Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra
Audio By Carbonatix
A Phoenix DIY festival built around local artists, affordable tickets and community vibes is returning for a second year.
Resonance, a one-night music and arts event, takes over the Icehouse on Friday, April 24, with an all-local lineup of bands, DJs, live performances and artisans.
For its second year, the festival is doubling the number of performers while adding an experimental music showcase and a live cipher.
Launched in 2025 by local DJ and social worker Ash Uss, Resonance was conceived as a DIY alternative to big-ticket music festivals, with a focus on fair pay for artists and keeping costs low for attendees.
Winona Grey Photography
In a 2025 Instagram post, Uss described the festival’s “driving energy” as a “deep, deep love for Phoenix and for the artists who make it special.”
“I wanted to see if I could put together a DIY music festival that wasn’t crazy expensive and that paid people reasonably,” Uss wrote. “I wanted to bring together some of the people who shaped Phoenix’s music and DIY scene with some of the people who are shaping it currently.”
The inaugural Resonance sold out the Icehouse, featuring eight bands and 16 DJs, a sign that locals embraced the DIY alternative to traditional festivals.
“Passionate (and) creative people who care about one another and about (Phoenix) can come together and do BIG things,” a post to Resonance’s Instragram stated following the event.
Benjamin Leatherman
Resonance’s 2026 lineup, announced in December, boasts an even bigger lineup. Phoenix favorites like experimental pop project Spiritual Warfare and the Greasy Shadows, high-energy ensemble Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra and garage rockers Thee MadCaPs are set to perform at the festival.
Other locals on the Resonance’s 2026 lineup include fearofmakingout, Anomalous Materials, Jonny Pijamas, Belgium Tree, Carli and the Dark, Dirt Rhodes, Droll, Jade Helm, Meet the Sun, Joshie Allon and Jessie Demaree.
As with its inaugural edition, Resonance 2026 will include a diverse selection of DJs, including sets by Davina, Freedome, Melo, TK Nicholson, MyGodComplex, Grassy Noel and Cervantes.
New this year is the Phoenix Psypher, a hip-hop cipher featuring local rappers and MCs like Don Modo, Jamila, Jamaal the RX, Vavrix and Lisco. Another addition is the Freaknix experimental music showcase with such locals as Orbit Corbett, FM Lou and Popular Underdog.
How to get tickets to Resonance 2026
Tickets for Resonance 2026 are $40 per person and can be purchased in person at Stinkweeds Records, 12 W. Camelback Road.
The festival’s Instagram account states that tickets will also be available online at a later date.
