Andy Grammer and Walk Off the Earth will open the 2026 Festival at Sandpoint

By Reader Staff

The Festival at Sandpoint announced the opening act for its 2026 Summer Series, featuring Andy Grammer with Walk off the Earth on Thursday, July 30 at War Memorial Field. 

A multi-platinum singer-songwriter whose sound inhabits the intersections of pop-rock, soul and country-pop, Grammer released his fifth studio album Monster in 2024, following a tumultuous five-year period following 2019’s Naive.

Despite his reputation as one of the most optimistic and brightest lights in the pop singer-songwriter world, Grammer — like a lot of people during the pandemic years — found himself struggling with personal demons and seeking therapy for the first time. 

That process of difficult self-exploration, which also corresponded with welcoming his second child while dealing with the rupture of an important personal relationship, resulted in the complexity of Monster, which has been described as “a document of someone walking through a fire they never wanted to even look at, and what happens when they emerge on the other side.” 

“Being happy, anger is my vulnerability,” he said. “I didn’t know how to deal with getting in touch with anger. I just pretended it wasn’t there.”

Working through a host of emotions, Grammer experimented with capturing the dynamic of the era in general — encompassing both struggle and growth in smaller snapshots, including singles from 2020-’23 and the 2022 EP The Art Of Joy.

He had planned to collect the singles alongside a few new songs for his fifth album; instead, he picked up a mandolin, which helped guide the tone and texture of what became Monster.

“When you find a unique sound you want to chase and sit with completely, then the album as an art form really starts to matter,” Grammer said.

Reflecting on the emotional reckoning that came with Monster, Grammer said, “The word ‘monster’ has some bite to it. I began to realize getting in touch with my anger was essential. I began to make peace with it, and the monster got less scary. … When you’re singing your truth, it will relate. It was freeing, to be honest.”

Monster excavates life from multiple angles. Lead single “I Do” features Grammer singing alongside country music duo Maddie and Tae, in a song written about Grammer’s wife Aijia that both playfully and thoughtfully depicts how the couple navigates the ups and downs of long relationships.

The couple wrote and recorded other material for the record, including “Grey,” a song that ruminates on whether love survives as we age, and “Unforgivable,” which is an unflinching track influenced by a friend’s divorce. 

Grammer’s signature optimism reemerges after getting stung in “Save A Spot In The Back,” while “Magic” is a classic indie-pop banger that reminisces about loss and the unexplainable in life. The song has an extra layer of poignance as the last composition Grammer wrote with his longtime collaborator Bram Inscore prior to the latter’s tragic death.

From the hurt and confusion of the album’s opening, the tracks on Monster trace Grammer’s process of re-centering himself with what really matters in life before concluding with “Friends And Family.”

“I think people will understand the journey — from acknowledging the anger, leaving and experiencing things, and then coming home to realize you’re not able to be your full self without these things,” Grammer said. “And when we all end up singing it together at the top of our

lungs — that’s what makes life explosive.”

Learn more about Grammer at andygrammer.com.

Also on the Festival stage for opening night will be Canadian indie-pop band Walk off the Earth, a JUNO Award-winning multi-platinum musical phenomenon that has headlined Red Rocks Amphitheater and Wembley Arena, sold out the historic Sydney Opera House, notched a top-10 single in Canada for 30 straight weeks and made it all the way to the top of the Pop Albums chart in the U.S. 

The group has collaborated with artists from across genres, including Snoop Dogg, Sarah Silverman, Keith Urban, Steve Aoki, Lukas Graham, Lauv, Lindsey Stirling and many more, meanwhile selling millions of copies of their recordings and racking up billions of streams along the way.

WOTE’s YouTube covers have won the band Streamy Awards; its renditions of the national anthem have been performed at major sporting events such as the NBA Finals; and its original songs have earned numerous high-profile accolades — “Red Hands” achieved No. 1 at AAA radio while “Rule The World,” “Fire In My Soul” and “I’ll Be There” have all been certified multi-platinum. 

The band kicked off 2023 with its viral single “My Stupid Heart,” which marked its most successful single to date with 1 million weekly streams, 1 billion YouTube views, 200 million TikTok views and counting, performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Live with Kelly and Mark, and a remix version featuring Lauv.

The chemistry between band members Gianni “Luminati” Nicassio, Sarah Blackwood and Joel  Cassady is infectious and undeniable, with an independent spirit, unstoppable work ethic and creativity that has consistently lifted WOTE to new heights.

Learn more at walkofftheearth.com.

Tickets to Andy Grammer with Walk off the Earth are $80.35, including taxes and fees, at festivalatsandpoint.com. Gates open at 6 p.m. and music starts at 7:30 p.m. This will be a standard show, meaning that the area in front of the stage is a general admission dancing and standing area.