As a part of Treefort 10’s Deep Dive Series, we’re diving into Treefort 10 artists that our team recommends if you like (RIYL) Treefort Artists and Alums YOB (2022), Thee Osees (2016), Chelsea Wolfe (2016), Deafheaven (2017, 2022), This Will Destroy You (2014, 2017) + Black Mountain (2019).
Who’s ready to rock out to YOB and Deafheaven this year at Treefort 10? Anyone remember the epic mosh pit at Thee Osees set at El Korah Shrine in 2016? Or when Black Mountain closed out El Korah at Treefort 2019?
Get stoked on the Treefort 10 artists below that are sure to melt your face off.
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OSEES
( los angeles , california )
Thursday, March 24th 8:40p – 10:10p @ Main Stage
Thursday, March 24th 12:30a – 1:40a @ Egyptian Theatre
Crack the coffers, Osees bring you their head-destroying psych epics to grok and rock out to. You’ll notice the fresh dollop of organ and keyboard prowess courtesy of noted key-stabber Tom Dolas…the Quattrone/Rincon drum-corps polyrhythmic pulse continues to astound and pound in equal measure, buttressed by the nimble fingered bottom end of Sir Tim Hellman the Brave and the shred-heaven fret frying of John Dwyer. Aside from the familiar psych-scorch familiar to soggy pit denizens the world over, there’s a fresh heavy-prog vibe to Osees that fits like a worn-in jean jacket comfortably among hairpin metal turns and the familiar but no less horns-worthy guitar fireworks Dwyer’s made his calling card.
BLOOD LEMON
( boise, idaho )
Thursday, March 24th 2:40p – 3:30p @ Main Stage
When Boise three-piece Blood Lemon — singer/bassist Melanie Radford (Built to Spill, Marshall Poole), singer/guitarist Lisa Simpson (Finn Riggins) and percussionist Lindsey Lloyd (Tambalka) — formed, in 2018, out of a medley of mutual admiration, a cover band called Mostly Muff and a unanimous love of heavy riffs and 90s riot grrrl music, they had no idea they’d be writing a perfect soundtrack to kick off 2021. What they did know was that they were eager to play music with their fellow women; they wanted a sound informed by 90s stalwarts like Pixies, Hole, and The Breeders; and they were eager to get heavier and more political with their music.
THE FRENCH TIPS
( boise, idaho )
Friday, March 25th 5:20p – 6:00p @ El Korah Shrine
Following the fevered reception of their debut record It’s the Tips, Boise based garage rock trio The French Tips went to work on a worthy successor of bangers and disco damaged dance punk. Delayed a year by the pandemic, Angela Heileson, Rachel Couch and Ivy Merrell returned to Rabbitbrush Studios in January 2021 to record their sophomore album All The Rage. Without the outlet of live music, they instead collaborated with local artists and musicians to create a fully formed second studio LP. All The Rage hits the waves Spring 2022.
WALTZER
( chicago, illinois )
Friday, March 25th 5:00p – 5:50p @ Payette Brewing
Sunday, March 27th 5:30p – 6:20p @ The Olympic
Waltzer isn’t just a band because Waltzer, in fact, is also a TV show.
Waltzer is also a character, a persona, and a songwriting collaboration unit. Waltzer is a one-woman project and even a sketch-comedy routine. Waltzer is nothing that you expect, but everything you didn’t know you wanted. In short, Waltzer may be a moniker, but it contains ever-evolving multitudes.
Time Traveler is Waltzer’s debut full-length album and the end result of years of work by singer-songwriter Sophie Sputnik. As a former musical theater kid who found her armor fronting Florida punk-rock two-piece Killmama for several years, her songwriting has been informed by everyone from Erykah Badu to Roy Orbison. As such, Time Traveler melds a lifetime’s worth of music loving to create a sound that’s a little bit rockabilly, a little bit punk, and all of it wrapped up in an undeniably contemporary style. Its sonic contours may be firmly grounded in rock and roll’s sweat-drenched history, but its worldview speaks to the worried world we all are trying to survive in
THE SPOON BENDERS
( portland , oregon )
Friday, March 25th 1:00a – 1:50a @ Neurolux
Saturday, March 26th 9:40p – 10:40p @ Sonic Temple Blue
Sunday, March 27th 7:30p -8:30p @ El Korah Shrine
The Spoon Benders are an up and coming garage-psych punk band, hailing from Portland, OR. Katie Wise from Rag Tag Magazine calls them, “one of the most undaunted and progressive bands within city limits.” The band forged their sound and debut album, Dura Mater, in studio and on the stage in 2019 before the COVID-19 shutdown. Inspired by bands such as GøGGS, the Pleasure Seekers, Black Sabbath, Thee Oh Sees, and the Stooges, the Spoon Benders create a diverse and highly dynamic sound that promises to hold your undivided attention.
