Summer Music Series ends season with a local lineup

By Zach Hagadone
Reader Staff

Mattox Farm Productions is wrapping up the 2022 season of the Sandpoint Summer Music Series with an ultra-local show starting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 8, with Harold’s IGA — featuring Justin Landis on drums — and John Firshi and the Monday Night Blues Jam crew from Eichardt’s taking the stage at Farmin Park. 

“It is a decidedly local lineup,” said Robb Talbott, of Mattox Farm. “I have received several requests to get local artists involved in the series, and I wanted to do that in a very intentional way.”

Previous shows this season included Oregon-based Cedar Teeth in June, San Diego-based Little Hurricane in July and Colorado-based Drunken Hearts in August.

Bringing Harold’s IGA and Firshi and company into the mix helps expose those bands to audiences that otherwise might not hear them.

“Monday night at Eichardt’s is packed, and it’s probably not the place where you’d want to bring your kids to run around, and Harold’s IGA [which is fronted by Reader Publisher Ben Olson] hasn’t been playing out much and the last time they did was at the 219,” Talbott said. “That’s definitely the point of this: They’re musicians that don’t often play before those family friendly crowds.” 

Providing a family friendly environment for live music has paid off for Mattox Farm. The first Summer Music Series kicked off in 2019 with between 200 and 250 attendees per show. After a pandemic-induced hiatus in 2020, the shows in 2021 and 2022 have only grown, with crowds numbering about 500 — and 1,200 through the gate for the first show of this season, which was paired with the Sandpoint Summer Sampler local restaurant event.

What’s more, the number of sponsors has grown from seven or eight to 18.

“It’s grown a lot. The first two seasons we did three concerts, and for this year to do a fourth concert is pretty exciting,” Talbott said.

“What I hope people are responding to is what the goal was originally,” he added. “I love music, I’ve always been around it, and to be able to provide that family friendly music environment, I think Sandpoint wanted that.”

Mattox Farm isn’t slowing down with the change of season, looking forward to a busy fall filled with rentals and concerts at the Heartwood Center, which the production company runs. There will be “everything from country to more folky stuff and a Celtic Christmas show” through the rest of the year, Talbott said, including the fifth annual Jack Frost Fest at the Granary District in November. 

But first up is Comedian Alex Falcone, who made his late-night debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, appeared in Portlandia and was dubbed “Portland’s Funniest Person” in 2018. He will perform Thursday, Sept. 22 at the Pearl Theater in Bonners Ferry and Friday, Sept. 23 at the Heartwood Center.

“He’s going to be a good time,” Talbott said.

For more info about upcoming concerts and venue rentals, visit mattoxfarm.com or heartwoodsandpoint.com.