Built on more than 15 years of tradition, today’s Hillfolk takes their acoustic guitar, double bass, and “anything you can find at a hardware store” sound and integrates driving drums and an electrified sound, kicking down limitations to create a vibe that goes beyond their Americana “junkerdash” roots. Want to call it bluegrass’s trouble-making cousin? Fine by us. A bit of string-band blues? Sure ‘nuff. A concoction of electrified rockin’ soulful folksy witchcraft mayhem? Now you’re talking, mama. The indelible through-line is rooted in the band’s song craftsmanship. From mountains of frontman Travis Ward’s ragged, spiral-bound notebooks comes the hard and tender. They can blow the roof off the place or draw you around the fire with their earnest musical narratives of the back alleys, the open range, and the front porch. They paint with sound the earnest stories about the lives of lovers, law-breakers, and the lion-hearted. Heroes and outcasts alike. Hailing from Boise, Idaho, the always young-at-heart Hillfolk Noir has been carving their own musical path for 15 years. Grab a cup of juice and ease on down to enjoy these newfound Hillfolk vibes. “If John Steinbeck owned a speakeasy,” said John Doe (X, the Knitters), “Hillfolk Noir would be the house band.”

Bill Coffey and Curtis Stigers met in downtown Boise nearly 20 years ago while waiting to pick up their kids from school, and they’ve been good friends ever since. They began playing music together soon thereafter at the Xtreme Holiday Xtravaganza in support of Interfaith Sanctuary Homeless Shelter, and at school fundraising house concerts. On occasion, they add guitarist Shaky Dave Manion, bassist and multi-instrumentalist Bernie Reilly, and drummer Casey Miller to the mix, and they often perform these house concerts while standing in front of the swimming pools of wealthy donors.

Thus: The Electric Poolboys!

Bill Coffey is a singer, songwriter, and guitar player who seamlessly melds the heartfelt storytelling of country with the raw emotion and energy of classic soul. His rich vocals and evocative lyrics are set against instrumentation firmly rooted in the traditions of American music, while his unique musical identity and stellar lineup of Boise-based musicians, affectionately known as His Cash Money Cousins, defy prevailing boundaries between genres. Born in Santa Monica, Bill Coffey spent his formative years playing psychedelic-tinged roots rock in southern and central California before eventually relocating to Idaho. As a solo artist and frontman for various bands, Bill has performed throughout the West and opened shows for a diverse list of artists from country legends Dwight Yoakam and George Jones to rock goddess Pat Benetar. Bill’s music has been featured in independent films, television, and on National Public Radio.

Singer/Songwriter/Saxophonist Curtis Stigers grew up in Boise studying music in the Boise Schools and under the mentorship of legendary jazz pianist Gene Harris. Stigers moved to NYC at age 21 where he signed his first record contract and released the first of 14 albums, his eponymously-titled 1991 debut on Arista Records, which sold over 1.5 million copies. Subsequently he contributed a track to the 45 million-selling soundtrack album “The Bodyguard” and co-wrote and sang the theme song to the TV show “The Sons Of Anarchy”. He’s made cameo appearances in the Seth McFarlane movies “Ted” and “Ted 2”, he’s written songs with Carole King, Barry Mann and Danny Kortchmar, and he’s performed in concert with Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, Al Green, Eric Clapton, Branford Marsalis, Gerry Mulligan, Michael Brecker, Spinal Tap, and many more.

Born in Othello, Washington and raised in Southwest Idaho, Buddy DeVore grew up surrounded by ranchers, cowboys and Country Music. He started playing mandolin and singing at the age of 8, and got his first guitar at 14. He started learning songs by singing along with records and the radio, and has developed a huge repertoire of somewhere between 3 and 4 hundred songs. He now makes his home in New Plymouth, Idaho, where he and his wife Samantha are raising their three sons, Porter, Samuel and Roland.
After spending 15 years as a professional cowboy throughout the western states, Buddy began to focus more seriously on his music and began playing professionally. In 2017, he brought together several other talented musicians from Southwest Idaho to form Buddy DeVore and the Faded Cowboys. With their energetic brand of Western Honky Tonk music, the band plays extensively at venues and festivals throughout the Mountain Northwest. The Faded Cowboys consist of Buddy DeVore – lead vocal and guitar, Bernie Reilly – upright bass, guitar and vocals, Louis McFarland – drums, and Rob Matson – guitar and vocals, and John Simpson – steel guitar. Their shows feature the best of classic traditional Country Music, as well as original material written by Buddy. The band released their first album, “Beautiful Day” in November, 2019, and it is currently in production their 2nd album.

Comprised of seasoned local pickers, Tater Patch delivers a unique sound combining the melodic drive of old-time music with the harmony vocal traditions of bluegrass. Featuring Dave Manion (dobro/guitar), Beth Mason (upright bass), Tate Mason (banjo), and a double fiddle attack from Justin Moore and Adam Straubinger, the band brings a raucous and frenetic energy to every performance.

Hailed by American Songwriter as “one of America’s most intriguing, creative, and idiosyncratic voices,” Eilen Jewell rises from the ashes on her captivating new album, Get Behind The Wheel, picking up the pieces of her shattered world and finding new purpose and meaning after watching her marriage, her band, and what felt like her entire career fall apart in a series of spectacular, heartbreaking implosions. Co-produced by multi-instrumental wizard Will Kimbrough (Todd Snider, Hayes Carll), the collection pushes the acclaimed singer and songwriter’s trademark blend of vintage roots-noir into more psychedelic territory, with spacious, cinematic arrangements complementing her revelatory explorations of grief, loss, resilience, and redemption.

An Idaho native, Jewell built her career the old fashioned way, touring relentlessly with the kind of undeniable live show that converts the uninitiated into instant acolytes. Over the course of nine albums, she’s crisscrossed the globe countless times and shared bills with the likes of Lucinda Williams, Loretta Lynn, Mavis Staples, Wanda Jackson, George Jones, and Emmylou Harris. Rolling Stone lauded Jewell’s “clever writing,” while NPR declared that she has a “sweet and clear voice with a killer instinct lurking beneath the shiny surface,” and The Washington Post mused that “if Neko Case, Madeleine Peyroux and Billie Holiday had a baby girl who grew up to front a rockabilly band, she’d probably sound a lot like Eilen Jewell.”