Getting Down with The Dead & Down at Treefort Music Festival

The Dead & Down is a self-described ‘exploratory roots rock’ band out of Montana, but the music they’re creating covers elements of Americana, synthesizers, guitar solos, finger-pickin bluegrass and spacey psychedelics. The band consists of Taylor Burlage (lead vocals), Jed Nussbaum (lead guitar and vocals), Matt Angelo (keys and vocals), David Bethke (drums) and Ben McLandress (bass). The 5-piece has made quite a name for themselves throughout the mountain towns of the west and has opened for acts such as Paul Cauthen, Futurebirds, and The Last Revel.

After listening to the band’s past albums and EPs all week leading up to Treefort Music festival, specifically their track “Switchbacks” (which has been on repeat), I got the chance to meet some of the dudes behind the music. I sat down with Taylor and Matt in the cozy corner of Form & Function coffee shop between their multiple Treefort sets.

So far the group has two albums out–the most recent one titled “No Broken Bones” which was released just this past year in January of 2024. This record followed their debut self-titled album which came out almost exactly one year prior.

Even though Taylor is the primary songwriter, he brings all the songs to the team first to get everyone's fingerprints on them. When asked what flavor they would use to describe their music, Matt and Taylor decided on “spumoni” due to the intricate layers and colors (or maybe it’s Matt’s East Coast roots missing the classic Italian dessert).

The band’s biggest inspirations are “listening to as much music as we can,” as well as the mountain ranges and landscapes of their home in Montana. Taylor says another big inspiration for him is the current state of events in today’s world. Being from the rugged and beautiful land of Montana, he holds his home close to his heart and strives to environmentally protect and preserve his roots. 

During their set on Saturday night at Payette Brewing in downtown Boise–a place that reminded me of Roha Brewing in Salt Lake–he spoke up about the importance of sticking up for one another and being kind to everyone despite our physical differences and backgrounds. Something that makes this genre of music so special is its wide arms and embrace to everyone–it’s something you genuinely feel pouring out of their songs. I was only lucky enough to attend one of their three sets at Treefort this time around, and it was something out of an old photo album. The sun had just barely set, the string lights were on overhead, everyone was swing-dancing around the blazing bonfire–it was absolutely perfect and an incredible finale to the group’s Treefort experience.

Taylor gave some insight into The Dead & Down’s pre-show ritual: “box breathing.” The versatile breathing and meditation technique is always led by one of the band mates before a set together. Taylor explained that not only does it ground each of them individually, but that it syncs all the guys up and brings them closer together before a show, and in general. Matt added that it’s usually group breathing exercises, or “tequila shots.”

The outdoors seem to be a huge part of all the band member’s lives, something that truly keeps them close to one another aside from making music together. Matt explained how he feels like he’s often being pulled in two directions–one way towards music and one way towards the mountain life of skiing, hiking and rafting–but he doesn’t see it as a bad thing. He’s incredibly grateful for it, saying how being pulled in both directions is a positive for him. The lifestyle these musicians live allows them to reap the benefits of both music and the beautiful outdoors they grew up in. One of their all-time favorite venues is a bike shop in Missoula called Free Cycles, a testament to their shared love for music, outdoor recreation and their community.

“Dead and down” is a common phrase that is used in the forest service, which Taylor previously worked for many years. Often in his job, he had to go around forests and parks and survey the debris and trees on the ground. The forestry term for dead brush and trees is “Dead & Down”. They made sure to put on the record The Dead & Down is not a Grateful Dead cover band, despite the slight implication of their name. Matt joked that some people come to their shows expecting to hear Grateful Dead tunes, so inevitably they had to learn one. If you catch one of their sets you may be lucky enough to hear their rendition of “Brown Eyed Women.”

From the impression I got, it almost seems like the band members are like brothers to one another. 

Their goals for the future are to release a live album–which is scheduled to come out in 2026–and eventually make it to the world-famous Red Rocks Amphitheater just outside Denver, Colorado. They also wish to go on an international tour; as Taylor put it, “I don’t care where.” Matt says his goal for the band is “more keyboards,” eventually getting up to 12 or so (he only has three now), and Taylor says his goal is to start “wearing a cape on stage.” The emphasis on experimenting and exploring is palpable—this roots rock band is truly paving their own path and taking inspiration from their influences while also creating something entirely new to the world.

Matt left us with something quite profound he discovered pretty early in his music career: “There's no secret, it’s just hard work.”  From believing his band lacked something all the greats had, it absolutely blew his mind that all you have to do is stay consistent–there is no secret.”

Even with two albums in the books and a studio album scheduled for release in 2026, it’s still only the start for them. All three of their Treefort sets were packed to the brim with all ages, lots of dancing, and a sense of community that radiated from each instrument to every single person there to see them. 

Stream The Dead & Down wherever you get your music and give them a follow on Instagram @thedeadanddown to keep up with all their shows and announcements. Keep an eye out for their album next year, and don’t miss them when you see their name on a Red Rocks lineup one of these days.