The Treefort Music Fest is a five-day,
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
festival which is held at numerous venues throughout downtown
Boise, Idaho
Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown are ...
in late March. The inaugural 2012 festival took place March 20–23 with the featured acts
Built to Spill,
The Joy Formidable
The Joy Formidable is a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 2007 in Mold, Flintshire, and currently based in London, England. The band consists of Rhiannon "Ritzy" Bryan ( lead vocals, guitar), Rhydian Dafydd ( bass, vocals) and Matthew Jam ...
, and
Poliça
Poliça (often stylised in all caps) is an American pop band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, formed in 2011. The band consists of Channy Leaneagh (vocals, synth), Chris Bierden (bass), Drew Christopherson (drums) and Ben Ivascu (drums), with Ryan ...
. Treefort has been called "the west’s best
SXSW
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...
alternative"
and "Boise's preeminent artistic, cultural and musical happening" which has "morphed from quirky music festival to consuming community event." It has also been characterized as having become a "nationally renowned gathering just by maintaining its personable close-knit vibe" and a "music lover's joyous mayhem" which showcases and amplifies the soul of Boise.
Given its track record, by its seventh year Treefort was being hailed as "the greatest music festival in the country"
and "an absolute gem of a festival."
[
]
History
Although the idea of a multi-day, multi-venue music festival has been bruited since the mid-'80s, Treefort itself had its roots in tragedy when producer Lori Shandro's husband died in a private plane crash in 2009. The head of an independent health insurance agency, Shandro took up interests divergent from her married life, and eventually formed The Duck Club, which brings musical acts to Boise throughout the year and now produces the Treefort Music Fest.
Logistically, Treefort was inspired in part by the touring schedules of bands headed home to the
Northwest
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...
from
SXSW
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...
in Austin, Texas
(some of which had been hosted by the Visual Arts Collective at a post-SXSW mini fest in
Garden City, Idaho
Garden City is a city in Ada County, Idaho. The population was 10,972 at the time of the 2010 census. Garden City is nearly surrounded by Boise but retains a separate municipal government.
Garden City was named for gardens raised by Chines ...
the previous year), as well as late March being the beginning of spring break for many Idaho schools. A week before the festival itself, the Boise-based band
TEENS Hillfolk Noir, Le Fleur, The Brett Netson Band, Finn Riggins,
Youth Lagoon
Trevor Powers (born March 18, 1989) is an American musician from Boise, Idaho. Powers was initially active as Youth Lagoon from 2010 to 2016, after which he announced he was retiring the project. He returned to music with a new self-titled projec ...
, and
Built to Spill had themselves played at SXSW.
Producer Lori Shandro reflected on Treefort's genesis a year later at a Scenius town hall-style meeting on artistic endeavours and economic growth that "There were just a certain number of people who were all in the same place regarding
reefort ... This sort of synergy happened to make the project come together rather easily... With scenius, there's the thought of trying to put the right people in the same place at the same time, and then things will happen. That's really how Treefort happened. Everybody had the same vision that the Boise music scene is ready to develop and be a force on its own two feet." The festival currently has six year-round staff, 100 contract employees during the festival itself, and nearly a thousand volunteers.
Chronology
2012
Thoroughly
grass roots
A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...
,
DIY
"Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...
and free of corporate sponsorship, and with an emphasis on emerging music, the indie-centric inaugural Treefort
festival
A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...
took place on March 22–25, 2012 and featured more than 137 bands from throughout the Northwest and as far afield as New Zealand and Australia, as well as performance art, art installations, and
disabled
Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...
and
modern dance
Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert or theatrical dance which included dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th ...
, seminars on the music business and
social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
, and
local beers. (Initially the intention had been for a small two-day festival of sixty bands.) There were eight stages extant (including free all-ages venues), and ten hours of music scheduled daily on Treefort's initial Saturday and Sunday; an estimated and unexpected 3,000 people attended each of the last full three days of the festival's inaugural run, and some forty national media outlets provided reportage.
Critically, the first day of festival was described as being "full of transcending bands," and overall the festival was characterized as having "the look and feel of a developing SxSW," and "a smashing success," and as well as having "put Boise on the map" in terms of Boise having finally established a music festival due to the high quality of the musicians. The proceeds from Treefort benefit
community radio
Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popular ...
station
Radio Boise, KRBX 89.9 FM.
2013
Months before any bands had even been announced for the Second Annual Treefort Music Fest, scheduled for March 21–24, 2013, the initial batch of early-bird priced wristbands had sold out in October 2012 in 17 minutes. and succeeding ticket sales continued to be faster than those at the same time the previous year. Treefort 2013 eventually signed up more than 250 bands (some of whom are included in Treefort's
sound cloud) and featured a lost
yarn-bombed 560 lb. monster with a stone head as its mascot. The
Coachella Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert ...
has been compared (unfavourably) to the Treefort Music Fest by
BuzzFeed
BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Ken ...
