Treefort Music Festival 2019 Recap

March 31, 2019 playxear

It was our first time venturing out to Idaho for Treefort Music Festival and we can confirm that is was well worth the trip. We arrived at our hotel in downtown Boise and were so excited that we were so close to so many venues and only a block away from the mainstage. Where else could this happen so easily? Perhaps we’ve been jaded by the larger festivals we’ve attended but this seemed like an extension of being at home.

Black Mountain

We checked out a few shows the first day and were impressed at the ease of access and short waits to enter the venues. The mood was so easy going and it felt like everyone was there for the music excited to discover new artists. The whole city was filled with people and it felt like a large community willing to help and support each other. This festival is a breath of fresh air from the normal high intensity vibe which leaves you tired and annoyed sometimes with the careless attitude of the masses.

Joshy Soul

The first night ended with a packed Knitting Factory where Vince Staples completely destroyed his set. He lit up the room as intensely as his incredible lighting production and gave lucky ticketholders a very intimate set. Australian trio Bloods intrigued the Neurolux, Hosannas brought the good vibes to El Korah and East Forest captivated with a very unique set mesmerizing the seated audience. We finished on a high note with local superstars, Lounge on Fire, that had everyone at El Korah dancing around as they took over the venue.

CHAI

Thursday brought us to the opening of the mainstage with Liz Cooper & The Stampede, and Built to Spill, local legends that have supported the festival since the start. We also discovered Houston’s The Suffers that were a delight and rocked out with Black Mountain at the end of the night. Naked Giants and Spirit Award were the highlights from Prefunk Bar and Cumulus shined at the Boise All-Ages Movement. We ended our night on a very intense punk note with Cherry Glazerr ravishing a packed El Korah and despite space constraints found a way to keep crowd surfing.

Cherry Glazerr

Friday was another fine day in Boise and we caught up with our friends from Freakout Records putting on a showcase at Prefunk Beer Bar. Starting off was Monsterwatch that has taken off the last few months and it’s easy to see why. Any time they take the stage they pull you into their performance demanding nothing but your full attention. Smokey Brights followed with a power performance by leads Kim West and Ryan Devlin. Seeing these two interact is a delight each time. Then it was Prism Bitch’s turn to get rowdy as Lilah Rose jumped in the crowd and interacted with the audience.

Smokey Brights

Esme Patterson, Sweet Spirit, Mt.Joy, and headliner Liz Phair were the hightlights of day two mainstage. El Korah was brought to life by powerhouse Flint Eastwood that also shared the stage with Chong the Nomad in one of top picks of the week. There is no way you can see her live and absolutely be glued to her the whole time. We ended the night with Dan Deacon bringing intense vibes in the room making it his personal dancefloor.

Flint Eastwood

Saturday brought us back to mainstage for favorites Y La Bamba starting off on a high note with soothing vocals. Checked out CHAI who stood out as the only K-Pop artist creating an upbeat surrounding leaving a good impression. The Muckers and Caroline Rose were our discovering highlights as they kept our attention for the first time seeing either one.

Caroline Rose

Joshy Soul filled in for the last minute cancelation on mainstage but were really entertaining on a Saturday night as the rain came down. The Bright Light Social Hour were our favorites at El Korah as they kept us moving around and creating a good vibe atmosphere. Our favorite set of the night came from Seattle’s Moon Palace though playing a last minute set at Pengilly’s. The crowd was a good mix and as soon as the music started they expressed excitement and adoration.

Liz Phair

We were excited to head into the last day but also sad that the event had come and now is ending so fast. Of course our feet were ready to take a break from the long days but it was so great to experience all this. Our day started with Sera Cahoone who captivated the mainstage with her indie tunes and of course Alex Guy’s violin. Rubblebucket impressed as one of the top performers along with Sarah Shook & the Disarmers earlier in the day.

Built to Spill

We headed over to the Olympic to catch an incredible set by SLANG as we are diehard fans of Rachel Wiess and Sleater-Kinney. Shortly after we returned for mainstage headliner Toro Y Moi for the closing out of the stage. It was so great to catch them in such a place filled with joy. We checked out Ava Luna at El Korah and liked a lot and later on beautifully mesmerized by Black Moth Super Rainbow closing out the night.

East Forest

The five day event was packed with impressive talent and had us running around town trying to see as much as we could possibly take in with more than 400 artists performing. This is a well-organized and planned out event and it feels like it will be getting much larger in the years to come. The volunteers were wonderful the staff was great and the people were even more nice than expected. We’re already planning to make the trip out here again for the next one and so should you! Below some of our favorite acts from this year that you should get familiar with if you’re not already.

Check out our artist portraits from the fest!

All photos by Sophia Barkalakis @s.barkalakis

Vince Staples

Hosannas

Bloods

East Forest

Moon Palace

Built to Spill

The Suffers

Black Mountain

Cherry Glazerr

Monsterwatch