Awesomefest

Anybody who's ever attended one of Peachcake's free-spirited and vibrant gigs would likely attest to the fact that the indie-pop band's ever-optimistic frontman Stefan Pruett is the eclectic poster child for positivism and imaginative thinking. So it's only natural that the 24-year-old's other pet project, Planet Awesome (a collective of...

By Benjamin Leatherman

December 3, 2009

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Anybody who's ever attended one of Peachcake's free-spirited and vibrant gigs would likely attest to the fact that the indie-pop band's ever-optimistic frontman Stefan Pruett is the eclectic poster child for positivism and imaginative thinking. So it's only natural that the 24-year-old's other pet project, Planet Awesome (a collective of musicians and artists built on the credos that "anything is possible and attainable" and "creativity can solve anything"), is equally colorful. Along with his fellow "Awesomites," Pruett has organized such happy-go-lucky endeavors as "Painting for Peace" and this week's Awesomefest at Modified to spread their message. "Its like a pinnacle of creativity," Pruett says. "We want to bring together as eclectic a mix as possible of bands that are habitual to downtown Phoenix's music scene." To that end, the lineup includes acts like the idiosyncratic, electronic-laced Underwater Getdown, the quirky roots rock of Hooves, singer-songwriter Damien Salamone, and (of course) Peachcake. "This isn't about buzz bands or all those pop/indie/neo-folk bands," Pruett adds. "I like to see unique bills, so we just picked what we liked and what we think is essentially rep of our city. Plus, these guys are all fun and energetic."

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Benjamin Leatherman is a staff writer for Phoenix New Times where he focuses primarily on arts, culture, music, and nightlife. He began writing for New Times in 2003 and joined the staff full-time in 2005. Prior to that, he contributed to magazines such as Tips & Tricks and The Wrestler. Benjamin has earned multiple awards from the Arizona Press Club including an award for sports enterprise reporting in 2009 and an award for statewide arts reporting in 2014. He holds a bachelor’s of arts in journalism from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Contact: Benjamin Leatherman

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