Animated attendees gathered for The 14th Annual Gem & Jam Festival (February 4-6, 2022) in the scenic desert landscape of Tucson, Arizona, to be taken away by the audio, escape in the visual, and indulge in a full-spectrum sensory experience—an experience encapsulating even the non-physical depths of community. This art and music festival— with over 250 programmed acts—once again, delivered  unforgettable entertainment, education, and natural beauty.

Here, Grateful Web dives deep into the multi-sensory experience that is Gem & Jam Festival 2022… to re-indulge, if you were an attendee, and to dive in, if you missed out.

1. Touch:

Immediately upon entering the festival gates was the Family Zone...a world of abstract objects awaiting people of all ages to come, touch, and play! From arts, crafts, and projects—to hoops, balancing and aerial equipment—to juggle props ... the interactive co-creation was thick.

Next was the vendor row—a “Shakedown Street”—of colorful, exquisite and enthralling shops, brimming with shifting fabrics, tactile gems and minerals, illuminating tchotchkes, and just way too much more you wanted to sink your hands into.

Interactive benches, jungle gyms, playhouses—and even immaculate art installations—were scattered throughout the grounds, readily available to touch and explore with your crew.

2. Sight:

The “sight sense” was fully thriving this past weekend throughout Gem & Jam 2022. The pronounced and dexterous stage production effortlessly complimented Arizona’s prominent mountainous backdrop.  Most evenings, while cascading pink sky hues embellished the desert scapes each night.

Parades of performers flooded the main road— sprinkled with shiny gems and minerals—to the Emerald Stage, taking fest-goers on a visual ride past circus performers, hoopers, acrobats, stilt-walkers, and multitudes more.

3. Smell:

When you passed the fire performers, smelling burning fuel along the way. These oh-so-common festival scents allowed for a sense of nostalgia to instantaneously fill you throughout, giving you the feeling, “I’m right where I need to be at this moment. I’m home.”

4. Taste:

The food vendors upheld both smell & taste….This sensory experience is self-explanatory. Read on for Grateful Web’s delectable food vendor spotlights:

• Super Heady Tacos
• Grilled Cheese Incident
• North indian Cuisine
• Organical Grillaz
• Funky Pita

5. Hearing | Music

After a slight delay due to high winds, the Quartz and Opal Stages kicked off musical programming Friday afternoon.

Shortly after gates opened, The Bennu’s psychedelic, progressive, and electronic rock symphony was felt throughout. Unique improvisational sensibilities and funky female-led vocals welcomingly invited attendees into the grounds, many planting themselves onto tapestries.

Wind carried vibrations as day one of the festival commenced. At this point, electronicac was the sole genre, and Project Aspect played the Quartz Stage, featuring Melody Lines’ Nick Hadden on drums. MZGa Gem & Jam Festival debut artist—delivered infectious hip-hop-influenced electronica to a packed Opal Stage.

Random Rab’s Emerald Stage sunset set felt like a true family reunion, as travelers holistically came together for the fest’s first headliner. The crescendo of music from Random Rab was synced with the rise of the evening euphoria.

Leading with “Harmonize,” the vigor—yet gentleness—of the strings and vocals of Rising Appalachia strewed over the crowd like a profound blanket. Dressed in winter furs under the crescent moon,they stood tall in the middle of the stage, huddled together with a multitude of instruments, and shouted out it was one of the coldest shows they have ever played.  The fruitful set contained crowd favorites like “Pretty Lil’ Foot” and “Medicine.”

Lab Group continued Emerald Stage festivities with a poignant CharlestheFirst memorial, giving praise to the community and holding up a crown as the crowd collectively shouted “Charles” into the air.  People from all walks came on stage to speak tributes of CharlestheFirst, while visuals displayed precious memories. The set was slow and intentional, and it built up to be one of the most musically and rhythmically stimulating of the weekend.

Plantrae provided his familiar deep frequencies to ground all, for a somatically synced experience.  Violin paired with electronica will always be a crowd-pleaser.

Skip over to the indoor Onyx Stage, where Daily Bread—vinyl cut-master and electronic hip-hop soul project— began to play a much anticipated set. Opening with “Street Treasure,”  he ended with “Thicker Than A Snicka,” managing to throw an epic Gorillaz, “Dirty Harry” remix in between.

Closing Friday’s main stage was Liquid Stranger, who gave an instantaneous shoutout to Arizona for its badassery. Multiple collaborations and shoutouts were sneaked into the free-form bass set, including an appearance by Wreckno performing vocals for their new collaborated single, “HOLLA.”

