BY CHRIS COPLAN T hanks to events like M3F and Innings, Phoenix is a solid enough name in the regional festival scene. But of all the fests to call the Valley home (and there have been some proper gems over the years), 8123 Fest feels like an espe- cially vital and relatable notch on the city’s cultural belt. A family affair The event and overarching brand is the brainchild of local faves The Maine (alongside Psyko Steve Presents and the band’s management team). Since its inception in 2017 (8123 runs biannually, FYI), the event has been a chance for the band to connect with their fans, celebrate great artists and affirm their place in local culture. “I think the concept and the reason why we do this festival is the exact same as when we first started,” says cofounder Tim Kirch. “We’re not trying to be the biggest festival in Arizona. It’s really a celebration of our fans and friends and every artist we’ve put on the bill is somebody that we have a relationship with.” While making money is integral to the long-term feasibility of any festival, 8123’s organizers like to think they’re different in some key regards. “Most festivals are going through a lineup trying to figure out if these five artists might bring X amount of tickets and are trying to hit this number,” Kirch says. “That’s never really been a goal with this festival. If we wanted to sell more tickets or do something like that, we’d be spending more money on different artists and whatnot. Really, it’s about a community and making sure fans are watching the first band until the last band.” Stephen Chilton, who owns Psyko Steve Presents, thinks that 8123 isn’t just a cele- bration but a novel way to approach the festival model. “The curation side and the vision is entirely theirs, and helping produce this and make it happen is where we fit in,” he says. “We work on booking the artists, but it’s entirely driven by their feedback and their friends and who they want. Some things make it a lot easier, because it’s all their friends and all their friends who want to play. From my end, one of the hardest parts of any festival is getting your head- liner. With this festival, that’s the one thing we start with. The hardest box is the one we check first.” As hinted at, the band are involved in every single aspect of the fest, and that includes even some of the so-called “grunt work” behind the scenes. “The fest is difficult and it takes a lot of time, but it is the perfect time to show everyone’s strength within the group,” says bassist Garrett Nickelsen. “We’re doing a big LED wall for the show, and normally people would hire some dude to make all the content and stuff. But me and (drummer Patrick Kirch), every day for the last few months, have been making all the content for every song. So not only are we learning 40 songs to play, but it’s also, ‘What do you want to visually show people to represent this song or whatever.’” Nickelsen adds, “And Kennedy (Brock), our guitar player, is making props.” A working-class band For those who work regularly with The Maine, this core attitude is vital to both the festival’s success as well as how the band have kept going for nearly two decades. “I think they are really humble people and they’re a working-class band,” Kirch says. “There’s a lot of artists that are chasing just the stardom of it. The band’s walking around the festival all day long, just experiencing stuff with their fans and really celebrating alongside them.” It’s an approach and attitude that’s rooted in a kind of problem-solving. “Their overall success, I think, comes back to that idea that they’re willing to do anything for a larger idea that’s even beyond themselves,” Kirch says. “We’ve self-released seven albums at this point. We have a digital subscription service that we launched for (other) artists to have fan clubs online. We’ve done a million different things that is very much like, ‘We have an issue, let’s try to solve it,’ and everybody’s down to roll their sleeves and do the work collectively.” It’s that hands-on approach that even extends to 8123’s curation. For The Maine, it’s all deeply personal. “It was hard to get the lineup we got,” Nickelsen says. “Like, The Starting Line. If you’d told me that they’d be playing my birthday party, I would cry. They were such an important band for all of us; they’re one of the reasons we’re in a band. I think there’s going to be a lot of people who know them. But a lot of our fans are younger, and so they’ll know a couple of songs, but they’re so incredible that I think they’re going to gain a lot from just the show. We’ll be backstage seeing their entire set for sure.” And that’s just the stuff they can actu- ally talk about regarding the lineup. “We have some surprises that we’re not talking about that,” Nickelsen says. “I think it’s going to be exciting and just bring this sense of, ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe what happened.’” The fest, which also features perfor- mances from Bad Suns, Diva Bleach, Cliffdiver, Real Friends and Hellogoodbye, isn’t just a celebration of the band’s taste. It’s also very much about the band recon- necting with their own music. The 2025 edition will see The Maine play two days: Day one features performances of 2015’s “American Candy” and 2023’s “The Maine” in full, followed by a career-spanning set on day two. “That one’s such a special record for us, because it kind of felt like a weird rebirth for us,” says Nickelsen of “American Candy.” He adds, “Like, we’d done four albums before, and for most bands, maybe you get four albums. It’s something that we’ve played in sets ever since. It’s a weird thing because it doesn’t feel that old to me. Like, that somehow still feels new in this very weird way. It’s a little bizarre, but I’m excited to play stuff we normally don’t play. Like, ‘I can’t believe we wrote this, like this is such a strange song.’” Bigger than the music In the ways that matter most, 8123 is ulti- mately a giant party for fans of The Maine. But those involved think it’s even bigger still, and that so many important connec- tions have been forged through the event. “We have so many fans that just have group chats with other people from around THE MAINE EVENT With 8123 Fest, The Maine have built a rockin’ family. The Main pose on stage during 8123 Fest in 2019.
