‘No obstacles’ to a good time

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey
Reader Staff

Robb Talbott of Sandpoint’s Mattox Farm Productions doesn’t just say he has a mission to “bring quality Americana music to North Idaho in a family-friendly environment” — he delivers.

Beyond being family friendly, MFP’s annual Summer Music Series goes a step further to be free, costing locals a grand total of zilch to enjoy high-caliber live music in Farmin Park on a handful of Thursday evenings throughout the summer.

In 2023, those Thursday nights will feature Seattle-based Americana rockers Heels to the Hardwood on June 29; Bon Bon Vivant, a horn-heavy indie band from New Orleans, on July 20; the nine-piece, Latin-influenced B-Side Players, hailing from San Diego, on Aug. 10; and, finally, Sandpoint favorites John Firshi and the Monday Night Blues Crew with Headwaters will cap off the series with a performance on Sept. 7, which is dubbed Local’s Night.

Talbott told the Reader that he booked the series with variety in mind, and that the event as a whole has taken on new life as the community has adopted it and made it its own. He said last year’s series drew 3,000 attendees over the four dates, nearly tripling audience numbers from its inaugural year in 2019.

“The goal is for this to be a uniquely Sandpoint music series,” he said. “Sandpoint has such an amazing music community and I feel like it deserves a community-centered music series, so I am just trying to facilitate what the town wants to support.”

Concert-goers are encouraged to bring their own blankets and chairs and leave dogs at home. No outside alcohol is allowed, but there will be a beer garden on site. The first concert on Thursday, June 29 will coincide with the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce’s Summer Sampler food event in Farmin Park, so there will be plenty of good eats on hand, as well.

Heels to the Hardwood vocalist and guitarist David John told the Reader that he and his band look forward to being the series’ first act of 2023.

Heels to the Hardwood will perform a free concert on Thursday, June 29 at Farmin Park. Courtesy photo.

“I love to play outdoor concert series that are making it so that music is a focal point of whatever community it is at that moment,” John said, “and there’s no obstacles to going and having a good time.”

Heels to the Hardwood defies Americana stereotypes by emphasizing soulful lyrics and not shying from a good electric guitar solo.

“Sometimes it’s soulful Americana, sometimes it’s alt-country, sometimes it goes straight into rock ’n’ roll,” John said. “Sometimes, it’ll seem like it’s a wall of sound. We try to create a lot of dynamics with different guitar textures or string textures.”

Those “guitarmonies,” as John called them, are key to Heels to the Hardwood’s live show dynamic, which relies on members of the five-piece band to draw inspiration from one another.

“There is a fair amount of us playing off of each other,” John said, “and that’s what makes it fun to me.”

Heels to the Hardwood has played Sandpoint before and commended Talbott’s commitment to giving musicians and audiences alike a chance to remember what it’s all about: the music.

“It’s a good way to get people who wouldn’t normally come together on a Thursday night to come hang out with everybody in the neighborhood,” John said.

Mattox Farm Productions’ Summer Music Series ft. Heels to the Hardwood • Thursday, June 29; music starts at 6 p.m.; FREE. Farmin Park, Third Avenue and Main Street in Sandpoint, mattoxfarm.com/summermusicseries. Listen at heelstothehardwood.com.