ANNIE DIRUSSO: GOD, I LOVE THIS TOUR
2023-06-16 19:00 UTC | Knitting Factory, 416 S 9th St, Boise, Idaho, 83702
9TH ST. PARALLEL AT KNITTING FACTORY
416 S 9TH ST – BOISE, ID 83702
FRI
JUNE 16
8:00 PM
(DOORS: 7:00 PM)
ALL AGES

Treasure Valley Triathlon
2023-06-17 - 2023-06-18 | Esther Simplot Park, 625 N. Whitewater Park BLVD., Boise, ID, 83702
Hey Boise, let’s race!
The Treasure Valley Triathlon is a USAT sanctioned race open to all abilities. Athletes from across the country will come together to raise funds to support the adaptive community and enjoy the best of summer in Boise.
13% of people living in Idaho have a disability. They experience limited recreational opportunities, lack of community support, and restricted access to events. We want to change that and we think you do too.

Pink and Blue Fun Run and Festival
2023-06-17 09:00 - 12:00 | Lakeview Park, 1304 7th St N, Nampa, ID, 83687

2023 Cruisin' Hidden Springs Car Show & Event
2023-06-17 10:00 - 15:00 | Cruisin Hidden Springs, 5876 Hidden Springs Dr, Boise, ID, 83714
Please follow instructions in the description upon checkout! Thanks!
Hidden Springs 9th Annual Car Show featuring all types of cars, motorcycles, music in the park, food truck rally & More!
Show is June 17th 2023 from 10-3, parking starts at 8 am sharp and not a minute before 🙂

