A curious thing happened at Schellraiser, a three-day Americana and indie music festival that happened June 1-3 in McGill, Nevada: Attendees stood (or sat) on cool grass shaded by tall trees and listened to bands playing great live music. They didn’t shoot influencer videos, compare festival outfits or stand directly front of the stage only to have loud conversations about other things. They just…watched the bands, nodding along to the music with beatific expressions on their faces.
Schellraiser (schellraiser.com), so named for its proximity to the Schell Creek mountain range, makes it easy to do that. Its founder, an enthusiastic former journalist named Rudy Herndon, programs the festival from the instructions of his heart. The three top-billed acts—venerable Western swing outfit Asleep at the Wheel, experimental indie rockers Blonde Redhead and distortion maestros Dinosaur Jr.—acted as lodestars, around which a galaxy of unique, yet complementary artists were arranged: Blitzen Trapper, Brennen Leigh, The Joy Formidable, Death Valley Girls, Murder by Death, The Secret Sisters, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Sadgirl, Tropa Magica, Titus Andronicus and more. And when these bands finished their sets, many of them walked out onto the broad, grassy lawn of McGill Pool Park and sat down to watch the next band perform. It was that kind of event.
This was only Schellraiser’s second year, but it already has the feel of an institution, thanks to the care and effort invested by seemingly everyone involved. The staff was friendly and helpful. The sound mix was impeccable, both up close and at a distance. The merch vendors were one-of-a-kind, including a pop-up gallery by concert poster illustrator Travis Bone (furturtle.com) and a stand for prolific New York painter Steve Keene (stevekeene.com), who created hundreds of hand-painted portraits of every band on the bill and sold them for $10 apiece.
And the food offerings, while few, were all on-point, serving up everything from kimchi fried rice to pulled pork. The Elko, Nevada-based truck Nuts Under a Buck offered free samples of their delicious mini-donuts, which marks the first time a festival has offered me free anything.
The absolute best thing about Schellraiser, however, is its feeling of community—a word that’s been devalued by bad actors intent on monetizing it. Community is the glue of this homegrown micro-festival. Part of Schellraiser’s mission is to elevate McGill, an old mining town that just happens to be smack in the middle of a spectacularly scenic, high-elevation Nevada landscape. Proceeds from the event supports local nonprofits and are even helping to restore a historic theater on the town’s main road. Plus, it gives the residents of McGill and nearby Ely a solid annual party to look forward to.
One last thing: There was a miracle on the final night. The power temporarily went out in the middle of Joshua Ray Walker’s set, just as he and his band were ripping through a rollicking cowpunk Lionel Richie cover. But the crowd didn’t groan, and Walker didn’t throw a fit; he simply walked off the stage and into the crowd with a chair and an acoustic guitar. Completely unbidden, we moved in close to him and lit him with the flashlights on our phones so he could continue his set.
At that moment, I knew I’d return for Schellraiser 2024, no matter who’s on the bill. It’s easily the best music festival I’ve attended in years—a genuine class act.
