Bisbee was once labeled one of the 'quirkiest' towns to live by some real estate magazine. More than a decade later, this place only seems to be growing into their reputation. It's a colorful township of around 6,000 residents, not unlike Jerome (in fact, during WWI, both mining towns suffered illegal deportations thanks to the Phelps Dodge Corporation who found it easier to round up demonstrators than pay them).

Sidepony Express is proof that Bisbee won't be stuck in the past as some novelty roadside attraction, however. And the festival serves as an interesting showcase of Phoenix artists, including Paper Foxes, Sweet Nothings, Genre, Sunset Voodoo, Zodiac Bash, and Where Are All The Buffalo? No genre has been left unturned, so whether you're into rock-punk-metal or reggae-Latin-world-beat or acoustic-indie-goth-grunge (actual festival descriptions) there's something to whet your experimental tastes.

There are also at least 13 music groups from the town itself, so while I haven't listened to any of it yet, this is promising, given the area's small population. There's a lot more on the festival website's lineup. But what you should mostly expect is an eclectic showcase of arts and music. It's a pretty good all ages event, too, if you're not of drinking age, although some venues do become 21-plus at night.

Located in the Mule Mountains, Bisbee has somewhat a reputation for art as well, although Sidepony stresses this is more about the music. If you want to find something besides music, it only takes a bit of exploring. In fact, exploring is kind of the entire point of Sidepony, so if that's your game, get out there.

Visit the next page for the lineup for the Sidepony Express Music Festival.

Bad Neighbors Betsy Ganz Big Demons Blue Throne Poets C3Trio Captive Cooks Carol Pacey and the Honeyshakers Cassidy Alisa Cat Daddy Chasing Light DaDadoh DAMN Union DeadFoxx Deejay P-Phunk Dirt Moon

Fairy Bones Field Tripp Freeze Ray Vision Genre Greenwire Gus Hannah Bones Head Over Heart Injury Reserve Irenka Japhy's Descent Jason Messer Jeremiah Craig Jerusafunk John Craigie Karima Walker Korbe Canida Larkspurs Lawnchair Little Sugar Luau Manic Monkeys Manifest Sound Melissa Reaves and the Dead Bankers Society

Mill's End Mismash Mister Lucky Olio One Ghost Out of the Blue Two Paper Foxes Pride Through Strife Race to the Bottom Radio La Chusma Revizor Roethke Rogue Tribal Ruca Scattered Melodies

Sister Lip Steve and Kara Sunset Voodoo SURF T.S. Henry Webb Terry Wolf The Bittersweet Way The Cherry Bluestorms The Day Before Plastics The Exbats

The Haymarket Squares The Hill in Mind The Lonesome Wilderness The Redemptions The Sara McAllister Band The Sweet Nothings The Upper Strata The Woodworks Tin Can Tourists Treasurefruit Trevor Denton Watch For Rocks What's Left Where Are All The Buffalo? Wolvves WuT Zodiac Bash

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