Treefort Forever! - Oh My Rockness

Festival Guide

Treefort Forever!

RECAP: another fantastic Treefort Fest in the books.

April 4, 2022

Written by Scott Draper

On March 24, the day after this year's Treefort 10 festival opened in Boise, Idaho, the New York Times coincidentally reported that 2021 saw the slowest rate of national population growth in U.S. history. The Times specifically pointed to Boise, though, as a notable exception to the trend. The (still) small city of Boise is growing fast, a growth that was mirrored in what this year became the biggest, baddest Treefort festival yet. Celebrating the festival's tenth anniversary, an until-now unimaginable number of high-quality, cutting-edge musicians and artists stormed the tiny downtown to deliver five days of crowded, sweaty, rock and roll euphoria.

Due to the Fucking Pandemic, last year's (2021) festival was delayed until this past September, meaning that hardcore devotees who live locally such as yours truly got to experience Treefortian rapture twice in six months. Covid rates were high here back in September, though, and Treefort required vaccines and masks for concertgoers. Believe it or not, some Idahoans actually appreciated such safety measures. For all eight of us, the low infection rate allowing masks to come off at this March's festival could not have arrived at a better time. For this writer, at least, this was the "coming out" party I've been yearning for, hard, during an era of social distance.

As Boise and Treefort continue to grow in coming years, assuming we don't all die first, future Treefort attendees might appreciate some completely-non-subjective, empirically rigorous, 100% generalizable practical advice from a local hardcore Treefort devotee. As credentials, I'll cite the 23 different shows I attended this year.

- I know you think you need to diversify and not just see Portland's Spoon Benders over and over, but in fact you're wrong. Go see them again. Widely rumored to have sold their evil souls to rock and roll, they played at least three times this year to crazy-eyed fans desperate for more.

- Likewise, you think maybe you'll hit the food trucks near the Main Stage* for some quick dinner. You will not. The moderate lines will scare you away, and of course you will end up making the trek to Pie Hole again ("across town" if you're local, but "Relax, it's seriously only like 3 blocks or something" if you're not). Pie Hole formerly was pretty reliably not too busy, but times are changing. If, when approaching Pie Hole, you see the line cutting all the way across 8th street, make an about-face or you could miss your next concert. (*Actually, this year was said to be the last for the Main Stage, as Treefort will soon open its own permanent venue).

- One of the best solutions to finding cheap, quality food quickly is to buy yourself a house 5-10 minutes away. The interstate is hardly ever crowded, and you can just pop home real quick for a round of Triscuits/cheese, frozen pizza, or what have you. Join the growing population of Boise, go to Treefort every spring, and very rapidly you too can start kvetching about how too many outsiders are moving to Idaho. (Regardless of origin, go ahead and just refer to them as "Californians.")

- Especially if you're local, this may be your one chance anytime soon to catch luminaries like Guided By Voices, Kim Gordon, Mercury Rev, !!!, The Districts, and Osees (having dropped their King James-y definite article). I'll take this opportunity, though, to provide here a public record of a solemn promise made onstage this year by !!!'s Nic Offer to return to Boise as many times per year as Treefort is held.

- Be sure to see at least a few shows in strange downtown Boise spaces. This year I saw multiple shows at the phenomenally-cool "Sonic Temple" (short for our local Masonic Temple, which was repurposed into Treefort venues and according to rumor will soon, sadly, be repurposed into condos). El Korah Shrine belongs to, obviously, the Shriners, and they staff Treefort shows complete with their funny little hats. Also, you have not lived until you've seen Prism Bitch play at a downtown skate park (back in September, actually, but it bears mentioning).

- For those who drive to it, the festival is not so big yet that you cannot find free parking. You can always park on Jefferson.

- Even though your hero Doug Martsch will end up standing within feet of you in the audience at some show or another (or perhaps as many as five of them!), you still need to attend all of Built to Spill's sets, maybe especially the Sunday night Treefort closer at El Korah. (And if you're local, fuck the fact that you have to work on Monday morning. You can push through.)

- Before the golden era of globalization ends, take the opportunity to catch cool up-and-comers from around the world, such as (this year) Nubya Garcia (London), Irvin Brown (The Bahamas), Francis of Delirium (Luxembourg… Yes, really!), and Ata Kak (Ghana).

- Oh My Rockness Boise Bureau would like to vigorously confirm Oh My Rockness Brooklyn Headquarters' observation that if Gustaf is playing anywhere you can conceivably get to in time, you must immediately make all necessary arrangements and go, which – shit! – I need to hurry up and get to Chicago by tonight.

- After a few thunderous shows by acts like Lightning Bolt, Itchy Kitty, and whatever you just ended your eardrums with at The Shredder (for me, it was Oakland's excellent Shutups), treat yourself to something more peaceable and mindful like doing some child's poses at Yoga Fort, or you can likewise spread out and downward dog to your heart's delight at related events such as East Forest's psychedelic and multisensory (non-)religious sacred ceremony.

Treefort is not yet SXSW. Perhaps it never will be, which actually could be good. For the next few Treeforts, at least, you too can share the effervescence and solidarity of a kickass and joyous festival that is the best of both worlds – the optimistic energy of a city growing fast, but where you can still easily get yourself right up next to the stage and rub elbows with all your favorite rock gods. And you can definitely still always find free parking on Jefferson, just a couple blocks from all the action.

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