20th Anniversary Wing-Off
2023-06-17 11:00 - 16:00 | J.M. Kleiner Memorial Park, 1900 N. Records Ave, Meridian, ID, 83642
!! IMPORTANT NOTICE !!
Fellow Wing Lovers,
This just in…
Mark your calendars for Saturday, JUNE 17th, 2023
“People keep asking us if we’re back, and yeah…, this year we’re back!!”
We’ve all been through a lot the last several years, and we believe it’s time to do it one more time with a bigger, badder, and most amazing 20th anniversary celebration of the infamous Wing-Off. Let’s unleash the party!!
Note – It is with mixed emotions we have decided to make this the final event for the brothers three. For our sunset celebration, we really want to go out in style and need your help to make it the most memorable event in our history! This means we need serious cooking horsepower, recipes, and friends & family to come out and support us as always.
Mark your calendars for Saturday, 17-June. You don’t want to miss this event.
​We are truly excited to see everyone again this Summer!!
​!! THIS JUST IN…
Tickets now on sale. Get ’em here!
A-Bock-alypse Now
by Tortus
Length 0:17
0:00
SHIRTS COMING!
WHEN AVAILABLE, CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW TO ORDER
YOUR OFFICIAL WING-OFF APPAREL AND SUPPORT LOCAL MERIDIAN YOUTH​!!​
THE HOT WING TURNS 59!!
Come celebrate with us!
WELCOME TO WING-OFF.COM
A LITTLE ABOUT US:
How – In the summer of 2001, the Hollingshead brothers decided to answer the question of who had the best hot wing recipe via an informal backyard grilling contest. Since then, our friends, neighbors, colleagues, and new friends have grown this event into an annual taste sensation you don’t want to miss.
Who – Guests invited are friends and family of the Hollingshead brothers, any of the cooks, and anyone invited by a cook. We are always looking for new cooks and recipes to discover new and unique tastes (new, traditional, exotic, etc.) that we’ve all come to enjoy over the years. Wings are not required, as we have a number of folks that wish to share their favorite recipes involving other food types. Sign up and join us to grill, smoke, or deep-fry your favorite recipe and showcase your culinary talents for a great cause!! This is a charity fund-raising event, so you will need a wristband to sample wings. No wristband = no wings.
​​
What – A veritable plethora of taste diversity that races your palate along the continuum of culinary excellence.
When – The 3rd Saturday each June, from 11am till we say it’s over. ​The event tends to peak around 1pm, so don’t be late as wristband purchase is required to sample wings, and we are limiting the number of wristbands sold to optimize the experience for our guests.
Where – Julius M. Kleiner Park located at the North East corner of Fairview & Eagle Rd, will be the venue for this year’s event.
Enter the park at the Records St traffic light from the North side of Fairview, across from Walmart and Sportsman’s Warehouse.
Drive North on Records Ave through the first roundabout taking the second outlet.
Turn right and proceed under the main arch, and through the second roundabout taking the second outlet.
The A-1 shelter and field area hosting the event is on the right, with parking on the left.
The loading zone for cooks is located adjacent to the shelter.
Vehicles with equipment can stop here temporarily while you drop gear and we load up ATV trailers to haul items to the field location.
Please ensure you have folks from your team available to help load, unload, and set up your gear. The ground crew is primarily responsible for transportation only. Also, please move your vehicles as soon as unloading/loading is completed to keep the loading zone clear for other cooks and their crews.
​
Why – Cause we said so. Actually, what started as sibling rivalry has grown over the years, and is a way for the cooks and supporting folks to give something back to our friends and family while paying it forward to our community youth, engage in a little smack-talk, and share the greatest wing recipes of all time. Bring what you can to contribute, a blanket, shade canopy, a cooler (no glass), and spend the day with us. Seriously, pack up the family, or just yourself, and join us!!
​
How much – Event packets containing one wrist band, raffle tickets, and a People’s Choice voting card, can be obtained from the “Registration” booth, or on-line ahead of the event (once on-line sales links appear in the upper-right corner of this page). Wristbands are required to sample wings. Pre-event pricing is cheaper than day of event pricing, and is still TBD. Proceeds benefit local Meridian youth courtesy of the Meridian Kiwanis. Additional raffles tickets can be purchased at the Registration booth to increase your odds of winning, then stop by the Raffle booth (located next to “Registration”) to check out all the great Wing-Off prizes. Winning raffle tickets are posted at the Raffle booth, so check back throughout the day to see if you’ve won!
Come spend a Saturday afternoon with us, and thanks for choosing the Wing Off!!!
​
Rules – There is no cost to enter the inner sanctum of cooks and serve up your favorite recipe. Whether you cook wings or not, bring your favorite recipe and join the action. If you’d like to compete, present your wing recipe(s) to the judges and see if you can take home an awesome trophy and some prize money.
There are however a few basic park rules-
No glass bottles, containers, etc. are allowed in the park. Plastic containers only. Common sense here, broken glass is not good for kids, pets, and bare feet.
Pets are welcome however clean up is the owner’s responsibility, so plan ahead. Be a responsible pet owner.
A “pack it in, pack it out” mentality is required to keep the park clean. Each year we spend hours cleaning up after lazy people, and kids that apparently weren’t taught any better. Make sure trash is securely placed inside one of the many trash receptacles provided. Don’t be one of “those” people, seriously. Pack it in and pack it out, period. If we all pitch in and do the right thing, it’s so much easier. No entitlement recognized here. Pick it up, and contribute.
Personal alcohol is permitted inside the perimeter of the event in plastic or cans only, outside the beer garden only, and shall not extend past the event perimeter. Personal alcohol cannot be taken into the beer garden. Beer garden beverages must be consumed inside the beer garden area. No outside alcohol is allowed inside the beer garden, and no beer garden alcohol is allowed outside the beer garden perimeter.
Music provided.
If you choose to bring sporting equipment (volleyball, frisbee, cornhole, etc…) to entertain your crew and others, be considerate and ensure activities are well away from grills and other guests. Be considerate, and exercise common sense.

ALLEN STONE, BROTHER ELSEY
2023-06-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Knitting Factory, 416 S 9th St, Boise, Idaho, 83702
Along with immersing himself in a songwriting approach that involved unflinching examination of “some very dark and negative moments in my life,” Stone shaped the sound and feel of Radius by pushing himself to “get past the boundaries of what I felt comfortable with, so that I could progress into a whole new level of creativity.” Despite that sometimes-daunting process, Radius wholly reveals Stone’s easy grace in blending everything from edgy soul-pop and earthy folk-rock to throwback R&B and Parliament-inspired funk.
Radius first began to come to life back in the fall of 2013, when Stone headed to Sweden to join in a writing session with Tingsek. “His musicality is so outside-the-box, and it really stretched me as an artist,” says Stone, who’d tapped Tingsek as one of his opening acts for an 85-date headlining tour in 2012. “We just kept on throwing a wrench into the works and tried to create something that’s the complete antithesis of what you’d expect from pop music.” After recording the bulk of the album in Sweden, Stone rounded out Radius’s production at his own studio in the woods of northeast Washington and in L.A.-based sessions with producers like Benny Cassette (who’s previously worked with Kanye West) and Malay (a co-producer on Frank Ocean’s channel ORANGE).
~Like many of his own musical heroes—Stevie Wonder chief among them—Stone pulls off the near-magical feat of channeling a weight-of-the-world sensitivity into his songs while still radiating hope and promise. And though that depth of consciousness feels transmitted from a more golden era, Radius continually hones in on issues both timeless and of-the-moment, with Stone’s breezily poetic lyrics touching on topics ranging from rampant materialism (on the tenderly string-accented, harmony-soaked “American Privilege”) and the toxic takeover of technology in art (on the gutsy and groove-heavy “Fake Future”). “That song’s mainly about how technology’s infiltrating music in a way that’s making it less and less human and taking all the heart out of it,” Stone says of the latter track, a soul-pop powerhouse peppered with playfully cutting lines like “Rock stars pushing buttons/Few actually play/City wasn’t ever built on lights and Special K.” And as evidenced by Radius’s lush yet raw sonic landscape—wherein the only hint of synth comes from a Moog analog synthesizer—Stone stayed true to his pledge to “keep fakeness completely out of this record” and rely entirely on live instrumentation.
Equally introspective and outwardly searching, Radius also finds Stone exploring intensely personal matters, such as depression on the stark and lovely, acoustic-guitar-woven ballad “Circle” (“That one was written at a pretty dark time for me,” Stone points out. “It’s about how depression can put you into a kind of circle, where you’re just trying to find a way out but it keeps on leading you back inside”). Showing his skill at crafting a killer love song as well, Stone looks at heartbreak and regret on the aching, electric-piano-infused “I Know That I Wasn’t Right,” slips into hopeless romanticism on the dreamy R&B pastiche “Barbwire,” and unleashes some starry-eyed affection on the dancefloor-ready “Symmetrical” (a sample lyric: “The angle of your spine/Is sending lightning bolts down mine/When those molecules combine/It’s astronomically divine”). And in tracks like the ultra-catchy album-opener “Perfect World” and the fiery, horn-laced “Freedom,” Radius unfolds into epically joyful anthems that show the full range and power of Stone’s vocals.
Stone started working those vocals as a kid, thanks largely to his parents’ influence. “My father was a minister so I spent about half my childhood in church, watching my mom and dad sing together and lead the congregation in song,” he recalls. By the time he was 11 he’d picked up a guitar and written his first song, and soon began self-recording demo tapes to pass along to classmates. Although Stone enrolled in bible college after high school, he quickly dropped out to move to Seattle and kickstart his music career. “I had an ’87 Buick and I’d drive up and down the west coast, playing any gig I could get just to try to put my music out there,” he says.
At age 22, Stone self-released his debut album, 2010’s Last To Speak. But it was his self-titled follow-up (on which he joined forces with former Miles Davis keyboardist Deron Johnson) that ended up earning him serious recognition. Along with entering the top five on iTunes’ R&B/Soul chart after its digital release, Allen Stone prompted him to score appearances on such late-night talk shows like Conan and grace the pages of publications like the New York Times (whose chief popular-music critic Jon Pareles praised Stone for possessing “a tenor voice with the eagerness and frisky syncopations of [Stevie] Wonder”). And upon partnering with ATO Records for a physical release of his self-titled album in 2012, Stone soon turned up on the likes of the Late Show with David Letterman and landed a gig as the opening act for soul legend Al Green. In the midst of all the buzz, he also took up a grueling touring schedule, tearing through nearly 600 shows in just two years.
For Stone, all that time onstage went a long way in preparing him for the many creative breakthroughs he’s made on Radius. “I think you really grow as a musician when you’re playing right in front of people, and for me constantly growing and progressing and getting better is really the most important thing,” he says. Ruminating on the emotional undertones of his new album’s title and noting that “the center of me is my heart,” Stone says he also hopes that Radius will ultimately help listeners shed new light on their own struggles. “There’ve been times in my life when records were my saving grace and really helped me to figure out who I am, and I’d love for my music to have that kind of impact on a kid who’s looking for his or her own place in this life,” he says. “Because I absolutely believe that if you’re going to stand at a microphone and say something, you need to recognize that as a privilege. You’ve got to be incredibly careful about it, and really put all your heart into the message that you’re sending out into the world.”

