Video summary
The Davis Music Festival XIV, scheduled for 2026, is a community-driven event that has evolved significantly since its inception as an after-party fundraiser for the Davis High School stadium in 2011. Founded by Danny Thomasello with help from local venues like Sophia's and Delta Venus, the festival quickly adopted a South by Southwest style format to showcase twenty bands for affordable admission. Over the years, it has grown into a well-oiled machine run entirely by volunteers who raise funds specifically for the arts through scholarships, such as the Matthew Blake Memorial Scholarship which supports high school graduates pursuing careers in music and performance. The event serves not only as a major summer kickoff but also as a vital platform that provides exposure to local artists rather than relying on massive headliners, fostering a deep connection between the performers and the town's residents.
The festival maintains an intimate scale that perfectly balances accessibility with artistic diversity, avoiding the pitfalls of becoming too large or impersonal while still attracting audiences from across the region. A key focus for this year is ensuring a well-rounded roster that reflects the community itself, boasting 62% female representation among performers and leaders—a statistic highlighted as unique compared to larger festivals. This commitment to inclusivity extends beyond just the lineup; it encompasses the communal experience of live music which attendees describe as akin to church or a place for spiritual connection with others. The event thrives on this DIY ethos where fans, sponsors, and community partners actively engage in making the festival happen through volunteering, selling tickets, and promoting merchandise, creating an environment where everyone feels like part of the family.
Beyond entertainment, the Davis Music Festival plays a crucial role in supporting local culture and education by directly funding artistic endeavors that might otherwise go unnoticed. The scholarship program has successfully raised over $15,000 to assist graduating students with their post-secondary arts ambitions, ensuring they have community backing as they venture into the world. Leaders like Kyle Monolland emphasize that growth should be measured in depth of impact and relationship building rather than geographical expansion or sheer crowd size, noting that a capacity of 20,000 people would likely overwhelm the current infrastructure. The festival remains rooted in its origins as a homegrown initiative where neighbors come together to reclaim their town after school ends, celebrating local talent while welcoming new faces who discover these emerging artists for the first time.
Ultimately, the success of the Davis Music Festival lies in its ability to remain authentic and volunteer-based despite years of growth and increasing recognition from outside regions. It successfully bridges the gap between university students heading home for summer breaks and long-time residents known as "townies," creating a shared space where different demographics can enjoy music together without feeling out of place. The organizers express pride in what their team has achieved since stepping down from leadership roles, trusting that future directors like Kyle will continue to build upon this foundation while maintaining the festival's core values. As the event approaches its fourteenth year, it stands as a testament to how a small idea born from a golf tournament fundraiser can transform into a beloved annual tradition that strengthens community bonds and supports local creativity without breaking the bank for anyone involved.
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[music]
So excited to be here at the Davis Music
Festival.
Yeah.
[music]
Uh-huh. Uh-oh. [music]
Uh-huh. Uh-oh.
[music]
W.
[music]
Hello. My name is Danny Thomasello. I uh
was the founder of the first Davis
Musicfest in 2011.
Um, the idea came to me from
2009. I was asked to help with the Davis
High School Blue and White Foundation
fundraiser for the high school stadium.
Uh, I had never put on a show before.
I'd gone to a lot of concerts. My friend
asked me if I would help him because he
was putting on the fundraising golf
tournament. wanted to have a show after
the uh tournament and the pro at Wild
Horse let us use the driving range and
the city had their mobile stage that
they let us use uh and Watermelon Music
donated sound when I asked them I walked
in there and had no idea about sound
equipment so it came together that was
the first show we did it was a lot of
fun uh a couple years later we hit the
goal and thought well maybe we should
raise money for the arts and so uh we
were originally only going to do it in
Central Park, but my friends at Sophia's
um they who uh owned and managed and
curated bands at Sophia's wanted to he
offered the uh space at Sophia's and
said, "What about South by Southwest
style?" So, we tried that instead. And
that was the uh that was the first it
was 20 bands for 20 bucks. And we used
Sophia's and East Street Plaza,
Oddfellow's Hall, Little Prague, which
is now Parkside.
