One of my several jobs is working for a company called CMS to provide security for concerts. As such, it was my privilege to work the entire Travelers’ Rest Festival, held for the second year at the Big Sky Brewing Company Amphitheatre in Missoula, Montana, and produced by the incredible team at Knitting Factory Entertainment. The entire team was a joy to work with, especially my old friend, Mandi Zilner, the Marketing Director.
At the time the Festival began, I was only familiar with a couple of the 17 bands playing, but by the end of the weekend, I had gained some new musical loves, and reconnected to a voice from my childhood.
I got the perfect assignment, covering catering and the backstage gate, which was also located next to the Ponderosa Stage, giving me a bird’s eye view. There were nine performances each day, four on the Ponderosa Stage and five on the Main Stage. Once the music began at 3:30 p.m. each day, it never stopped until around 9 p.m., when there was a break while the crew prepared the Main Stage for the headliner, The Decemberists, who also curated the Festival and selected all the participating bands.
The first band to take the Ponderosa Stage was local Missoula band Rotgut Whines. They turned in an impressive 30 minute set which got the Festival off to a great start. This duo has an impressive pop rock sound that got the audience grooving and ready for the rest of the bands to come. Although the band normally plays a few cover songs in their local shows, this set was all originals, and the crowd seemed very appreciative of the band.
The action then turned to the Main State, where Richmond, Virginia based artist Lucy Dacus was the first artist to play. Dacus is signed to Matador Records, and from her performance it is easy to understand why she is considered one of Richmond’s treasures. She is a brilliant guitar player, and her sound is reminiscent of artists like Ingrid Michaelson, Ali Handal and Cindy Alexander. She played songs from her latest album, Historian, and has been touring North America in support of the album. She turned in an impressive 45-minute set that stimulated the crowd, and added fuel to the fire that was started with Rotgun Whines‘ set.
Everything changed when Portland-based band Lenore took the Ponderosa Stage. The standing room only crowd swelled until they could no longer fit underneath the stage’s shaded section, and still they came. Composed of native Montanan Joy Pearson and Portland’s Rebecca Marie Miller on lead vocals, Edward Cameron on guitar and Jessie Dettwiler on cello, this band has a sound that works its way into your heart and your head and never leaves. The harmonies are heavenly and exquisite, as is the combination of guitar and cello that forms the musical accompaniment. Their 30 minute set went by way too fast, and the audience didn’t want to let them go.
The band also turned out to be super nice humans, as we spent a lot of time talking as they came and went backstage. It was an honor to spend time with them, and they became my favorite discovery of the weekend.
The music returned to the Main Stage for one of the few acts I was familiar with before the Festival began. I was fortunate enough to meet Sara Watkins back in 1999-2000 at Fan Fair in Nashville when she and her band Nickel Creek were just getting started, and attended several of their shows over the years, including the 25th Anniversary Show at The Wilma in 2014. She has joined forces with two other bluegrass phenoms, Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O’Donovan to form I’m With Her, and this super-group is one of the best in the world. They released their debut album this past February on Rounder Records. Their 45-minute set was amazing, as their voices joined together as one instrument, meshed with their individual virtuosity on a multitude of stringed instruments, including fiddle, banjo, mandolin and guitar. The perform in the traditional bluegrass way, gathered round a single microphone, which also adds to their unique harmony.
I also got to spend a lot of time with Sarah J and Aoife backstage, and met Aoife’s famly and Sara W’s nanny. They were as nice off stage as they are incredible on it.
Returning to the Ponderosa Stage, the next performer was Matt the Electrician from Austin, Texas. Matt is a folk rock singer-songwriter, with a similar style to artists like The White Buffalo and Joe Purdy. He performed alone with his wife providing backing vocals. Although a solo artist, he still filled the stage with his powerful stage presence and gave the packed structure a show they would not soon forget. He is an artist that I am sure will soon become a household name, as his music is head and shoulders above many of his peers. He is another artist I’m so glad I met because I truly loved his sound and his well-crafted songs. I look forward to the chance to hear him again soon. His most recent album, The Doubles, is available here.
I’ll be back later today with part 2 of our review of the first day of Travelers’ Rest.