Yesterday was Day 3 [see our coverage of Day 1 and Day 2] of Boise’s Treefort Music Fest. First I headed downtown to talk to killer Portland band Bitch’n, who’ll play the Gritty Birds Showcase tonight at 5:30 pm (at Saint Lawrence Gridiron) and the Linen Building at 9:30 pm.
Then I went over to the Neurolux, for Los Angeles band Adult Books‘ set at the Party Boyz Treefort Day Rager. Adult Books just released their first full-length, Running From the Blows, eleven tracks of surfy post-punk that pokes fun at LA on tracks like “Silver Lake Goths.” Lead singer Nick Winfrey’s T-shirt repped another great LA band, Feels, who recently released their self-titled, Ty Segall-produced debut. Adult Books’ touring lineup includes Cameron Allen on keyboards, who’s in another amazing LA band, shoegaze punks Froth.
After consuming an inordinate amount of free food and drink at a mixer, I headed to the main stage for La Luz. They recently moved from Seattle down to LA, following the 2015 release of their Ty Segall-produced record (dude’s busy), Weirdo Shrine. A few months ago I started writing La Luz/Scooby Doo crossover fan fiction inspired by the album, but seeing as it’s the nerdiest thing I’ve ever done I will likely never show anyone. La Luz’s live act is flawless—they execute modern, spooky surf so masterfully, I bet if Dick Dale could see them he’d be shaking in his boots. Singer and guitarist Shana Cleveland is a musical genius; last year she also released a debut from her side project, Shana Cleveland & the Sandcastles, called Oh Man, Cover the Ground. It’s a haunting, guitar-driven folk album that sees Cleveland expand beyond La Luz’s surf-niche.
Next I went to the Linen Building to catch dream-pop sister act Tangerine, who mostly played songs off their recently released EP, Sugar Teeth. I didn’t make it to the main stage for Built to Spill—I’d seen them at Sub Pop’s Silver Jubilee in 2013 and was getting hangry—but I did sit in the parking lot next to it eating a rice bowl and watching the Boise sunset while tearing up to “Liar.”
Unfortunately, the Treefort sets of Boyfriends and Mommy Long Legs were cancelled after the two Seattle bands got stuck in a Colorado blizzard. But they were able to reschedule and play a house show at some kind of college-kid commune in Boise last night for a teeny, tiny crowd.
Invisible Hand opened the night with a few tracks of psychedelia-drenched punk, before Boyfriends hurtled to the middle of the living room-stage. The band, who on Bandcamp claim to worship Freddie Mercury, finished with a cover of the Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” Mommy Long Legs delivered an electrifying set of tight, Seattle grunge-punk, standing on amps and jumping around the room on couches.
After the house show I returned to the Linen Building to catch the end of Hinds‘ set, which was also apparently a live video shoot for Refinery29. The four-piece came all the way from Spain to deliver twangy, sun-soaked bubblegum-pop to the packed venue, playing fan favorites like “Trippy Gum” off their 2014 Demo.
Stay tuned for continuing Treefort Music Fest coverage right here on Blogtown! And check out our coverage from Day 1 and Day 2!