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(Left) McKenna Wells and her band, The Trips, perform a song during the Bobcat Jump event, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, at Railyard Bar and Grill. (Right) Marshall Wells and his band, The Trips, performs for Bobcat Jump Music Fest, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, at Railyard Bar and Grill. Photo illustration by Sarah Manning.
(Left) McKenna Wells and her band, The Trips, perform a song during the Bobcat Jump event, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, at Railyard Bar and Grill. (Right) Marshall Wells and his band, The Trips, performs for Bobcat Jump Music Fest, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, at Railyard Bar and Grill. Photo illustration by Sarah Manning.
Katherine Rea

Brothers host long-awaited multi-genre music festival

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On Sept. 19, two brothers saw their musical dream come to life. What started as an idea to support local artists evolved into a night of food, music and fun that left a lasting impression on the community.

Bobcat Jump featured a diverse lineup of musicians from genres like rock, country, folk and rap. Locals attended the festival from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. It invited artists of varying experience levels and styles to perform, with the goal of fostering community and celebrating San Marcos’ vibrant music scene.

Sammy Wells, history senior, and Marshall Wells, computer information systems alumnus, are local musicians familiar with the San Marcos music scene. The brothers founded Bobcat Jump with the intent of creating a memorable music festival that fosters community.

“We thought it’d be fun to try and make something of our own, invite all of our friends who also play music and just try to make a fun night,” Sammy said.

Throughout the night, attendees experienced a constant flow of live music. The artists had staggered performance times to ensure that every act got a chance to perform for a crowd.

“[Musicians] love the music they’re making, and they love playing for people in this town because it’s a community,” Sammy said.

Marshall was instrumental in organizing the event. He worked with alcohol vendors and restaurant managers, created fliers and stickers and distributed no-charge cards.

Tyler Watts (Left) shreds the guitar with his band, The Bottomless, for students during the Bobcat Jump music festival, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, at Railyard Bar and Grill.
Tyler Watts (Left) shreds the guitar with his band, The Bottomless, for students during the Bobcat Jump music festival, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, at Railyard Bar and Grill. (Katherine Rea)

“I think the thing that seems like the most amount of work is when you have the idea of something, but you don’t have the plan,” Marshall said. “Once you plan something like this and you visualize the tasks and write them down, it’s not so daunting.”

Marshall said despite being part of the workforce, he will always make time for performing. To him, organizing an event like Bobcat Jump felt like a natural fit. Marshall saw the event materialize as he moved from one task to the next.

Sammy said San Marcos is the perfect place for young musicians to start their careers because the community is profoundly supportive. The brothers’ experience with the live music community, playing at almost every San Marcos venue for crowds of different sizes, is why they decided to give other musicians a chance for exposure.

Curtis Rowe, country rock singer/songwriter, performed with his band Arbordae at the festival. He has played professionally for one year and is pursuing a masters in creative writing. He said he jumps at an opportunity to play with other San Marcos musicians anytime he can.

“While it’s fun to do music for yourself and promote yourself, any opportunity to be part of a team of musicians — whether they’re from completely different genres — we tend to find common ground on the ability to express ourselves through music,” Rowe said.

For more information on Bobcat Jump, visit its Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/bobcatjump/.

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