This week, before our memories fade away like the magic dust Treefort 12 left behind, we will wrap up our Treefort reviews with takes from BW interns Kate Noden, Zaudi Guzman and Naomi Priddy.

Kate's take:

Treefort not only awakened my musical and artistic side, but also taught me a new motto — to expect the unexpected.

I thought I knew what I was getting myself into when receiving the pleasure of covering the weekend events at Treefort, yet I was astounded by the variety of talent showcased over the five-day extravaganza.

Despite the dreary start, Saturday quickly shed the rain and cloud coverage and turned into a beautiful day of sunshine and rhythm once VIKA and the Velvets took the stage at Lost Grove Brewing.

From Washington, lead singer VIKA captivated the crowd with her melodic vocals, perfectly complemented by the tunes of the backup guitarists, saxophonists, and drummer. Their performance drew over 70 people who were fixated on the stage, filling the cozy brewery yard to capacity.

“Treefort is incredible. I’ve been to a couple music festivals around the world, and this is by far my favorite,” said saxophonist Rogan Tinsley after coming off the stage.

The set concluded and I was on a musical high. Making a beeline for Treefort Music Hall, I entered a different realm altogether. The venue was dimly lit, with an array of colored lights — making it feel like it was just the artist and I.

St. Terrible rocked the crowd with his different musical approach, seamlessly blending live-loopings of musical instruments with extended vocal techniques. The result was an immersive experience that delved into the complexities of the human condition.

After I sat for a few moments to ponder my experience at the music hall, I decided to get some laughs in over at Podfort.

I headed to The Balcony to see Very Delta, Emmy Award-winning drag queen, for a live session of her podcast, “Very Delta with Delta Work.” This turned into an hour of unbridled laughter with Very Delta trying Idaho potato candy, handing out Diet Cokes, and poking fun at different audience members, making the atmosphere feel like one big hangout session.

I did not want this podcast to end, but unfortunately, all good things do.

The sun set and my night began at The Olympic, which had me glancing at the capacity signs above the doors as this place was packed to the brim. This was my personal favorite music event of the weekend with Hudson Powder Company taking the stage.

The band unveiled their trio of releases along with some fan favorites and had the crowd mesmerized with their infectious energy.

My night concluded at Comedyfort, located at Mad Swede Brew Hall with a group of six comedians that had laughter roaring through the packed brewpub with standing room only. My personal favorite was Brooke Heinichen who hosted the event, and had the audience hooked with immediate laughter following each joke.

I got off to a late start on Sunday morning, which is to be expected after my prior Treefort-filled day. I meandered over to Julia Davis Park to take in the experience of multiple forts at once and to interact with the community of Treefort.

Unable to resist, I started at Petfort, where I was greeted by a group of adorable pups — some large, some small, and even one in a stroller. Next, I made my way over to Alefort, immersing myself in the flavorful drink options and unusual food display.

I sipped and savored, indulging in a pizza cone, brisket macaroni and cheese, and treating myself to freshly made donuts for dessert.

Stomach stuffed, I could barely move as I went over to the music stage. While listening to a miraculous cover by Madeline Hawthorne of “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac, I analyzed the amazing art in the park.

I was shocked at the artistic talent that existed within the large murals, live paintings, and even a life-size skeleton of a whale.

Although I may not have been able to attend every day, I made sure to make the most of my weekend at Treefort and had quite the rounded experience. I am eagerly awaiting Treefort 13, only 349 days away — but who’s counting? — Kate Noden

Zaudi's take:

March 20 was the start of Treefort 12 and my journey, as this was my first time attending the music festival. The term “music festival" is such an understatement of what Treefort is — while the sound of music can be heard throughout downtown Boise and Julia Davis Park, there is a series of forts for everyone in the community to align with depending on a few factors including age, interest, and availability.

The first show I attended was Wednesday on the main stage with the powerful duo Flyana Boss, which is made up of Bobbi LaNea Taylor and Folayan Omi Kunerede. I have seen them before when scrolling through TikTok as they went viral for running while singing. From TikTok to Treefort, the duo had the same powerful and energetic energy you see online. They started each performance with questions/stories for the audience to help with the transitions of their songs and the lyrics included fun wordplay. Their dancing and music made the audience want more. Their DJ brought those beats and I fell in love with everything I was seeing and hearing. With their final song, they tricked the audience into thinking their set was finished, as suddenly the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen started playing and they were talking as if the next performance was going to be a cover band. Then they made us sing the intro and started singing their song that sampled Queen. It was a fun way to end their performance.

