Tuesday, February 17, 2009
pissing in the wind
Tomorrow, Sylvie has dropped off the DDMMYYYY bill at the Biltmore. Japandroids fill in and the cover's been reduced from $13 to $10. I hadn't really listened to them before, but that new DDMMYYYY record is pretty good too.
On Thursday, One Cool Word is throwing a belated Valentine's party with Fake Shark Real Zombie, Guilty About Girls, the Heard, and Demos at WISE Hall.
On Saturday, Shad K and Fond of Tigers fill the early time slot at the Biltmore.
Later on in the evening, No Gold takes the Biltmore stage for Glory Days.
The same night, Bison are at the Cobalt with Jaws and Haggatha.
Lions in the Street celebrate the release of their Mixtape EP on February 28th at the Media Club. Land and Minto Chipman support. You can snag the LITS EP and pay what you want via their website.
Azeda Booth is at Blim on March 6th.
All Purpose Voltage Heroes play Honey on March 12th with War Baby and Seven Nines & Tens.
Calvin Harris is doing a DJ set at Celebs on March 20th. Expendable Youth lend him a hand behind the decks.
The next night, Canaries, Boogie Monster, and Guests (that's the band's name) play Lugz Coffee on Main St.
Also on March 21st, Hermane Dune and Sun Wizard play the Biltmore early.
On March 28th, Sex Negatives are at the Peanut Gallery with Boogie Monster, Robe and Allied, and Orlando Magic.
Twin Crystals and Shearing Pinx are opening up the AIDS Wolf show on April 4th.
Junior Boys and Max Tundra are at the Biltmore on April 11th.
And the Sasquatch line-up was announced today.
now playing: Sleater-Kinney - You're No Rock 'n' Roll Fun
Friday, May 30, 2008
you won't let those robots defeat me
To be completely honest, when it came to Sasquatch this year, I was more excited about hanging out with the large group of friends that were also heading down to the Gorge than the music. There were still a lot of bands that I love there, but there weren't that many that I love and had never seen before... that's not to say that the music disappointed though.
Beirut were a half decent way to start the fest, but blazing heat didn't really do them any favours. I'm sure the Commodore was a much more appropriate venue.
My interest in Kathleen Edwards has been waning since her first record (which was pretty great), but she was alright. talked about filming a video with Marty McSorley, and evidently made it through the experience without getting bashed in the head with his hockey stick.
I really want to see Japanther tomorrow, but after Destroyer's set at the Gorge, I've got half a mind to track down a ticket to the Commodore tomorrow night. They rocked a set that only deviated from Trouble in Dreams when they closed out with "Hey, Snow White," which meant Nic Bragg was free to riff out for the duration of the performance... which makes me happy.
Destroyer's and the New Pornographers' sets actually overlapped by about 40-minutes, which led me to believe that there was no way that Bejar was going to perform with the NPs. Happily, I was wrong, because when I made it over the hill on my way to the mainstage, they were already partway through "Myriad Harbour." Dan also made his presence felt on "Jackie, Dressed in Cobras" and "Testament to Youth in Verse," but it was an ELO cover that sort of stole the show.
MIA was actually allowed in the country this year, so she was able to make her Sasquatch debut. Yeah, it was the same set of tricks that she pulled out at the Commodore last time (and also probably at the Forum), but everything was bigger and louder and there were about 10,000 more people miming the gun shots in "Paper Planes." Set of the fest. Maya's somewhere up there in that throng of people... like Where's Waldo.
In my ongoing attempt to prevent myself from ever having to sit through Modest Mouse live again, I whipped up the hill and caught the end of Okkervil River. They're sort of hit or miss for me on record, but they're always great live... and they're coming to Richard's on September 18th.
I found the last two Breeders records a bit boring, but I wasn't going to miss a chance to catch them live. "Divine Hammer" was a highlight early in the set and "Cannonball," of course, brought the house down, but how lame was it that Kim Deal couldn't tune her own goddamn guitar?
REM closed out the first day. Accelerate is a pretty good record, but I don't think anyone was patiently awaiting "Supernatural Superserious." The band obliged by (mostly) alternating between old and new, and pulling out some semi-obscure old cuts, and if it weren't for the fact that it were pissing rain, I would've been perfectly happy with that set-up. But as it stood, I was more interested in running for cover from the weather.
I started off Sunday by taking in Cold War Kids. Dude can sing, "Hang Me Up to Dry" was awesome, but they were also probably more suited to darkness and coziness.
I might be alone, but I find Tegan and Sara's stage banter entertaining enough on its own. The music was okay too.
This year instead of a drunk.. err.. I mean "sick" Sarah Silverman going through the motions in between sets on the main stage, there was an actual comedy tent. The line up was huge the entire weekend, but waiting for Brian Posehn was more than worth it. I've actually seen him before (and thus, heard some of the jokes he told), but when he finished by sides literally hurt.
After laughing my ass off, I caught a bit of Stephen Malkmus (with his Jicks, of course)/avoided Death Cab, and then made my way to the main stage for the Cure.
For the first half of the set, I was bundled up on the hill, lying down (but awake) with my eyes closed. They sounded great, amazing even. And, in my head, it was the Robert Smith that you see in photos up there belting out "Lullaby."
After an hour or so, most of my friends made their way back to camp, so I moved down to the floor (where my girlfriend had stationed herself). They still sounded good, but the visual reality shattered the lovely picture (of Robert, not you) that I had in my head.
People get old, yes... but even the Stones aged more gracefully. Porl Thompson looked like a cross between Max Schreck and Billy Corgan... with worse eye make up. But I digress, I closed my eyes during "Boy Don't Cry," "10:15 Saturday Night," and "Killing an Arab" and all was well.
It sort of seems like the Hives have just been releasing reasonable (but still inferior) facsimiles of Veni, Vedi, Vicious for the last 7 years or so, but they still put on one helluva show. Plus, the first two days were mostly full of polite, well mannered indie rock bands, which was good, but it was nice to see some cocky, rockstar posing, honest to goodness showmen. And the Hives are certainly that.
After the Hives, it was back to the comedy tent for Marc Maron and Eugene Mirman. I've seen Marc Maron before somewhere (I recognized the jokes), but wasn't familiar with Mirman live. Although, even if you had seen him before, it was probably mostly new to you to, since he seemed to be adlibbing half of his set based on audience interaction. Anyone who can make an Ayn Rand joke work, is worth seeing.
I really like the Flight of the Conchords TV show, but I don't watch a lot of TV, which means I don't see it all that often. I also don't watch their YouTube clips over and over. And, while I do find them funny, it sort of seemed like to really enjoy them live you had to be really familiar with the material... so I bailed pretty early to check out Battles.
...who must've played for about a half hour, because they were finishing up by the time I reached the Wookie stage.
So, left with nothing to do, I followed a deep rumbling sound that was emanating from the Yeti stage.
I'm not sure what I thought Kinski sounded like before Monday, but it sure wasn't what they do sound like. There were atmospheric bits here and there, but they mostly alternated between loud, fast riffs and loud, white noise. It seems like there's always one really pleasant surprise when I go to Sasquatch, and they were certainly it this year.
I caught Jamie Lidell next on the Wookie stage. Unlike the previous time that I saw him, he had a full band in tow. The extra players filled out the arrangements nicely, but the highlight was still when he did his thing solo.
And then there were the Flaming Lips.
If you've seen them, you probably know most of what went down (although the brand new flying saucer was a nice new edition to the stage show).
In the lead up to their set, I wasn't all that psyched, since I've seen them more than once, and knew what was going to go down. But when you're in the midst of flashing lights, flying balloons, and tons of confetti, you forget that you've seen most of this before. Plus, this is the first time that they've added nudity to their stage show (NSFW, obviously).
I was under the impression that they found the naked dancers at the same time they gathered up the Teletubbies, but apparently they just jumped over the front barricade and hopped up on stage. (thanks Ryan) Before the song in question - a cover of "the Song Remains the Same" - Wayne Coyne had noted that "everyone should get naked and dance around during this one." I bet he didn't expect anyone to actually do it though.
Quick heads up...
Tonight Felix Cartel, Paul Devro, and Expendable Youth are at Celebs... cause there weren't enough things going on.
And, tomorrow night's party at the Sweatshop is postponed until June 14th.
now playing: Uncle Tupelo - the Long Cut
Monday, February 25, 2008
let downas per the End:
Official and full line-up is at the: Sasquatch Website
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
three imaginary boys
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
blown away
Now that I've had a couple days to recover, here's a bit of a Sasquatch recap. The line up wasn't near as good as the last couple of years, but if there's a better way to spend the last weekend in May, I have yet to find it.
