PHOENIX — Arizona-based rock band Katastro is preparing to take the stage for the first time since the death of lead singer Andrew "Andy" J. Chaves.
A two-day festival honoring his life, dubbed "Kamp Fest," will bring fans from all over the country to the Valley this weekend.
On Friday, the band will host a pre-party at Marquee Theatre in Tempe and on Saturday, Katastro will close out a day-long concert at Mesa Amphitheatre.
“You want to feel excited about all the crazy awesome stuff that's happening, but Andy’s gone,” Katastro drummer Andrew Stravers said. “Playing our instruments together, I think, is kind of the only way we can cope and move forward together... Working on something together again, finally, it was like the first thing that started making me feel better.”
Chaves died in a car crash in Southern California last May, just two weeks after playing in front of 9,000 people at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. Kamp Fest will be Katastro’s biggest and most important show to date, as Andy’s legacy will be celebrated by his Katastro bandmates, their fans, and his family, who are coming together for the inaugural festival.
“It's the first time the boys, the bandmates, are going to take the stage without Andrew,” Lydia Chaves, Andy's mother, said. “They're doing it in such a way to really honor him.”
12News featured Katastro during the Phoenix Suns’ NBA Finals run in 2021. During Katastro’s set at Kamp Fest, Andy's vocals will be performed by some of his closest friends and musicians the band has worked with in the past.
For Andrew Stravers, Tanner Riccio and Ryan Weddle, planning the two-day event has been an emotional rollercoaster.
“It's up and down. You feel really good, and then it's kind of sobering moments where you're like, ‘I wish we didn't have to do any of this,’" Weddle said.
Katastro’s longtime manager, Gonzo Gonzales, described Andy as a charismatic rockstar who took pride in representing Arizona.
“This is going to be the biggest headline show they've ever done for sure,” Gonzales, said. “Mesa Amphitheater… They've been coming to for years. I think some of the guys’ was their first concert ever was at Mesa Amphitheater.”
Kamp Fest will be cathartic for Katastro, who have become an extension of the Chaves family over the last 15 years.
“There are people coming in from all over the country: Canada, New York, Florida, Seattle, I mean just all kinds of different states,” Andy’s father, Jim Chaves, said. “That’s humbling for us… That people have that kind of support for our son.”
For the Chaveses, their faith and the fans have helped them navigate the most difficult eight months of their lives and having Andy’s spirit live on through song brings them comfort.
“We always listen to his music now,” Andy’s sister Celena Quihuis-Bell said. “I don't even listen to the radio anymore. Just Katastro.”
Andy was a graduate of Corona del Sol High School in Tempe. His mother, Lydia, says he started taking voice lessons shortly after, which helped propel his music career. HIs bandmates say Andy's two favorite places where their recording studio and on stage performing.
“Just listen to music. He's made a lot of stuff. You know, we did a lot of stuff, but he did even more by himself and with Stravers,” Katastro guitarist Tanner Riccio said.
“AJC Forever” has been the mantra for Katastro and their fans since tragically losing Andy last May. The idea is that Kamp Fest becomes an annual event but for the first run this weekend, the bandmates hope to provide a space for those who loved Andy to heal.
You can purchase tickets to Kamp Fest at Katastro.com.
Follow the conversation with Lina Washington on Twitter: @LWashingtonTV. If you have a sports story idea, e-mail Lina at LWashington@12News.com.
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