The third annual Three Artists One Yard music festival will bring together nine local bands to play live original music from multiple genres and styles including hip-hop, rock, electronica, acoustic, punk, and indie on Sept. 27 at Crosstown Arts at 438 Cleveland Ave. Wiseacre Brewery, Choose 901 and Crosstown Arts are sponsoring the event.
27-year-old Caleb Sigler is the founder and organizer of Three Artists One Yard. The festival laid down its roots when Sigler started playing music with three other friends in his backyard and invited neighbors to come and listen to what he and his friends were playing.
“It was a great opportunity to meet neighbors,” Sigler said. “It is a chance to connect and network.”
Sigler said his neighbors loved his backyard music gatherings so much they asked him to keep hosting get-togethers like this, and even offered to bring food and drinks. Eventually, these get-togethers turned into one of Memphis’ most successful music festivals. According to Sigler about 150 people a day showed up to the festival in 2013.
Though the main event takes place on Sept. 27, the festival actually kicked off in June with 11 shows in 11 different neighborhoods from Vollintine-Evergreen, Binghampton, Orange Mound, Cooper-Young, Highpoint, Overton Square, and the Downtown area, as well as near University of Memphis campus neighborhoods.
The line up for the festival includes Hundred Year Dash, Artistik Approach, Faith Evans Rush, Sunday Thrills, Juju Bushman, Noah Glenn, Jeff Hulett, Elder, and Sigler’s own band, Idle & Wild. Sigler said that the festival provides a good cross-section of the different musical styles of Memphis.
“It is by Memphis for Memphis,” Sigler said. “Come out and support the community. There is really no excuse. it is free. Wiseacre will be there selling beer, so eat before.”
Sigler also said this year they have had more bands than ever cramming as many bands as possible in 3 to 4 hours.
“All the bands will play 100 percent original music,” Sigler said.
U of M alumnus Jeff Hullet will be one of the performers playing at the festival. Hullet is a one-man band that specializes in indie rock music.
2014 will be Hullet’s first time performing at the Three Artists and One Yard Festival. He has been asked several times in the past, but he just never had time due to his full time job and family.
Hullet said he is excited about performing at the festival because he will get the chance to perform outside in favorable fall weather.
“It is more like a party,” Hullet said. ”People jump in and jump out.”
