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About Us
Building a Festival from the Ground Up
Mass N Tha Grass 2019
MASS N THA GRASS all started with our first weekend campout event back in the summer of 2019, which was held at a small backyard paintball venue with a stage (Eagle Valley Paintball, Tyrone, PA). Although it was a small event with just over 100 total attendees throughout the weekend, it served as the foundation for what we've continued to do. Back then, we were just musicians looking for somewhere to perform locally that might appreciate our music. Not having much luck finding suitable gigs, we began our journey into creating our own events. We weren't even sure if it would pan out, or if anybody but our friends would show up, but we were determined to make it happen.
Mass N Tha Grass Music & Arts Festival 2021
After a 1-year hiatus due to the pandemic lockdowns, MNTG returned with a bang in 2021! Our newly selected venue Sinking Valley Fairgrounds in Altoona, PA provided us with a beautiful countryside spot just over Skelp Mountain where we had a lot more freedom to expand our offerings. We hosted over 30+ bands/music artists, as well as 30+ vendors with art, craft, and food offerings. 2021 was truly a great year for us all, and the success and positive reception of our festival encouraged us to keep this going annually. Our 2021 festival was the biggest endeavor we had ever taken on, and the outcome of all our hard work was better and more valuable than we could have ever imagined.
Mass N Tha Grass Music & Arts Festival 2022
Things really began to ramp us in 2022 - this was us going "all out", to the best of our abilities. This was easily the most ambitious event we had ever put on, and we really had to expand outside of ourselves in order to make it happen. Despite a terrible weather forecast which called for possible rain and thunderstorms the entire weekend, we were incredibly grateful that it only rained for about an hour. The skies were darkening around us, but somehow it felt like we had some sort of force field keeping the rain away. The gravity of this festival, and all the work that it entailed weighed pretty heavy on us all year long. During the Fall/Winter of 2022, the organizers took a much needed artistic break to work on new music.
Mass N Tha Grass Music & Arts Retreat 2023
Rebranding to a "retreat" for this year's event, we're trying to go back to our roots a bit, and hone in on the idea that we ultimately see this event as an opportunity for growth, healing, & self-expression. Many people see a festival as a time to party and drink alcohol, and although we do allow alcohol at the event, we want to stray away from the idea that this is just a big party. It's more than that. For us, putting on this festival provides a sense of purpose, opportunities to meet new like-minded people, and an endeavor that we can expand upon as we grow ourselves. We are not in this for money and never have been. We do this because we love music and art, and want to be able to continue to provide this opportunity to people because art saves lives - we know that from experience. In 2023, we are dedicated to putting on an event that is safe, fun, and worthwhile for everyone involved, and will use the knowledge we have gained over the years to make that happen. Thank you for being a part of it!
Mass N Tha Grass Music, Arts, & Gaming Festival
Our 2024 festival brought gaming into the equation with the construction of a dynamic arcade which was built in a newly-opened building on the fairgrounds. We had 8 flat screen TVs with all types of game consoles new and old hooked up to them, as well as 3 arcade machines, one of them which was custom-built by one of our technicians Wesley MacDougall. Being that many of our team members have been really into gaming at some point or another, we wanted to bring this element into the festival. It turned out very well despite some flooding in the building the day before the event due to torrential rain, which was cleared up by festival staff and the fairgrounds owner/caretaker. Aside from the arcade, we features one of the most diverse musical lineups we've ever had, and hosted more vendors than in any past festival. Great weather and a great event overall! Nice and hot too - Joe Anderson's ice bath workshop was a welcome addition.
Mass N Tha Grass Music & Arts Festival 2025: Save Point
Meet The Team
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Nicole Hankinson
Volunteering / Hospitality / Promotion
Jeremiah Douglas
Wesley MacDougall
Fire Performer & Promoter
Technician & Promoter
John Peacefire
Hospitality & Promoter
Don't be fooled by the mysterious name or the corporate-modern style logo - Deus Ex Machina Agency is just the name we chose for the event production and marketing company that puts on the Mass N Tha Grass Music & Arts Festival. We're not claiming to be gods or saviors, we just thought it sounded cool. Nevertheless, we feel we are doing good work for artists in our community. Over the past 3 event years, we have given back over $10,000 to musicians. We have followed through with promised payments, and offered as much as we possibly could while making no money ourselves. We're not here to brag, but we do hope that our consistency and our willingness to put others first is evident through what we have accomplished. We want to help people like ourselves who want to share their creations to the world, and we have all the right tools and skills to make that happen for those who are serious about it.