House Show - Boise, ID

Before I begin writing about Boise, a formal correction/apology is in order for all South Dakota natives offended by my Sioux Falls post, the most vocal of whom is an individual with the initials KC. I realized after our recent conversation that I was foolish to think for a minute that Sioux City was part of South Dakota rather than Iowa. How could I not see it? I mean, the scenery underwent such a drastic change between Sioux Falls and Sioux City! Where else could you see breathtaking vistas like the one pictured below, other than in Sioux Falls? Please accept my sincerest apology, and thanks for checking my facts.


I feel so much better after that apology, but for some reason I doubt it'll smooth things over completely. Just take comfort in the fact that your state is home to the Badlands, the Black Hills, and especially Wall Drug.

Because we had long drives both before and after our Boise show, we didn't spend much time in the Gem State's capitol, so this will be a relatively short post. (I'm pretty sure I just felt the wind of your collective sigh of relief all the way out in California.)

Long story short, there was a huge benefit concert in town for a local promoter's medical bills on the same night as our show, and roughly 15 local bands were performing for the cause, so the turnout at our house show was somewhat sparse. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, though, since it created a nice laid-back vibe.

I played first and Tricia followed. The small gathering of Idahoans (is that what you call them?) was quite supportive, which was much-appreciated.

The first band after our sets was Central City Music Company, a trio in which the singer, Sam Counsil, doubled (or tripled) as a guitar player and a drummer (using his feet for both the kick and the snare!). Sam's songwriting dealt with the more banal things in life, and it did so with wry humor and wit. It made for a very entertaining set. As Sam noted in between songs, each and every song featured a guitar solo, thanks to Lorie Broumand. I should also mention that Daen, the bassist, provided us with some wonderful detour recommendations for our trip to Seattle the next day. You'll see a few photos soon.




To round out the night, our hosts Zach and Karen performed a short but pretty acoustic set with fellow A Seasonal Disguise member Julia Green. The band usually performs as a sextet, which I'd love to see, but the three person lineup gave the music an intimate dynamic that was perfect for the brisk July evening. In the video below, the backyard motion sensor light went out about a third of the way through the tune, so I spent the remainder of the video slowly panning and tilting the camera to capture any remaining sunshine that hadn't gotten the twilight memo...




Zach and Karen had kindly offered us a place to stay, so we slept in the basement that night and left around mid-morning for a long but pleasant drive through Washington.

Driving Music:
Explosions in the Sky - Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place
Common Loon - The Long Dream of Birds
Mimicking Birds - Mimicking Birds
Sarah Jaffe - Suburban Nature
Phosphorescent - Here's to Taking It Easy
Land of Talk - Some Are Lakes
Ben Folds - Rockin' the Suburbs
Dark Dark Dark - Daytrotter Session
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
DeYarmond Edison - Silent Signs
Brother Ali - The Undisputed Truth
Calexico - Garden Ruin