Treefort 2016: Day 1 Recap
Treefort Music Fest
March 23-27, 2016
Boise, Idaho
By Marcus Shriver
Arriving in Boise around 7 p.m. on March 23, in time to barely miss Your Friend and Great Grandpa, we weren’t able to catch that much of what the first night of Treefort had to offer, but we were able to wobble our way over to this strange space that was a combination of Mom and Dad’s favorite bar and a strange event venue where Porches and Alex G were set to play.
Porches, with the prime time slot, filled the weirdly large space up with Boise teens and the normal 23 year old to 40 year old Treefort crowd. Dressed in a bright 80’s Polo jumpsuit, bleach blonde hair and an earring, Aaron Maine led a well-coordinated group of vampire-esque bandmates into a full indulgence somewhere between Morrisey and Yung Lean.
The instrumentals, driven by keyboard and heavy bass, were clear and introspective, while Aaron, straight-faced and unemotional, blew the crowd away with his vocal control and projection. The show went from dance-centric rock party that felt as though the crowd had fallen back into the 80’s in a frantic expression of fashion, normcore culture, and Twin Peaks sounds to Maine exploring his auto-tune skills to the extent of future possibilities.
Alex G
Typically playing acoustic and nostalgic sounds, live, Alex G is a different animal. Catering toward his punk ethos, he plays faster, louder, and heavier with a three piece band behind him. He shreds on guitar and screams while he plows through a few songs before settling down with the calming, sad, distant music for which he is best known.
Related content:
Dilemmas: A 2016 Treefort Music Fest Preview
Interview: A Short, Sugary Taste of Tangerine Before Treefort
Vibraslap: A Q&A with Great Grandpa