Rochelle Smith
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Articles by Rochelle Smith
Community Connection Day
Carers Recruitment Community Connection Day Come along and have a yarn with the Foster and Kinship Team and carers. Including: Yugara-Yugarapul Aboriginal Corportation -Welcome to Country, Smoking Ceremony & Digeridoo Performance Isaiah Firebrace Aunty Sharron Mirrii Bell- Indigenous Insights Alan Martin- Rainbow Warrier Fun activities for the kids- BBQ lunch & drinks provided
NAMM 2024
California in January is a lovely 77 degrees. That’s one of many reasons to book a trip to NAMM Show in January. It’s a great solution to Boise’s cabin fever, and I’m so honored to have been invited again to cover this event. NAMM is an enormous music convention in Anaheim. Attendees range from 50-100,000 people. You read that correctly. Nearly 14,000 vendors are represented there.
THE MOBB DIET COOKBOOK
Here’s the last blog of the year, and I love how this one came about! I joined my friend who was doing some car shopping in Nampa for a hybrid truck. We took some test drives, and I had a great time chatting with the sales rep. He had no idea who I was or where I worked, and the more we chatted, the more I found his story interesting. Jimmy John told me he’d spent many years on the wrong side of things. He did time in jail for some drug situations, then eventually he ended up in prison.
100 Things Do Do In Boise Before You Die
It’s the time of year to run a couple of gift ideas past you, and some favorite books I’ve been able to review lately. Here’s a great gift under $20, that anyone new to Boise will love. Amanda Turner has collected 140 pages of ideas for you. They are divided into different categories and seasons. What you’ll find in this book, are all the treasures of Boise. The things it might take you a while to find, as a local. She’s made it easy to share some of our best secret spots and events.
RECORD EXCHANGE ANNIVERSARY PARTY
It was First Thursday in downtown Boise, and The Record Exchange had an epic anniversary/retirement party! Original owners Michael and Jil were in town, and enjoyed a night of surprise local performers. These 2 have been incredibly supportive in the local music culture, and have always encouraged me to grab more music videos. After they retired, they passed their ownership on to current employees, and they hope that tradition continues. It was an epic night of talent.
JOE P AT IDAHO PINBALL MUSEUM
We did something a little different this time, and had an off-site session. A few lucky winners came to our private party to watch a Joe P performance, at Idaho Pinball Museum on Chinden. Deb, who does the evening show on The River, runs this business with her husband. People loved playing pinball games, and Joe P got right on them. My old love Galaga got my heart racing again, and took up several minutes of my time. I brought in some p.a. equipment, and loaned Joe my Takamine guitar.
MOLLY TUTTLE
Thank you Carrie Hoff, for grabbing this amazing photo. We’ve missed you greatly! All summer long, I heard, “Did you see that Molly Tuttle?” “Have you heard of Molly Tuttle?” I’d missed the Charley Crockett show when she was in town earlier this summer. When I heard she was returning for her own show, I started bugging Tim about seeing if we could schedule a session. Her crew was happy to oblige. We had some winners in who enjoyed free lunch from Port of Subs.
BRISTON MARONEY AT THE RECORD EXCHANGE
Briston Maroney’s only Boise performance was his Record Store Day tour at The Record Exchange. People who purchased his album received a wristband to see the performance. Chad from RX told me that over 200 people attended, with some people coming from as far as Denver, and SLC! This was Briston’s first time in Boise, but he remembered years ago when his band was on tour and drove through Idaho in a huge snowstorm in the night.
JACKIE VENSON 2023
This isn’t Jackie Venson’s first time in Idaho. She’s played some local shows, Treefort, and Sawtooth Valley Gathering in Stanley. This time, she came to town for Alive After 5. She’s also playing DJ set tonight at Hap Hap Lounger, under her DJ name “Jackie the Robot.” The techs and I loved that before the session, she was “ripping on billionaires,” and talking about the problems in the world. Jackie Venson is the youngest of 9 siblings.
DEVON GILFILLIAN
We loved having Devon Gilfillian return to our studios for a session. He remembered coming in years ago. He visited some with listeners and techs while we set up mics, cords, and lunch from our friends at Port of Subs. Sometimes we have techs tell random stories to sound check the mics, just for fun. They start a story on one mic, then move to another and continue the story so I can check balances on volume.
