The Bad Penny (beta)

The second annual Flipside Fest, staged just outside Boise, began in magnificent form on Friday, with an afternoon wave of cool air giving way to an evening filled with clear skies and music courtesy of Australian rockers Babe Rainbow and Virginia-based electronic musician George Clanton. Saturday’s forecast — a welcome relief from the muddy start to Treefort Music Fest in late March — calls for even more beautiful weather … with a touch of gnarly experimental-hardcore-rock courtesy of Boise’s own Trauma Kit.

One of the city’s strongest young bands regardless of genre, Trauma Kit are slated for a plum time slot at 8 p.m. at Push & Pour, after which Flipside Fest 2023 headliners the Walkmen will grace the main stage. Trauma Kit’s latest close-up comes mere weeks after they opened for red-hot metal band Portrayal of Guilt and then Seattle punks So Pitted.

“We were like kinds in a candy store,” Trauma Kit bassist Shadrach Tuck recently told The Bad Penny about the shows.

Check out my recent FLOOD feature on dearly departed vocalist Riley Gale of Power Trip and what friends, family and fans learned about him after Gale tragically died three years ago. Riley’s father Brandon and board members of Dallas Hope Charities reflect on the late musician’s deep humanity and prolific social justice efforts.