A lot of electrons have been used to decry the current state of music festivals, and there are a lot of legitimate complaints. Expense, overcrowding, cookie cutter lineups, etc – the litany of problems is long. Not to say there aren’t good options out there if you look, and the ones that I find most enjoyable are smaller and have a tighter focus, rather than trying to be all things to all people and ending up a bland mess. (I’m looking at you, Boston Calling.)
Thing Festival occurs on the grounds of Remlinger Farms each Saturday in August (non-Thing concerts are also routinely booked here), hosting a generous handful of bands on a single stage with plenty of room to find a patch of grass and stretch out, or to get closer to the stage for a better view. There were loads of food options, vendors selling various items, and if you wanted a day out with the family even better – kids under 12 got in for free, and there was an adjoining area with some carnival rides and farm animals to check out as well as a paper lantern painting booth to keep them busy.
I had the good fortune to be visiting friends in Seattle that weekend so the hour long drive north was not an issue, and afforded the opportunity to see some natural beauty (grazing elks; Snoqualmie Falls) along the way. The day started out overcast but locals Clover brought plenty of energy to get the day kicked off in style, with their bouncy and dancey rhythms punctuated by Lizzy Butler’s constant twirls. Folkie Haley Heynderickx took note of their boisterous set and cautioned that she’d be doling out a much more subdued performance, wryly observing it would have been easier on her to open. Her particular brand of subtle folk went over extremely well though, with “The Bug Collector” showing streaks of Judee Sill crossed with Nick Drake. The surprise of the festival for me.
The sun started burning through the PacNW clouds by the time Hamilton Leithauser took the stage, and unsurprisingly he played a nice chunk from his newest *Aaron Dessner*-produced record, This Side Of The Island. I must admit a glaring ignorance of both his solo and Walkmen material so I wasn’t sure if he played anything from his old band (setlist.fm says no) but it was kinda hard to pin down his particular sound, a little romantic and a little theatrical. He relayed a story about not thinking through the dissolution of a romance, which left him without a place to stay so he figured out a way to kill time watching movies inside a cool theatre in the dead heat of summer, and “Here They Come” became a song about it. “Happy Lights” was a recounting of his first and last drunk driving experience. I swear it wasn’t just all downers though, and Hamilton and his band looked dapper in their suitcoats (and Stone Roses t shirt).
After a storm delay caused Jessica Pratt’s set to be canceled at Newport Folk Festival the prior weekend, it felt like serendipity for her to be on this bill, and her fragile, slightly bossa nova-informed songs got the crowd gently swaying. A larger storm surge rumbled from the depths when Deep Sea Diver took the stage next. The hometown favorites have been riding a wave of positive publicity in the wake of their latest record Billboard Heart and since it dropped on the last day of February, they have been hitting the road pretty hard (51 shows so far in 2025 and they are back for more European dates soon) in support of it.
All that playing has turned the quintet into a formidable machine on stage, with Jessica Dobson wielding her guitar like a deadly weapon, uncoiling a fierce attack at will. Versatility is a key component of their sound, with keyboards and guitars layering over each other, anchored by Peter Mansen’s unyielding beat. His light blue oxford mostly soaked with set when they ended their set with “Eyes Are Red (Don’t Be Afraid)”, Dobson wildly soloing while standing atop a box on stage.
While Deep Sea Diver just signed to Sub Pop, Orville Peck had his debut record come out on the fabled label and it likely wasn’t a coincidence that he started with “Turn To Hate” from 2019’s Pony. He’s dropped the fringed mask but still wears the half Lone Ranger to subtly hide his features, though his muscular and heavily tattooed arms were on full display. He mentioned spending some time living in Vancouver, and the today’s dangers of being a gay cowboy, as well being flabbergasted that Willie Nelson asked him to duet on a cover of *Ned Sublette*s “Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond Of Each Other” as pride flags waved from the crowd.
As dusk started to fully envelop the grounds, Josh Tillman aka Father John Misty and his gang of well-dressed cohorts closed down the night with an erudite set that pulled from all five of his records. Originally a drummer, Tillman most famously did a short stint with Fleet Foxes before ditching the kit and being inured to joke #3 from this list and hasn’t looked back. Tillman’s stage persona alternates between detached insouciance and studied observation, and stared down my camera lens on more than one occasion.
His sound hearkens back to a few decades when lush, layered orchestral arrangements a la Brian Wilson or Van Dyke Parks were the order of the day. While the melodies and tonal approach are usually instantly absorbed, I find that it takes the lyrics a bit longer to permeate into my brain to really appreciate the artistry of his lyrics. Songs like the title track “Mahashmashana” of the latest record (“A perfect lie can live forever/The truth don’t fare as well”), or sly self-referential songs like “Mr. Tillman” (with a mind-bending video to match) or “Josh Tillman and the Accidental Dose” stand out pretty clearly from the rest of today’s contemporary music. I mean, do you know of any songs that mention a panopticon?
Tillman stood alone for a tender reading of “I Love You, Honeybear” with just his Martin acoustic guitar and his voice, no saloon piano or swelling strings from the recorded version along for this ride, treating us to the most waywardly nihilistic love song you’ve ever heard. Closing with a slightly self-loathing and fully questioning “The Ideal Husband” was a good choice to boost the energy and send us off into that good night. Thank you, Mr. Tillman.
