Treefort 2023 Profile: Tokyo’s DYGL 

Posted in Interviews with tags , on 03/16/2023 by Kurt Orzeck

With Treefort Music Fest kicking off in less than a week, we’re thrilled to share one of the most exciting installments in our series profiling international artists participating in the festival. Today we introduce you to Tokyo’s DYGL (pronounced “day-glo”), an indie-rock group that — after years of clamoring — are finally touring the U.S. for the first time.

Treefort will have the honor of hosting one of the group’s performances, taking place Friday, March 24, at the Shredder at 9 p.m. Similar to Big Joanie, the London punk trio we featured yesterday, you won’t wanna miss DYGL’s sole set at Treefort: They’re blowing up big time, and Treefort festival-goers who ghost the gig will be haunted forever by their mistake.

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Treefort 2023 Profile: London’s Big Joanie

Posted in Interviews with tags , on 03/15/2023 by Kurt Orzeck

Big Joanie is bigger than you think. The grrreat feminist post-punk act actually consists of three members — not just one. Rolling Stone included the Kill Rock Stars group’s Back Home album on its list of 2022’s top albums. And, if you need further convincing, they’ve opened for Sleater-Kinney, St. Vincent and Bikini Kill.

With Big Joanie’s momentum building, blame yourself later if you decide to miss their only performance at this year’s Treefort Music Fest. Happening Wednesday, March 22, at the Hideout at 6:20 p.m., the gig is also part of their first-ever U.S. tour.

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Flaming Lips’ ‘Fight Test’ EP Reissue: Two Cent Review

Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags on 03/15/2023 by Kurt Orzeck

Check out my review of the Flaming Lips’ Fight Test EP, on vinyl for the first time, courtesy of FLOOD Magazine.

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Treefort 2023 Profile: Germany’s Sea Moya

Posted in Interviews with tags , on 03/14/2023 by Kurt Orzeck

So far in The Bad Penny’s globe-trotting series touching base with Treefort Music Fest participants from across the world, we’ve met musicians from Chile (Sistemas Inestables), Italy (Dumbo Gets Mad), Swaziland (Dusty & Stones) and beyond. But today, we check in with a band that could only come from Germany, really: cosmic Krautfunk buddies Sea Moya.

Sea Moya are already in the U.S., currently warming up their extremities in Austin to ensure their show goes extremely well in slightly more frigid Boise. Even more exciting for the group, they’ll see more of (moya of?) the U.S. with a string of shows post-Treefort.

The Boise gig should be in for one of the more memorable shows of their trek, when Sea Moya play a prime gig at Neurolux on Friday night (March 24).

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Treefort 2023 Profile: Swaziland’s Dusty & Stones

Posted in Interviews with tags , on 03/13/2023 by Kurt Orzeck

We begin this week’s installments of profiles on international artists playing Treefort Music Fest with the most compelling entry thus far in the series. Hailing from Swaziland, Dusty & Stones features two cousins breaking new ground by remodeling American country music as a Swazi sound of their own.

Fortunately for those who aren’t familiar with the musicians or the sound they’re trying to propagate, Dusty & Stones extensively answered our Treefort-related questions in great detail. Treefort organizers are surely well-versed with Dusty & Stones’ original — some might even say “newfound” — style of music, as they booked Dusty & Stones for three performances.

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Treefort 2023 Profile: New Brunswick’s Motherhood

Posted in Interviews with tags , on 03/12/2023 by Kurt Orzeck

Most artists we’ve featured so far in this series on international bands playing Treefort Music Fest will step into Idaho for the first time when Boise’s music extravaganza runs from March 22, through Sunday, March 26.

But avant-rock trio Motherhood is an exception to that rule, as they’re playing Treefort for the third time this year.

The entire band — bassist/keyboardist Penny Stevens, drummer Adam Sipkema and guitarist/vocalist Brydon Crain — all generously set aside time to talk with the Bad Penny about Treefort and their experiences at the festival so far. The trio also revealed it didn’t know about Idaho until committing to participate in the festival the first time around.

Additionally, and they also shared an anecdote for the ages: Discussing marine biology while they soaked in a hot tub with their friends in garage-rock band (and Treefort alums) Serpentfoot.

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Treefort 2023 Profile: Toronto’s Debby Friday

Posted in Interviews with tags , on 03/11/2023 by Kurt Orzeck

The most intriguing performance at this year’s edition of Treefort Music Fest could very well come courtesy Toronto’s Debby Friday on Day One. The experimental hip-hop extraordinaire will play Wednesday, March 22, when the five-day music extravaganza gets underway.

Signed to Sub Pop Records, Friday’s performance will be extra-thrilling given that she’s releasing a new studio album, Good Luck, two days after her Treefort gig.

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Treefort 2023 Profile: Mexico’s Son Rompe Pera

Posted in Interviews with tags , on 03/10/2023 by Kurt Orzeck

Last week we introduced you to Petite Amie, one of two Mexican bands playing this year’s edition of Treefort Music Fest in Boise. But, as Yoda would say, “There is another.”

Son Rompe Pera — who, like Petite Amie, hail from Mexico City — will also perform at the festival, which runs March 22-26. The idiosyncratic band occasionally incorporates strains of traditional folk, rock and punk music. But Son Rompe Pera’s obsession with the marimba makes the band one of a kind.

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Treefort 2023 Profile: Ireland’s Modernlove

Posted in Interviews with tags , on 03/09/2023 by Kurt Orzeck

One of the hallmarks of Boise’s Treefort Music Fest is that it doesn’t waste time rolling out many of the most promising acts on the bill. Set for the first night of the five-day event are Surf Curse, Covet, Rogê, Caitlin Rose and Orions Belte — and that’s just from 8 to 10 p.m.

But Treefort-ers would do themselves a disservice to miss, or at least not look into, another Wednesday night act: Modernlove. The bracing indie-pop quartet is coming all the way from Ireland to infuse the fest with its special blend of succinct, succulent melodies and hooks. If that’s not enough of a selling point, Modernlove’s Treefort set will mark their first at a Stateside festival.

Seven years after their formation, Modernlove have mastered the art of cutting to the chase. Their no-frills, no-nonsense approach manifests in instantly memorable tunes that burrow into the brain.

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Treefort 2023 Profile: Montreal’s Thanya Iyer

Posted in Interviews with tags , on 03/08/2023 by Kurt Orzeck

The greatest gift that a new artist can bring to table is, well, something new. Montréal-based singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Thanya Iyer is doing just that, crafting a luminescent variation of experimental pop — and even coming up with a name for it: “future folk.” It’s a sound as infectious as Iyer’s huge smile.

Iyer will have backing players onstage when they play Treefort Music Fest together in support of their new EP, rest. Iyer recently (and graciously) set aside some time from making music and making people happy to talk with The Bad Penny for our ongoing series profiling the record number of international artists playing this year’s edition of Treefort.

As expected, the latest entrant in the series beamed as she answered questions — and didn’t complain at all about the 36-hour drive that Iyer and company will take to get to Treefort.

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