Local Music Spotlight: Six Spokane acts among Treefort Festival lineup in Boise from March 23-27

Editor’s note: This article was updated on Feb. 21 to reflect that six acts, not five, from Spokane are set to be part of the Treefort Music Fest.

Boise’s Treefort Music Fest from March 23-27 is one of the biggest events of the spring. With 462 artists from 17 countries, it’s an opportunity to see some favorites and discover a ton more. The lineup spans from folk and EDM to country and metal.

Some of the big names include indie rocker Snail Mail, Ghanian-Australian singer Genesis Owusu, shoegaze-metal band Deafheaven and R&B group Durand Jones & the Indications, who performed at Pavilion at Riverfront in September. Reading into the (very long) list of artists, the talent runs extremely deep in this year’s lineup.

Spokane is making a notable contribution to the roster, following up its strong showing in the 2021 lineup with a similarly all-star pack. Last year, Spokane sent an envoy of five local artists to Boise. For the 2022 festival, the city is making a strong return, this year with six artists, two of which were on the roster last year. Here’s a little bit on each of them.

Kadabra

One of Spokane’s newer hard-rock groups, Kadabra bring psych-rock and hard-hitting fuzz together in a forceful, synergistic combination. Last year, they announced their signing to Heavy Psych Sounds and released their debut album, “Ultra.” The record, which was released near the end of 2021, has shaken the halls of every venue it has graced. And it is high time Boise got a glimpse of what they’ve been missing.

Veterans of the music scene, this three-man band will bring Boise to the floor for music that sounds, in a word, inevitable. On “Graveyard,” for example, the grindy, blown-out guitars drag the listener head first into the world of the song. And after a riveting and dynamic six minutes, they spit you back out again. But all you want is more.

Hard-hitting and heavy-set, this music is some of the best rock Treefort has to offer.

Kung Fu Vinyl

Genre-melding, mind-bending, just freaking awesome: These are three valid descriptions of Kung Fu Vinyl. With two emcees at the helm bringing it and a full band to accompany them, this group holds in one hand the appeal of flowing, fiery hip-hop and in the other the sound of a highly trained and synergistic band.

Backing the two emcees are saxophone, guitar, bass, keys and drums piloted by some of Spokane’s finest musicians. You like to rock? They’ll rock. You like the rhymes? They’ve got ’em. Lyrical content? Absolutely. Thoughtful and thought-provoking rap, musicianship and performance abound here.

Not to mention, Kung Fu Vinyl are live-set specialists. They compose the crowd into a harmonic and energetic whole like few others can.

Cathedral Pearls

For more than a decade, Cathedral Pearls have been drawing out indie rock’s more atmospheric, gaze-y side. What sets this group apart from the two preceding is the way in which the music draws you in like a soft pull into a warm and completely immersive fluid of sound.

It makes you want to lean back, close your eyes and take it all in for a moment. And then get to dancing.

Just last year, they released a two-track single, “Sun After Sun,” which with its languid guitars, enchanting vocals and beautiful dynamics, acutely highlighted what atmospheric music is all about. In pursuit of the perfect mood, though, they sacrifice nothing in lyrical content. The writing is vivid yet simple, almost effortlessly poignant.

Itchy Kitty

Itchy Kitty are punk-rock extraordinaries, bending the genre to its limit to the point of defining their own new, practically inexplicable sound (perhaps “hyperkinetic glam rock” works, as one bandmember said in an interview in October). They’ll be coming to Treefort fresh off of a series of shows with Pacific Northwest rock legends Built to Spill. With their spin across the West Coast complete, the band will be in peak performing shape.

Through the bold orchestration of each independent part, Itchy Kitty’s music drives forward with such pace, excitement and conviction that it’s like a speeding train: There ain’t a dang thing you can do to stop it. In the audience at a live show, this couldn’t be any clearer. Itchy Kitty put on some of the wildest sets in the PNW, and their show in Boise will be no exception.

Jango

It seems like, as an artist, Jango has it all. The Spokane hip-hop artist has shown his lyrical abilities (see his 2017 album “Alone by Choice”), his social relevance (2021’s “Merchandise” is a good example) and most of all his remarkable affinity for live performances.

The crowd at a Jango concert is just different, and it’s all because of the man onstage. This past year, he has traveled all across the region playing shows big and small to promote his music, hone his craft and grow the following he has gathered behind him. Treefort will be yet another opportunity to get swept up in the wave that is Jango, and it’s one you won’t want to miss.

All Day Trey

Spokane rapper All Day Trey brings the sunny, kicked-back side of hip-hop to the PNW, but he does it with an orientation toward the serious. His 2021 album “Stay Afloat” wound through a drifty, fantastic series of tracks as Trey, seemingly without effort, rapped over the top of them. It explored themes like mental health, relationships and (as Trey is an openly pansexual rapper) identity.

Like everyone on this stacked list, Trey is capable of putting on an irresistible performance, riding and redoubling the crowd’s energy with every song. For the hip-hop lover, or for anyone who likes good music, upbeat but thoughtful, Trey is a must-see.

Julien A. Luebbers can be reached at julien.luebbers@gmail.com.