24 May 11th–May 17th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | music | cafe | film | culTuRe | NighT+Day | feaTuRe | NeWs | OPiNiON | feeDBacK | cONTeNTs | Fri 5/12 Sat 5/13 Mon 5/15 tue 5/16 thu 5/11 tyller GuMMerSall Katie Mae , Brea BurnS 7PM • $15 Friday niGht rendezvouS MuSical entertainMent By the BadneSS Band 8PM • $15 cold Shott and the hurricane hornS 8PM • $12 heavy Breather, nerver liFe and liMB , live lonG Burn everythinG 7PM • $10 MinKa BoGan via, a caSual divorce , dean nelSo 7PM • $10 “Trunk Space takes risks. Because if you don’t have a place like Trunk Space, then no one’s going to be moving up to sell out The Van Buren. You’ve got to start some- where. You’ve got to build your craft.” Pfeffer also agreed that there’s been a huge shift in the local arts scene as we enter this precarious “post-COVID” era. So many artists are ready to make that next big career move. “If you compare where we were at before the pandemic to where we’re at now, I think that there are new bands that are popping up constantly that are trying new things and are making their own scenes,” he says. “They’re throwing their own shows and getting people to show up and care about what they’re doing.” He adds, “But you also have way more established bands working their way up the ladder. You have bands that are going on tours that wouldn’t have happened before the pandemic. Bands that are getting opening slots for shows where there’s 2,000 people a night.” A lot of this change or growth, Pfeffer says, has as much to do with hard-working artists as with what’s happening in Phoenix at large. “I think it follows the trajectory of the city,” he says. “We have a more dynamic downtown than we did in 2008 when I first started coming down here. It makes sense considering the fact that this is a city that’s growing. This is a city that more people are doing stuff in.” He adds, “Also, if you look at the music infrastructure between then — which had the Clubhouse and a bunch of terrible venues — and the club venues that are around now, like Crescent Ballroom, Valley Bar, Rebel Lounge and Trunk Space, it’s a way better environment for bands. They don’t have these same pay-to-play promoters; like, I almost never hear about that [now].” While Pfeffer is quick to add that “there’s obviously issues with Phoenix’s growth, like affordability,” there’s evidence that “all of the things that need to happen in order for us to be a music city, or whatever the goal may be, those are happening.” With all of that in mind, Pfeffer and the rest of the crew specifically built Space Cadet Fest to fully address these larger ideas and objectives. “I wanted to make sure that, in refer- ence to the lineup, that this is definitely something that if you show up for the whole day and you just kind of wander around, you’re going to be surprised,” he says. “You’re going to see bands that you’ve never seen before. You’re going find out that you like things that you didn’t know you would.” He calls the lineup, which includes acts like Treasure MammaL, Sad Park, Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra and Boss Frog, a “buffet of music” for diverse fans. “This is an intimate festival,” says Pfeffer. “I’m pretty sure it’s going to do well no matter who’s on it, so we might as well make it the coolest festival we can. Even if I’m the only person who shows up to it, it’s going to be a really cool day.” While year one isn’t even in the can yet, the Trunk Space board are already looking forward to subsequent editions. “I want to have something that we can get more and more ambitious with year after year,” says Pfeffer. “But it’s going to be a logistical tornado for sure.” Luckily, Pfeffer adds, there’s already some infrastructure in place if Space Cadet does, indeed, expand. “The cool part about being in this area, and being on the Grace Lutheran campus, is our ability to expand out is basically infi- nite,” he says. “We’re right by the Phoenix Center for the Arts. We’re right by Hance Park. There’s so many more spaces we could utilize.” There’s already promising early signs of a healthy future for Space Cadet. The final decision comes if they can achieve their fairly grounded aspirations without turning this rocket ship ride into a total disaster. “Just seeing the response so far, people want this to happen,” Pfeffer says. “And when you’re doing something that people actually want, that’s pretty cool. If I can make it through the day without losing my mind, or losing an insane amount of money, then I’m going to do it again.” Space Cadet Fest. 1 to 11 p.m. Saturday, May 20. Trunk Space, 1124 North Third St. Tickets are $30 at thetrunkspace.com. Alyssa Song Liftoff from p 22 Veronica Everheart is a co-organizer and performer at this year’s Space Cadet Fest.