Um and one other venue [laughter] I
can't remember right now. Oh, Delta, of
course. Delta Venus. Yeah. Yeah. I mean,
it's I can't tell you how great it is to
be able to come back. Uh it's my third
year as a guest. Um, I was on the board
after I stepped down from being the
director in 20 uh 2017 was my last year.
Been a part of D uh Davis Light Music
Collective since inception. So, uh Kyle
Monolland is this is uh he's been a
director now. This is the seventh year
for him. So, we've both been directors
for the same amount of time. Kyle of
course was involved in the second Davis
Musicfest. So, um he was you know he's
he's really been doing such a great job
with building it. So to answer your
question, I mean I love coming as a
guest now and seeing that people put it
on their radar. It's a thing they want
to come to. Um everybody is it's just
really a welloiled machine. Still run by
volunteers which is wonderful. And it's
raising money for the arts. So um the
fact that it's a scholarship for our
partner in crime Matt Blake uh is super
bittersweet. I love that. And uh no, I'm
very proud of what the team has done uh
since my involvement.
Well, um I can't tell yet cuz this is
only the second band for this year, but
um it has changed in that we've had some
younger uh folks involved with the
curating of bands and different styles.
So, I feel like there have been some
different audiences that have come out.
There's still, you know, there's still
like a core of Davis sites that look
forward to when when school's out. No
offense,
um that the university students go home
and the townies can kind of reclaim.
It's a kickoff of summer really. Uh so
in that sense, I see a lot of familiar
faces. But no, yeah, there's definitely
as the as the lineup changes, you're
going to attract different types of
folks.
>> All right. Thank you for having me.
What up music vibes? We're going to get
this [ __ ] [music] started.
[music]
>> [music]
[music]
>> Baby, come and love it.
I'm feeling so good.
Baby, come [music] and love it.
It's nothing hard to do. [music]
My baby comes
[music]
from my ex. The [music] fresh step to
the left of the selfrespect. You can
check your deck. I protect my neck.
Never stress regrets.
They thinking lies back in 99. I'm
trying to ride my prime where you buy
your time. [music]
I push it back to my face. God first.
[music]
>> [music]
>> I'm going to have to expand my horizon.
I don't think I can get
[music]
That's
what I got here.
>> Well, it just seems like Ireland so many
>> [music]
>> So baby, oh you know that I've been
loving you.
>> Oh, I've been loving you.
>> You know that I've been loving
[singing and music] you lately.
>> Well, let me take you home. We can be
[music] alone. What do you say?
[music]
>> [music]
[music]
>> Too much fun.
>> [music]
>> of [music]
my
[music]
heat.
>> [music]
>> Uh, my name is Lucas Fer. Uh, I'm a
member of the Yolo County Board of
Supervisors representing Davis and
Winters. Uh, former mayor of Davis,
former member of the city council, but
also a longtime uh, fan of the Davis
Music Festival. Oh my gosh. So, this is
the 14th year. I think I've been to
probably about uh 12 out of the 14
years. So, a bunch of them. Yeah. Oh, my
gosh. Um I love the fact that there are
so many uh local people here at that
come to the festival. Yeah. There are
people from around the region, too, but
I love the fact that it's really just
like a local festival and like a lot of
people from Davis really come out and
experience it. So, I do think that
there's probably an ability for us to do
additional growth and have attract
people from around the region, but I
just really I love the fact that it's
like it's not too big, right? Not too
small, not too big. It's just like kind
of like the perfect size. Yeah. Oh, it's
so Oh my gosh, it's so great. I think,
you know, we are already have a really
great uh art community in Davis, of
course, and in Yolo County. And so it's
really awesome to see so uh be able to
support so many kind of uh bands that
are not these massive bigname bands, but
they're also that they're really getting
a lot of exposure. And so to especially
to a lot of folk who are uh coming to
the festival for the first time, they
might not necessarily know some of these
bands. And so I think it really gives
them a lot of exposure. And I love that.
[music]
Get up one more time. [music]
God save me.