BRAD PARSONS
Brad Parsons joined us for a quick session before he headed to Sawtooth Valley Gathering in Stanley, Idaho. He mentioned he has played there 7 times. It was great visiting with this songwriter who grew up in Lewiston. He now lives in Astoria, Oregon. I asked about the music scene there, and he said Blind Pilot had pretty much started there. He said there aren’t many clubs there for live music, they sadly lost their favorite music venue.
RUSTON KELLY
It was a busy session day! After mixing the band “From Ashes to New” for our sister station The X, we looked forward to having an acoustic session from songwriter Ruston Kelly. Ruston says he came from a musical family, his dad was a pedal steel player, and his mom was a singer. Ruston joked about people thinking he was country, and came up with “dirt emo” as a description, which has stuck with him. He was upfront about addiction struggles, and losses he has been through.
The National Parks
We were so thankful that The National Parks had time to fit in a morning session with us, on what was going to be a very busy day for everyone. It was Record Store Day, and we were heading out to Shade City Brewfest as soon as this session was done. SSB by the way, was EPIC. The National Parks show was Saturday night at Treefort Music Hall, which is a favorite new venue in BODO. The sound there is some of the best in town. As the band arrived, we did our normal offering of coffee or tea.
NAMM SHOW 2023
This was my 3rd NAMM show event. It has a weird name, based on music marketers. What it is, is an incredible music conference anyone can attend who loves, plays, records, sells music. It’s pretty family friendly, and my favorite thing is seeing a kid who can barely walk trying to figure out a ukulele or drum set. Nerd unite, the NAMM show is a mecca. To say that NAMM is huge, is an understatement.
She Rocks Awards at NAMM
It was such an honor to be invited back to cover the She Rocks Awards part of the NAMM show this year! This event honors women in music and audio. There is nothing like starting this music weekend with such a welcoming environment. Women are on stage, backstage, behind the mixers and running cameras. It all took place at this beautiful venue, “The Ranch,” in Anaheim.
TREEFORT 2023
We had so much fun this Treefort, even with moody weather. We had snow at the beginning and end. My friends pointed out that it’s hard to comprehend HOW anyone puts on an event of this size. There are so many details. Parking, passes, wristbands, food, vendors, volunteers, the amazing app. We are so lucky to have this festival! Luckily, some of our events were sessions and performances.
CAUSEWAY
The Record Exchange did not disappoint with lining up some quality FREE Second Chance Shows for Treefort. Causeway’s record label is “Italians Do It Better.” Marshall Watson and Allison Rae are performers in the group Causeway. Last night, they had played a great show at Neurolux. It was so nice they offered this Second Chance show! Causeway has played other festivals like SXSW, it was great to have them at Treefort and hope they will return soon.
DEATH VALLEY GIRLS
by | Mar 24, 2023 | Rochelle's Session Chatter, Treefort 11 DEATH VALLEY GIRLS The Record Exchange did not disappoint with lining up some quality FREE Second Chance Shows for Treefort. Death Valley Girls is an L.A. band, who did a great in-store set. Death Valley Girls members include Bonny Bloomgarden, Larey Schemel, Rikki Styxx, and Sammy Westervelt. They were so friendly, and loved visiting with people who had come to see the in-store session.
The Heavy Heavy
by | Mar 24, 2023 | Rochelle's Session Chatter, Treefort 11 This U.K. band took time to join us before their Treefort performance on the Hideout stage. Noah and Georgie did most recording of their music in their bedroom. Georgie says the band members are like Swiss Army Knives, they can play anything. The Heavy Heavy are fro Malvern, in Worcestershire, England, a place with healing water and famous authors. I saw them be excited about the wall signatures for the band “Bailen,” one of my favorites.
TREEFORT SECOND CHANCE SHOWS
All Second Chance shows are free and open to the public! TREELINE Treeline | Wed 3/22 – Sat 3/25 | 6pm – 12am | All Ages Hop on the Treeline Bus and enjoy a show on your way to the next show! The Treeline will have bands on two buses Wednesday – Saturday of Treefort 11. Treeline is all ages and free & open to the public.
