Day one of, quite possibly, the greatest modern music festival experience was coming to a close. I had the pleasure of spending most the night hanging out, floating venue to venue, with the trio from Los Angeles who braved the daunting wilderness in March to trek up to Boise for stop one of their first ever tour.

Derek Jordan, Heather Miller and Amy Clark were prepping the go-to Boise venue for what would be the last show of the night. The Blaqks packed the house the set before, but most had exited Tom Grainey’s Sporting Pub. I like to think it was because they were trying to pace themselves. Maybe they were afraid of an amazing rock experience. Either way, they missed out; big time.

The seemingly gentle, modest trio took their positions and then someone suddenly spun the world into a gritty tailspin that left everyone present with no other choice but to rock out or check their pulse. The moment Jordan struck a chord, Miller nailed her snare and Clark picked the four-string there was an instant understanding that Treefort Music Festival Day One was going out with a monumental bang.

Slicing through all in attendance with their invigorating style we were graced with Topanga live. “Last Night,” “Judgement Day,” “Not Easy Being Alone” and the newly released single “Red Handed,” as well as the riotous and shamefully addictive “Topanga,” stood still in contrast to their devastatingly brilliant cover of the theme from The Last of the Mohicans.

If you had just walked in off the street and witnessed the baptism of rock you would never believe you were seeing a band that was playing the first show of their first tour. Their radiance, stage presence and persona equal that of a band playing to a packed arena, certainly not a pub in Boise, Idaho. Great things are sure to come to decoded and unlike most of the Treefort attendees I have the privilege of saying I was there and what I saw was life-changing. Day one of Treefort was one monumental experience that raised the bar for the rest of the festival and decoded played a very strong hand in making it unforgettable.

Greg is a regular contributor and co-founder at Nanobot. He went to L.A. once when he was a small child and still longs for the days when Knotts Berry Farm was the place to be.