I managed to get through the gates at the Gorge in time to catch the Hold Steady. If you come here with any regularity, you know that I'm a huge fan of the band. And despite being unable to pull off the somewhat foolhardy drunken plan to pass Craig Finn a beer with "Play Positive Jam!" written on it, there was certainly nothing to be disappointed about. (It honestly seemed like a great way to request a song at the time.)
After the Hold Steady I forced a couple friends to book it up the hill with me to catch the Blow at the Yeti Stage. Paper Television was one of my favourite albums of last year, and I'm happy to say that Khaela Maricich's performance lived up to my rather high expectations. She just sang over pre-recorded beats, but what she lacked in instrumentation, she more than made up for with charisma. In fact, I'm not embarrassed to admit that I now have a 14 year old girl reading YM style crush on her.
I went from the Blow on a bit of a whirlwind tour of the stages, hitting up parts of Viva Voce, Electrelane, Neko Case, and Ghostland Observatory. Most of it is a haze of hurrying between stages and stopping to consume more overpriced beer.
The next set I caught (almost) in full was Mirah's performance on the Yeti Stage. Her new LP leaked last week, and while I'm really keen on Advisory Committee and C'mon Miracle, I can't say that the forthcoming record has tickled my fancy at all. Luckily (at least for me) she pulled mostly from her back catalogue. I had some friends who thought she was a bit boring, but being able to hear "Cold Cold Water" and "We're Both So Sorry" live was enough to impress me.
I spent the time between Mirah and Arcade Fire milling about and napping, before heading down to the floor in front of the mainstage for Montreal's best export since smoked meat. I think most people will agree that Neon Bible is a step back from Funeral, so it's even more amazing that they were even better than last time I saw them (at Sasquatch 2005, when they were one of, if not the best performer). The new stuff sounded better in the flesh, but you'd be crazy if you pointed to anything but Funeral's strongest tracks as the absolute highlights. By the time they got to "Rebellion" it was pretty clear that it was going to be one of the best sets of the fest, and the closing rendition of "Wake Up" was awesome.
With all due respect to any die-hard Bjork fans out there, I took in the elven Icelander's set from further back on the hill. I also fell asleep during part of her set. I will say that the opening performance of "Earth Intruders" was pretty amazing, and I regained consciousness in time to catch my favourite Bjork tune ("Army of Me"). As I noted in my VFest recap, I'm also a sucker for anyone who shoots flames several stories into the air. Apparently we missed lasers when we made and early dash back to camp as well.
My day 2 started quite a bit later than the first day, and thanks to taking extra time to relax at our campsite, and then a ridiculously long wait to get in to the venue, we made it in just in time to catch Patrick Wolf.
As an aside, it took so long to get inside because they were slightly more thorough with the searches. That being said, the searches were still so half-assed that you could have snuck anything you wanted inside. If you intend to hold up the line for the sake of security, at least make it somewhat worthwhile. I loved the fact that they were checking in people's cigarette boxes, presumably for joints, but I pulled a full bottle of pills out of my bag and the guy at the gate didn't bat an eyelash. Granted, all I had was some Advil, but I'm just as likely (if not more so) to have drugs in that as someone with a pack of smokes. But I digress.
I haven't really paid much attention to Patrick Wolf in the past. His first couple of albums didn't really do it for me, and while I'm way more into the new one, I haven't had a chance to give it too many spins yet. For that reason, I'd have to say that he was the most pleasant surprise of the weekend. My friend quipped that he was "like Owen Pallett, but gay." And while that really doesn't make sense, in another way it makes so much sense. "Accident and Emergency" sounded like it was pulled straight from some electroclash cabaret. Y'know, if the concept of an "electroclash cabaret" was totally mindblowing.
I was pretty psyched about the prospect of seeing Bad Brains, but in all honesty, they were sort of boring. HR mostly stood fairly still, and there was a bit too much of the band's reggae influence on display for my liking.
If you were at last year's festival, you will most definitely remember when the weather took centre stage, and unfortunately during the Polyphonic Spree's set, Mother Nature decided to snag the spotlight again. Part way through their set, the winds kicked up so strongly that the band had to stop playing. The lighting rigs were getting whipped around so hard that there was a worry that they might come down. After the Spree were shooed off stage, there was a delay of several hours as they simultaneously waited for the wind to die down and solve the lighting problem. The result was the Polyphonic Spree opening up their "exclusive" after hours show (it was originally only for wristband holders who let some Verizon Wireless guy give them a schpeel about new cell phones), Michael Franti being moved to the Wookie Stage, and Spoon being pushed back. I had no interest in sitting through Michael Franti when there was nothing else to see, so the rescheduling was actually fine by me.