Lotus debuted, quick and heavy,  with a “Hammerstrike.”  Jam-centric tunes and hypnotic visuals, flowed the audience through “Catabombs” > “Shimmer and Out.”. They closed with an extended “Greet the Mind” and “128.”

Wreckno closed Friday night with high-energy  4 AM musical goodness.

A bright and beautiful sunshine-filled Saturday had attendees flooding the camp grounds, as they  prepped for day two of the festival.

Capyac’s instrumental disciplines were celestial in funk, as they captivated the sun-bathing audience, from improvisational jams, to heavy layered funk. Jimkata, hot out of a four-year hiatus, served the crowd their cultivated synth-rock flow. Meanwhile, Moontricks busted out with both  “No Diggity”  and Opiuo covers, before finishing the set with their original fan favorite, “Home.” Then… the crowd was enchanted and ready to dive into the multi-genre, ever-changing bass artist people know as Maddy O’Neal.

Maddy spoke to Grateful Web about her Gem & Jam 2022 festival experience:

“Gem & Jam has always been one of my absolute favorite festivals for years. I've played, like, six or seven of them, between my old music projects and now... [it] always has such a family vibe and certain people I only run into at that fest, which makes for an epic reunion.”

What’s her signature sound?  Think deep experimentation, incorporating soulful melodic overtones, mixed with driven basslines, glitched out hip-hop grooves, and modular drum set rhythms.

“I debuted a couple new songs in the Gem & Jam set....one coming out in April which is a rad collaboration with my bud Homemade Spaceship. We've worked together before on my song "Extra Celestial," so you know if there's a round two, it automatically levels up. My festival sets lately have been a super fun opportunity to try out new things, like tease new songs, and interweave more of this DJ style in with all my originals as well. Lots of fun blocks of tunes I haven't played before.”

(View Full Maddy O’Neal Interview Below!)

Shortly after, Yak Attack graced the Quartz Stage, their music highly electronic with some underlying bass tones.

OPIUO’s set featured tons of new music, exemplifying his hard work in the studio, and e producing a glitchy, hip-hop heavy set for Gem & Jam fans.

Then Dirtwire began their set with a beautiful  reverence and acknowledgment of the local indigenous land.. The slow, quiet desert air fell onto attendees right before the fiddle erupted.

And then, there was Shpongle. The familiar, yet mystic, journey of Shpongle’s sound, partnered with an other-worldly visual journey, produced an auditory apogee “Divine Moments of Truth” knowingly perplexed the crowd, and a unison of sensory exploration was created.

Head Counselor of Dirtybird Campout, Claude Vonstroke, set the vibes high for a late-night, house-music filled warehouse extravaganza, bringing lovers of all genres to come party under one roof. While his first hour  brought classic,  familiar Dirtybird tracks, the second hour brought more experimental. Some shades of his other persona, Barclay Crensha, and a segment of DnB, brought the wubs out for all the homies.  Following, Jack London closed out the night.

Sunday on the Emerald Stage was a festival-goer’s (and bluegrass lover’s) dream. The high-altitude bluegrass brought to the stage by Hot Buttered Rum was the perfect setting for having a damned good time. Vocals embellished their indie folk root system, while guitar, banjo, mandolin, drums and keys formed a patchwork of lively melodies.

Hot Buttered Rum commented on their experience:

“Our buddy Rae Irelan came and sat in with us in San Diego. It was fun, so we invited her to LA the next night. That was fun too, and we had an extra seat in the Sprinter van, so we invited her to come to Flagstaff and then Gem & Jam. It was great to sing with her, and I loved the spontaneity of the whole thing, something I've missed in the last two years!”

Brothers Comatose—five-piece bluegrass/country/rock band—introduced the Emerald Stage to another string-filled nighttime set, filled with lengthy violin riffs, as well as covers of  =Ginuwine’s “Pony” and Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie.”

(View Full Hot Buttered Rum Full Interview Below!)

Then Sunsquabi arrived, high off their headlining Mission Ballroom show. Their much anticipated set completely delivered a musical journey, beginning with the steady, funky beat “Pablito” off their album, Odyssey. The transcension from tenacious rhythms, to deep and spacey jams, rooted in funk.

When asked about the progression of their embossed genre, Sunsquabi keyboardist and synth player, Josh Farmain, commented, “We don't really like to limit ourselves genre-wise. It's more like, we either come up with something live, or one of us will have an idea. We don't limit ourselves to one sound, you know? I mean, it just is basically, like, do we all like it?”

