That title would make more sense if Digable Planets were playing Treefort Music Fest this year, but there’s a good reason for using it! We’re onsite at Treefort once again to bring you our experience at the Boise, Idaho, celebration of music and culture. Day One was mostly about discovery and wandering the venues, event spaces, and bars of Boise again, but the most important sets we saw will live on in our memory forever. So who did we have the pleasure of seeing on the first day of Treefort 2024?
Starting the day at the Main Stage, we were greeted by viral hip-hop duo Flyana Boss. The two “MCs and multi-instrumentalists” hit it big with their track “You Wish,” and they did so with very good reason. With beats that provide the necessary bounce for their playful, mostly positive, and to-the-point lyrics with insane references (we know that Bobbi is from Detroit, but that Ben Wallace shoutout still shocked us a bit in 2024), Flyana Boss gave the crowd the best possible energy to start off a weekend of live music.
Then it was off to The Hideout to see CMAT. The Irish country singer took the stage a bit after her band, savoring the moment, rocking a belt that said “Jesus Rocks” in rhinestones. Four-part harmonies in the backing vocals seemed to set the stage for what was to come, and after finishing her first song, we got to see the full-Irish on display. That’s not just an odd paraphrase from someone with a bit of Irish in him. CMAT literally said “Boise! My name is Boi-CMAT! That was a terrible joke. I’m Irish, I’m allowed do what I want!” And do what she wanted she did, giving the crowd her incredible voice, dance moves, and herself, jumping into the crowd mid-set to sing with those in the front and wander around a bit. Her latest album, Crazymad, For Me, was released in October of 2023, and we highly recommend you check it out.
Immediately after CMAT, the supergroup formed by Dawes and Lucius – aptly billed as Dawes & Lucius – took the Main Stage while the boat song from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory played over the speakers. When they pivoted that record into a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” it became apparent that this pairing was something that should have happened long ago. It shouldn’t be as shocking as it was. Dawes have a similar energy to The War On Drugs, and the track that The War On Drugs did with Lucius (“I Don’t Live Here Anymore”) was exquisite. And yet it didn’t click on paper or screen. Once Jess Wolfe, Holly Laesig, and Taylor Goldsmith harmonized with each other, it all became so obvious. If there is a collab album in the works, the world will be insanely lucky. If there isn’t, we’re insanely lucky to have witnessed their joint performance.
After a dinner break, we headed over to Treefort Music Hall for our last two shows of the night. First up was Kaelin Ellis. The multi-instrumentalist and producer bounced from computer to drum kit throughout his set, and it became a game in our heads of which sample he was going to splice in next. And then he let us know he was in on the game. Though he was building pretty much everything live, he pointed out, “I can see a lot of y’all are really listening, I want to see if you know this one.” Samples and songs ranged from Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake to ScHoolboy Q, Kendrick Lamar, OutKast, Cam’Ron, Missy Elliott, Monica, and the list could keep going for the entire rest of this recap. Safe to say this will go down as one of the best sets we saw this weekend. A great first impression to the Boise crowd.
To wrap up, we stayed right where we were to watch as Armand Hammer took the stage. The New York hip-hop duo made up of billy woods and E L U C I D walked onto a stage with no lights, and that set the tone they were going for. When the production crew turned the stage lights on, the duo asked them to “have it as dark as your liabilities allow,” and the lights were dimmed to a point that was almost non-existent. Our notes keep repeating the phrase “thought-provoking,” but the morning after, that feels like a massive understatement. Armand Hammer are masters of lyricism, and they have perfected the ability to keep every song as off-kilter as possible without feeling completely derailed. The fact that they can achieve the same affect in a live performance is incredible. If you haven’t listened to We Buy Diabetic Test Strips yet, check it out now.
So why title this recap “The Art of Easing?” Because a festival is a marathon, not a sprint, and these five performances helped ease us back into the festival mindset for the start of 2024. The weekend is shaping up to be something special here in Boise, so be sure to keep an eye out for our updates both here and on our Instagram!
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