On a side note, the Polyphonic Spree's decision to dump their "we're in a cult, please drink our kool-aid" uniforms to new duds that are more than vaguely reminiscent of the SS is an even worse fashion decision than dumping your ugg boots for crocs.
During the ensuing mainstage delay, I made it up to the Wookie stage to catch Tokyo Police Club. They rep'd for Canada, putting in one of the better sets that I caught all weekend, and happily the sound was actually better (despite the weather issues) than when I saw them out at UBC last year.
Smoosh! I read some preview of the show that complained that "nobody likes the sound of a 15-year old girl's voice." I think it might have been in the the Stranger. To that I say, nobody likes your shitty, cynical music criticism... except maybe people who hate other adorable things like lolcats. After hearing their Bloc Party cover again, I may also go out on the unpopular limb and say that it's better than Final Fantasy's.
After checking on the progress over at the mainstage, I caught some of the Black Angels' set from afar. I totally dig what they're serving up, but a bright afternoon in May is about as far from the ideal setting to see the band that you can get.
We were waiting around (begrudgingly in my case) to catch the Dandy Warhols when we got wind (by that I mean literally hearing them line check because the wind was blowing from the mainstage) that Spoon might actually be on soon. I hung around until they played "We Used to Be Friends" two songs in and booked it over to see Britt Daniel and co, who had just torn into "The Way We Get By." Speaking of Britt, there was nary a word out of him, but what they lacked in talk, they more than made up for in rock. "The Way We Get By" and "I Turn My Camera On" were predictable crowd favourites, but the set was solid through and through.
By the time Interpol made their entrance the wind chill had made it feel more like October in Kelowna instead of George in May, and my comrades and I made a quick retreat about five songs into the band's set. I haven't seen them since their first show in Vancouver quite a few years ago, but after getting a bit of a refresher I didn't feel like I was missing much when we opted to escape the cold instead of sticking around (well, except for the Beastie Boys, but despite the fact that they're pretty stellar live, once Beastie's live experience in the last couple of years is enough for me).
Side notes...
true story.
Despite the fact that it doesn't look like it in the photo, it was absolutely frigid when I took this shot. Is it stupid outfits or hulahoops that prevent your body from getting hypothermia? Or drugs maybe. My bet is on the drugs.
Finally, I must give a big thank you to my friend Josh, who recommended that I stay at Wild Horse Campground instead of the Gorge campsite (read: like Arts County Fair, but overnight - translation: gross). It was an amazing place to camp, and I highly recommend booking early and staying there if you plan to head to the Gorge for Sasquatch 2008 (or anything for that matter). Everything about it was great, but the food in particular was awesome. I haven't eaten a lot of red meat in the last 5 years, but when I have it hasn't made me regret the lack of beef in my diet. That being said, I think I'm looking forward to the Campground's "Wild Burger" as much as I'm looking forward to next year's festival. This probably seems totally trivial to most of you, but seriously, it was the best burger I've had in my life.
now playing: the Affair - Andy
pissing in the wind
Though it was discussed a bit in the comments a couple of posts back, I turn your attention to this article on the "new Richard's."
"When I walked into the basement I couldn't believe the size of it and the height of the ceilings," Alvaro said. "Immediately, I thought this would make a perfect bathroom lounge..."On the venue bright side, the Astoria should be open in the next few weeks.
Alvaro said the new club will likely book some of the same acts as Richard's. "Maybe being a bit more selective with some of the music," he said, "maybe pertaining more to the sort of image we're trying to project."
Tomorrow, Sylvie has dropped off the DDMMYYYY bill at the Biltmore. Japandroids fill in and the cover's been reduced from $13 to $10. I hadn't really listened to them before, but that new DDMMYYYY record is pretty good too.
On Thursday, One Cool Word is throwing a belated Valentine's party with Fake Shark Real Zombie, Guilty About Girls, the Heard, and Demos at WISE Hall.
On Saturday, Shad K and Fond of Tigers fill the early time slot at the Biltmore.
Later on in the evening, No Gold takes the Biltmore stage for Glory Days.
The same night, Bison are at the Cobalt with Jaws and Haggatha.
Lions in the Street celebrate the release of their Mixtape EP on February 28th at the Media Club. Land and Minto Chipman support. You can snag the LITS EP and pay what you want via their website.
