Photo: Jennifer Roseberry

November, cold, dark, and the last grasp at the year we have before soccer moms go nuts over last-minute deals and the holidays consume all of us. For me, up until now it was really just a few weeks settled nicely between Charlie Brown Specials, sports games that count and kids coming down off their sugary highs before grown men spiral into food comas; But that all changed one Wednesday night in Boise.

On a night that was slightly chilled but nothing compared to the coming freeze, a few people milled around a coffee shop/art gallery/concert venue in the heart of downtown. The poetry slam had just finished and as if they were from Boise, decoded mingled with any and every one like long lost friends. They had played Treefort Music Festival earlier in the year and they were back to grace us all with their amazing presence.

But would they even compare with the electrifying performance we witnessed in March? Did they give an extra effort because it was a festival? Let’s just say we have spent upwards of $80 per ticket for shows that did not rock us as much as decoded can.

The Crux was promptly spun into a riotous party to the few present when Derek Jordan, Heather Miller, and Amy Clark began their set with “Red Handed.” To those who had only heard pieces of decoded it fueled the fire, to those who hadn’t heard them until now, it sparked the passion we all have for the amazing trio from L.A. Playing four of the six tracks from their Topanga release, the band mixed in “Love is Dead,” the new “Dance for Me,” Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me,” and their incredible rendition of The Last of the Mohicans Theme. In a set that would last close to an hour all sense of doubt that the band had done something special for Treefort 2014 was dashed. Instead the powerful sound, the presence that they could be playing to a packed stadium rather than this coffee shop, and the sincerity in their passion proved that this is just who decoded is; a band for the fans and love of music rather than just themselves.

The cold Boise night was undoubtedly set ablaze by decoded. Each chord, beat, and word a fiery desire to do what they do so well. They convey a sense of musicianship that is unheard of for where they are in their careers. They have a love for their music that is only rivaled by their love for making new friends. When decoded comes through your town, if you’re not first in line for their show, you better be dead.

Setlist:

Red Handed
Love is Dead
Last Night
Last of the Mohicans theme
Dance for Me
Topanga
Stand by Me
Judgement Day