Father’s Day Car Show
2023-06-18 09:00 - 15:30 | Idaho Capitol Building, 700 West Jefferson Street, Boise, ID, 83702
The 20th Annual Downtown Boise Father’s Day Car Show is like no other– celebrating transportation, both past and future, alongside downtown’s vibrant food and shopping scene, in the heart of Idaho’s beautiful Capital City!
The 2023 Downtown Boise Father’s Day Car Show both celebrates and educates, excites, and intrigues. Treat Dad to brunch, shop for a Father’s Day gift, then browse an exciting display of cars & motorcycles, both classic and electric. Car Show admittance is free for the public to view vehicles.
What’s different about the Downtown Boise Father’s Day Car Show? Downtown Boise is always bustling with people, which means a growing number of transportation options are most visible downtown. The show features dozens of beautiful classic cars & motorcycles dating back decades, plus a surprising variety of today’s most modern electric vehicles.
Each car & motorcycle has a story, whether it’s the latest in sustainable technology, or the stories of families who have cherished their classic automobile for generations.
Come see these beautiful cars & motorcycles, share in their stories, and celebrate the father figure in your life!

Warhawk Air Museum - Father’s Day Weekend
2023-06-18 11:00 - 16:00 | Warhawk Air Museum, 201 Municipal Drive, Nampa, ID, 83687
We are OPEN on Father’s Day (June 18th) and all fathers get in FREE!

Ste. Chapelle Father's Day Concert Ft. Diamond Empire Band
2023-06-18 11:00 - 16:30 | Ste Chapelle, 19348 Lowell Rd., Caldwell, ID, 83607
Join us on Sunday June 18th for our Annual Father’s Day Concert FT DIAMOND EMPIRE BAND!
Best DAD costume wins a season pass to Ste Chapelle Open Air Concert Series!
~NOT A VAILD CONCERT TO REDEAM THE FREE ADMISSION CLUB TICKET~
Gate opens at 11am // Concert starts at 1pm
Ste Chapelle & Sawtooth Wine Club Members Admission $10 // General Admission $25 // Under 21 FREE
Each ticket includes a complimentary glass of either house white wine or red wine upon arrival
Interested in our VIP option? Contact our event manager at events@stechapelle.com to inquire.
Food available for purchase from local food trucks. Picnics are welcome. Vendor Booths.
NO pets. NO outside alcohol. NO BBQ. NO canopies.
Non-refundable. Non-transferable

BENSON BOONE, NICKY YOURE
2023-06-18 19:00 - 22:00 | Knitting Factory, 416 S 9th St, Boise, Idaho, 83702
KNITTING FACTORY – BOISE
416 S. 9TH ST. – BOISE, ID 83702
SUN
JUNE 18
8:00 PM
(DOORS: 7:00 PM)
ALL AGES
Sugar Sweet Meet & Greet Experience
– One GA Ticket
– Meet & Greet with Benson Boone
– Individual Photo with Benson Boone
– One Autographed Commemorative Benson Boone Laminate
– Early Entry
– Early-Access Merchandise Shopping

