Treehouse Brewing Deerfield, MA August 4, 2026
Rustic Overtones have been delivering their brand of rock and roll out of Portland Maine for well over two decades. While they are not performing as frequently as they were in the 90s and 2000s, they still play a few times a year and fans are willing to travel far and wide to see them. We certainly took the opportunity to catch a truly rare occasion, their performance in Deerfield MA at the Treehouse Brewing opening for the Revivalists.
It was a perfectly hot summer night, when Dave Gutter and crew took the stage for a spirited set. They immediately fired into Carsick off of the “Light at the End” album and we were on our way. Gutter was front and center leading the band with his electric vocals and guitar work, but he does a superb job having his bandmates shine throughout the nearly one hour set. Jon Roods on bass created an entire swamp in the front section, booming out distinctive bass lines that rattled our bones and our senses alike.
Continuing the examination of that album, the title song Light at the End was up next, and I got to share a wonderful memory with my youngest, who had shouted for that song as an encore 15 years ago at a festival when we saw Rustic at Camp Creek in Maine. Standing tall next to me now, it helped me to realize what a great journey it is to be a fan of Rustic Overtones or any band for decades, you can measure your path of your love of the band with your life’s path. Seeing my child standing six feet tall next to me when the last show they were riding my shoulders as a youngster really hammered home how quickly time passes.
The crowd joined in with the band to shout out the words of Come On from Viva Nueva. The epic Iron Boots followed and we were all hypnotized. Gutter shared with the band their experience working on an album with David Bowie at the end of the last century, and even summoned his voice for the song Are You Listening?
The Show Must Go On came next and reminded us that this band has continued to create music into this century and will continue to do so. (Black Shirt was earlier in the set, too and was perhaps the most recent song performed.) Strong versions of Common Cold and Rock Like War closed out the set and left us feeling fully fed by Maine’s favorite band. While some of the faces may have changed, the point of view and sound of Rustic Overtones is distinct and fully intact.
SETLIST:
Carsick
Light at the End
Black Shirt
Come On
Iron Boots
Are You Listening?
Show Must Go On
Common Cold
Rock Like War
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