.
The second annual Treefort Music Fest aimed at the fence "carefully," featuring a more diverse set of acts, but also more than 100 Idaho bands, one of which, Boise-based
Youth Lagoon
Trevor Powers (born March 18, 1989) is an American musician from Boise, Idaho. Powers was initially active as Youth Lagoon from 2010 to 2016, after which he announced he was retiring the project. He returned to music with a new self-titled projec ...
, was one of
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
's "Twenty Must-See Acts" at SXSW; it and
Foxygen
Foxygen is an American indie rock duo from Westlake Village, California, formed in 2005. The band consists of multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Rado and vocalist Sam France. They have released six albums and a number of self-released EPs.
History
R ...
and
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Unknown Mortal Orchestra (UMO) is a New Zealand psychedelic rock band formed in Auckland, primarily composed of singer, guitarist, and songwriter Ruban Nielson, and bassist Jake Portrait. The band is currently based in Portland, Oregon, United ...
, also included in the twenty, performed at both festivals in 2013. The headline act was
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, and fifteen bands came from the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
. Three times as many passes were sold as in 2012; the festival's own app overloaded on Thursday night, and the opening venue, the
Shriner
Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.
Shriners International describes itself ...
's El Korah Shrine, sold a record amount of alcohol. Festival organizers later estimated that they had come within 100 passes of selling out completely; more than 3,000 4-day passes were sold, and thousands variously journeyed to 13 venues throughout downtown Boise to watch more than 260 bands, with roughly 6,000 at the main stage on Friday alone. Sold-out shows, as with Foxygen on opening night, led to people seeing, and being surprised by, bands they had not planned to see, a phenomenon which festival organizer Eric Gilbert described as a "win-win situation."
Overall the four days of the music festival was acclaimed as turning Boise itself into the sociological
third place
In sociology, the third place refers to the social surroundings that are separate from the two usual social environments of home ("first place") and the workplace ("second place"). Examples of third places include churches, cafes, clubs, public ...
as different artistic communities converged in a state and city where (the maximum of)
six degrees of separation
Six degrees of separation is the idea that all people are six or fewer social connections away from each other. As a result, a chain of "friend of a friend" statements can be made to connect any two people in a maximum of six steps. It is also k ...
does not exist, and was praised for its high organization and good spirits in showcasing the best independent music North America has to offer and being a safe haven for all walks of life. "Happy Treefort" became a common greeting, and "Treeforting" and "Postfort" also entered the lexicon.
2014
The third annual festival, in March 2014, endeavored to be more "
green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...
"/
sustainable
Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livin ...
and as of February had booked 350 bands (including solo projects and DJs, after rejecting over 1,000 other interested parties) featuring the best of upcoming non-mainstream music from such genres as pop, heavy metal, hip hop, electronica, folk, and classic rock. Furthermore, the festival branched out with a film festival, Filmfort, the tech festival Hackfort (which was lauded by President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
during his January 21, 2015 visit to Boise), Storyfort, and Yoga Fort, as well as comedy showcases. This synergy marked Treefort as having become "more than a music festival. It is a cultural phenomenon, not only propelling Boise’s music scene forward, but now connecting the city’s cultural communities of literature, technology, film and mind/body health."
/ref> The music festival too was appraised months later by the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce
A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
and president Bill Conners as having benefits to the city beyond that of tourism. One quarter of those who bought tickets in advance in 2014 were from outside Idaho. "It's become part of Boise's brand
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
," he said. "It's a positive brand that helps attract innovative companies, tourists, conventions and investments, so we hope the festival continues." It has been furthermore been cited as a potential entry in resumes regarding volunteering
Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group wikt:gratis, freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. O ...
, and in its second year Hackfort partnered with the Idaho Department of Labor
The Idaho Department of Labor is a state agency in Idaho. The agency is responsible for economic development, labor relations, workforce, technology, volunteerism, and workforce development. It also processes requests for unemployment benefits
...
in furtherance of the state's tech industry and digital economy.