Kevin Donohue added, “It’s awesome when we’re in the studio, because it's just like, we're just having fun. You're not really trying super hard. And it doesn't feel like you're working on the album. You're whittling this thing into exactly what you want it to be. And yeah, obviously, we're like our worst critics. We're always being, like, I hate it, delete it now. Do it again, actually.”

They showcased a new track, “Middle of the Night,” with vocals from Iya Terra Lead Singer, X, which was a seasoned nod to their full-time duty of progression, and hard work in the study. Sunsquabi spoke specifically about how the evolution of “Middle of the Night,” a collaboration with Nate from Iya Terra, is their favorite song of their upcoming album release this fall. Chris Anderson (drums) concluded, ”Josh: “We’ve always had a big connection to Gem & Jam, and the people who put on the festival. So, like, it really does feel like coming home when we come out here.”

(View Full Sunsquabi Interview Below!)

Next up…ATYYA. His set felt grounded into the desert, as if the translation from audio was directed right towards nature, and it was not only accepted, but brought forth in a tribal spirit throughout the frequency waves. Elongated beats allowed for a deep understanding and trance-like state, bringing passionate and ecstatic dance throughout the crowd. It was like being tested and teased to go into a deep flow-like state where the unknown lies.

ATYYA spoke of his experience at Gem & Jam:

“It was amazing. The festival was super vibrant and fun. I was only there for 7 hours, but It was the best 7 hours on the road in 2022 so far! I saw a bunch of friends, and checked out a few sets and the art gallery.”

He also spoke of his inspiration for his latest album, Cycles In Flux (Out Now!) to Grateful Web:

“I'm always creatively exploring when I make music, and in this album, I had some new inspiration with the bassline grooves, and layering some midbasses in cool new ways. I also tried a new mastering technique on this album with transient shapers and clippers that gave a new level of fatness to the drums.“

(View Full ATYYA Interview Below!)

STS9​​ brought the “sonic heat and kinetic energy in the cold desert air.”

The “ABCees” opener was a familiar and grounding exploration of their fascinating improvisational structure they are known for. Not before long, they entered into their full power, and shifted into a slight DnB backbeat for a more non-traditional ending to the song.

Compassionate lyricism transcended into a rhythmic “Blu Mood.” The “Crystal Instrument” felt appropriately placed, as they sandwiched into “Dragon City,” for a full-on Sunday party at church, back into “Crystal Instrument.” The ever-changing pace kept the crowd on their toes, as they allowed the tribe to hit their full power. The set continued with “Looking back on Earth,” and “Like I Do,” and then into a gnarly and extended “ReEmergence” and “Menacer.”

The consistent testing and tribulations of how they can so seamlessly build off each other is the best part of a live STS9 show, and is what makes these experiences so priceless. The respect is ever-present for a full-force jam-tronica five-piece to completely triumph over the electronic music scene.

Fest fave, “Strange Games,” soon followed, which got the crowd right where they energetically needed to be. “Common Objects Strangely Placed'' and “Glogli '' closed out the set, as Tiberus on visuals focused all light beams on the giant beaming quartz center- stage. 

Melvin Seals & JGB closed the whole festival with an incredulous tomfoolery of good times. Marcus Rezak (Artist at Large) joined the band for their appearance at the indoor Onyx Stage.

The five senses are commonly and scientifically linked to the full-spectrum functions of the human physique. In text, “the five [senses] are directly related to a [person’s] ability to perceive the external environment in which [they live.]” These senses, both singularly, and as a collective, allow us to fully absorb our surrounding environments in totality for optimum presence.

This pioneered event is a gem of an exhibition (no pun intended) in the duality of the art and music industries, providing an abundance of diverse interactive extracurriculars on-site as well.

Full Interviews | Appendix:

Maddy O’Neal

Overall, how was your Gem & Jam experience? Did you get to enjoy any music or elements or the festival pre or post-set?

Maddy: “Gem and Jam has always been one of my absolute favorite festivals for years. I think I've played like 6 or 7 of them between my old music project and now... always has such a family vibe and certain people I only run into at that fest which makes for an epic reunion. I got to catch a lot of music actually : Veil, Opiuo, Shpongle, Claude Vonstroke and Jack Lndn.... all very epic sets to catch!”