REGION 4 Arabian Horse Association
2023-06-19 08:00 - 17:00, 2023-06-20 08:00 - 17:00, 2023-06-21 08:00 - 17:00, 2023-06-22 08:00 - 17:00, 2023-06-23 08:00 - 17:00 | Ford Idaho Center
The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) and Region 4 provide many opportunities for you to enjoy the Arabian horse. AHA is a full-service breed association and registry for owners of Arabian, Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses.
The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) and Region 4 provide many opportunities for you to enjoy the Arabian horse. AHA is a full-service breed association and registry for owners of Arabian, Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses.
The AHA’s Region 4 is comprised of the entire state of Oregon and Southern Idaho. Home to many of the nation’s top show horses, Region 4 is proud of its friendly members who want to share the Arabian and part-Arabian horses.
Arabian, Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses from Region 4 are among the best in the nation. Whether you are looking for a national quality show horse, an athletic sport horse, a trusty trail companion, or a backyard pet, our members can help you find that special four-legged friend.
The Region 4 Arabian Championship Horse Show is held annually in June at the Idaho Horse Park, the Pacific Northwest’s premier horse show facility located in Nampa, Idaho. We are eager to welcome back our fervent supporters who have voted this their USEF Favorite Arabian Show – THREE YEARS IN A ROW!
Barn parties, wonderful vendors and, some of the most beautiful, talented Arabian show horses in America are highlights of our annual week of fun and excitement. We hope you can attend as an exhibitor, but if not, come as a spectator and experience the unique hospitality of the Idaho Horse Park.
You will soon discover that this show is well worth the drive.
As you make your plans to qualify for Regional classes, we hope you patronize the other fine horse shows offered in Region 4 by our member clubs. We offer a pre-show as a lead in to the Championship Show in case you need additional qualifications or you just need a tune-up to be at your best.
We try to be a responsive region by supporting not only the show ring, but also the non-show events. We offer Sport Horse events, endurance rides, trail rides, scholarships and eight local clubs to meet the wants of all Arabian horse owners.

MUSCADINE BLOODLINE, NATE FREDRICK AND THE WHOLESOME BOYS
2023-06-19 19:00 | Knitting Factory, 416 S 9th St, Boise, Idaho, 83702
KNITTING FACTORY – BOISE
416 S. 9TH ST. – BOISE, ID 83702
MON
JUNE 19
8:00 PM
(DOORS: 7:00 PM)
ALL AGES

Tuesdays on the Creek & Farm to Fork Farmers’ Market
2023-06-20 17:00 - 21:00 | Indian Creek Plaza, 120 S Kimball Ave, Caldwell, Idaho, 83605
Spend your ‘Tuesdays on the Creek’ in downtown Caldwell! This 20-week event series includes live music from local and touring artists. This event is held in conjunction with the Farm to Fork Farmers’ Market. Enjoy the music, grab a bite to eat and something to drink, then get ready to dance the night away!
Caldwell is home to Idaho’s most diverse crop base, and we are proud of our roots, literally! For generations families have produced award-winning fruits, vegetables, grains and spices. Get the freshest produce to create excellent meals at home or find the perfect gift from local craftsmen or specialty food producers. The Farm to Fork Farmers’ Market is held in conjunction with the Tuesdays on the Creek Concert Series.

