I don’t think using the word perfect is hyperbolic here. Even though our day ended far before Treefort itself did, we spent our last day of the festival with five artists who let us get fully introspective and just hang out. Well, all but one. One actually gave us that final energetic burst before the weekend truly ended.
We started at the Main Stage to see SISTEMAS INESTABLES again. A year ago, they were one of our favorite discoveries and overall performances, and when Treefort announced they were coming back, they were added to our schedule immediately. The “instrumental electronic post-progressive rock band from Chile” had the Main Stage screens looping visuals that were reminiscent of TV static, setting the stage for a set that reminded us just how wild live music can be sometimes by creating synthesizer loops, intense drum patterns, and heavy bass lines only to then layer the Fender Rhodes and a fully clean electric guitar on the top. We’d also be remiss if we didn’t mention how cool we think it is that Treefort brought these guys back and gave them a Main Stage slot one year later. In a festival landscape that sometimes seems to ignore the concept of music discovery, Treefort gives artists opportunities to play in front of crowds they typically wouldn’t and test out new material, experimenting with setlist flow and figuring out what works and what doesn’t. As José Tomás said: “We are really grateful to be here. We love Treefort. It’s the best festival in the whole world.”
Following that SISTEMAS INESTABLES set, we headed over to The Hideout to catch Nashville songwriter-extraordinaire Olivia Barton. She took the stage solo with just an acoustic guitar, showcasing how powerful the cores of her songs are. Someone behind us early on in the set described it as “sweater music,” which I would agree with, particularly on the last day of a 5-day festival when it’s pretty cold for late March. It made us feel cozy and warm even when out in the cold. That same weather allowed us to focus on the performance completely, and Barton herself acknowledged that “to have such a present crowd at an outdoor festival is just insane.” So she did what any great artist would do: she debuted some new material, including “Dad’s Song,” which is one of the most simultaneously heartbreaking and comforting songs I’ve ever heard. I’ve never seen so many people crying at a festival before. Hell, I’ve never cried like that at a festival before. As the crowd was dispersing after the set, one person acknowledged, “If I wasn’t dehydrated, I think I’d still be bawling.” It was a genuinely beautiful moment that we wouldn’t normally get to experience at a festival, but Treefort is a different kind of festival. Kudos to them, and obviously to Olivia Barton.
After taking some time to chat with some important people and rehydrate, we were back at the Main Stage for Miya Folick. The LA singer-songwriter brought a full band to play a set mostly composed of songs from her 2023 album, ROACH. As Folick put it, “I’m playing a lot of new music today ’cause I f****n feel like it. And it’s what we rehearsed.” Even with a few sporadic sun showers, the crowd was in awe at Folick’s incredible vocal performance. Her songs are gut-wrenchingly beautiful and her band was phenomenal, but it truly was her vocal performance that blew us away. The visuals behind her were mostly desert until she started her second-to-last song. At that point, they shifted to a landscape consisting of mountains, a forest, and a massive lake. Symbolically, this seemed powerful to me at the time, though I’m still trying to fully comprehend why. I’ll get back to you on that. The more important part is that Miya Folick’s set was cathartic and relieving, and seeing someone perform with that level of vocal control is insane. I’ll be checking out ROACH on my flights home.
I also need to take this moment to point out another performance link between Treefort 2023 and Treefort 2024. Miya Folick’s bassist for this set was Doug Stuart. If you’re like me, you probably see his playing form in the picture above and feel like you’ve seen it before. That’s because you have. Stuart is also the bassist for Brijean, and I think that’s a cool connection here.
Dehd took the Main Stage next, and the Chicago trio was electric (hence my amendment to my earlier statement to refer to one group that gave us that last energetic burst). Bringing the same intensity and energy to their live performance as they have on their record, Emily Kempf was bouncing around with her bass whenever she wasn’t glued to her microphone to provide lead vocals while Jason Balla swaggered around the stage with his guitar, jumping onto speakers just long enough for the photographers in the pit to process that he had done so but not necessarily long enough for them to capture more than a single image to prove he was there. Eric McGrady, meanwhile, was smashing the drums behind them, setting up only a sampler, a floor tom, and a snare drum to have one of the most unique drum setups and performances we’ve ever seen. Their next album, Poetry, is out on May 10th, and we can’t wait to check it out.
To round out the day and the festival, we groggily headed over to The Hideout to catch Kate Bollinger. The Charlottesville-born and LA-based artist has music coursing through her veins. Her older brothers played in local Virginia bands when they were growing up, and her mother was a music therapist. With soft, breathy, and calming vocals, Bollinger and her band were, in her own words, “try[ing] some things that we’ve never done before.” Once again, it’s wonderful that Treefort provides a space for artists to do this, and Bollinger took full advantage. The four-part vocal harmonies over arrangements that carry a retro pastiche were gorgeous, and though we succumbed to the cold and our exhaustion towards the end of her set, Kate Bollinger is a name we’re keeping an eye on from this point forward.
And that was Treefort 2024! Though the festival itself carried on further into the evening and early morning hours, we couldn’t possibly have continued and made it to our flight on time this morning. We’ll be posting our full-festival recap soon, so keep an eye out for that! As always, be sure to check out our Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, and Day 4 recaps as well!