‘It’s like a reunion:’ Five years of Ranch Rock
How the one-day festival has turned into a beloved summer musical oasis
NEWS | REVIEW
(left to right) Hectic Hobo’s Hasen Cone, The Last Wild Buffalo, and Sarah DeGraw of Lee Rafugee perform; Hectic Hobo band members and friends watch the musicians on stage, spectators at Ranch Rock V on Aug. 8, 2026. Deann Armes
Soaked in the delight of the afternoon sun and tucked within the dry grassy hills of Liberty, Utah, bands from across Northern Utah showed up for the annual event that brings long, winded summer days to a halt.
Ranch Rock has become a northern Utah staple, bringing bands and fans together in the remote location behind the Ogden canyons. Presented annually by Ogden locals, Hectic Hobo, this one-day festival brings awareness to a hidden musical community. Bands in participation included Sean Baker’s Recycled Stardust, Jonny Ranger, Kip Congo, Lee Rafugee, The Last Wild Buffalo and Hectic Hobo. What started as a friends and family get-together has now turned to a communal hub for music.
“It’s still our little festival, but because we’ve grown it so much every year, there is that potential for people to see it as influential or a crying achievement in the music scene,” frontman of Hectic Hobo, Hoss Cone, said.
Over the years it has grown to become just that, but their hopes go beyond making the festival big. Instead their goal has evolved to focusing on making it a hyper-localized festival.
“There is room to expand to have it be a true hyper-local thing,” he added. “Still have people come up from Salt Lake, but it would be cool to showcase the Ogden area.”
And so far, in just five years, they have grown to include more Northern Utah bands, bringing families and fans from the area to the cozy backyard jamboree.
As the first band stepped up to the stage, it was an instant array of acoustic jams and a psychedelic soirée of hip swaying and kicking up dust as the guitars played along profusely to a never-ending drum beat. It was a classic uproar as audience members came together underneath the shade of the trees and tents, dancing along to the electric bluegrass sets with a cold beverage in hand.
From the party jams that get you up on your feet to the slow ballads that pull you in closer to the stage, Ranch Rock provides a much-needed lament to fill a lazy afternoon.
The sun may be getting dimmer, and the show may be over for now, but there are big plans for the future of this music festival, and it’s all because of the community that shows up effortlessly every time.
“If you’ve been to Ranch Rock and it’s awesome, then bring a friend next year, and tell them about it at Christmas, and plan on it for 2027,” Cone said.