Any new projects that are coming out soon or that just came out that you would like to highlight? (New Music, Shows, Collaborations, ETC)

Maddy: “I have a song coming out this Thursday actually. It's a single titled "Evergreen" and it's one of the last lingering singles that made it out of 2020 finished and just now getting out. It features Liinks on vocals and it's a VIBE. LOTS of new music in the works gonna be trickling out the entire year... Working on larger projects so definitely stay tuned on Spotify! Also have some of my most exciting festival announcements for the summer still coming soon ! It's going to be a great year!”

How were these new projects interwoven into your G&J set this past week? 

Maddy: “I debuted a couple new songs in the Gem & Jam set....one coming out in April which is a rad collaboration with my bud Homemade Spaceship. We've worked together before on my song "Extra Celestial" so you know if there's a round two it is automatically a level-up. My festival sets lately have been a super fun opportunity to try out new things like tease new songs and interweave more of this DJ style in with all my originals as well. Lots of fun blocks of tunes I haven't played before.”

Have you had any revolutionary or “A-Ha” moments when making new music lately? Any new waves of inspiration for this album?

Maddy: “Honestly, yes so hard! After having that year off touring I realized that I had really needed the down time to refocus my vision and really listen in a way that I hadn't been when I was just in my go-go-go mode. It's so important for writing and for achieving that next level of your creativity and it feels so good to feel like the more I write the more and more "ME" I am becoming. It's really a pretty incredible feeling. Everything comes in waves and I'm definitely riding one right now in the studio.”

If you could use your musical platform to truly achieve your wildest dreams, what would that be and how? 

Maddy: “I think the highest purpose I have for doing what I do is to inspire others... that is the ultimate goal...I want to be able to use my platform to show people that anything is possible...to keep pushing no matter who you are or what you do...your future is in your hands. The fact that I am a female role model on top of that has always been a source of importance to me because starting out I had very few female role models to look up to and hardly any options for mentors so if I can be that for someone else to achieve their dreams that is the dream…”

Any other set highlights from your time at G&J?!

Maddy: “The whole festival is a vibe....One of my favorite parts is really just the people it brings together. The crowd was super friendly and respectful and the lineup was a perfect blend of musical stylings ...those are always my favorite festivals. No one wants to see the same thing for a weekend straight!”

Sunsquabi: Featuring Kevin Donohue (Guitars/Keys/Production) Josh Fairman (Bassist/Synth) and Chris Anderson (Drums)

Kevin Donohue (Guitars/Keys/Production): “Phenomenal. I mean, it's really hard to describe it, to be honest, but it feels like that venue feels like an inside version of Red Rocks. Getting to play a show that you've had on the books for, like almost two years is phenomenal. We've just been waiting for this to happen and the climate to be okay to do it. And so there's an element of that! It’s like, we're finally here, making it happen, at a brand new venue that they built from scratch. It's a really world-class place and it's five minutes from my house. All our people showed out there and it really turned out to be a huge show for us!”

Josh Fairman (Bassist/Synth): “Plus, [giving] our crew, sound and lights, a place like that... It's like giving them the right tools to showcase their skills. Our crew got to shine. They were thriving. Yeah, it was like it was the best production we've ever put on in Denver.:”

Awesome! You guys have some mountain shows coming up, right?

Kevin: “Totally! We're playing Winter Park, we're playing Vail, we're playing Crested Butte, Steamboat Springs and Frisco. We’re at this point a couple big runs or shows a year at really big venues, and then a little rounds in the mountains. At this point [Post-COVID], we’ve only got to play a couple of times in our home state and it just makes it sweeter, you know, to sleep in your own bed after that.”

Y’all have a new album coming out. Want to share some of the vision?

Kevin: “So, some of the songs we wrote during the pandemic, some of them we wrote like again two or three years ago. Others were like jams that we had been doing [jammin’ live during practice]. And then, at the Mishawaka, we did a couple of that turned into songs!  Our last album was really organic like that. As well, we're just refining our process a lot, it's really exciting.”

Josh: “Yeah, it's like we have some good friends and some new people that we've been collaborating with, like over track with the guys from Cherub, like basically stemmed out of like an inside joke at Summer Camp Music Festival.” 

Chris Anderson (Drums): “Wasn't that at Bonnaroo?”

Josh: “Oh yeah. So it continued, for so long I forgot the origin - HA!. Yeah. And then we got Dom from Big Gigantic you what to do to do a track with us. And that was really cool.”

Kevin: “It's so great in Colorado, man. It's the Colorado community, but it's also collaborating with people remotely, too. We just [remotely] finished this [new song that] actually has lyrics on it! That's what's amazing nowadays. Music has always been that tool to connect everybody together. But now we have these tools that, like I think over the pandemic times, everybody got really good at using the tools because this is the only way we could connect with each other. Which makes it awesome to collaborate, especially if we've never met.  It's wild.”