Azeda Booth is at Blim on March 6th.
All Purpose Voltage Heroes play Honey on March 12th with War Baby and Seven Nines & Tens.
Calvin Harris is doing a DJ set at Celebs on March 20th. Expendable Youth lend him a hand behind the decks.
The next night, Canaries, Boogie Monster, and Guests (that's the band's name) play Lugz Coffee on Main St.
Also on March 21st, Hermane Dune and Sun Wizard play the Biltmore early.
On March 28th, Sex Negatives are at the Peanut Gallery with Boogie Monster, Robe and Allied, and Orlando Magic.
Twin Crystals and Shearing Pinx are opening up the AIDS Wolf show on April 4th.
Junior Boys and Max Tundra are at the Biltmore on April 11th.
And the Sasquatch line-up was announced today.
now playing: Sleater-Kinney - You're No Rock 'n' Roll Fun
Labels: richard's, sasquatch, show announcements
Friday, May 30, 2008
you won't let those robots defeat me
To be completely honest, when it came to Sasquatch this year, I was more excited about hanging out with the large group of friends that were also heading down to the Gorge than the music. There were still a lot of bands that I love there, but there weren't that many that I love and had never seen before... that's not to say that the music disappointed though.
Beirut were a half decent way to start the fest, but blazing heat didn't really do them any favours. I'm sure the Commodore was a much more appropriate venue.
My interest in Kathleen Edwards has been waning since her first record (which was pretty great), but she was alright. talked about filming a video with Marty McSorley, and evidently made it through the experience without getting bashed in the head with his hockey stick.
I really want to see Japanther tomorrow, but after Destroyer's set at the Gorge, I've got half a mind to track down a ticket to the Commodore tomorrow night. They rocked a set that only deviated from Trouble in Dreams when they closed out with "Hey, Snow White," which meant Nic Bragg was free to riff out for the duration of the performance... which makes me happy.
Destroyer's and the New Pornographers' sets actually overlapped by about 40-minutes, which led me to believe that there was no way that Bejar was going to perform with the NPs. Happily, I was wrong, because when I made it over the hill on my way to the mainstage, they were already partway through "Myriad Harbour." Dan also made his presence felt on "Jackie, Dressed in Cobras" and "Testament to Youth in Verse," but it was an ELO cover that sort of stole the show.
MIA was actually allowed in the country this year, so she was able to make her Sasquatch debut. Yeah, it was the same set of tricks that she pulled out at the Commodore last time (and also probably at the Forum), but everything was bigger and louder and there were about 10,000 more people miming the gun shots in "Paper Planes." Set of the fest. Maya's somewhere up there in that throng of people... like Where's Waldo.
In my ongoing attempt to prevent myself from ever having to sit through Modest Mouse live again, I whipped up the hill and caught the end of Okkervil River. They're sort of hit or miss for me on record, but they're always great live... and they're coming to Richard's on September 18th.
I found the last two Breeders records a bit boring, but I wasn't going to miss a chance to catch them live. "Divine Hammer" was a highlight early in the set and "Cannonball," of course, brought the house down, but how lame was it that Kim Deal couldn't tune her own goddamn guitar?
REM closed out the first day. Accelerate is a pretty good record, but I don't think anyone was patiently awaiting "Supernatural Superserious." The band obliged by (mostly) alternating between old and new, and pulling out some semi-obscure old cuts, and if it weren't for the fact that it were pissing rain, I would've been perfectly happy with that set-up. But as it stood, I was more interested in running for cover from the weather.
I started off Sunday by taking in Cold War Kids. Dude can sing, "Hang Me Up to Dry" was awesome, but they were also probably more suited to darkness and coziness.
I might be alone, but I find Tegan and Sara's stage banter entertaining enough on its own. The music was okay too.
This year instead of a drunk.. err.. I mean "sick" Sarah Silverman going through the motions in between sets on the main stage, there was an actual comedy tent. The line up was huge the entire weekend, but waiting for Brian Posehn was more than worth it. I've actually seen him before (and thus, heard some of the jokes he told), but when he finished by sides literally hurt.
After laughing my ass off, I caught a bit of Stephen Malkmus (with his Jicks, of course)/avoided Death Cab, and then made my way to the main stage for the Cure.
For the first half of the set, I was bundled up on the hill, lying down (but awake) with my eyes closed. They sounded great, amazing even. And, in my head, it was the Robert Smith that you see in photos up there belting out "Lullaby."