The third festival kicked off with a "blast from the past" featuring the reunion of several notable Boise bands; the combined efforts of nearly 400 volunteers (''vis-à-vis'' the nearly 200 for the inaugural festival and the more than 300 for the second) supported bands from the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States over the course of the festival. Treefort included 140 ''local'' bands among the more than 350 during its third year, a testament to the festival's burgeoning creativity. The festival averaged 7,000 people a day, an increase over the 6,000 people a day in 2013, had to order more ''Over 21'' wristbands Saturday afternoon, and was expected to turn a profit for the first time. Although approximately 7,500 attended Saturday night and local bars experienced a boom in business, the Boise Police Department issued no open alcohol container citations or responded to any significant incidents. Overall the third festival was described as having "veered more confidently than ever toward emerging artists in all genres" and having been an extensive community and cultural event where "good attitudes all but fell from the sky."
In August 2014 it was announced that Treefort had yet to make a profit (although it had come close to doing so in 2014), and that the festival was applying to change its business status from that of a limited liability corporation
A limited liability company (LLC for short) is the US-specific form of a private limited company. It is a business structure that can combine the pass-through taxation of a partnership or sole proprietorship with the limited liability of a ...
to a certified B corporation
In the United States, a benefit corporation (or in several jurisdictions including Delaware, a public-benefit corporation or PBC) is a type of for-profit corporate entity, authorized by 35 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, that include ...
whose articles of incorporation and bylaws authorize the corporate board to consider social and other factors besides shareholder interests when making decisions. New co-owners and board members were brought in, and Lori Shandro, who had been subsidizing Treefort to this point, remarked that "I wanted to start something that can last forever... This thing could live on its own without me now." It was also formally announced that the festival would return in 2015, with its website marking a shift to a five-day festival. Treefort is also involved in public art in Boise via Bloomberg Philanthropies
Bloomberg Philanthropies is a philanthropic organization that encompasses all of the charitable giving of founder Michael R. Bloomberg. Headquartered in New York City, Bloomberg Philanthropies focuses its resources on five areas: the environmen ...
and Boise's Department of Arts and History, and in December 2014 was designated Boise's 2015 Cultural Ambassador by Mayor David Bieter and awarded a $25,000 grant for its "... positive impact on the city’s visibility, economy and cultural scene."
2015
The fourth annual festival, March 24-19 2015, booked 430 acts
/ref> and was supported by some 600 volunteers, approximately 15% of whom went over their required nine hours of volunteer time. Local bands included Magic Sword (band), Magic Sword, Hollow Wood, Thick Business, Transistor Send
upright=1.4, gate (G), body (B), source (S) and drain (D) terminals. The gate is separated from the body by an insulating layer (pink).
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to Electronic amplifier, amplify or electronic switch, switch ...
, Marshall Poole
Marshall may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria
Canada
* Marshall, Saskatchewan
* The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia
Liberia
* Marshall, Liberia
Marshall Islands
* Marshall Islands, an ...
, Calico the Band
Calico (; in British usage since 1505) is a heavy plain-woven textile made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. It may also contain unseparated husk parts. The fabric is far coarser than muslin, but less coarse and thick than ...
, and Sun Blood Stories
Sun Blood Stories is an American experimental band from Boise, Idaho, founded in 2011. Named after the color of Boise's skies during summer forest fires, their mesmerizing live sound has been likened to modern-day opera.
The group performs regular ...
. It also featured Kidfort, Storyfort (a "loose literary happening "like a miniature version of Readings & Conversations," and performance art
Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...
featuring neo-burlesque
Neo-Burlesque, or New Burlesque, is the revival and updating of the traditional American burlesque performance. Though based on the traditional burlesque art, the new form encompasses a wider range of performance styles; neo-burlesque acts can ra ...
amongst other artistic endeavours, "the trippiest part of Treefort," as well as a midnight to 4 a.m. Breakfastfort at El Korah, thus pulling out all the stops. The overlapping of synergistic events was of such complexity that the Boise Weekly published a layout of Venn diagram
A Venn diagram is a widely used diagram style that shows the logical relation between set (mathematics), sets, popularized by John Venn (1834–1923) in the 1880s. The diagrams are used to teach elementary set theory, and to illustrate simple ...
s, and some of the venues did not typically host musical acts.
Band Dialogue III featured a dozen bands with their respective instrumental kit lined up on both sides of Grove St. conducted by Seth Olinsky holding up placards marked E, F#, B, and so on, riffing and generating shifting walls of sound.
The festival was critically acclaimed for fostering "a genuine community between festival workers, festival goers and bands," with an emphasis on an electronic music trend (most notably with Emily Wells
Emily Wells (born November 20, 1981) is an American multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer, arranger, and producer whose genres encompass alternative, experimental, hip-hop and classical. In addition to playing instruments such as violin a ...