Broadway in Boise - Aladdin
2023-06-20 19:30 - 21:30, 2023-06-21 19:30 - 21:30, 2023-06-22 19:30 - 21:30 | Morrison Center, 2201 West Cesar Chavez Lane, Boise, Idaho, 83725
Discover a whole new world at ALADDIN, the hit Broadway musical.
From the producer of The Lion King comes the timeless story of Aladdin, a thrilling new production filled with unforgettable beauty, magic, comedy and breathtaking spectacle. It’s an extraordinary theatrical event where one lamp and three wishes make the possibilities infinite.
Hailed by USA Today as “Pure Genie-Us,” ALADDIN on Broadway features all your favorite songs from the film as well as new music written by Tony® and Academy Award® winner Alan Menken (Newsies) with lyrics penned by the legendary Howard Ashman (Beauty and the Beast), Tony Award winner Tim Rice (The Lion King, Aida), and book writer Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer).
Directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Something Rotten!), this “Fabulous” and “Extravagant” (The New York Times) new musical boasts an incomparable design team, with sets, costumes and lighting from Tony Award winners Bob Crowley (Mary Poppins), Gregg Barnes (Kinky Boots), and Natasha Katz (An American in Paris).
See why audiences and critics agree, ALADDIN is “Exactly What You Wished For!” (NBC-TV)

Super Soaker Showdown
2023-06-21 11:00 - 13:00 | Indian Creek Plaza, 120 S Kimball Ave, Caldwell, Idaho, 83605
More details coming!

Alive After 5
2023-06-21 17:00 - 20:00 | The Grove Plaza, 827 W. Main St, Boise, ID, 83702
Alive After 5, presented by Your Health Idaho, returns June 21, 2023 to the beautiful Grove Plaza in the heart of Downtown Boise. 2023 marks the 36th anniversary of Downtown Boise producing the free summer concert series, a celebration of summer and great music that brings a lineup of fun and fresh talent select Wednesday’s during June, July, and August.
From the widely successful group that brings you Treefort, Downtown Boise Foundation is thrilled to continue a partnership with local music booking agency Duck Club to bring new and exciting bands to perform at Alive After 5. A diverse, exciting lineup of musicians – both local openers and national and international headlining touring bands – are coming to the downtown stage this summer.
“Growing up in Boise, Alive After 5 was one of my first introductions to live music and downtown culture. Duck Club is excited to continue the partnership with the DBA to present a rejuvenated Alive After 5 for a whole new generation of music lovers of all ages and the Downtown Boise community. This year’s lineup is an exciting one with each week offering a unique glimpse of both the national music scene and local emerging talent as Boise’s reputation as a music city continues to grow.” – Eric Gilbert, Co-founder & CEO, Duck Club & Treefort
The Details:
Alive After 5 is a Free Summer Concert Series (that’s right, Free!) for all ages outdoors on The Grove Plaza in Downtown Boise during June, July, and August.
The summer of 2023, Downtown Boise celebrates its 36th anniversary of putting on Alive After 5.
Event will run from 5pm to 8pm on The Grove Plaza.
The Grove Plaza, surrounded by downtown cityscape, has a limited number of shade trees, giant umbrellas, and picnic tables.
Please bring your own chair(s) if desired. There are no tickets or reserved seating available.
There are onsite toilet stations, security, and a splash pad for cooling down.
Prior to purchasing alcoholic beverages at the onsite bar, be sure to show proof of ID (21+ years of age) at a wrist band station. No outside alcoholic beverages are allowed.
Outside food is allowed, but please discard of any and all trash in the proper receptacles.
Alive After 5 is now accepting both cash and card payment methods.
We’re going green – all beverages are served in recyclable aluminum cans.
Bringing your dog is highly discouraged due to the heat, hot pavement, noise, and large crowd.
There are over 16,000+ parking spots in Downtown Boise; view Downtown Boise Map & Parking here.
Read the complete Alive After 5 Concert Goer Guidehere.

Food Truck Rally
2023-06-21 17:30 - 19:30 | The Mike Brown Group, 4120 N Linder Rd, Meridian, Idaho, 83646
FOOD TRUCK RALLY
June 21, 2023 – 5:30pm to 7:30pm
4120 N Linder Rd, Meridian, ID 83646
The Mike Brown Group

Meridian Dairy Days
2023-06-21 19:00 - 21:00, 2023-06-22 16:00 - 21:30, 2023-06-23 07:00 - 21:30 | Storey Park, 205 E Franklin Rd, Meridian, Idaho, 83642
Celebrating the 94th annual Meridian Dairy Days with a Dairy Princess Pageant, Dairy Cattle and Goat Show, Ice Cream Social, Food and other Vendors, Racing, Music, Golf Tournament, Carnival, Parade and much more. More info at www.dairydays.org