Wednesday and Thursday I surrounded myself with live performances from the Main Stage to The Shredder.

With that said, Friday I decided to check out the other forts. I headed to Boise Centre East as Filmfort and Hackfort were occurring there. Music in Motion was my first event of the day and it was a short film screening with poetic aspects. My personal favorite was "PALOOKAVILLE" directed by Theodore Collatos, a man living with his sister who gets kicked out for not supporting her and they are all they have for each other. With sibling relationship complications and now lonely in the streets, JoJo is on the bus and as he gets off he gets hit in the back of his head with a bottle. When JoJo wakes up he believes that he’s Joe Louis, one of boxing's greatest legends. Once the short films were wrapped up and it was time for the Q& A’s, Collatos said that his film was inspired by his personal experiences.

“I was smashed in the head while riding the train in Chicago,” he said.

Things got worse when he came home and he saw his girlfriend on the couch with a 19 year old.

He realized then, “I no longer had a girlfriend and I was going to be a filmmaker.”

After the films, I quickly went to How to Create Interactive LED Wearables where I got to make a piece of jewelry with technology. This workshop left me with a souvenir that lights up with noise as it has a sensor and changes colors, perfect for the music festival.

My first Treefort was amazing and I can’t wait for next year! — Zaudi Guzman

Naomi's take:

Wow, oh wow, was this year's Treefort something special. It's been awhile since I’ve paraded around a Treefort year that brought so much sunshine. Even the rainy days didn't seem to be too cold — a welcome change from the mud puddle of last year. In short, if my Treefort experience could have been summed up in one phrase it would have to be “cutting the rug.”

Day One, Wednesday: To start of the week I moseyed on down to Treefort Music Hall to catch the airy and earthy jams of Kaelin Ellis, which could only be described as a feast for the ears! His set was a syrupy conglomerate of bright hip hop and poppy undertones that left the whole crowd dancing. I myself couldn't get my shoulders to quit swaying.

Day Two Thursday: Day two was a peak into the technological world as I started my day early at Hackfort. I don't think I ever thought I’d have the opportunity to explore a semiconductor clean room via a virtual reality headset, but Treefort often surprises you.

I was led through all the different sectors of the Micron clean room toured by my AI assistant buddy. I liked to imagine that I myself wore off those staple bunny suites (a scrub type outfit that filters out contaminants) while I pranced through the world of microchips.

Once the headset was off and I was back to being a Boise Weekly reporter at Treefort I continued onward, exploring vintage Game Boys and attempting to hack my way out of a computer game.

After some fresh food truck yakisoba noodles to keep me grounded I pressed onward and headed off to Bandshell to catch the LowDown Brass Band. Their show was a syncopated infusion of hip hop and brass merging the upbeat and blazing sounds of trumpet against gritty Chicago Jazz. Let me get one thing straight — you have never danced if you haven't danced to a brass band.

Day Three, Friday: On Friday I had the pleasure of watching Orquestra Pacifico Tropical. You know the music is bound to be good when one of the lead bandmates notes that he is tripping on psychedelics during the performance, and oh was the band good. This was one of those shows that had you looking for space to put your bag down and de-layer your clothing items so you could dance harder. Orquestra Pacifico Tropical was an absolute joy to watch, performing cumbia that had the entire crowd swinging with one another. This was definitely one of my top performances this year.

Day Four, Saturday: Saturday took a slower tone as I mentally and emotionally prepared myself to see an artist I have been listening to since my teens, Patrick Watson. Not only did he perform his ethereal sounds on the beautiful stage of the Morrison Center, but he was accompanied by the Boise Philharmonic as well as Ballet Idaho to create one of the most beautiful shows I’ve had the pleasure of viewing. Maybe it was the glass of Cabernet alongside the show, but my cheeks were left blushed and tear stained by the end and I felt so lucky to have seen such a performance. — Naomi Priddy