Wake up early, cold and curled in only last nights suit coat in the brudange parking lot.  Will and I try to round up the troops; I was able to find a bleary eyed Jeff while Will harrassed a stranger in some tent, convinced it was Patrick.  Busted it to Stanley, I awoke from a nap to the Sawtooths screaming through the windows.  We arrived at the festival just after noon and as our good friends Heads Like This from the Falls of Twin were going on.  I’d missed their last several shows in the City of Trees so it was awesome to catch their set– they are certainly kickin’ ass, and Luke is a superhero.  They made mimosas for everyone before they went on.  After a quick change-over the boys played a short but very fast-paced set to a suprisingly good-sized hot afternoon dance crowd.  It seemed as though word of the cd release show had travelled quickly.  The feel of the festival was very friendly, the staff and volunteers were all helpful and smiling, and the dancers could look past the players to the incredible peaks of the Sawtooths visible directly behind the stage.  Seth Brown and the Crew came up for the festival and hilarity broke out quickly.  Jeremiah James and Elephant Revival played the evening slots and wooed the growing crowd with rowdy honesty and whispering sweetness, respectively.  Will parent’s brought up their RV castle and set up shop proper (there was even a bowl of cherries).  A couple spots down from the merch booth there was a fairy hula-hoop jungle juggle little kid smile tu-tu with stripped socks booth that I enjoyed passing many times.  Free Peoples from the Bay Area played the first night spot and brought hip jazz coolness with fun, intensity, and much experience to the Idaho mountains.  Their drummer played with his kit instead of on it, almost like he was confidently seducing her one part at a time. During the last act Jeff, Kendra, Patrick, I, and our desert whiskey fairy from Moab friend who appeared, headed down the hill to the Kasino Club to see Jeremiah James’s even rowdier latenight set.  The place was busting at the seams and we bounced the two step and maybe even doe-si-doed a bit.  Then it was down to the other stanley bar to catch the end of Djiin’s latenight set.  Elephant Revival-Bonnie sat in on her bogglingly amazing washboard.  Then we met Seth and Caleb unexpectedly at the crossroads, piled in his truck, and barelled along down to their campsite where we stayed up to all silly absurd hours.

Quote of the Day:  not suitable for public reproduction, but come ask me, it’s hilarious.

by Jesse Shell