After an hour or so, most of my friends made their way back to camp, so I moved down to the floor (where my girlfriend had stationed herself). They still sounded good, but the visual reality shattered the lovely picture (of Robert, not you) that I had in my head.
People get old, yes... but even the Stones aged more gracefully. Porl Thompson looked like a cross between Max Schreck and Billy Corgan... with worse eye make up. But I digress, I closed my eyes during "Boy Don't Cry," "10:15 Saturday Night," and "Killing an Arab" and all was well.
It sort of seems like the Hives have just been releasing reasonable (but still inferior) facsimiles of Veni, Vedi, Vicious for the last 7 years or so, but they still put on one helluva show. Plus, the first two days were mostly full of polite, well mannered indie rock bands, which was good, but it was nice to see some cocky, rockstar posing, honest to goodness showmen. And the Hives are certainly that.
After the Hives, it was back to the comedy tent for Marc Maron and Eugene Mirman. I've seen Marc Maron before somewhere (I recognized the jokes), but wasn't familiar with Mirman live. Although, even if you had seen him before, it was probably mostly new to you to, since he seemed to be adlibbing half of his set based on audience interaction. Anyone who can make an Ayn Rand joke work, is worth seeing.
I really like the Flight of the Conchords TV show, but I don't watch a lot of TV, which means I don't see it all that often. I also don't watch their YouTube clips over and over. And, while I do find them funny, it sort of seemed like to really enjoy them live you had to be really familiar with the material... so I bailed pretty early to check out Battles.
...who must've played for about a half hour, because they were finishing up by the time I reached the Wookie stage.
So, left with nothing to do, I followed a deep rumbling sound that was emanating from the Yeti stage.
I'm not sure what I thought Kinski sounded like before Monday, but it sure wasn't what they do sound like. There were atmospheric bits here and there, but they mostly alternated between loud, fast riffs and loud, white noise. It seems like there's always one really pleasant surprise when I go to Sasquatch, and they were certainly it this year.
I caught Jamie Lidell next on the Wookie stage. Unlike the previous time that I saw him, he had a full band in tow. The extra players filled out the arrangements nicely, but the highlight was still when he did his thing solo.
And then there were the Flaming Lips.
If you've seen them, you probably know most of what went down (although the brand new flying saucer was a nice new edition to the stage show).
In the lead up to their set, I wasn't all that psyched, since I've seen them more than once, and knew what was going to go down. But when you're in the midst of flashing lights, flying balloons, and tons of confetti, you forget that you've seen most of this before. Plus, this is the first time that they've added nudity to their stage show (NSFW, obviously).
I was under the impression that they found the naked dancers at the same time they gathered up the Teletubbies, but apparently they just jumped over the front barricade and hopped up on stage. (thanks Ryan) Before the song in question - a cover of "the Song Remains the Same" - Wayne Coyne had noted that "everyone should get naked and dance around during this one." I bet he didn't expect anyone to actually do it though.
Quick heads up...
Tonight Felix Cartel, Paul Devro, and Expendable Youth are at Celebs... cause there weren't enough things going on.
And, tomorrow night's party at the Sweatshop is postponed until June 14th.
now playing: Uncle Tupelo - the Long Cut
Labels: sasquatch, show announcements, show recaps
Monday, February 25, 2008
let down
I may have to rethink this Sasquatch thing now. Who's the big third day headliner? Death Cab? (thanks for the email, Aleks)2008 Sasquatch Lineup
R.E.M., Modest Mouse, The Cure, Death Cab for Cutie, The Flaming Lips, Michael Franti and Spearhead, MIA, Built to Spill, The Presidents of the United States of America, Tegan and Sara, Flight of the Conchords, The Blakes, The Hives, The Cops, Cold War Kids
New Pornographers, The National, Beirut, Dedue Fever, Fleet Foxes, The Breeders, Okkervil River, The Little Ones, The Grand Archives, David Bazan, Joshua Morrison, Throw the Statue, Kinski, The Cave Singers, Battles, Jamie Liddell, Ghostland Observatory, Mars Volta (pending), Matt Costa, Awesome, J. Tillman, The Heavenly States, 65 Days of Static, White Heaven?, Mates of State, Blue Scholars, Say Hi, Dyme Def, Siberian, The Shaky Hands?
