Next week I’m driving out to Boise, Idaho to check out Treefort Music Fest for the first time ever, and I couldn’t be more excited by the prospect of sunshine and music. I’m particularly stoked to see San Francisco native Sarah Bethe Nelson, who honestly could be the long-lost granddaughter of Emmylou Harris. Nelson’s 2015, Burger Records-released debut, Fast Moving Clouds, sounds like today’s incarnation of outlaw countryโalthough twang-less and a few generations removed, her music bears an undeniable resemblance to the genre. Listening to Nelson feels like looking at dusty old family photos and pointing out similar features. Fast Moving Clouds spins into Flying Burrito Brothers-style psychedelic country on “Impossible Love,” while the guitar solo in “Start Somewhere” sounds as twinkly and mystical as Fleetwood Mac. Nelson’s music is both bright and sad, like she’s standing in the hot desert sun and singing about the shadows it casts.