When I [music] came to the city,
I was running from the past. [singing]
[music]
My [music] heart [singing] was bleeding
and it hurt my bones to last. Yeah.
[music]
Heat.
[music]
Heat.
[music]
Heat.
[music]
>> [music]
>> If you could get by
trying not [singing] to lie,
then things wouldn't be so [music]
confused [singing] and I wouldn't feel
so used. But you always [music] really
knew. I just want to be with you that
I'm so deep.
[music]
You know I'm such a fool for you.
My name is Kyle Manholland. I am the
director of Davis Music Festival and
Davis Live Music Collective. Uh let's
see. I started out just as the guy
making posters uh 13 14. Well, I mean 13
years ago. Yeah, this is year 14. Um
well, two things really. Uh live music
and the experience like the communal
experience being with people whether you
know them or not. Uh at live music is
kind of like my church. It's like the
place where I really connect to my best
self and to other people. uh and being
involved in that on both ends of it like
attending and having fun and then trying
to help make it happen uh just feels
great. Uh and then the other one is uh I
was raised and still believe that you
know if there's something in your
community in your life that is missing
there's no one can really do it better
than you to make it happen. Uh so if you
look around uh your community and think
I would like the music scene to be
bigger, more interesting, better,
whatever, uh make it happen. I mean,
having something that you can look
forward to every year, uh that you know
is homegrown, volunteer-based, and
positive, that's making a positive
impact for people, but just fun. Uh that
isn't going to break the bank. And you
can actually show up and make a
difference. you can volunteer and sell
tickets or uh you know merch at the
booth as just like a friend of a friend
and like oh yeah we need that help. I
would say so a conscious effort not that
this wasn't happening before but to
state it out loud consciously uh that we
want to present a a um a well-rounded
and diverse roster of artists that
really reflect our community. uh this
year in particular 62% of all the
performers include women on the roster
and or or are led by women and that's
not something you see in most especially
big festivals. Uh and honestly I don't
understand why that's the case. Uh it
just you know that's that's who we are
as a community. That's who we should see
on the stage. We started the Matthew
Blake Memorial Scholarship uh for my
dear friend and our former board
president uh Matthew Blake who I if he
were still alive he would be running
this with me and hopefully mayor of
Davis. I um yeah so we started a
scholarship in his name with his
family's blessing and we have uh over
the last two years raised enough money
and donated $15,000 to graduating high
school students who are uh going out of
high school with the intent to pursue
the arts. uh out in the world. So,
they're leaving they they've been
supported by the Davis community to go
out and do whatever it is they're going
to do. And um one, you know, I've always
said you the best way to support the
arts is to directly support the artist.
They're the ones doing the work. Uh so
that's what we're trying to do. Put it
to action. Just thinking about this a
little bit recently. Um growth can
happen in a couple different ways. I
don't know that we need to or want to
get like geographically or size-wise a
whole lot bigger. I can't imagine 20,000
people showing up for this. I wouldn't
know what to do. Um, but I think we're
maturing. I think we're growing uh in
the depth of the impact that we can have
and the relationships we form with our
sponsors, with our community partners
and with our fans uh just by listening
and really engaging and letting them
know like this is totally DIY. We're
here for them and it's that's what's
real about it.
sing
[music]
song. But I'm worried [singing] now. But
I won't be [music] worried long cuz I'm
on the road again. [singing]
I'm on the road again. [music]
Heat.
[music]
Heat.
>> [music]
>> Heat.
[music]
Heat.
[music]
>> [music]
[music]
>> Heat. Heat. [music]
Heat. Heat. [music]
[music]
Heat. Heat.
[music]
>> [music]
[music]
>> I am I'm a true born Irish [singing]
man. I'll never deny what I am.
I was born [singing] in sweet temporary
town [music] 5,000 [singing]
miles away.
No more [singing] do I wish [music] for
to roam
for the sun will shine [music] in the
harst time to welcome [singing]
more
home.
[music]
>> [music]
[music]
>> This is done by
voice of rain. [music and singing]
No more
for the sun. [music and singing] It will
shine in the harst time to welcome
[music and singing]
home.