), although "raw, rootsy, reverb-drenched, dreamy, dramatic and other descriptors for guitar music" were in abundance. More generally, its ethos was that of a "manageable experience devoid of douche bags and marketing companies infiltrating every crevice of the event." Furthermore, "For a fourth year festival, Treefort is pretty mature. Over a five-day stretch, some 400 bands play about a dozen venues throughout downtown Boise, from impromptu outdoor stages to small clubs and arcades. The lineup is strong, the organization is admirable and, perhaps most importantly, the city loves to play host. The result is a fishbowl scenario wherein bands and fans are constantly running into each other, exchanging remarks, ideas, cigarettes and contact info in Idaho’s delightfully compact capitol... When Treefort assembles, the entire city puts on the festival wristband." More generally the festival was also characterized for having demonstrating Boise's potential "to nurture the convergence of the big, bright, sprawling, conservative, mountain, desert west and the dark, creative, lush, liberal, urban centers of the Pacific Northwest." While the number of attendees has increased annually, the percentage of out-of-towners remains steady at roughly 25%, and baristas’ tip averages doubled.
In October it was announced that the 2015 festival had broke even, and that Treefort had in the summer become a Benefit Corporation
In the United States, a benefit corporation (or in several jurisdictions including Delaware, a public-benefit corporation or PBC) is a type of for-profit corporate entity, authorized by 35 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, that includ ...
(B Corp), the only music festival in the U.S. with that status. "We have often stated that we are a 'for profit entity ran like a non-profit' because we have always been a values-based project, driven by a purpose much more than the lure of profit. In the summer of 2014, we were presented with a legal option for which we could best represent who we are as a festival, as community members and as a business -- the Treefort Leadership Team officially formed Treefort, LLC and began seeking B Corp certification to lock in and protect the legacy principles the festival was founded upon."
2016
The 2016 lineup was expected to feature more than 400 bands, including notable Boise acts Built to Spill, Hollow Wood, Thomas Paul, Toy Zoo, The Dirty Moogs, Get Wet +, Dark Swallows and Edmond Dantes. Veteran acts jam
Jam is a type of fruit preserve.
Jam or Jammed may also refer to:
Other common meanings
* A firearm malfunction
* Block signals
** Radio jamming
** Radar jamming and deception
** Mobile phone jammer
** Echolocation jamming
Arts and ente ...
band Leftover Salmon
Leftover Salmon is an American jam band from Boulder, Colorado, formed in 1989. The band's music is a blend of bluegrass, rock, country, and Cajun/Zydeco. Over their thirty years as a band Salmon have released seven studio albums and three li ...
, and soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
group Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires were also booked. The full lineup, announced on February 12, included the indie acts Yacht
A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...
, Chairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. They ...
, and Willis Earl Beal
Willis Earl Beal (also known as Nobody) is an artist and musician.
Early years
Willis Earl Beal was born on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. In his early twenties Beal joined the U.S. Army, moving to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Beal was ...
, and more than two dozen venues and 450 musicians and bands. Twenty-five of the bands were international, the most ever for Treefort, hailing from Japan, Italy, Israel, Australia, etc. Some of the approximately 600 Treefort volunteers also contributed to local non-profits in keeping with their community ethos.
The fifth annual festival was acclaimed as "possibly the most dynamic fest in the Northwest," and "a unique celebration of art and music."
2017
The sixth annual Treefort's initial announcement of 75 bands was characterized as being, as usual, "an insanely eclectic geyser of bands"; ultimately 411 bands were announced in a "fake news
Fake news is false or misleading information presented as news. Fake news often has the aim of damaging the reputation of a person or entity, or making money through advertising revenue.Schlesinger, Robert (April 14, 2017)"Fake news in reality ...
," mockumentary
A mockumentary (a blend of ''mock'' and ''documentary''), fake documentary or docu-comedy is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events but presented as a documentary.
These productions are often used to analyze or comment on c ...
, news satire
News satire or news comedy is a type of parody presented in a format typical of mainstream journalism, and called a satire because of its content. News satire has been around almost as long as journalism itself, but it is particularly popular on t ...
format. With a wide variety of "forts," initial non-musical offerings ranged from a seminar by refugee
A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution. s (hosted by Mayor Dave Bieter
David Harold Bieter (born November 1, 1959) is an American politician and attorney who served as List of mayors of Boise, mayor of Boise, Idaho, Boise from 2004 to 2020. He is the longest-serving mayor in the city's history. According to ''The New ...
himself) to Jungo Blizzard, a macro-puppet 25 feet tall with an arm span of 45 feet based on the video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
character from Primal Rage
''Primal Rage'' is a fighting game developed and released by Atari Games to arcades in August 1994. The game takes place on a post-apocalyptic version of Earth called "Urth". Players control one of seven large beasts that battle each other to de ...
which is too large to get onto the main stage but which is generally expected to be ambushing festival goers, to symposiums on podcast
A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...
s. More than 20 volunteers (of the 700 volunteers overall) set up Treefort regalia throughout downtown Boise utilizing its comprehensive yet incremental aesthetic which subtly changes annually.
