Shady Grove Music Camp offering a deeper glimpse into local music scene
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POCATELLO — The Gate City is home to an enormous and eclectic music scene, well beyond the classic rock and roll that is most commonly featured in local music festivals.
That is why a small contingent of local musicians and music lovers launched the Shady Grove Music Camp at FMC Park in 2019 — to offer an outlet to the area’s psych, funk, alt and trance communities. After a successful two-day show in 2019, the organizers were set to go big in 2020, but had to pull the plug due to COVID-19.
The show is back on this year, with 25 acts signed on to perform either Friday or Saturday this weekend, with more than a dozen local craft vendors as well as local food trucks also slated for attendance.
The majority of the acts on the roster are local, from Pocatello and Idaho Falls, with four headliners from Boise and Salt Lake City — all of them featuring original music, rather than covers.
“We want to be able to offer anybody who is an original music artist here in Pocatello an opportunity to play at Shady Grove,” said Shelbie Harris, one of the event’s organizers. “And then we want to anchor those local acts with these incredible regional performers.”
FMC Park, off Interstate-86 near Idaho Rock and Sand, is an oasis, Harris said — a lush green grove surrounded by dry, deserty land. Because of the venue’s proximity to the city, and the fact that alcohol is available at a Jim Dandy Brewing tent, camping is encouraged, with a limited number RV spots also available. Because the area is home to a large population of peacocks, dogs — aside from registered service animals — are not allowed at the venue.
The event was created following an off-the-cuff comment between co-founders Mike Engle, owner of Portal Productions, and Caleb Rosenkrance, a member of multiple local bands.
While live music is so well spotlighted in the area, the wide array of musical genres has, in the past, been underserved. While visiting a piece of family-owned property in Mackay, Rosenkrance said to Engle that the two should throw their own music festival.
“We really need to get some bands in here that really open doors for people, to see what else there is out there,” Rosenkrance said.
“We want people to come exactly as they are, make some new friends, maybe find a new taste in music they didn’t even know they liked and become a lifelong fan of Shady Grove,” Harris said.
The first band will take the stage at 3:30 p.m. Friday. With performances rotating between two stages, music will be non-stop until midnight. Then, the show will re-launch Saturday at 1 p.m., going to midnight again. Gates open one hour before music starts.
Advanced sale tickets are available at MyIdahoTix.com, costing $25 plus fees for a two-day pass. They can also be purchased at the venue, day of, for $35 for a two-day pass or $20 for a single day.
Those who attended Shady Grove in 2019 can expect some upgrades.
The main stage, Rosenkrance said, is significantly larger, and the sound system that was used on the main stage in 2019 will be used at the pavilion stage with a new, larger sound system set up at the main stage. Configuration of the food trucks and vendor tents has also be rethought, with food now available behind the stage, eliminating what was a bottleneck of lines at the event in 2019.
“We’re really excited about fostering this grassroots event that incorporates live music, art installations — we have yoga and meditation happening Saturday — food trucks, locally crafted beer,” Harris said. “We want to work with local businesses to create something awesome.”
After the last acts on Saturday, there will be an opportunity to join in on a Kumbaya-type jam session. Members from participating bands, joined by the event’s organizers will gather around a fire pit (the only fire allowed at the venue) to perform together. Campers are encouraged to bring their own instruments and join in.
That’s just another example of the atmosphere the Shady Grove organizers are attempting to create in this annual celebration.
“It’s exhilarating and relaxing at the same time,” Harris said. “You can go immerse yourself in front of the stage and just be dancing your face off.”
“Or you can find a chill shady spot and hang out under a tree with a peacock,” Rosenkrance added.