Photo courtesy of Truemusicfestival.com.True Music Festival, founded by Jarid Dietrich, is coming to the Scottsdale area this December. With its slogan, “One day will change everything,” it promises a large, one-day national line up that hasn’t been seen in Arizona yet.
So far the headlining artists include Bassnectar, The Flaming Lips, Wiz Khalifa, Capital Cities and Lord Huron, but Dietrich said there are plans for additional artists, and a major stress on including local acts.
“I wanted to give them a stage to stand on to show the world, ‘This is us,’” Dietrich said. “I think they go unnoticed because of the location, and I want to give them the opportunity to reach for the stars.”
According to Dietrich, Arizona just isn’t put on the national stage enough. As a top city in the U.S., with beautiful winter weather, it makes sense that the state should be a stop on the map for music lovers.
“In my opinion Arizona is such a rich and artistic city … and our goal is to give Arizona something to be proud of this year and even years to come,” Dietrich said.
The festival will take place at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, a 140-acre venue, on Dec. 14. With such an expansive site, Dietrich says there is serious room to grow, not only for this year’s festival, but also for the future of TMF.
Aaron Studebaker, director of marketing at Salt River Fields, seems to be on the same page as TMF’s founder.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Studebaker said. “It’s something new for our facility, because it’s the largest non-country show here, and we’ve never had artists of this magnitude or that fit into the EDM, rock and other top genres.”
Since it is still early in the planning stages, local bands, vendors and possible charity involvement are not yet established. However, one thing can be said for Dietrich’s plans: True Music Festival will be an event all about making Arizona a nationally known hub for music and an opportunity for natives to make something their own.
“It’s something where we want Arizona to take upon themselves and turn into something they’re proud of and stand behind,” Dietrich said.
On the festival grounds, attendees will have access that isn’t usually made available. VIP access-holders will be able to explore the entirety of the grounds, including the backstage area, where they can interact with both local and national artists.
“It will be like an experience that most people aren’t expecting,” Dietrich said. “That’s something we’re really trying to do. We want to wow people, and when people leave, we want them to say, ‘This is incredible.’”
Reach the reporter at kgumpert@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @cat2bekittenmee
