From backyard party to mini-music festival
It's a music-lover's dream. To have your favorite bands and musicians playing a private party in your own backyard!
And that is exactly how it started for Lee Diegel and his family in a small town just outside of San Antonio, Texas.
THE CINCO DE MAYO PARTY
A few years ago, the Diegel family decided to throw a big Cinco De Mayo party and, being the music lovers that they are, wanted the party to feature live music.
Lee reached out to Kash'd Out, a Florida based Reggae/Rock band, that is Always Vibin', who agreed to come play for the party. They also contacted Howi Spangler (lead singer for Ballyhoo!) and were fortunate enough to bring him in to play some acoustic sets for the party as well.
The First Kickin' It In The Stix
Their parties had featured live music before, but nothing like this. Everybody had so much fun, and Lee knew he wanted to do it again. That's when the decision was made to move the next party from the Diegel house to the country so, in Lee's own words, "we could basically be louder".
In May of 2024, the Diegel family hosted the very first Kickin' It In The Stix (nicknamed Diegel Day by Greg Shields of Kash'd Out). This all-day mini music festival in Texas featured performances from Ballyhoo!, Kash'd Out, Dale and The ZDubs (DZD), Cloud9 Vibes, and Audic Empire.
Again, they had so much fun.
Lee's Birthday Party
To keep the good times rolling, the family took donations and began contacting artists who might be willing and able to perform at Lee's upcoming birthday party. Since this party was to be hosted once again, at the Diegel residence, the focus was on acoustic performances.
The epic pool party featured Howi Spangler, Kyle Smith, Jayton Lening, and Ronnie and James of Audic Empire.
The Biggest One Yet - Music Festival in Texas
The morning after his birthday party, Lee decided he wanted to put on a real festival. And in doing it, he wanted to bring something different. Not a 10,000-person crammed festival, but instead, a small festival, limited to 300 people, hosted in an intimate setting.
The goal is not to make money, Lee is content to just break even. As he put it, I "just wanted to put a festival together that I would want to go to".
Kickin' It In The Stix 2025 is scheduled for May 1- May 3, 2025, in Stockdale, Texas and features 18 different artists/bands. There are no overlapping sets, no running back and forth between stages. Just chill vibes.
The event is BYOB, includes onsite camping, long sets for every single band and, for the guests that are camping, a full extra day of music.
The cost of admission is similar to larger festivals, but that's because they want to offer an experience that you can't get at those big festivals. No $12 beers or $25 cocktails, you bring your own. No corporate sponsors pushing their products. No struggling to move through the crowd because the event is overpacked. The entire event is meant to feel like a VIP experience.
The Incredible Lineup
The lineup for Kickin' It In The Stix 2025 is massively stacked and includes Kash'd Out, Howi Spangler of Ballyhoo!, Wax, Cydeways, Cas Haley, The Supervillains, The Irie, Audic Empire, Drifting Roots, CLoud9 Vibes, Rebel Shakedown, Jayton Lening, Ashley LaRue Band, The Harbor Boys, Bonzai, Mike Pinto, Russ Baum, and Triptonite.
Tickets
Tickets and more information can be found at www.kickinitinthestix.com
Good Vibers and Beach Rockers!
Lee is also the founder of Good Vibers and Beach Rockers! (GVBR), a community of like-minded individuals who share a similar love of music. The GVBR community has been instrumental in the growth of the Diegel events. You can connect with the Good Vibers and Beach Rockers! on Facebook.
Comments