Musically, one reviewer opined that "With a lineup so large, at Treefort it’s as easy to miss everything as it is to miss nothing. Having a planned schedule when approaching the fest is mainly a plan for fools as the best part about Treefort is stumbling on to those afternoon pop-up sets at the Modern Hotel, or being just a little too deep in your Axe Handle IPL to march from the Linen Building to Pengilly’s. Either way, no one leaves Treefort disappointed, and everyone leaves with a new favorite artist." A British reviewer remarked that "The mood on the fourth day of Boise, Idaho’s big music blowout... was buoyant and as bright as the sun shining on festival-goers all through downtown Boise," and months afterwards, after the disastrous Fyre Fest
Fyre Festival was a fraudulent luxury music festival founded by con artist Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule. It was created with the intent of promoting the company's Fyre app for booking music talent. The festival was scheduled to take pla ...
and given the continuing backlash against Coachella Coachella may refer to:
* Coachella, California
* Coachella Canal, in California
* Coachella (festival), an annual music and arts festival in California
* "Coachella – Woodstock in My Mind", a 2017 song by Lana del Rey
See also
* Coachell ...
, Treefort was held up as an exemplary "little party monster" and "holistic arts festival" with a "'come sit with us' vibe which pulses throughout the town."
Additionally The Boise All-ages Movement Project (styled B-AMP), an Idaho nonprofit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
which provides for inclusive venues for all ages of musicians and audiences which uses the pop-up retail
Pop-up retail, also known as pop-up store (pop-up shop in the UK, Australia and Ireland) or flash retailing, is a trend of opening short-term sales spaces that last for days to weeks before closing down, often to catch onto a fad or scheduled e ...
model, joined the festival.
2018
It was announced that the seventh annual Treefort would be headlined by George Clinton. The second round of artists announced included Rapsody
Marlanna Evans (born January 21, 1983), better known by her stage name Rapsody, is an American rapper. Her second album, ''Laila's Wisdom'' (2017), which was critically acclaimed, received two Grammy Award nominations for Best Rap Album and Be ...
, Jamila Woods
Jamila Woods (born October 6, 1989) is a Chicago-based American singer, songwriter and poet. Woods is a graduate of St. Ignatius College Prep and Brown University, where she received a BA in Africana Studies and Theater & Performance Studies. He ...
, and Princess Nokia
Destiny Nicole Frasqueri (born June 14, 1992), known professionally as Princess Nokia, is an American rapper and songwriter. She released her debut studio album, ''Metallic Butterfly'', in 2014, followed by the 2015 mixtape ''Honeysuckle''. As P ...
. The third and final round of artists featured notable Russian feminist
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
agitprop
Agitprop (; from rus, агитпроп, r=agitpróp, portmanteau of ''agitatsiya'', "agitation" and ''propaganda'', " propaganda") refers to an intentional, vigorous promulgation of ideas. The term originated in Soviet Russia where it referred ...
rockers Pussy Riot
Pussy Riot is a Russian feminist protest and performance art group based in Moscow that became popular for its provocative punk rock music which later turned into a more accessible style. Founded in August 2011, it has had a membership of appr ...
and Cindy Wilson
Cynthia Leigh Wilson (born February 28, 1957) is an American musician and one of the vocalists, songwriters and founding members of new wave rock band the B-52's. She is noted for her distinctive contralto voice and also plays percussion during ...
of B-52's
The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, p ...
fame, initially making for 442 acts in all, but ultimately 462 acts, including a plethora of under the radar bands. "Overwhelm is a real thing. There is a lot going on."
The Boise All-Ages Movement Project (BAMP) was particularly well received, as was George Clinton & P-Funk's set, illustrating the range of decades of musical talent from funk to punk. Ballet Idaho and Tispur provided an early, mesmerizing highlight, and black, queer
''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...
transgender
A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...
musician bell's roar (Sean Desiree) performed a funny, poignant set at the Linen Building. ''Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
'' noted in its review that within sixteen blocks downtown one could see "200 people doing yoga
Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...
; a child’s face wrapped in virtual reality goggles; a dozen bands arranged in a circle... ndcelebrity chefs plating Wagyu
Wagyu ( ja, 和牛, Hepburn: ''wagyū'', ) is the collective name for the four principal Japanese breeds of beef cattle. All wagyū cattle derive from cross-breeding in the early twentieth century of native Japanese cattle with imported sto ...
beef." Thousands of people from around the world enjoyed the final days of the festival.
