The 2015 Firefly Music Festival is in full swing, but a few lucky fans were treated to a little something extra yesterday. Music lovers gathered in a peaceful forrest clearing to experience exclusive acoustic sets by AWOLNATION, Bear Hands, Josh Noren and Colony House as part of MixRadio’s Treehouse Sessions.
The series offers fans the chance to experience up-and-coming artists in the most personal way possible, while in the midst of a gorgeous natural setting. Picture it: You’re gathered out in a picturesque forrest with a small wooden stage, a few dozen fellow music-lovers, and your favorite band? It doesn’t get much more intimate than that!
First up were the awesomely-named Bear Hands, who initially seemed at odds with the uber-rustic setting in their official hipster festival uniform of vintage tees, backwards caps, torn skinny-jeans and neon Ray-Bans. But as soon they kickstarted their spacey-acoustic sound, it felt like they were conjuring mystical spirits to the clearing. They opened with a stripped-down “Angora,” the second single from their second album, 2014’s Distraction. They followed it up with “Sleeping On The Floor,” “Vile Iowa,” and “Thought Wrong” before wrapping up their mini-set with a quieter version of the raucous “Giants.” They insisted it would be louder when they played the Porch Stage later that afternoon. Spoiler alert: it was. A + band, A + pun in their name.