This chaotic Phoenix DIY music festival returns this weekend

Phoenix’s spring music festival season offers nearly every sound and setup imaginable. Blockbuster alt-rock extravaganzas in public parks. Dusty country shindigs on the Valley outskirts. Massive EDM ragers beneath starry desert skies.

Then there’s the DIY-minded Indy 250, which might be Phoenix’s most unconventional event of the season. Certainly its most mathematically inclined.

The weekend-long bash will involve 40 local bands performing a combined 250 songs across four nights at MySpace, turning the Roosevelt Row gallery and venue into a rapid-fire showcase of Phoenix’s indie and DIY scenes.

It’s a revival of a bigger event, the Indie 500, a chaotic round-the-clock marathon once held annually at beloved grassroots venue The Trunk Space where dozens of bands blasted through hundreds of songs over multiple days.

The music ran 24/7. Sleep was optional.

The Indy 250 keeps the spirit of its predecessor but tweaks the format. Instead of running nonstop, performances will take place nightly from 5 p.m. to midnight from Thursday, March 12 through Sunday, March 15.

Phoenix DIY promoter Isaac “Slushy” Smith is behind the revival, reinventing the event and updating its name to reflect its smaller scale. Its community-forward vibes, though, remain intact.

“This is kind of a weird, crazy undertaking to try again,” Smith says. “But I’m excited about it.”

A beloved DIY tradition returns

The original Indie 500 was a staple of downtown Phoenix’s music scene. Launched in 2014 to celebrate The Trunk Space’s 10th anniversary, the marathon event packed dozens of bands and solo artists into a chaotic musical gauntlet where sets happened at all hours of the day and night.

The concept was simple: play a total of 500 songs over several days and nights.

Bands blasted through rapid-fire sets as the tally climbed toward that magic number. The lineup mixed local DIY acts with notable indie names. Folk-punk musician Dan Potthast and Asian Man Records founder Mike Park appeared during the inaugural event in 2014. Singer-songwriter Kimya Dawson performed during the 2017 edition.

The Indie 500 ran annually through 2019 before the pandemic halted things. The Trunk Space later left its most recent location in 2024 and is still searching for a new home.

Even so, the event never faded from Phoenix’s DIY scene memory. Smith attended the Indie 500 as a teen and remembers being captivated by the chaos and creativity.

“I think being around the scene, a lot of people have always said, ‘We should bring this back,’” Smith says. “Other people say, ‘No, don’t bring it back. Don’t you remember how crazy it was?’ I understand both sides of that.”

Earlier this year, he decided to revive the concept as “more of a festival-style event instead of a marathon.”

The Indy 250 keeps the spirit but scales things down. Instead of bands performing around the clock, the event runs from 5 p.m. to midnight each night.

Smith says the change was partly practical.

“I didn’t want to kill my volunteers or the people helping me with this,” he says. “I remember being younger and sleeping in the courtyard of Trunk Space waiting for my friend’s band at like 4 a.m.”

Even without the all-night chaos, he believes the Indy 250 will still capture the same community-driven energy.

“The Indie 500 existed in such a cool melting-pot era of the music scene,” Smith says. “And I think we still have a lot of talented bands willing to come together for a great cause and do a show like this.”

A community event with a cause

Smith also wanted to bring back the DIY event to help a local musician in need. A portion of proceeds from the Indy 250’s $10 suggested donation will go toward Phoenix guitarist TJ Friga’s recovery from a dire medical emergency.

Friga, a member of Phoenix punk band Playboy Manbaby, suffered an arteriovenous malformation brain rupture in January.

“Knowing TJ and what happened with his brain rupture made me decide this was a good time to bring it back for the community,” Smith says.

The event also coincides with Smith’s turn as MySpace’s monthly curator. The Roosevelt Row gallery and venue rotates booking duties among members of Phoenix’s DIY scene, with a different person handling each month’s shows.

Smith says the space reminds him of the creative vibes the Trunk Space once fostered.

“The existence of MySpace here reminds me of old-school Roosevelt (Row) when it felt more like an arts district,” he says.

Smith also believes spaces like MySpace operate differently than traditional concert venues.

“I feel like you go to places like Crescent Ballroom or the Rebel Lounge because you want to see a specific band,” Smith says. “At places like MySpace, you’re part of a bigger community. It’s small and tight-knit.”

Add it up

The Indy 250’s lineup features 40 local acts across a wide range of genres, including harsh noise, hyperpop, rap and folk.

Smith says the mix reflects both the past and present of Phoenix’s DIY scene in a sense.

“We have bands like Smooth Hands that played the original Indie 500 and King Summer coming back,” he says. “Then there are newer acts like Twin Star and Starways.”

He’s especially excited about a few “gets” he was able to land for the Indie 250 lineup.

“One that I’m really proud of is getting Okinawa Plane Crash on the bill on the last day,” Smith says. “And getting Blu Joy to reform for the show is truly special.”

Other artists scheduled to perform include Dinosaur Love, George Washingtub, Masochistic Angel, Yawnfighters, Romo Lampkin, Mare, Rad Pinckard, Sewerbitch!, Smiling at Strangers and longtime Phoenix garage rockers Thee MadCaPs.

To reach the event’s titular number, Smith says most bands will play six songs, while a handful will perform seven. And yes, you can check his math.

“Six times 40 gets you to 240,” Smith says. “So about 10 bands will play seven songs. We’re trying to hit 250.”

And if all goes according to plan, the Indy 250 might become a new Phoenix tradition.

“It makes me feel like people see this as something special and want to be part of it,” he says. “And I want this to succeed.”

The Indy 250. Thursday, March 12 through Sunday, March 15, 5 p.m. to midnight at MySpace, 120 E. Roosevelt St., Phoenix. Suggested donation is $10.