Photo by Francis DeLaPena, via Creative Commons
Now in its fifth incarnation, Boise’s Treefort Music Fest started out as a grand idea between a few friends to liven up their city’s arts scene. They organized the festival’s inaugural event in six months, and it proved to be such a massive success that it became an annual festival showcasing a mix of Boise bands and culture and those coming from outside as well. This year, they’ve kept their title as Cultural Ambassadors to the City of Boise and are already announcing parts of their lineup, including beloved big names like Charles Bradley and Boise natives Built To Spill.
You may be thinking, “Hey, this sounds like a great festival and all, but what does this have to do with the Bay Area?” Great question! In their second announcement of bands on the lineup, there happened to be many of our own locals that we want to highlight. (Hey, maybe you’ll end up following them to Boise in March!)
The San Francisco-based ambient producer and graduate of Mills College is keenly focused on creating an experience with his music. He explains, “I design experiences of sound and light, with the intention of creating a space for opening, reflection and transformation.” He recently remixed a song from fellow Bay Area producer Tycho, which you can hear below.
Jessica Phillipe, or J.Phlip as her nom de music, originally hails from Champaign, IL, but her love of house music led her to Chicago and then San Francisco. There, she connected with the Dirtybird crew of like-minded producers like Claude VonStroke and put out many beat-heavy, synth-tinged house bangers. You can here a great original mix of hers below.
Geographer have been favorites of ours for a long time, and if you’re familiar with the Bay Area scene, you’re likely familiar with the infectious orchestral indie-pop they’re proud to make. New to the world of the band is their Endless Motion EP Vol. 1, featured covers ranging from Felix da Housecat to Paul Simon. You can hear their jubilant cover of Paul Simon’s “I Know What I Know” below.
They may have only been a band for two and a half years, but they already have 200+ shows and an EP Slackin’ Since the ’80s, under their belt. The SF-based trio Couches is self-described as “slacker indie rock meets #soft grunge,” and their music sounds so effortlessly put-together that hey, maybe they truly are slackers! Hear “Train of Thought,” from their EP, below.
Nate Brenner is the bassist of another beloved local act tUnE-yArDs, but these days, the Oakland musicians’s been active as his solo musical persona Naytronix. He put out an LP last year called Mister Divine that encompasses somber atmospheric textures and auto tune-treated vocals and beats. It’s a great, moody direction, and you can hear “Back in Time” below.
EID had quite a harrowing 2015: early on, singer and violinist Sivan Lioncub was diagnosed with liver failure following an adverse reaction. But she and the band survived and thrived, and they’ve gone on to perform spirited Bowie cover shows and grave other local venues with their bombastic orchestral-grunge style. Hear a fan favorite “Mama, No!!!” below.
https://soundcloud.com/everyoneisdirty/mama-no
Oakland’s Unconditional Arms started as a gift to member Jeff Wright’s son, but the post-rock five-piece kept the musical momentum going and blossomed into a beautiful stand-alone entity. Taking cues from post-rock stalwarts like Explosions in the Sky, the band breathes life into blank musical canvases. They recently put out a live record from a performance at Santo Recording in Oakland, and you can hear “Conscious Whirr” here.
Here’s the full lineup, which features many other Bay Area musicians!
Treefort Music Fest
Downtown Boise, ID
March 23-27, 2016
Passes starting at $159 (All Ages)