Editor’s Note: *Referring to the new song, “Midnight Panther,” featuring California-based, Mike Love from Iya Terra. 

Chris: “Yeah, we feel more like a band now. We had so much time! When we’re on the road, we're just so tired, going from show-to-show and it's really going over your head. You're kind of taking things for granted. And now it's like, you don't want to miss anything, you want to make everything count.”

Awesome. So you guys have some festivals coming up this summer as well. Are you excited to integrate the new album into the festival site? 

Kevin: “Yes! There’s still four or five songs that we haven't really fully worked out as the live version. So over the next year, we're trying to save lives during the festival season, they'll be ready to go. We have a thing with, like, holding on to a live version of a song before we release it. Basically because we feel like the live versions will evolve when we play them so many times.

We'll come back and finish in the studio with stuff that we discover from playing a lot. And it's like, you know, by the time we've played it out live, obviously with this album now, we're like, OK, it's done. We're sending it to master. That’s what has happened for the last three years. Every show that you might add a little part for me, like, I don't really like this part here, and that's kind of a fun part. I don't get the audio recording. You listen to you like I was like, This didn't like this, right? And then it keeps growing, and that was the best.”

What do you like most excited to play from the new album Live? Sort of like a certain song or like a new vibe. 

Kevin: “Yeah, definitely. All of our favorite songs to play right now are from the new album. We're throwing it down tonight [at Gem and Jam] with Midnight Panther, the one we did with Nate from it with the lyrics. There's this huge section in the middle that just always gets everybody, you know, name in and it's like, just feels amazing. But like, yeah, definitely the favorite song to play right now.”

So you guys describe yourself as “hydro-funk.” Has that evolved? Do you still feel that fits the description of your collective?

Josh: “You know, I think it used to be more hydro funk, and now….”

Kevin: “It's more like it's more of a rock thing now.”

Josh: “Yeah, it’s more electronic fusion. We have always had more funky songs. But now, we're a little heavier. And honestly, the 

Kevin: “The guitar playing & hitting the drums so hard. That's just kind of bringing in elements of new music you're listening to.”

Josh: “Yeah, but just this past year, I mean, it's still like there's house jams and funky. There's funky elements, forever.”

Kevin: “Forever!”

Josh: “I think it's like electronic fusion, like rock electronic-fusion..”

Josh: “Yeah, that's more accurate.”

Kevin: “It used to be a more fluid-funky kind of stuff. I mean, we're so we're just sort of all over the map that it's hard to like say! “

Chris: “Definitely more of a rock-feel now. Sometimes electronic reggae, hip-hop vibes.”

Josh: “We don't really like to limit ourselves genre wise. It's more like we either come up with something live or one of us will have an idea. And if it moves like if Kevin's like, check this thing out and I'm like, Oh, I like that, then we work on the song more.If one of us is making the music and the other one likes it, it works. We don’t limit ourselves to one sound, you know? I mean, it just is basically like, do we like it? Do all of us like it? Then we decide.”

Kevin: “Which is awesome here in the studio because it's just like, we're just having fun. You're not trying like, really try. And it doesn't feel like you're working on the album. You're whittling this thing into exactly what you want it to be. It's just like, we're just paying you, figuring we're just like, you know, having fun. And yeah, obviously, we're like our worst critics. We're always being like, I hate it, delete it now. Do it again, actually.”

So what's in store for tonight? What can we expect?

Kevin: “Oh yeah, everything! But it's Chris’s last festival Saturday before he is a dad. Yeah. So there's a lot of energy, right?

Josh: “Yeah. Just coming out of The Mission again,  it’s just really inspiring to me. And, you know, so many friends working here [at Gem and Jam]. And it's just a really family vibe here. We’ve always had a big connection to Gem and jam and the people who put on the festival. So like, it really does feel like coming home when we come out here.”

What is upcoming for you all? 

Chris: “We have upcoming Resonate at Suwannee, where we're doing three sets, one of which is a Keller/Squabi set, which is a collaboration we put together, like last year when he invited us out to Summer Camp. Which is so dope because it was like the best impromptu thing we’ve ever done. As well as Domefest (Legend Valley), Electric and High Sierra. We always have gone up there. We're finally making it back to, you know, we're going to the caverns with Papadosio as well. You can expect a big Fall tour as well.”