THE LONE BELLOW TRIO - LOVE SONGS FOR LOSERS TOUR
2023-06-21 19:00 - 22:00 | Knitting Factory, 416 S 9th St, Boise, Idaho, 83702
KNITTING FACTORY – BOISE
416 S. 9TH ST. – BOISE, ID 83702
WED
JUNE 21
8:00 PM
(DOORS: 7:00 PM)
ALL AGES
“I want it to bring comfort,” The Lone Bellow guitarist Brian Elmquist says. “But it’s not all hard conversations. There’s a lot of light and some dancing that needs to happen.” Brian is reflecting on Half Moon Light, the band’s highly anticipated new album.
Half Moon Light is an artistic triumph worked toward for years, earned not by individual posturing, but by collective determination and natural growth. With earthy three-part harmonies and songwriting as provocative as it is honest, the trio made up of Brian, lead vocalist Zach Williams, and multi-instrumentalist Kanene Donehey Pipkin creates sparks that make a stranger’s life matter or bring our sense of childlike wonder roaring back. On Half Moon Light, The Lone Bellow mix light and dark to muster a complex ode to memory, a call for hope, and an exercise in empathy. Anchored in the acoustic storytelling that first so endeared the band to fans and critics, Half Moon Light also takes more chances, experimenting with textures and instrumental fillips to create a full-bodied music experience. The result is The Lone Bellow’s most sophisticated work to date.
“We try to invite as many people into the process to see what we can make together,” Brian says. “I like that spirit and that freedom. Then, the songs speak for themselves.”
That wholehearted embrace of collaboration defines Half Moon Light. The record marks a return to recording in New York with Aaron Dessner, whom the band counts as both a hero and a friend. “We already had a friendship with Aaron and a strong, shared understanding of our musical vision,” Zach says. “It’s really important to us to be a part of a community of musicians. We like that way of making something. Aaron showed us a new way of trusting. His idea of bringing in Josh Kaufman and J.T. Bates was such a beautiful gift. The meekness that these friends brought to the table was something that we will never forget. A sense of controlled fury. Lightning in a shoebox.”
“Aaron has a powerful quietness about him,” Kanene says. “A lot of people I meet in the music industry have lots of bravado, and it’s something I have trouble believing. Aaron doesn’t have that. He is a joy to work with. A true friend.”
For the first time, the band stayed where they recorded, sequestered from the world at Aaron’s studio in upstate New York. They fell asleep at night to the sound of coyotes howling and felt the freedom to fall into rabbit holes that would have otherwise been left unexplored. “We made this record in a place of joy with our friends. We were trying to do something bigger than ourselves,” says Brian. “I think we’ve been wanting to make this record for a while now. It just hasn’t come together as perfectly as it did this time.”
A lone piano launches into a hymn as the album’s intro track. The pianist is Zach’s grandmother, playing at the funeral of her husband of 64 years––Zach’s grandfather. The hymn returns as an interlude and outro, underscoring The Lone Bellow’s intention for 12 songs to be experienced together, as an album.
Wonder––feeling it, losing it, finding it again––underpins the entire record. Pulsing with the trio’s signature harmonies, the track “Wonder” is a loving call to reclaim the childlike awe and appreciation age takes away. Zach pulled from vivid childhood memories to craft the song, which transports listeners to moments of breathlessness experienced in the everyday: cheap coffee, backroad car rides, pine-tree views, and powerful songs.
Jubilant “I Can Feel You Dancing” rolls into a cathartic celebration. The song pays tribute to “lionhearted” free spirits with horns and soaring vocals. With a winking jungle beat, “Good Times” tells tales Zach has collected over the years. “Some stories were told on a boat I worked on in the Caribbean in the middle of the night. Some were in old Irish pubs in Manhattan. Some were in backyards down in my hometown. Some were in a hospital bed,” Zach says. “I wanted to shine light on the fact that there are still people living with beauty and reckless abandonment.” Delivered over intimate acoustic guitar and hushed backing instrumentation, “Enemies” is a self-contained call and response that reconnects life-defining moments with the frustrating or tenuous present that threatens to snuff out the magic.