Joe P Session 2023
Joe P joined us last year, in fact, we were his first-ever radio session! Much has changed since then, he has played at The Record Exchange, been in-studio guest on Acoustic Cafe, and is back to play an all-ages show at The Shredder. When Joe started playing this song, Tim sent me a text that said, “SQUEE!” Joe P has written much music in his own basement, but found out he had access to use the studios at Atlantic Records for free.
DEATH VALLEY GIRLS SECOND CHANCE SHOW - MARCH 23RD
Death Valley Girls will grace The Record Exchange stage on Thursday, March 23 (4:30pm) prior to their official #treefort11 set at Hound Lot (Bus Station) later that evening. Make sure to RSVP for this FREE Second Chance Show! https://www.facebook.com/events/235181095617743
PETFORT at Treefort - March 25th
Event Details What An exclusive pet event at Treefort! Where Julia Davis Park, next to Alefort When Saturday, March 25th, 12p-3p Why Why not?! This event is FREE and open to the public. You do not need a Treefort pass to attend. Dogs must be leashed at all times inside the fenced Petfort area. There will also be a raffle for a chance to win a Main Stage Pass for Saturday! 5 Winners will be awarded two (2) general admission tickets to the Treefort Music Festival for Saturday, March 25, 2023.*
TREEFORT MAIN STAGE - MARCH 23rd
Treefort Music Fest Presents TREEFORT MAIN STAGE at Julia Davis Park THURSDAY, MARCH 23 | gates open at 2:00pm Unknown Mortal Orchestra / Built To Spill / Petey / TBA / TBA $50 advance / $60 walk-up each day This is a Main Stage Only Pass Main Stage Only Passes grant you access to the wristbanded area at Julia Davis Park on the day(s) you wish to attend.
Rochelle interviews Stacey Guill, author of “The Stone House in the Cañon” The story of Mary Hallock Foote
Just minutes from Boise, Idaho, a short drive can take you back over 100 years in history. Listen to author Stacey Guill talk about the life of Mary Hallock Foote. As Mary’s husband Arthur struggled to engineer waterways around the city, Mary did illustrations for Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorn, and some publications that brought our pioneer western life into the awareness of people living in the east. Catch the full interview and PODCAST, HERE.
LARKIN POE SESSION 2023
Rebecca and Megan Lovell from Larkin Poe joined us for a session, after having been in Boise to celebrate Rebecca’s birthday! They spent some time last night at Devotion Tattoo shop, and had dinner at Tupelo Honey. Rebecca’s husband joined her for her birthday, and might make a stage appearance at tonight’s show! The roads were closed during some of their recent touring, so we were really lucky they made it to their Boise show.
The Sun Magazine | In My Good Death | By Dalia Shevin | Issue 418
— For David Shevin, in loving memory I will find myself waist deep in high summer grass. The humming shock of the golden light. And I will hear them before I see them and know right away who is bounding across the field to meet me. All my good dogs will come then, their wet noses bumping against my palms, their hot panting, their rough faithful tongues. Their eyes young and shiny again. The wiry scruff of their fur, the unspeakable softness of their bellies, their velvet ears against my cheeks.
2023 FORT SNEAK PEAK
GET A PEEK AT FORT PROGRAMMING FOR TREEFORT 11 Including events at Alefort, Artfort, Comedyfort, Dragfort, Filmfort, Hackfort, Kidfort, Podfort, Storyfort & Yogafort BOISE, IDAHO – January 12, 2023 – With 11th annual Treefort Music Fest in just two months, the multi-disciplinary festival has released a sneak peek of programming coming to the forts of the fest.
JOSIAH JOHNSON
We were so excited to see Josiah Johnson back in town, and we realized we’d not yet had a session with him! Everyone at this session was so chill, like hanging with friends. They talked about listening to Fantasy Novel Audiobooks on the tour bus, like “The Magician.” Josiah was gentle and sweet, he and part of his band shared some nice songs with us. Josiah talked about using songwriting as a way to tell what he is feeling.