Idaho was the only red state
Starting with the 2000 United States presidential election, the terms "red state" and "blue state" have referred to U.S. states whose voters vote predominantly for one party — the Republican Party in red states and the Democratic Party in b ...
on Pussy Riot's first North American tour, and their politically charged concert (more political rally than traditional concert) had people standing in line for nearly two hours; audience members raised their fists in solidarity as they played their music videos and performed, whereas some in the back of the venue left several songs into the set.
Despite the occasionally inclement weather (it snowed on the morning of the final day), one power outage, and cancellations (one due to visa issues), both the inclusiveness of Treefort, bringing together as it does every imaginable walk of life, and the stellar musical acts, caused it to be hailed as "the greatest music festival in the country." Although its profit did not increase, the 2018 festival experienced its largest consecutive year increase, with 24,000 people attending, a 33% jump from 2017's 18,000 attendees.
2019
The 8th Annual Treefort featured the headliners Liz Phair
Elizabeth Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career ...
, Dan Deacon
Daniel Deacon (born August 28, 1981) is an American composer and electronic musician based in Baltimore, Maryland.
Deacon is renowned for his live shows, where large-scale audience participation and interaction is often a major element of the pe ...
and Angélique Kidjo
Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo (; born July 14, 1960), known as Angélique Kidjo, is a Beninese singer-songwriter, actress, and activist who is noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos. ...
's Remain in Light (the latter of whom unfortunately had to cancel due to illness). Music Festival Wizard opined that "Boise in Idaho may sound like an odd city choice for an epic festival, but the Treefort festival continues to impress us year after year. Treefort typically takes places the week after SXSW to take advantage of artists heading back to the Northwest. Short lines and a welcoming city continually keeps Treefort at the top of our list." 432 bands and solo artists had been booked, amongst other endeavors, in a collective ensemble which has been described as "exhilarating" and which "inspires swells of creativity." Paste Magazine noted that "There’s no space or tolerance for foul moods at Treefort, where the music is good and the people are great." Along these lines, an updated, comprehensive sexual harassment
Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...
policy was put in place which featured on ubiquitous signage.[`]
2020
The initial line-up for 2020 (released November 2019) featured 120 bands from 14 countries, with the headliners being Chromatics and Japanese Breakfast
Japanese Breakfast is an indie pop band headed by Korean-American musician Michelle Zauner.
Zauner started the band as a side project in 2013, when she was leading the Philadelphia-based emo group Little Big League. She has said that she name ...
. Penultimately however the festival was postponed until September 23–27 due to the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, and ultimately until both September 22–26, 2021 and March 23–27, 2022 whereupon it was planned to become an annual vernal festival again.
2021
Proof of COVID-19 vaccination
A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19).
Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, an est ...
and/or a negative result was required of all performers, staffers, attendees and volunteers. Ticket sales were limited, particularly given that triage
In medicine, triage () is a practice invoked when acute care cannot be provided for lack of resources. The process rations care towards those who are most in need of immediate care, and who benefit most from it. More generally it refers to prio ...
crisis standards of care
In tort law, the standard of care is the only degree of prudence and caution required of an individual who is under a duty of care.
The requirements of the standard are closely dependent on circumstances. Whether the standard of care has been b ...
had only days prior been implemented statewide. Despite the ongoing pandemic, many artists originally scheduled to play the 2020 festival did in fact play the 2021 festival, including Japanese Breakfast, Built to Spill, Mannequin Pussy, and a huge selection of local and regional artists. Masks were required at all indoor venues, with very high compliance from audience members at most shows, including outdoor shows that drew crowds. At the event, 695 attendees were tested on-site (18 of whom tested positive and were sent home to quarantine themselves), 80%-85% were fully vaxxed, and 76 free vaccinations were given. There were 15,475 total attendees over the five days, a decrease of approximately 40% vis-à-vis the prior two festivals.
2022
The festival returned to nearly its pre-COVID attendance, with a larger line-up and more five-day pass-holders than ever before.
Photo gallery
2012
File:TheShivas.jpg, The Shivas
File:MrGnomeOH2012Treefort.jpg, Mr. Gnome
Mr. Gnome (stylized as mr. Gnome) is an alternative art rock married duo from Cleveland, Ohio. Their eclectic oeuvre has been characterized as "an arresting mix of menace and mellifluousness," and "intriguing, theatrical." Nicole Barille notes o ...
