include live art collaborations.
“We’re looking at doing more broad strokes, not just music,” Gonzales said. “There are actual cultural elements, where local and not-so-local artists are going to come in and do some live art.”
People purchasing VIP tickets can expect enhanced benefits as well.
“We’re excited for the folks that are die-hards that are coming in and are going to invest in the VIP area, because obviously we’re going to treat them like kings and queens,” Gonzales said.
More information on other local and national musicians on the lineup, artists and more will soon be announced.
Contact the columnist at Emily.Liu@asu.edu