LUCIUS SOUND CHECK PARTY
We were so grateful to be able to get some Lucius time, as their Boise show took place the same day they had learned about several Grammy Nominations the same day! It was great to have our first El Korah sound check party. This venue has been a Treefort favorite, with non-stop music during the fest, and hearty late night breakfasts downstairs for after-hours. Lucius has done touring with Roger Waters in the past, and this year with Brandi Carlile.
JOE P
Everyone’s Monday was made better by 2 great appearances by Joe P. He first arrived to play a session in our Blue Moon Listener Lounge. Joe P likes to record his music in his basement. He says so much gets lost in translation once so many managers and producers get involved, it sometimes loses the meaning of a song. He’ll record at home until the furnace comes on. It sounds like Joe P is wearing many of the hats during recording and touring right now.
FLIPSIDE FEST DAY 1
This festival is new to all of us. Friday was really fun. Take sunscreen, a jacket, comfy shoes, empty water bottles to fill, earplugs. You’ll find music/beverage/food stages every couple of blocks. Start at the VAC, it’s where the Main Stage is. Then start wandering, or following the crowds. Grab a map at the ticket tent. Pro tip : The VAC and Somewhere Bar, both near the main stage.
BOOT JUICE
Get your boots and dancing shoes ready for a great show at Olympic Venue 9/30. Boot Juice will play a show, and Lounge on Fire will be there as well! The band took shots of our “wall of fame,” where we have autographs of many River and X sessions we’ve had over the years. They were really excited about signatures from OTEP, Shook Twins, Dead Sara, and Kyle Gass.
SHAWN MAYER
She’s an artist you may have seen and heard as a contestant on Nashville Star. Texas Singer/songwriter Shawn Mayer joined us for a quick visit and session in the Blue Moon Listener Lounge. Shawn talked about the pressure of competing against other songwriters in the show, and saying how she would rather share with someone than compete. She had great things to say about other Nashville songwriters. Check out Coffeey Anderson and the Netflix series “Country Ever After. Also check out Gabe Garcia.
CAAMP
We were so thankful Caamp made time to stop by for a session, especially when they are playing a sold-out show tonight. It shows how dedicated they are to the cause, working hard to promote their music. The session didn’t start without incident, as the Po-Po showed up when their tour bus was parked on Fairview for too long! Tim was lucky to have dinner with the band last night, on their day off. The band was real chill and likely a bit tired, singer Taylor Meier’s voice sounded beautiful.
Smokey Brights
You may have seen this Seattle band at a past Treefort performance. Today Smokey Brights stopped in before their Great Garden Escape show, to share a quick session. This band is really fun and positive, with great harmonies. It was really a treat to hear them play acoustic! Kim and Ryan are married, and talked about the huge amount of communication they have with each other. They met while working at a pizza shop in Seattle.
Long Island Medium Theresa Caputo
Here’s a visit with Long Island Medium Theresa Caputo! She’s got some great books on life and grief, and is a New York Times best-selling author! I’m lucky she had a few minutes to spare for our visit. I’ve tried for 2 years to interview her. This year it finally came through. She spoke about how you can learn to develop your own abilities, the importance of meditation and being on your right path, and good news about what happens to our pets when they pass on. That’s a timely one for me.
Lo Moon
LO MOON Neurolux was packed with people anxious to hear Lo Moon. They arrived earlier in the day to play a session in our Blue Moon Listener Lounge! The band was being careful and wore masks when not performing, both in studio and at Neurolux. They put a great stencil on our rockstar autograph wall in the hallway. Tim had a great chat with the band, and they declared The War on Drugs to be the best band ever. The band arrived with cases of gear and pedals, and they were happy to sell some merch.
Sara Kays 2022
We had a session today from a songwriter passing through town, with no other shows than from within our Blue Moon Listener Lounge! Sara Kays visited with Tim, and mentioned how her first song she learned was “Firework,” from Katy Perry. Here’s a great song, it’s brand new and will be out next month. She makes her home in Nashville, which Sara says is very convenient as her producer lives there as well.
