Nanobot Rock Mix Tape

After five days of Treefort Music Fest, we caught up with up-and-coming Boise artist McKenna Esteb to discuss core memories, influences, her first EP, where music is headed, and more!

Treefort Music Fest 2020 2021, or Treefort number nine, was a culmination of years of planning in the face of a global pandemic. For both event organizers, fans, and artists, it was a festival unlike any we could expect.

Being mindful of social distance, wearing masks, we caught up with Idaho’s own punk-creative/semi-nerd-rock Slurm Flirty Worm to discuss their first full-length record, inspirations, and playing their sound in Idaho.  

In the midst of Treefort Music Fest in Boise, Idaho, a music festival nearly two-years in the making, standing on uncertainty in a global pandemic, we caught up (socially distanced and masked of course) with Seattle’s alt-pop/dream rockers Smokey Brights to discuss what it means to be playing live again, releasing an album in 2020, the title track to I Love You But Damn and more!  

This week we take on the challenge of discussing bands in the “lower print” of music festivals, and Greg gives his “dos and don’ts” of concert behavior. We ask: Can you really play the “what bands do you want to book?” game and come up with our own, completely unique, music festival. Bands as part of this week’s challenge:

SUN – Golden [15:58 – 30:54]

The Messenger Birds – Phantom Limb [30:55 – 47:02]

Sweet Crude – Under New Moons [47:03 – 62:26]

Royal Canoe – Royal Canoe (feat. NNAMDÏ) [62:27 – 74:16]

It’s the Ska Episode! This week the guys discuss Chuck Mangione, the Year That Shall Not Be Named, Pick It Up! – Ska in the 90s, Bad Time Records, and “Skaboom!: An American Ska and Reggae Oral History” (sense a pattern?) Ska episode tracks include:

Jeff Rosenstock – Leave it In the Ska [26:30 – 35:25]

Papa Rosko – 1984 [35:26 – 44:51]

Half Past Two – Some Nights [44:52 – 58:36]

Bad Operation – Kinda Together [58:37 – 68:19]

Catbite – Horizontal Aggression [68:20 – 77:13]

This week we discuss two music festivals occurring within six months, breakbeat, the light at the end of the longlonglong darkness, and a little Barry Allen. Tracks we dive into:

Pocket Protection – Paul P Sure [7:58 – 21:51]

Paul Jacobs – Day to Day [21:52 – 32:14]

Hotel California – Soothe My Soul [32:15 – 41:38]

Hybrid – Flashpoint [41:39 – 54:35]

This week we talk about Tina Turner, reminisce about the days of the record store, the universal love of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, the different ways you can pronounce “palladium,” and the pitfalls of buying an album just for one track. Music brought to you by:

Xiu Xiu – Rumpus Room [16:00 – 27:20]

Jitensha – Sojurn [27:21 – 37:24]

April March – Allons-y (feat. Olivia Jean) [37:25 – 46:27]

Kali – I Just Wanna [46:28 – 56:57]

This week, the guys ask “why people feel the need to pick sides?” And discuss metaphoric bass lines with songs by:

Giant Sky – Snow [14:45 – 23:56]

The Trees the Trees – When It’s Over [23:57 – 34:15]

The Great Emu War Casualties – I’m a Yes Man [34:16 – 44:37]

El Michels Affair – Fazed Out [44:38 – 55:02]

This week, the guys reminisce about Treefort (it’ll be back!). Things go sci-fi with talk about synthesizers, robots, time travel, and F-Zero. Soundtrack provided by:

Zenith Volt – Supercomputer [6:00 – 19:43]

The Natvral – Sun Blisters [19:44 – 31:11]

New Madrid – Queen For A Day [31:12 – 40:33]

Max Foreman – Open Eyes [40:34 – 49:05]

Welcome to Season 3! We kick off asking U2’s The Joshua Tree: Over/under/laterally rated? Where will music be in the next 5-10 years and should you go full Yorke? We hang out in the UK for this weeks tracks:

Gizelle Smith – King of the Mountain [17:15 – 27:30]

Mutant-Thoughts – Hold On [27:31 – 37:20]

Gumshoe – Sayonara [37:21 – 47:03]

Dahlia – Clarity [47:04 – 57:02]