28 don’t-miss acts at Treefort Music Fest in Boise this week
Treefort Music Fest will feature nearly 400 acts when it takes over downtown Boise.
Headliners such as Japanese Breakfast and Lake Street Dive will draw big, enthusiastic crowds to the sold-out festival, which runs Wednesday through Sunday.
But tons of interesting, lesser-known musicians will rock stages, too.
That’s where festival director Eric Gilbert comes in — with band picks to help guide you.
Gilbert has highlighted 28 acts for this article. Performers he recommends — and hopes will be recognized and appreciated for their talents.
At a time when large gatherings are a hot-button issue, he’s also composed this statement for festivalgoers:
“The music community has been one of the hardest hit sectors of the pandemic,” Gilbert said. “We are just starting to truly rebuild. The entire music industry has done everything in our power to stem the tide of the pandemic, including going dormant for well over a year. Now that the vaccines are here and we have learned so much, we are finding a path forward by encouraging vaccinations and testing the unvaccinated and requiring masks at Treefort 9.
“Please, when you come to Treefort this week, help us stand up for and protect the viability of music coming back by following all the COVID safety protocols and masking up. ...
“ ... Most importantly, remember to be kind to each other. The mental health pandemic that has spiraled from the COVID pandemic is a serious issue. Music can help and will help if we all stay committed and stand up for our music community by following the well-thought-out guidelines as to how we can come together safely.”
Angel Abaya — 2:40-3:30 p.m. Friday, Main Stage, 12th and Grove streets
“Talented Boise singer, songwriter and band leader,” Gilbert said. “Groovy indie pop/dream pop.”
Angel Du$t — 7:50 to 8:50 p.m. Sunday, El Korah Shrine, 1118 W. Idaho St.
“A Baltimore-based punk supergroup, Angel Du$t’s old-school, hook-driven melodic hardcore invokes names like Gorilla Biscuits, All, and Bad Brains,” according to AllMusic.
Arooj Aftab — 6:50 to 7:50 p.m. Saturday, El Korah Shrine, 1118 W. Idaho St.
“The Pakistan-born, Brooklyn-based composer draws from jazz, Hindustani classical, and folk to create a heartbreaking, exquisite document of the journey from grief to acceptance,” Pitchfork says.
Barn — 9 to 9:40 p.m. Saturday, Mardi Gras Ballroom, 615 S. 9th St.
“Boise metal band of late teenagers that are on a tear this year. Shredders with big hearts for the all-ages music scene,” Gilbert said.
Blood Lemon — 10:10 to 11 p.m. Friday, El Korah Shrine, 1118 W. Main St.; 5 to 5:40 p.m. Saturday, The Hideout, 1114 W. Front St.
“Boise power trio, ’90s riot grrrl-inspired heavy alternative. Debut self-titled album out this year yielded a lot of positive press nationwide. First national tour in October,” Gilbert said.
Charlie Parr — 9:40 to 10:50 p.m. Saturday, Basque Center, 601 W. Grove St.; 10:50 to midnight Sunday, Linen Building, 1402 W. Grove St.
“Duluth, Minnesota-based country-blues musician, folk troubadour, road warrior. Great new album ‘Last of the Better Days Ahead’ came out this summer on Smithsonian Folkways.”
Cheekface — 10:10 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Linen Building, 1402 W. Grove St.; 4 to 4:50 p.m. Sunday, Radioland, 1115 W. Grove St.
“Los Angeles indie-rock trio. Influenced by great American talk singers like Lou Reed, Jonathan Richman and Stephen Malkmus, British post-punk bands like Wire and The Fall, and proto-indie bands like The dB’s and Minutemen.”
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah — 7:20 to 8:40 p.m. Thursday, El Korah Shrine, 1118 W. Idaho St.; 7 to 8 p.m. Friday, Main Stage, 12th and Grove streets
“Christian Scott, known professionally as Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, is an American trumpeter and composer,” Wikipedia says. “Adjuah is a two-time Edison Award winner, the recipient of the JazzFM Innovator of the year Award in 2016, and has been nominated for five Grammy Awards.”
Dawn Richard — 7:40 to 9:10 p.m. Sunday, Main Stage, 12th and Grove streets
“Member of pop group Danity Kane. Her sixth solo album ‘Second Line’ came out this year on Merge Records (and) features her avant-garde side along with New Orleans jazz-inspired synth-heavy R&B, dance music (and) hip-hop.” Rolling Stone says, “The adventurous R&B artist takes her sound to bold new places, while creating a New Orleans funk Utopia all her own.”
El Shirota — 7:40 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Radioland, 1115 W. Grove St.; 9 to 9:40 p.m. Saturday, Mad Swede Brew Hall, 816 W. Bannock St.; 7:20 to 8:10 p.m. Sunday, Neurolux, 111 N. 11th St.
“ ’90s-inspired alternative rock from Mexico City,” Gilbert said.
Garcia Peoples — 6:20 to 7:10 p.m. Thursday, Radioland, 1115 W. Grove St.; 10:30 to 11:40 p.m. Thursday, El Korah Shrine, 1118 W. Idaho St.; 12:30 to 1:50 a.m. Friday, The Olympic, 1009 W. Main St.
This “adventurous union of indie rock, jam and psychedelia sounds like a dispatch from a ’60s Haight Street acid party hosted by Fairport Convention filtered through the downtown New York cool of Television guitarists Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd,” says Guitar World.
