The Portfolio of Elizabeth Seitzinger

The infectious good energy and vibes were sky-high at this year’s Gem & Jem Festival in Tucson, 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.

Performances

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.

Food & Vendors

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, I 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 I loved this festival so much.

Interview With Phyphr

I also 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. Check out my podcast below and interview on Heard It Here First to get an exclusive peek into his musical journey and inspiring advice for up-and-comers.

“Historically, I’ve been the kind of guy to just get nervous for sets. Some of that has started to fade away and I’m starting to finally have some real fun with it. It’s always been fun but it’s good to be able to let go and feel more confident. This tour has been that for me, closing an old chapter and opening a new one.”

– Phyphr

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! I was so lucky to create memorable experiences at this wonderful festival and definitely recommend checking it out in years to come.

I created this assignment for my Senior Capstone course at Colorado State University to highlight my professionalism as a journalist and showcase my skills and abilities in video editing, interviewing, podcasting, and report writing with a feature article and project.