The Be Helds: A Jangly Garage-Pop Explosion

As they were one of my absolute favorite bands to play in Missoula, I was pretty bummed when I learned that The Be Helds were venturing out of our little mountain hamlet for the greener pastures of Austin, TX. First seeing them at the Top Hat (opening for another MSLA favorite and TotalFest IX veterans Rooster Sauce) I was blown away by the uncomplicated, infectious energy that the garage rock duo brought to the stage. I don't do this often--especially with local bands-- but after dancing through their whole set, I immediately walked over the to merch table and plopped down a measly $10 for their LP, Vol. 1.

With their multi-layered, yet decided lo-fi sound, The Be Helds exemplify everything garage rock is supposed to be about. Jordon Lybeck's simple bass-snare-tambourine beats are the perfect backbone to Ralston Coorough's retro inspired jangly, fuzzed out guitars while both halves of the duo contribute to the rowdy, riotous vocal harmonies that really tie the band's slightly out-of-focus pop melodies together.

If it weren't enough that they make such terrific music, Lybeck and Coorough are also two of the nicest young gentlemen around, and both seasoned Totalfest veterans as spectators. But for Totalfest XI, we're really really excited to welcome them back to Missoula as performers.

2012 Begins Now

We've been promising this for a few weeks. Apologies for our delay.


We received an overwhelming number of great submissions this year. A few evenings spilled into a handful of marathon listening sessions, followed by days of talking through the crazy amount of talent that came through the submissions inbox. By no means is it a perfect system, but we, here at Total Fest, feel like we've come up with an awesome, well-rounded line-up that will get your blood moving. We have a limited amount of slots, and we're saddened by some of the bands that we have to leave out of the festival. It's tough, but it's a welcome problem to face. Thank you to everyone that put their hat into the ring. Submitting to a festival can be a tough, cold process, and we hope that we add a little more of a human element to things. We appreciate all the support  that you give us. Although it seems trite at times, it simply cannot be said enough -- Total Fest does not and cannot exist without you.


Lamentations aside, we're frickin' stoked about this year. We have approximately 45 bands lined-up, and there's not an out in the bunch. It's rewarding to see this come together, and we hope you'll erase that pencil and solidly ink in your travel plans for the 16th-18th.
A few changes: We'll be posting more as the days go by, but, unlike previous years, we'll throw-up a dozen or so bands at a time and follow-up with some write-ups and general musings on individual bands. So, without further ado here is the first installment for Total Fest XI:


Big Fiction    Arlington, TX
Brain Tumors    Minneapolis, MN
Broken Water    Olympia, WA
Buildings    Minneapolis, MN
Dikes of Holland    Austin, TX
Dreamdecay    Seattle, WA
No-Fi Soul Rebellion    Bellingham, WA
Pins of Light    San Francisco, CA
Rock n Roll Adventure Kids    Berkeley, CA
Roomrunner    Baltimore, MD
Sandrider    Seattle, WA
The Be Helds    Austin, TX


Stay tuned for blog posts on these bands with more updates to follow in the coming weeks!