QUEEN by Neil Preston and Behind the Scenes
Who is the one band you wish you wish the most you had been able to see in concert? For me, it’s Queen. I grew up with a poster of Freddie’s striped costume above, and all the vinyl I could get my hands on, singing into open albums to hear myself better. Queen taught me harmonies, and a love for intellectual lyrics and musicality. At The NAMM Show, there were surprises at every corner. I had been following news on this Queen book for quite some time.
NAMM Show 2022
Imagine having Treefort inside and out, and adding a huge convention convention center filled with around a thousand booths of instruments on 3 different floors, software, stage lighting, DJ equipment, workshops, and performers. Last time it was 4 floors, but there still wasn’t enough time to see everything there. Imagine different sounds every 10 feet, where you can play your favorite guitar, drums, keyboards, ukuleles, and new inventions you haven’t even seen yet. This is NAMM.
NAMM TEC Awards
Have you ever thought about who creates and records the orchestral music swells for your favorite movie, the intense music behind your favorite video game, or the software plugin that makes that unique guitar sound for your favorite song? The Tech Awards at The NAMM Show dives deep into the best-of-the-best technology innovations. Step aside Pro-Tools, Garage Band, and SM58, there are many new kids in town. Dolby Atmos is the new Surround Sound, bringing immersive audio to your theater experiences.
Mat Kearney 2022
It was a snowy day in May, and we were so glad Mat Kearney and crew could make it to our Blue Moon Listener Lounge for a session today! This may have been the 4th or 5th visit we’ve had over the years from Mat, and it’s always such a pleasure to have him in. They play Boise before heading off to Spokane.
Curtis Stigers at The Record Exchange
by Rochelle Smith | Apr 25, 2022 | Rochelle's Session Chatter Curtis Stigers is one of our Boise homegrown world-famous singers. If you’ve lived here many years, you might remember his group The Hi Tops. He’s been making music for 30 years, and has a new album called “This Life.” This was a wonderful way to wrap up Record Store Day weekend, and really nice to have a Sunday night session with free parking. Curtis brought his fancy Audio Technical mics, and settled in for many songs and stories.
Living the library life
You may not know this about me, but I have five library cards! That’s right: I have cards from the University of Idaho Library (where I work), Washington State University Libraries, the Latah County Library District, Neill Public Library and the Whitman County Library Rural Library District. I never can resist excess when it comes to libraries. Here on the Palouse, we have an embarrassment of riches in terms of libraries.
EILEN JEWELL
by Rochelle Smith | Nov 18, 2021 | Rochelle's Session Chatter | First things first, countless times I’ve heard people tell their friends about this artist. They say, “You’ve gotta check out this AILEN Jewell.” Or heard during Treefort, “EILEEN Jewell has a great new album!” She would likely never correct you herself, but just so we’re all on the same page, it’s pronounced “EE-len.” Rhymes with “how ya feelin’?” Eilen kindly accepted an invitation for an interview and session during our noon hour.
Japanese Breakfast at Treefort Music Festival
by Rochelle Smith | Sep 28, 2021 | Rochelle's Session Chatter | There were some great things happening at Storyfort, including a book reading and signing from Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast. A small crowd gathered on the lawn to hear her speak. She talked about her Korean-American heritage, and read a passage from her book, “Crying in H Mart.” This NY Times bestseller is soon to be made into a movie by MGM Orion.
Lake Street Dive at Treefort
by Rochelle Smith | Sep 23, 2021 | Rochelle's Session Chatter | In the press room, I head people talking about Lake Street DRIVE, and Michael FranTAY. I loved that they were excited about their music, but the mispronunciations made me grin. I started Day 1 of Treefort with Storyfort, and a workshop on Activism during Covid. There were some amazing stories of perserverance and privilege. Most people were masked at the Main Stage venue.
Smokey Brights at Treefort Music Fest
by Rochelle Smith | Sep 23, 2021 | Rochelle's Session Chatter | Day 2 of Treefort started with a lovely book reading/signing from Michelle Zauner at Storyfort. She spoke of her Korean heritage, and upcoming movie for her book “Crying in H Mart.” She has so may projects going on, including doing music for the video game “Sable,” which was just released today. Japanese Breakfast takes the Main Stage tonight! Later, this husband and wife duo gave us a great daytime set at The Record Exchange.
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