14 Feb 29th–March 6th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | It all goes back to the community.” C3 Presents declined to comment. To look at the lineups of M3F and then Extra Innings, which features Chris Stapleton, Dave Matthews Band, Sheryl Crow and Gin Blossoms, one could theo- rize that the demographic for each event is different enough that they don’t compete with one another. Largay doesn’t believe that. “I like country music. I love Chris Stapleton. I also love Dominic Fike. Music is so versatile now. It’s not like you can pigeon- hole people like that,” he says. So what continues to set M3F apart from other local events? Largay points to an increased focus on immersive experi- ences and art activations at the festival The M3F Instagram account teases elements with names like “Cosmic Forest” and “The Crossway.” And of course, M3F’s nonprofit status is unique. One project Largay is particularly proud of is M3F’s collaboration with local business Cowtown Skateboards on Skate & Create, a program for youth. “Writing checks to beneficiaries is good and very, very necessary, but having some things where we’re more hands-on with,” is great, too, he says, and in Skate & Create, “We teach you how to skateboard, we teach you how to use Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop and then we teach you how to make music and make movies, and at the end of the program, you make a skateboard video, you produce the music behind it, as like your backing track, and then you design a skateboard, and at the end of it, you take home your skate video that you just made, and you take home your skateboard that you just made. “I loved skateboarding as a kid, and I think the subculture, music and skate- boarding, especially in Arizona, go together like peanut butter and jelly. So that’s something that I was personally excited about.” But for M3F to continue to evolve, it requires the support of the community it benefits, which to Largay means advo- cating for local, nonprofit events over corporate, out-of-state ones. “If we value M3F and we think it’s good for the community, then it’s our job and our obligation to speak up for it,” he says. “There will always be a level of competition. That’s business, and that’s the music industry, and I totally understand it. We’re still very successful and continue to grow. “(M3F) is driven and funded and worked on with the intention of giving back to the community. If we don’t support it, if we don’t shine a light on the positive elements that are the good things M3F does, well then, it goes away.” Expanding Horizons from p 13 Confetti floats through the air at the 2019 M3F. (Photo by Jacob Tyler Dunn)
