Hillfolk Noir to play Idaho Pour Authority

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

Idaho Pour Authority will host touring band Hillfolk Noir for a special show on Sunday, Aug. 31 from 6-8 p.m. 

Over the past 15 years, the Boise-based trio has built a following with their acoustic guitar, double bass and “anything you can find at a hardware store” sound. The Americana offshoot known as “junkerdash” is as entertaining to watch as it is to listen to.

The foundation of Hillfolk Noir’s sound stems from the ragged spiral-bound notebooks of frontman Travis Ward, whose earnest narratives and ballads are as at home in the back alleys as they are on the open range. Ward’s songs tell stories about the lives of lovers, law-breakers and the lion-hearted all in the same breath — heroes and outcasts alike.

Their sound is like a trouble-making cousin to bluegrass, with enough strings to qualify in the genre, but enough electrified soulful, folksy witchcraft to catapult it into a new genre yet to be discovered in full.

“If John Steinbeck owned a speakeasy, Hillfolk Noir would be the house band,” said John Doe of cowpunk band The Knitters.

The show is free, but you’re always welcome to throw a buck or two in the tip jar, since the band is currently touring the West.

Visit hillfolknoir.com for more information.