File:SilkscreeningTreefort.JPG, Silkscreen
Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink (or dye) onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open me ...
ing
File:2012TreefortAURadiance.jpg, AU
File:2012ofMontreal.jpg, of Montreal
2013
File:RoadtoTreefortPt3VideoShoot.JPG, Video shoot for The Road to Treefort, Pt. 3, in late January 2013
File:LostTreefort2013MascotMonsterNotice.jpg, Guerilla marketing
''Guerilla Marketing'' ( si, ගරිල්ලා මාර්කටිං, italic=yes) is a 2005 Sri Lankan Sinhala action thriller film directed by Jayantha Chandrasiri and produced by K.C.K Communications for Euroshian Consultancy. It stars Y ...
File:Treefort2013VolunteerListenersFoldInward.JPG, The cut-up technique used in public art
Public art is art in any Media (arts), media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and phy ...
. The graffito is "Listeners fold inward," (''sic'')
File:FoxgenTreefortII.jpg, Foxygen
Foxygen is an American indie rock duo from Westlake Village, California, formed in 2005. The band consists of multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Rado and vocalist Sam France. They have released six albums and a number of self-released EPs.
History
R ...
of Los Angeles at their sold-out show on opening night at a Shriner
Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.
Shriners International describes itself ...
venue
File:SunBloodStories.JPG, Boisean mainstays Sun Blood Stories
Sun Blood Stories is an American experimental band from Boise, Idaho, founded in 2011. Named after the color of Boise's skies during summer forest fires, their mesmerizing live sound has been likened to modern-day opera.
The group performs regular ...
performs on the main stage
File:EdmundWayneQuintetBassoonist.jpg, The Edmund Wayne quintet of Seattle
File:Treefort2013Volunteers.JPG, Three (of the nearly 300 volunteers
Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...
) holding the fort at the VIP Tent
Treefort2013MonsterWalkman.jpg, Walkmen performs on the main stage, as does the monster/mascot
File:EmilyWellsTunesDrumsAtNeurolux.JPG, Emily Wells
Emily Wells (born November 20, 1981) is an American multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer, arranger, and producer whose genres encompass alternative, experimental, hip-hop and classical. In addition to playing instruments such as violin a ...
shortly before her sold-out show at The Neurolux
File:Treefort2013MagicSwordChinaBlue.jpg, Local group Magic Sword perform in character at China Blue
2014
File:StoryFortAtTreefort2014.jpg, A curator of personal narratives at Storyfort
File:SallieFordAndtheMusicOutsideTreefort2014.jpg, Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside, Sallie Ford
File:FamilyAndFriendsTreefort2014.jpg, Friends and Family
File:TheMeltingTreefort2014.jpg, The Melting
File:SplinterTreefort2014.jpg, Splinter
File:AncientPsychicTandemWarElephantTreefort2014.jpg, Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant
File:SaintsenecaTreefort2014.jpg, Saintseneca
File:EastTreefortFingerpointSignage.jpg, Venues to the east
File:WestTreefortFingerpointSignage.jpg, And venues to the west
File:Treefort2014MusicBusinessPanel.jpg, Music industry professionals discuss the nuts-and-bolts of the business in a video symposium
2015
File:Treefort2015Countdown.jpg, Treefort is highly anticipated
File:600Treefort2015VolunteersOwyheePickup.jpg, Some of the 600 volunteers paying for their discounted 5-day passes at the renovated Owyhee
File:Treefort2015VolunteerRegalia.jpg, Volunteer regalia
File:Treefort2015SpacebarRandomBandSelectorBeerCoasters.jpg, Spacebar beer coasters to flip to randomly decide which band to see next (click to enlarge)
File:OmarSouleymanElKorahCrowdsurferTreefort2015.jpg, Omar Souleyman performs at El Korah Shrine to a packed crowd surfing audience.
EmilyWellsTreefort2015.jpg, Emily Wells
Emily Wells (born November 20, 1981) is an American multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer, arranger, and producer whose genres encompass alternative, experimental, hip-hop and classical. In addition to playing instruments such as violin a ...
headlines at Treefort
File:TheCommonautsElKorahTreefort2015.jpg, The Commonauts, a Boise High band which began in 1983, reunites
File:WhatMoonThingsCrazyHorseTreefort2015.jpg, What Moon Things performs at Crazy Horse
File:StoryfortfBoiseRockHistoryTreefort2015.jpg, History of Boise Rock seminar at Storyfort
File:WinsomeDenziensTreefort2015.jpg, Winsome public art
Public art is art in any Media (arts), media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and phy ...
