I n 2004, wanting to do something to benefit the community, John Largay’s company, Westpac Construction Inc., put on a little event called the McDowell Mountain Music Festival. The idea was somewhat novel: Instead of lining the pockets of the organizers, the proceeds from the festival would go to local charities. Today, as the 20th festival is about to open, the mission is still the same, though the numbers have grown. From the first year, which hosted 2,000 people with “hundreds of lawn chairs, one stage (and) Grandma’s cooking,” the event, which now goes by the moniker M3F, saw tens of thousands of guests and more than 30 acts on three stages in 2023. And since its inception, M3F has donated almost more than $5 million to nonprofit organizations, most of whom are local. Though the mission doesn’t change, the specifics often do. For instance, for 2024 M3F has moved from its longtime home at Margaret T. Hance Park a little farther up Central Avenue to Steele Indian School Park, a move RJ Largay says opens up opportunities for the future. Largay, son of John, has been involved with the festival as a volun- teer, intern and finally, for close to a decade, as a talent and marketing manager. “I think the question got brought up a couple years ago: ‘Well, where do you see yourself in five years,’” RJ Largay says. “And with the current market and where things are headed and the growth of the festival … we weren’t going to be able to fit any more people in Margaret T. Hance Park, so we started to poke around and see what else was an option, and Steele Indian School Park got presented by the city of Phoenix, and it felt like a really great opportunity. “In the next five years, we hope that we can turn this thing into 30, 35,000 people a day and make it very eclectic. … It’s always been a local staple, but maybe it can become a national staple. Maybe we can shine a light on doing something cool for our community, and maybe it inspires more festivals and more events to take this approach,” he adds. Another aspect of M3F’s evolution is its lineup. The first festival showcased sets by David Crosby, Keb’ Mo’, Derek Trucks and Little Feat. Over the years, artists including Bon Iver, Flaming Lips, Odeza, RÜFÜS DU SOL, Dwight Yoakam, Slightly Stoopid, The Shins and many more performed. In earlier iterations, M3F has hosted more local bands, such as Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra, Wyves, Banana Gun, Sara Robinson and the Midnight Special, Fayuca and Decker. This year, the lineup definitely skews a little younger, Largay says. EDM artist Lane 8 and singer-songwriter Dominic Fike headline a bill that also includes British EDM duo Gorgon City, indie rockers Hippo Campus and Danish pop trio WhoMadeWho. “The overwhelming majority of our fanbase wanted to move in this direction, so we did that,” he explains. One unwelcome change for 2024: C3 Presents, the organizers of Innings Festival, announced a second weekend of music, which they named Extra Innings and scheduled for March 1 and 2 – the same weekend as M3F. Largay says the attitude of the M3F team was, “‘Well, this is another hurdle to overcome,’ and we were confident we were going to be able to do it.” Still, he found C3’s decision “a little tone-deaf and insensitive. There’s room for both of us. Why would you go out of the way to inhibit the growth of something that’s so good for the community? It’s not like we’re over here making millions and millions of dollars and putting it in our pockets. >> p 14 M3F has moved from its longtime home at Margaret T. Hance Park a little farther up Central Avenue to Steele Indian School Park, a move RJ Largay says opens up opportunities for the future. Largay, son of John, has been involved with the festival as a volun- teer, intern and finally, for close to a Still, he found C3’s decision “a little tone-deaf and insensitive. There’s room for both of us. Why would you go out of the way to inhibit the growth of something that’s so good for the community? It’s not like we’re over here making millions and millions of dollars and putting it in our pockets. >> p 14 How homegrown music festival M3F keeps evolving. BY JENNIFER GOLDBERG Left: One of the annual drum circles at M3F. Right: Take a walk on the wild side. (Photos by Jacob Tyler Dunn)
