By Katie Botkin
Reader Contributor
Alexa Wildish called Sandpoint home before she appeared on The Voice in 2023. Millions tuned in to watch her sing her way to the playoffs, and now she’s back in Sandpoint on a concert tour of the Mountain West with fellow contestant Lennon VanderDoes, another folk singer from Phoenix, Ariz.
Their Sandpoint show will take place on the lawn of the Heartwood Center (615 Oak St.) on Friday, Aug. 30, at 5:30 p.m. The evening’s opener is Sandpoint native Maya Goldbum in her role as jazz-folk singer-songwriter Queen Bonobo. Seating for the show starts at 5 p.m. Bring a blanket or lawn chair, and a picnic if you want dinner. Show is $15 in advance or $20 at the door.
The Heartwood concert coincides with a single Wildish is releasing the next day, and a full EP, After Love, set for release on Sept. 27.
Wildish’s musical style is a combination of folk and Americana — a sound she says she discovered attending the Festival at Sandpoint at age 17. There she saw The Wailin’ Jennys open for Nickel Creek, and decided to pursue becoming a folk singer-songwriter in lieu of heading to Broadway, which was her previous dream. She went on to win the 2019 Rocky Mountain Folks Festival songwriting competition. Wildish’s eponymous debut album features vocals from Wailin’ Jennys singer Ruth Moody.
Both Wildish and VanderDoes won fans during their stints on The Voice, and both had a soulful, emotionally moving approach to covering the hits featured on the show. VanderDoes picked Lord Huron’s “The Night We Met” to win his spot in the competition, while Wildish sang Fleetwood Mac’s “Songbird,” resulting in all four judges asking her to join their team.
The Heartwood show will be cozier and more intimate than the hit TV show. Sandpoint’s Heartwood Center — once a Catholic church and now a renovated space with exposed brickwork and vaulted ceilings — has in recent years hosted a number of concerts. It is now moving away from hosting its own events in favor of renting the space for weddings and corporate events, but occasionally organizers still team up with musicians to host concerts on the lawn.
The Wildish-VanderDoes show will be the last of the 2024 summer season. Get advance tickets at bandsintown.com/AlexaWildish.
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