Lead single “Count On Me” reminds us to lean on one another with soul-shouting intensity. Praise for deep friendships pops up again and again throughout the album: “Friends” celebrates the relationships forged after years together in the trenches––with a musical swagger that nods to David Byrne and Tom Petty.
Kanene takes the lead on tour-de-force “Just Enough to Get By.” Her inimitable voice––capable of grit and smoothness––pushes through line after line with steely purpose. The performance would saunter were it not for the rage bubbling underneath. Kanene wrote the song about her mother, who was raped at 19, then sent away to have the baby that resulted. When she returned home, she never spoke of what had happened until 40 years later, when Kanene’s half-sister––the baby––found them. “I’ve met my half-sister many times. She’s wonderful and lovely and an amazing story of something never being too broken to be fixed. But my mom had to work through the trauma,” Kanene says. “This song was me putting myself in my mom’s place, releasing a lot of complex emotions. Anger is definitely one of them. Hurt, frustration, sadness. We all have experiences that could be better if we could talk about them, but we keep them hidden.”
Album standout “Illegal Immigrant” also features Kanene’s vocals. Brian took the lead writing the song, which tells the true story of a mother and child separated at the U.S.-Mexico border. The chorus’s “I promised I’d find you, wherever you are, wherever you are / Here I am” is equal parts haunting, heartbreaking, and reassuring––and the unfiltered words actually spoken by the immigrant mother into a press conference microphone. Kanene sings with weighty restraint––like a parent burying their own terror so they can be their child’s rock. “I was trying to tell her story the best I could,” Brian says. “I wanted to keep myself as far out of the equation as I could and just try to connect––to help find some compassion.”
Brian also penned “Wash It Clean,” which both Zach and Kanene point to as a favorite. Lilting with guitar and harmonica, the song is a letter to Brian’s dad, who passed away suddenly last year. The two had a strained relationship, and Brian spent years trying to find some common ground. They did, and then two months later, his dad was gone. The band recorded the song on the one-year anniversary of Brian’s father’s death, without Brian even realizing it at the time. “I feel like that means he was here––or in me,” Brian says. “Working really hard to find understanding was probably one of the greatest gifts and lessons of my whole life.”
The stories behind the songs matter––but they aren’t what matters most. In the end, The Lone Bellow’s music needs no explanation. Just listening offers a salve and a shelter. “In my own perfect little world, I would be able to put the music out and not talk about it––just, Here. Bye. See you next time,” Zach says, then laughs softly. “I do hope someone will find this music in a peaceful moment, when they can turn it on and get lost in the story and the sound.”

LOCALS NITE AT THE KNIT: DYSSONANCE + MORE!
2023-06-22 18:30 - 21:00 | Knitting Factory, 416 S 9th St, Boise, Idaho, 83702
Join us for a fantastic night of music with these great local bands to rock your faces off!
Dyssonance
We Were Giants
Basement
Rome In Flames
Doors: 6:30 PM
Show: 7:00 PM
ALL AGES SHOW

GRANDSON & K.FLAY PRESENT: I LOVE YOU, I’M TRYING TOUR
2023-06-22 19:00 - 22:00 | Revolution Concert House, 4983 N Glenwood St, Garden City, Idaho, 83714
General Admission Only
All ages, Standing room only, Full bar with ID. VIP Lounge is 21+ includes Access to viewing balcony, private bar, private restrooms, seating is first come first served, not included in VIP Package Offers. There is a strict 4 ticket limit for this event. Accounts found in violation of the posted ticket limit may be cancelled without notice.

EL KORAH SHRINE CIRCUS 2023
2023-06-23 19:00 - 22:00 | Ford Idaho Center
El Korah Shrine Circus
Ford Idaho Center Arena
Friday, June 23 – Sunday, June 25, 2023