File:PhantahexSpacebarTreefort2015.jpg, Phantahex performs electronica solely using analog synthesizers
File:GiantCatPuppetsTreefort2015.webm, Felix the Cat
2016
File:ToyZooTreefortVKickOffParty.jpg, Locals Toy Zoo performs at El Korah Shrine immediately following volunteer orientation
File:Treefort2016SanFermin.jpg, San Fermin (band), San Fermin of Brooklyn, New York
File:Treefort2016Flaural.jpg, Flaural of Denver, Colorado
File:TheHindsTreefort2016.jpg, Hinds (band), Hinds of Madrid, Spain
2017
File:JungoBlizzardTreefort2017.jpg, Jungo Blizzard, set to roam the streets of Boise.
File:CroppedWeAreApesAtAnAllAgesPopUpVenueTreefort2017.jpg, Local band We Are Apes performs under the aegis of the Boise All-Ages Freedom Movement at a family-friendly pop-up venue, a Mexican restaurant which does not typically host musical acts.
File:RefugeeStoriesAtStoryfortTreefort2017.jpg, Refugees Patrick from Congo and Zuzu from Iraq with Mayor Bieter.
File:DyllanHerseyTreefort2017.jpg, Dyllan Hersey of Victor, Idaho performs at Pengilly's.
File:GosTTreefort2017.jpg, GosT of Hell, Minnesota.
File:KateTempestTreefort2017.jpg, Kae Tempest performs ferocious hip-hop regarding South London in her signature piece Let Them Eat Chaos.
File:MeatPuppets Neurolux TreefortCredit PatrickSweeney-5 (33560947866).jpg, Meat Puppets perform at The Neurolux.
2018
File:MadisunProofKicksOffThe2018TreefortLaunchParty.jpg, Local ensemble Madisun Proof kicks off the launch party with elegiac hip hop with elements of Swing (jazz performance style), swing.
File:ShuckingFitRocksOut.jpg, The minors of Shucking Fit rock out under the aegis of the Boise All-ages Movement Project (B-AMP) at a former Urban Outfitters location; Ballet Idaho also had a stage there, in an example of Treefort's cultural & artistic diversity.
File:BAMP.jpg, BAMP signage.
File:BackTheFortUp.jpg, Treefort herein displays its innate sense of humor regarding volunteer spaces, in this case at the Owyhee's penthouse which serves as the Artist's Lounge for the duration of the festival.
EmmaArnoldGirlBoner.jpg, Emma Arnold speaks adroitly and hilariously about sexuality at Girl Boner at Storyfort
ElusivePandaRegardingTheTwitchHipHopGamingCondominium.jpg, Hip-hop artist Dave Boutdy (DaveTheFave) gives a presentation about the surprising syncretism of video game culture, gaming culture and hip-hop culture(s) on (and on) Twitch (service), Twitch at Hackfort.
BandDilogueVIIAtTreefort2018AtJUMP.jpg, Seth Olinsky conducts Band Dialogue VII at Jack's Urban Meeting Place (JUMP) across from the Basque Block.
VeganAnonsProtestAtThe2018TreefortMusicFest.jpg, Anonymous (group), Anonymous Veganism, Vegans protest the meat packing industry
TheSeshenPerformsAtThe2018TreefortMusicFest.jpg, The Seshen on the main stage.
2019
File:EliseMalterreofSudanArchivesAmazesAllAtTreefort2019.jpg, Elise Malterre of Sudan Archives wows the crowd at the main stage with her violin playing & electronic looping technique
File:ThreeSurrealSkatingEyeballsAtTreefort2019Pose.jpg, It would not be Treefort without its surreal aspects
File:NeustaedterHumanLibraryTreefort2019.png, The Human Library, a walk-in interviewing project, here with "The Whitest Black Person You'll Ever Meet"
File:DelicateSteveTreefort2019.png, Delicate Steve at El Korah
File:Treefort2019Volunteer.png, One of the more than 800 volunteers
See also
*List of music festivals in the United States#Idaho, Other Idaho music festivals
References
External links
*
"Shriners + Poopfort + Rock n’ Roll: 7 Ways to Maximize Your Joy at Boise’s Treefort Music Fest" Festival Guide at Rocker Magazine
Tartufi performs at the inaugural fest's main venue
Four days of the 2013 festival in three minutes
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjZT_cndCd8 Video reportage of the 2014 festival from KBGA
A Sea of Glass performs Collisions in the Sky in 2014 at an intimate venue
* [http://www.oregonlive.com/music/index.ssf/2015/03/treefort_2015_divers_turquoise_jeep_wednesday.html Comprehensive coverage of Treefort 2015 from The Oregonian]
A 2016 appreciation of the Treefort ethos, with a list of ten notable bands
A female-centric take on Treefort 2018
{{Rock festival
Music festivals in Idaho
Rock festivals in the United States
Articles containing video clips
Indie rock festivals
Music festivals established in 2012