GUSTAF
( brooklyn , new york )
Sunday, March 27th 9:30p – 10:20p @ Sonic Temple Blue
Inspired by the rhythmic grooves of ESG, the dopey drawl of Jonathan Richman, and manic energy of The Fall, Gustaf’s live set is quick on its feet, constantly in flux, and obsessively catered to the people in the room, resulting in a sound that is emotive, androgynous, and infectiously danceable.
Comprised of Tine Hill (bass), Vram Kherlopian (guitar), Melissa Lucciola (drums), Tarra Thiessen (vocals, percussion), and Lydia Gammill (lead vocals), Gustaf got its start in 2018 when Thiessen recruited Gammill to help drive her van down to SXSW. When Thiessen’s original tour fell through, Gammill suggested pulling a band together to play in their place. With little more than a name and a handful of t-shirts, they hit the ground running, playing hundreds of shows in their first two years and earning a reputation as one of New York’s “hardest working…and most reliably fun bands” (Brooklyn Vegan).
BEVERLY CRUSHER
( seattle, washington )
Thursday, March 24th 10:20p – 11:00p @ The Shredder
Beverly Crusher is a Seattle based band playing what they have coined as Acid Punk. As commanding as their namesake, their slick riffs and heavy shredding evoke flying car chases of the future. Pedal-to-the-metal bass playing by Max Stiles and the volcanic drumming of Sam Stiles are perfect ride-or-dies for Cozell Wilson’s ruthless guitar and vox. Formed in 2014, the trio offers heavy, high energy rock that’s guaranteed to make your ears smirk. Their latest album, Candy Crusher, released by Den Tapes, offers livid lyrics and in-your-face guitar solos, whether listening through headphones or headbanging at their live shows. Aj Dent
If the Dirtbombs were read Our Band Could Be Your Life instead of bedtime stories when they were children, they might have turned out like Beverly Crusher. Alongside Max and Sam Stiles (on bass and drums, respectively), frontman Cozell Wilson sounds like a soul singer at the basement punk show, wailing heartfelt pleas after hydrating his throat with several cans of lukewarm beer.
-Md
ITCHY KITTY
( spokane, washington )
Friday, March 25th 4:20p – 5:00p @ El Korah Shrine
Itchy Kitty are a band from Spokane, Washington. They specialize in a hyper-kinetic blend of punk traditionalism and a sort of mangled glam rock pageantry. Their music careens from whiplash inducing riffage to flash delirium freak outs. They’re fast, they’re loud, they’re the hardest working band in show business™
EALDOR BEALU
( chicago, illinois )
Thursday, March 24th 6:20p – 7:10p @ Sonic Temple Red
Ealdor Bealu is a progressive stoner-rock/heavy-psych quartet from the high desert of Boise, ID. With a focus on shifting dynamics from the ambient to the massive and back again, their sound expands beyond the boundaries of genre to create a mosaic of sonic praise.
The band’s first full-length offering DARK WATER AT THE FOOT OF THE MOUNTAIN(Independent 2017) drew local, regional, and even international praise as a standout debut offering. With the release of Ealdor Bealu’s sophomore full-length album SPIRIT OF THE LONELY PLACES on July 20th 2019 on vinyl/digital the band has seen new levels of success around the globe.
Ealdor Bealu signed with Metal Assault Records(LA) in 2021, and are slated to release their 3rd full-length record Psychic Forms in April 2022 on the label.
SERPENTFOOT
( chicago, illinois )
Friday, March 25th 10:40p – 11:30p @ Neurolux
BOY HOWDY
FUN & ROWDY
STONEY LOUDY
SWEATY CROWDY
Serpentfoot is a psychedelic garage rock group based in Tacoma; The gritty heart of Washington. From the beginning the rowdy three piece has pumped out everything from jangly surf punk bops to soaring psychedelic compositions. No sound is sacred and no ears are safe. Sonically Serpentfoot bumps shoulders with acts like Osees, Slift, and King Gizzard while simultaneously stirring a dose of occult madness into the brew. The pure electricity and party atmosphere of the live experience is the real centerpiece.
