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The Decemberists have been a Portland institution so long that there's still a segment of outsiders who probably think every band from Portland sounds like the Decemberists. But like a lot of thing synonymous with Portland, the band's roots lie elsewhere. In the case of main man Colin Meloy, his origins as a songwriter go back to his birth state of Montana, where he formed the alt-folk act Tarkio while attending the University of Montana in Missoula.
Now, Meloy, in concert with his fellow Decemberists, are bringing it all back home. Following in the footsteps of Bon Iver, the band has curated its own music festival in the place where it all started, spiritually if not exactly geographically. Travelers' Rest—named after a stop along the Lewis and Clark Expedition—takes place August 12-13 at Missoula's Big Sky Brewing Company Amphitheater. The Decemberists will headline both days, 'natch, with a veritable tote bag of NPR indie faves fleshing out the bill, including Belle and Sebastian, the Head and the Heart, Charles Bradley, Real Estate and more. (No Portland bands yet, but there's still more to be announced.) It's the most exciting thing to happen in Montana since…um…we'll get back to you on that.
Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 am Mountain Standard Time—the mountains have their own time zone now, apparently!—with presale beginning Thursday. Sure, it's a 10-hour drive away, but c'mon, that's nothing! Where's your pioneer spirit, huh?
Check out the full lineup (so far) below:
