Nestled in the middle of downtown Napa Valley, the first Down in the Valley music festival took place at the Oxbow RiverStage, Saturday, Sept. 2, and Sunday, Sept. 3, featuring a lineup of nine talented artists and bands.

The festival headliner, The Head and the Heart, organized the event. For the band’s first time hosting a festival, the venue filled with music lovers by nightfall, despite its small size.

The Head and the Heart opened the festival with a short acoustic set starting around 3 p.m. This was surprising as headliners usually don’t open festivals. At most shows, the band is large, complete with drums and multiple guitars. This time, they kept their ensemble small, lead vocalists and guitarists Jonathan Russell and Matt Gervais took to the stage with vocalist and violinist Charity Rose Theilen.

Beginning with the festival’s namesake, they played their song “Down in the Valley.” Continuing through their 30-minute set, the trio sang eight songs, some unreleased, and ended with a cover of Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaritaville” to pay tribute to the recently deceased artist.

Next up was indie-rock singer Miya Folick who began her set at 3:50 p.m. Folick held her own, along with keyboardist and guitarist Jacob Ungerleider, performing with a powerful vocal range that filled the stage with her presence. Folick played most of her discography, including two unreleased songs, “Elton John” and “Confetti.” Her humorous nature and passion for music deeply resonated with the crowd.

After Folick, musician Rayland Baxter took to the stage, with a cigarette in hand. His humor and excitement immediately got the crowd dancing. Baxter played many of his popular songs, including “Hey Larocco” and “Yellow Eyes”.

Accompanied by a trio of guitar, bass, and drums that vaguely resembled a middle-aged version of the Jonas Brothers, the high-energy performers successfully held the audience’s attention. Baxter ended his set by welcoming two other female vocalists on stage to sing Mac Miller’s song “Small Worlds.”

At 5:50 p.m., singer Faye Webster stunned the audience with her intense energy. At this point, the crowd was nearly full, with many fans holding Faye Webster records and wearing her t-shirts. Accompanied by her band of drums, a keyboard, a slide guitar, and her brother on bass, Webster played only a few songs. The set included “Kingston,” and “In a Good Way,” with passionate guitar solos between songs.

As the sun set, Waxahatchee, otherwise known as Katie Cruchfield, began the second-to-last set. The folk singer, who is also in the band Plains, had a short set. Waxahatchee sang and played the guitar, while another female musician accompanied her on guitar and bass. The stage lights took shape in her set, flooding the venue with purples and blues. Fans swayed to her music, including her songs “Fire” and “Lilacs.”

The enthusiastic musicians took up all the space on the stage, connecting with the audience, which was near capacity at this point. During the more heartfelt songs, such as “Let’s Be Still,” the crowd turned on their phone lights like flames, swaying back and forth. In a moment of celebration, the previous bands, such as Rayland Baxter and Miya Folick, made a final appearance on stage to sing “Lost in my Mind,” triggering an emotional response from the crowd.

The finale left concert-goers fulfilled and exhausted with its dramatic lighting and passion. The Head and the Hearts’ first festival proved to be a success and an event to look forward to in years ahead.

This story was originally published on The Pitch on September 20, 2023.