Lead guitarist and vocalist Jordan Twiggs gives off an energetic aura of controlled chaos and tickles the ear with relatable, yet refreshingly creative guitar work and a wide range of unique vocal stylings. Bassist and songwriter Philip Shellabarger has an untameable live energy and a similarly unique playing style, merging surf and punk with fuzzed out stoner riffs. Ryan Schilawski smashes away at the drums like an unstoppable train engine. Constant and sustained energy with bursts of mind-bending complexity buries the group solidly into the shadowed realm of heaviness.
SMOKER DAD
( chicago, illinois )
Thursday, March 24th 7:00p – 7:40p @ Neurolux
Hailing from the Puget Sound, Smoker Dad irreverently fuses Northwest Punk and Outlaw Country together with tsunami riffs, swirling guitar, and a couple healthy bong rips. It all adds up to a venomous cocktail of revved-up Party Rock for which there is no antidote. Start the truck and let ‘er buck!
SHUTUPS
( oakland , california )
Saturday, March 26th 8:300p – 9:10p @ The Shredder
Shutups have always rocked. Officially only since 2015, but in the year (insert year) they have never rocked harder. Why do they rock so hard? Maybe it’s because their instruments are tuned just right. Maybe it’s because they practice three times a week and go on group jogs in the evening, or because they’ve uninstalled all music streaming apps on their phones and strictly listen only to new song demos.
However, the answer is likely more simple.
They all call their mothers.
Daily.
Whatever the reason, no one rocks harder than Shutups.
*This bio was written by Shutups
MONSTERWATCH
( seattle , washington )
Saturday, March 26th 1:00a – 2:00a @ Neurolux
Break free from negativity, judgement and self doubt. We are Monsterwatch and we are here strictly for you and your pleasure.
THE MACKS
( portland , oregon )
Thursday, March 24th 11:00p – 11:50p @ Mad Swede Brew Hall
Like every young band establishing their sound and presence through shows and touring, the 2020 pandemic turned music on its head. For The Macks, this time of isolation forced the band to redefine the way they interacted with music. Freshly laid off and living all under one roof in a creaky messy home, the band played and wrote for hours every day, searching for inspiration in places they haven’t looked before. While 2017’s “Camp Poppa” and 2019’s “Yup” document the lively garage rock energy of a show, their to-be-announced record wasn’t made for anyone but themselves. The result is adventurous and eclectic, containing the band’s most infectious hooks, jarring rhythms, and creative presentation to date. Produced and put to tape in Denver by Nate Cook and The Yawpers, “Rabbit” adds an entire new spectrum to The Macks’ sound. And despite the nature of the record’s inception, the feelings of frustration, apathy, and hopefulness should resonate and fuel the shows as the world opens up for live music again. With a fresh lineup that’s delivering the most creative music for the band to date, The Macks are coming at music from a fresh angle.
FFO Iggy Pop, Can, Osees, Velvet Underground
FLOATING WITCHES HEAD
( boise , idaho )
Wednesday, March 23rd 12:00a – 1:00a @ Sonic Temple Red
Thursday, March 24th 12:30a – 1:40a @ Egyptian Theatre with Mercury Rev’s Clear Light Ensemble
“As the name suggests, Floating Witch’s Head is one strange brew. Three of the greatest musical visionaries to emerge from the Boise music scene in the last 20 years have joined forces, and resolved to bring their mysterious cocktail of psychedelic rock, punk and blues to the stage; with a carnivalistic foray that plays out more like a pagan ritual than a collection of songs. It’s as if, somewhere in the Hollywood desert in 1976, a production team was wrapping up a spaghetti western horror movie, but on the last day of filming a powder keg exploded by accident, and burned the whole dusty mess of everything, and everyone, to the ground. This is the soundtrack to that film, and that fire. Members include Travis Ward (Hillfolk Noir) – vocals, guitar, Eric Gilbert (Finn Riggins) – keyboards, vocals and Michael Mitchell (Thick Business, Jeff Crosby) – percussion.” – Gregory Rawlins
ZETA
( puerto la cruz , venezuela )
Friday, March 25th 12:40a – 1:40a @ The Shredder
Saturday, March 26th 12:10a – 1:10a @ The Basque Center
Sunday, March 27th 4:00p – 4:40p @ The Hideout
Zeta is a collective art piece. Defined by its strong emphasis on dense polyrhythmic percussion that sway from profoundly authentic Afro-Caribbean to the most crude and raw punk with atmospheric elements that are drawn from 70’s era Psychedelia and post-rock to form a visceral, intense and unique listening experience. Zeta are known for touring relentlessly – and due to their nomadic nature they foster and adopt artistic communities from all over the globe.
