Everyone get more local… now!

Recapping Resonance: A DIY Music Festival

Photo by PUREDEVOTION

Locals Make it Happen

When you grow up in Arizona, it’s easy to say that there’s nothing to do here.

A lot of people who live here think that moving to California, New York, Illinois, or wherever else will bring them closer to the up-and-coming artists. But finding a local music scene really shouldn’t require you to move states. I thought the same for so long, but what really makes a good underground music scene is seeking out those artists and meeting the people who make it all possible. 

Despite being someone who is a little more shy, I have always loved concerts and live music. It’s a great way to be around a lot of people who enjoy the same things as you, but you aren’t necessarily pressured to make conversation. When you go to enough of the same venues, you start to recognize people, and slowly, it’s a little easier to make new friends and get more familiar with the local scene. Soon enough, you’ll know exactly who to call and how to help when the time comes.

That’s how Ash Uss and her friends accomplished the first annual DIY music festival, Resonance.

the first Resonance

If I told you this whole music festival was planned five weeks before it was executed, would you believe me? Ash Uss couldn’t believe her and her friends pulled it off either. 

From March 15 up to the event on April 25, 2025, Ash recruited over 50 volunteers to find staging equipment, curate the lighting and decor, build the stages, and book all the gigs and vendors. With their venue contract, the festival crew was only able to set up at 1 p.m. the day of the event- only hours before the doors opened at 6:30 p.m. To say the event was divinely timed and supported is an understatement.

The first annual festival was hosted at the IceHouse with three stages, twenty three artists on the lineup, seven local art vendors, and five food and beverage vendors. Ash curated this festival in hopes to inspire artists and attendees to show a night like this is possible - local bands, DJs, and vendors can come together to dance and enjoy music unique to Phoenix, Arizona.

With Arizona’s geopolitical landscape in mind and the recent increase of racial attacks on migrants from the Trump Administration, Ash wanted to uplift the artistry of immigrants and Latinx musicians. She wanted to highlight the “stewards of the sound” with Arizona desert artists like Pijama Piyama with their salsa-cumbia-psychedelia, DJ Tranzo with his cumbia mixes, and Sativan with their contemporary heavy psych.

Pijama Piyama at the Desert Stage

Along with the artists above, Ash wanted to bring in her friends, some established local talent, and newer artists with technical skill and experimental sounds.

Each ticket was only $35. For 23 artists, you could never find that anywhere else. But, in return, the artist's payout is also rarely replicated in Phoenix due to overhead costs at venues. With the proceeds from the event, the bands were able to be paid between $350 to $500 - a revenue uncommon to small artists for a one night gig.

Event Flyers for Resonance

What inspired you to make Resonance?

“I’ve been dreaming up something like Resonance for a few years! I fell in love with the Phoenix underground music scene when I first moved here in 2017 and I’ve watched a lot of the places I love disappear because of the development of downtown, and because of bigger forces at play like gentrification and capitalism.

When I started DJing in 2024, I became even more aware of how difficult it is to find places to do events that are really focused on the artistry & the creative spirit of music, rather than selling tickets or generating bar sales for a venue… so it’s just a perfect storm of factors that makes it really dang hard to do cool stuff in the city. There’s no opportunities and platforms for musicians and artists to get weird and experiment and take risks…

In January, I worked on an event that was a tribute to acid house music… I ended up doing the event at… Strip Mall... I remember being there until 4 a.m. the day before the event, painting neon mushrooms and hanging slinkies from the ceiling, thinking to myself: 'This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.'

…and before I knew it, Resonance was born and we had ourselves a full on music festival. it was beautiful and incredibly successful and that inspires me to keep the momentum going & keep scheming and dreaming!”

-ASH USS (@Trip_Hazard_Ash)

Ash Uss photographed by Nico Rodriguez

BY the numbers

Vendor Photos by Nico Rodriguez

Local food vendors like Monsoon Market, Maya’s Cajun Kitchen, and Urban Rez Eatery were available, along with local art vendors.

Tickets to the music festival and a portion of bar proceeds also gave back to Sonoran Prevention Works, raising $1,200 for the non-profit.

Attendees were also encouraged to tip the artists directly through QR codes leading to their Venmos, CashApps, PayPals, etc.

Missing Spaces

Further into the event space, a large interactive art installation called “Missing Spaces” curated by Jessie Demaree (clarinetist for Jerusafunk) and Seusanna Rivas to honor the missing DIY spaces that shaped the city’s music scene connected the Cathedral stage to the outdoor space. This poster board spanned across the room and honored all the DIY spaces in Phoenix that came before.

Attendees were encouraged to add to the board with any thoughts they wanted to share.

What’s next

This summer, Ash Uss and Josh Caballes will be starting a new monthly series at Strip Mall Coffee called “SOUNDBYTE” Encouraging musicians to be experimental with their sound, the duo will be calling for proposals and will be providing artists with financial resources to rehearse and perform new material.

Ash plans to continue Resonance and grow its reach for local artists seeking to play, while also inspiring crowds to support local musicians in the valley.

"I want Resonance to inspire people to create and make art, but maybe even more importantly, I want it to motivate us to do things a bit differently. Resonance is evidence you can host an affordable event that pays people well. Resonance proved that you don't need huge corporations, big venues, or money from companies that exploit people and artists. When doing shows, you're often told, 'Well, this is just how it is. We don't have the money to pay bands more.' I hope Resonance keeps us accountable in thinking outside of the box and normalizing paying artists well - because clearly, we can!"

- ASH USS

Ash Uss photographed by Nico Rodriguez

SOME Videos from Resonance

Josh Caballes at the Cathedral Stage

Morphia Slow at the Desert Stage

Sativan at the Desert Stage

Hyperbella at the Cathedral Stage

The Color 8 at the Cathedral Stage

Photos by event photographer nico Rodriguez

& More photos by puredevotion