Ingrown — 10 to 10:40 p.m. Sunday, The Shredder, 430 W. 10th St.
“Hardcore punk from Idaho buzzing in hardcore circles nationwide.”
J. Worra — 10:30 p.m. to 11:40 p.m. Saturday, Knitting Factory, 416 S. 9th St.
“Classic house meets new school tech with native Chicagoan, now Los Angeles-based DJ and producer Jamie Sitter, aka J. Worra. Best known for her creativity as a producer and skills behind the decks, she brings an inimitable swagger and technical prowess to dance music’s underground scene, lending these unique skills to every venture of her life spanning music, fashion, and art.”
Margo Cilker — 11 p.m. to midnight, Friday, The District, 219 N. 10th St.
“ ‘Pohorylle’ (out Nov. 5) is Margo Cilker’s debut full-length LP. The record, which carries gentle nods to Lucinda Williams, Townes Van Zandt, and Gillian Welch, shines under the instincts of producer Sera Cahoone, whom Cilker first came across in 2019 while planning her first full-length.”
Orchestra Gold — 10:30 to 11:50 p.m. Friday, Basque Center, 601 W. Grove St.
“Groovy psychedelic rock from Mali. It’s 1976 and you just stepped inside a smokey club in Bamako, Mali. The air is thick with the gritty analog sounds of funky folkloric music, psychedelic guitar swirling with jazzy horns and hypnotic bass. As the crowd shakes their bell bottoms to the infectious grooves, the singer commands the stage with her soulful vocals and dance moves that give James Brown a run for his money. This is the vibe that Oakland’s own Orchestra Gold creates in their live shows as well as their recordings.”
Pell — 12:30 to 1:40 a.m. Saturday, Reef, 105 S. 6th St.
“Hip-hop/R&B.”
Ragged Hounds — 12:20 to 1:30 a.m. Friday, El Korah Shrine
“Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Ragged Hounds features members of WIBG putting a special canine touch on the music of Neil Young & Crazy Horse. The Hounds conjure the dueling guitars and driving rhythm section of Neil’s ‘Rust’ period and make pure kibble out of it.”
Note: This is a late addition, Gilbert said, and “will feature special guest appearances including one particularly well-known local guitarist and Neil Young fan.”
Ratboys — 10 to 11 p.m. Friday, Linen Building, 1402 W. Grove St.
“Chicago indie-rock band.”
Robert Shredford — 9:30 to 10:10 p.m. Friday, Western Proper, 610 W. Idaho St.
“Surf rock/garage pop from Fort Collins, Colorado.”
Sofía Valdés — 5:30 to 6:20 p.m. Wednesday, Main Stage, 12th and Grove streets
“Panamanian singer-songwriter, bilingual dreamy alt-pop.”
Sonny & The Sunsets — 10 to 11:20 p.m. Saturday, Neurolux, 111 N. 11th St.
“Birthed from the sand, the surf, and twilight campfires down in Ocean Beach, Sonny & the Sunsets’ busted beach-pop songs spark recollections of doo wop’s otherworldly despair, a dose of goofball humor from the Michael Hurley school, and positive possibilities exuded by Jonathan Richman.”
Swsh — 12:30 to 1:30 a.m. Thursday, Reef, 105 S. 6th St.
“Swsh, the Los Angeles based rapper, lyricist, producer and singer-songwriter is a multitalented non-binary individual who has crafted a distinct and signature sound that’s all their own.”
The Felice Brothers — 11 p.m. to 12:10 a.m. Friday, The Olympic, 1009 W. Main St.; 4:20 to 5:20 p.m. Saturday, Main Stage, 12th and Grove streets
“American folk-rock/country rock band from Catskills, New York. Incredible songs and live band.”
The Heligoats — 8:40 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, The Olympic, 1009 W. Main St.; 1 to 1:40 p.m. Saturday (solo), Sanctuary, 1185 W. Grove St.
“One of my fave songwriters to ever visit Boise,” Gilbert said. “Playing a full band show and solo show.”
Wajatta — 9 to 10 p.m. Friday, Knitting Factory, 416 S. 9th St.
“The virtuosic beatboxer and comedian Reggie Watts teams with techno legend John Tejada for a loose, punchy set of house anthems,” Pitchfork says.
“Reggie Watts just DJ’d the Emmys,” Gilbert added, “and will be at Treefort this week fresh off of that.”
Yasmin Williams — 8:10 to 9:10 p.m. Saturday, Sanctuary, 1185 W. Grove St.; 5 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Kin, 999 W. Main St.
“Acoustic fingerstyle guitarist with an unorthodox, modern style of playing. Her music has been commonly described as refreshing, relaxing, and unique and has been called some of the most imaginative guitar music out today.”
Vision Video — 9:20 to 10 p.m. Friday, The Shredder, 430 W. 10th St.; 9 to 10 p.m. Saturday, The Hideout, 114 W. Front St.
“Gothic pop post-punk band from Athens, Georgia.”
Zeta — 5 to 5:40 p.m. Friday, Radioland, 1115 W. Grove St.; 12:40 to 1:50 a.m. Saturday, The Shredder, 430 W. 10th St.; 4:40 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Main Stage, 12th and Grove streets
“Zeta is an experimental band from Latin America, characterized by their atmospheric sounds and energetic rhythms, accompanied by profound lyrics that speak of existence, positive consciousness, and being.”
