On the third day of Treefort Music Fest, Michael Hawley had the pleasure of listening to a fabulous collaboration between his favorite Boise hip-hop crew (Dedicated Servers) backed by his favorite Boise rock band (The French Tips) at the Treefort Music Hall. He filmed their performances of "Shades Up" and “Waifu Kisses” from Dedicated Servers's 2025 album “Colors.”
Michael had never heard of New York City dance-pop diva INJI (née Inci Gürün from Istanbul, Turkey) until she showed up as a top-of-the-poster headliner for this year's Treefort Music Fest. Here she performs "Bodega" from her 2025 LP “Superlame” on the Main Stage.
Denver's Jesus Christ Taxi Driver gave one of the most dynamic shows both Michael and I experienced at Treefort Music Fest this year, largely aided by some whacked-out stage antics from singer Ian Ehrhart. Michael loved that when the band hit the stage they immediately launched into his favorite song of theirs: “Ding Dong The Beaves Are Dead" from their 2023 LP "Lick My Soul."
It’s a dead give-away who my favorite discovery of Treefort is when I buy their merch. I've been wearing my JCTD t-shirt for days! And I've bought all the music. All in preparation for Easter, of course. Somewhere between the violent rock and roll of Jon Spencer, the sophisticated rhythms of Ali Farka Toure, and the religious disorientation of Jean Meslier, Jesus Christ Taxi Driver makes joyfully irreverent noise. Taking aim at daily banal agonies, and existential uncertainty, the moods shift from meditative to unhinged. The music takes risks. Formed in 2022 on Colorado’s front range, Ian Ehrhart, Miles Jenkins, Colin Kelly and Will Ehrhart have been bringing their wildly disruptive live shows to venues across the mountain west at an incredible pace.
Jesus Christ Taxi Driver’s wild disruption energized me and fueled me for the rest of the evening. Michael and I then shifted to the Treefort Music Hall to catch the queer-flavored Dallas, Texas hip-hop collective Cure For Paranoia, fronted by rapper Cameron McCloud. Michael caught them performing their viral 2025 hit "No Brainer" (with its infectious "left brain right brain no brain" chorus) and “Drop A Bomb”, whereas I filmed “The Art Show”.
And because it’s important to attend at least one bacchanal each Treefort, Michael and I wrapped up our third day with the strobing magenta and cobalt-blue bass punk of L.A.’s Sextile.
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