A growing network of jam houses and mini-festivals. No spectators. Only participants.
A jam house is a home built around music. Instruments live in the living room. Strangers become bandmates. The door is open and the amp is on.
The Federation connects these houses and their communities through a shared belief: music is participatory, not performative. Everyone plays. Everyone contributes. Everyone belongs.
No spectators. Only participants.
The Principles
Each jam house is different, but they share a common DNA.
Guitars on the wall, keys in the corner, drums always set up. The barrier to playing is zero. Pick something up and join in.
Jam houses host sessions, dinners, and gatherings. Musicians of all levels are welcome. You don't need to be good — you need to be willing.
Cook a meal. Play a note. Teach a chord. Run sound. The best communities are the ones where everyone contributes something.
The Houses & Their Festivals
Each house hosts an annual festival that embodies its character and landscape.
A 10-acre retreat in Gold Country with an outdoor stage, heated pool, hot tub, sauna, and more gear than you can play in a weekend. The house that started as a recording retreat and became a community. Its festival, 2k Fest, runs each spring.
2kfest.com →A mountain compound at the foot of the Spanish Peaks with a dedicated jam room, fire circle, wilderness stage, and hot tubs on the river. The original jam house and birthplace of the Federation. Its festival, 9k Fest, runs each August.
9kfest.com →What Happens
Both festivals share a common structure, shaped by the Federation's values.
Instruments are everywhere, ready to play. Never picked one up? Even better. There are workshops, jam classes, and diatonic instruments that make it impossible to hit a wrong note.
Scheduled acts bring the fire, but the open stages are where the surprises happen. Bands form on the spot. Songs are written in an afternoon. Genres collide.
Meals are community-cooked and paired with music — Waffle House (waffles + house music), Dumpl 'n Bass (dumplings + drum & bass), Pizzicato (pizza + plucked strings). Eating is a group activity.
Laser tag under the stars. Pool basketball. Mini golf. Lightsaber duels. Drum circles. Yoga at sunrise. The schedule is packed but nothing is mandatory.
The scheduled acts end. The jams don't. Fire circles, stargazing, 2am acoustic sessions, and the kind of conversations that only happen when the rest of the world is asleep.
The Federation is growing. If you have a space, instruments, and a willingness to leave the door open, you might already be a jam house. Get in touch.
Contact either fest to learn more