ATYYA

Overall, how was your G&J experience? Did you get to enjoy any music or elements or the festival pre or post-set?

Tyy: “It was amazing. The festival was super vibrant and fun. I was only there for 7 hours, but It was the best seven hours on the road in 2022 so far! I saw a bunch of friends and checked out a few sets and the art gallery.”

You recently came out with a new album - in your own words, how is this an evolution of your musical journey? How was it getting to interweave these news songs into your G&J set?

Tyy: “My new album Cycles in Flux just came out on Jan 19, 2022. It's a part of my 140-centric musical direction that set course back in 2018 with the creation of 'Limitless LP' and continued with singles "Ritual" and "Animalistic". However, During Lockdown I took a brief pause from that sound, and made a beautiful 8 track downtempo album called "Odyssey". It features future Garage/Chillstep Drum Patterns, Rhodes, guitar, and vocals woven together with lush sound design. Once shows started filling my calendar again I continued on the Deep Dubstep-focused style, but with some extra excitement to have some fresh content for the dancefloor. I think that's what helped this album be my favorite 140's to date. I definitely played most of the album out at my set, and loved it!”

Have you had any revolutionary or “A-Ha” moments when making new music lately? Any new waves of inspiration for this album?

Tyy: “Most definitely. I'm always creatively exploring when I make music, and in this album I had some new inspiration with the Bassline grooves and layering some Midbasses in cool new ways. I also tried a new mastering technique on this album with transient shapers and clippers that gave a new level of fatness to the drums.”

If you could use your music career to truly achieve your wildest dreams, what would that be and how?

Tyy: “I'd love to have my career grow to a place where I can afford to buy a nice house in BC Canada with a mind-blowing custom-built music studio, guest bedrooms, a pool, sauna, and a home gym. I'd like to be able to afford to fly my friends and family to any of my gigs whenever i'd like to. Traveling alone can get lonely sometimes. Finally, I also want to help thousands of music producers make the music they dream of through music education. I believe through staying dedicated to my career and true to myself, all can be achieved.”

Do you have a favorite crystal or gem?!

Tyy: “My favorite gem is Gem and Jam!”

Hot Buttered Rum | Nat Keefe

Overall, how was the band's G&J experience? Did they get to enjoy any music or elements or the festival pre or post-set?

Nat: “What a scene! You can tell it's a long-standing tradition. I could have stayed longer. We got to catch the Sunsquabi set, and of course our buddies Brothers Comatose, both stellar sets.”

Any new projects that are coming out soon or that just came out that you would like to highlight? (New Music, Shows, Collaborations, ETC)

Nat: “ I'm happy about how the band is playing these days. New for us is having a sixth member, Jeff on piano and organ. We're trying to make the big moments bigger, and the small moments smaller, trying to do the bluegrass moments authentic bluegrass, and the jams deep and open, trying to sing honestly and real. There's a great social chemistry in the van these days, it's a lot of fun to be in Hot Buttered Rum! We just take the shows we think will be fun and meaningful, and don't do anything we won't have fun with. I think at a certain point in my life I was more set on world domination, but I'm happy with how things have shaken out. I'm exactly where I want to be.  We're working on an album to record in March. Erik and I have been writing some stuff from the ground up. We've been trying some things on stage but there will be some things on the album we've never played live, which isn't how we've done it in the past. It will be interesting to see how it goes! We'll keep you in the loop as the process goes on.”

How were these new projects interwoven into your G&J set this past week?

Nat: “Our buddy Rae Irelan came and sat in with us in San Diego. It was fun so we invited her to LA the next night. That was fun too, and we had an extra seat in the Sprinter van, so we invited her to come to Flagstaff and then Gem & Jam. It was great to sing with her, and I loved the spontaneity of the whole thing, something I've missed in the last two years!”

Any other set highlights from your time at G&J?

Nat: “On the Gem and Jam stage, singing "Busted In Utah," I remembered the time we got busted in Arizona, in 2004. I'd been up all night being ridiculous with friends, and was sleeping in my bunk of our old coach bus as it barreled along I-8. Then Bryan shakes me awake and says, "the cops are making us all get out of the bus!" Not what you want to hear when you're hungover! The cops made us stand in a line on the side of the road and questioned us as the dogs sniffed around the bus. Not a highlight of my life. They didn't find anything more than a little cannabis, and sent us on our way. It could have been a lot worse, and likely worse if we'd had different color skin or whatnot. Was this a good use of public resources?? Probably not.”

special thanks to Adrian Salinas for helping with edits!