NEWS

Photos of Ranch Rock in 2023. Deann Armes

The Americana/folk band Hectic Hobo will present its third annual Ranch Rock music festival on Saturday, Aug. 3 in Liberty, Utah.

The all-day festival features seven Utah bands including J-Rad Cooley, The Magpipes, Avintaquin, Lucy Avenue, Dearth of Earth, Dan Fox & C.E. Wright, and Hectic Hobo.

Ranch Rock has an intimate, laid-back atmosphere set on a private ranch in Ogden Valley, with a stage built by Hectic Hobo keyboardist Eric Peatross. The vibe is like a big friends gathering, which is how it started in 2022. 

The idea was hatched when the band members were camping in the area. “We love camping,” said Hectic Hobo drummer Todd Johnson. “The best time for us to hang out is after a show when it’s our time to relax, but everyone is headed out the door. We thought, how can we keep that going the rest of the night? That’s the beauty of Ranch Rock.”

What began as a small, private gathering has drawn a slightly larger audience each year. The band is intentionally growing the festival slowly, said Hectic Hobo frontman Hasen Cone. 

This year’s all-new bands making their Ranch Rock debut were handpicked by the Hobos.

Avinaquin, an alt-folk/pop sibling trio, who just won battle the bands at Velour in Provo, is a perfect fit for the festival, Johnson said. Hobo bass player Christian Mills suggested blues singer/songwriter J-Rad Cooley who released a new album, “My Trying Side” this year. Dearth of Earth, out of Ogden, “switches up the flavor” with their instrumental post-rock/metal fusion aka “Frog Rock.” Lucy Avenue’s alt-country rock is just the right vibe, and the jam band Magpipes breaks up the Americana with psychedelic rock. Singer-songwriters Dan Fox & C.E. Wright bring two decades of collaborative songwriting history.

Saxophonist Alex Thomson and fiddler Sam Osimitz, of the band Pompe and Honey, will be joining Hectic Hobo’s set.

Hectic Hobo, an Americana/folk-rock band formed in 2009, is celebrating their 15th anniversary. The band, known for its six-album deep anthology of "Western whiskey-soaked” folk-rock tales and lively videos, paid tribute to the milestone with a second European tour and a focus on fewer, high-quality shows. Their latest album, “American Bison” (2022) contains one of their most enthusiastically received songs of the same title.

“I feel we’ve never been better as a band,” Cone said. 

Band members include Hasen Cone - (lead vocals, songwriter), Todd Johnson (drums), Eric Peatross (keys), Christian Mills (bass), Nicholas Newberry (accordion), and newcomer Parker Andrezzi (trumpet). 

Attendees are encouraged to bring their food, drinks, umbrellas, blankets, and chairs.

Thank You For The Short Notice food truck will be on site slinging “the best burgers on earth” according to Cone. An event host, Terry Burden, is also new this year.

Ranch Rock 3 will run from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 3 (doors at 12 p.m.). Tickets are $25. A limited number of tent camping spots are available for $15.

For more information, visit the Hectic Hobo social media pages.