ED SCHRADER’S MUSIC BEAT
( baltimore , maryland )
Friday, March 25th 9:30p – 10:20p @ Neurolux
Ed Schrader’s Music Beat is a Baltimore-based post-punk band consisting of Ed Schrader and Devlin Rice. Ed and Devlin first met nearly a decade ago while performing in separate acts on the legendary 2008 Baltimore Round Robin tour (curated by Dan Deacon and also including Beach House and Future Islands); Ed fondly recalls dropping Devlin’s jaw with his maniacal Jack Nicholson impression.
Since forming in 2010, the duo has mounted 19 tours of the U.S., frequently opening for Future Islands, and sharing stages with such acts as No Age, Lightning Bolt, Matmos, and Ceremony. The Music Beat originally worked in a maximalist drums, bass, and vocals mode, releasing the noise-rock full-lengths Jazz Mind (Load Records, 2012), and Party Jail (Infinity Cat Recordings, 2014). Their song “Sermon” is used in the Adult Swim short Unedited Footage of a Bear, and “Rats” appears in Theo Anthony’s feature documentary Rat Film.
For their game-changing new record Riddles, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat has teamed with producer and co-writer Dan Deacon to broaden their sonic palette and explore the possibilities of the art-rock and alt-rock genres.
PRISM B!TCH
( albuquerque, new mexico )
Friday, March 25th 9:00p – 10:00p @ Boise Brewing
Saturday, March 26th 5:50p – 6:40p @ Neurolux
The Albuquerque quartet—Lauren Poole [bass, vocals], Lilah Rose [keys, guitar, vocals], Chris Walsh [guitar], and Teresa Cruces [drums, vocals]—hop from robust riff-ery to sticky sweet hooks before dipping back into moments of distorted bliss and warm melodies. “We’re an aggressively friendly band,” smiles Teresa. “We cover a spectrum of topics. The music can be serious and existential or super fun—just like real life.”
Lauren and Chris first met as members of a small theatre company, where they dreamed up a plan for a performance art project in the guise of a band. In late 2015, they crossed paths with recent New Mexico transplant Lilah before rounding up Teresa. Their initial project idea soon morphed into an actual band, which they named Prism B!tch. They quickly gained a reputation for exuberant performances and comedic/bizarre music videos.
Prism B!tch made their introduction with 2016’s The Getaway EP before unleashing the self-titled Prism Bitch EP a year later. Inspired by everyone from The Pixies to Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Prism B!tch has crystallized an unpredictable and undeniable signature sound on their 2021 release, Perla.
THE REGRETTES
( los angeles , california )
Saturday, March 26th 7:20p – 8:20p @ Main Stage
The Regrettes continue to solidify their reputation for unapologetically honest pop songs with the release their new song, “Monday,” their first new music since the release of their sophomore LP, How Do You Love?, which NPR Music proclaimed “a terrific culmination of a band that has been honing and perfecting their sound.” The song was inspired by and written over the last year’s pandemic lockdown, and Lydia Night of the band reveals, “as LA locked down, I felt a huge part of my Identity and ego being stripped away because of no touring, and no connecting with people at our shows. I’ve been touring since about age 12, so I had to come up with a new way to function in the world. It was really rough, and still is rough, but I found writing this song to be super therapeutic. It’s special that this is the first song we’ve put out in a while because it’s an important moment in time for me to mark. Part of the healing process for me is really learning and trying my best to keep on dancing the pain away so I hope people can relate to that and dance with me, even if it’s not at a show and in the safety of their own kitchen.”
The band, which consists of lead singer and songwriter, Lydia Night, as well as Genessa Gariano (guitar), Brooke Dickson (bass) and Drew Thomsen (drums), earned widespread acclaim with the 2019 release of their sophomore LP How Do You Love?, including NME who declared them “truly unstoppable,” and Teen Vogue who praised their “incredibly self-aware, empowering pop-punk” with additional accolades from Vogue, Rolling Stone, Billboard, and more. The band has headlined sold-out shows throughout North America and Europe, performed at festivals including Coachella and Reading + Leeds, and have appeared on Good Morning America, Conan and Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The band’s new song “Monday” comes in advance of their performance at Ohana 2021.