Official and full line-up is at the: Sasquatch Website
Labels: sasquatch
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
three imaginary boys
via the Seattle PI reader's blog, the press release for Sasquatch 2008:
Sasquatch! Music Festival expands to 3-day monster Memorial Day Weekend at The Gorge May 24, 25, 26, 2008Guess I have to adjust my vacation request. Two more weeks to speculate about the line-up.
Full line-up to be announced February 25th
Seattle, WA- February 11, 2008
Adam Zacks and Live Nation are proud to present this year's Sasquatch! Music Festival. The festival, in its seventh and best year yet, will expand to three days and take place Memorial Day Weekend at the legendary Gorge Amphitheatre. Already the official opener to summer for music fans, The Sasquatch! Music Festival is becoming a certified monster of a musical event: this year features another exciting and diverse line-up for the musically adventurous, and ups the ante on an event already hailed for its independent spirit. Set against the landscape of the majestic natural wonder and grandeur of the Gorge along the canyons of the Columbia River in Washington State , the festival offers one of the most unique experiences around. Expect a more detailed announcement on February 25th.
Over the years Sasquatch! Music Festival has evolved from a unique homegrown and laid back fest into a full blown three day extravaganza, complete with camp-outs, canyons, sunsets and three stages, and this year (for the first time) a comedy tent. Past performers have ranged from international favorites like Coldplay, Beastie Boys, Bjork, Beck, The Arcade Fire, NIN, The Pixies, Wilco, and Kanye West to local Pacific Northwest performers like The Shins, The Postal Service, Sleater-Kinney, and many, many more.
Stay tuned to for more announcements and information at www.sasquatchfestival.com
Labels: sasquatch
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
blown away
Now that I've had a couple days to recover, here's a bit of a Sasquatch recap. The line up wasn't near as good as the last couple of years, but if there's a better way to spend the last weekend in May, I have yet to find it.
I managed to get through the gates at the Gorge in time to catch the Hold Steady. If you come here with any regularity, you know that I'm a huge fan of the band. And despite being unable to pull off the somewhat foolhardy drunken plan to pass Craig Finn a beer with "Play Positive Jam!" written on it, there was certainly nothing to be disappointed about. (It honestly seemed like a great way to request a song at the time.)
After the Hold Steady I forced a couple friends to book it up the hill with me to catch the Blow at the Yeti Stage. Paper Television was one of my favourite albums of last year, and I'm happy to say that Khaela Maricich's performance lived up to my rather high expectations. She just sang over pre-recorded beats, but what she lacked in instrumentation, she more than made up for with charisma. In fact, I'm not embarrassed to admit that I now have a 14 year old girl reading YM style crush on her.
I went from the Blow on a bit of a whirlwind tour of the stages, hitting up parts of Viva Voce, Electrelane, Neko Case, and Ghostland Observatory. Most of it is a haze of hurrying between stages and stopping to consume more overpriced beer.
The next set I caught (almost) in full was Mirah's performance on the Yeti Stage. Her new LP leaked last week, and while I'm really keen on Advisory Committee and C'mon Miracle, I can't say that the forthcoming record has tickled my fancy at all. Luckily (at least for me) she pulled mostly from her back catalogue. I had some friends who thought she was a bit boring, but being able to hear "Cold Cold Water" and "We're Both So Sorry" live was enough to impress me.
I spent the time between Mirah and Arcade Fire milling about and napping, before heading down to the floor in front of the mainstage for Montreal's best export since smoked meat. I think most people will agree that Neon Bible is a step back from Funeral, so it's even more amazing that they were even better than last time I saw them (at Sasquatch 2005, when they were one of, if not the best performer). The new stuff sounded better in the flesh, but you'd be crazy if you pointed to anything but Funeral's strongest tracks as the absolute highlights. By the time they got to "Rebellion" it was pretty clear that it was going to be one of the best sets of the fest, and the closing rendition of "Wake Up" was awesome.
With all due respect to any die-hard Bjork fans out there, I took in the elven Icelander's set from further back on the hill. I also fell asleep during part of her set. I will say that the opening performance of "Earth Intruders" was pretty amazing, and I regained consciousness in time to catch my favourite Bjork tune ("Army of Me"). As I noted in my VFest recap, I'm also a sucker for anyone who shoots flames several stories into the air. Apparently we missed lasers when we made and early dash back to camp as well.
My day 2 started quite a bit later than the first day, and thanks to taking extra time to relax at our campsite, and then a ridiculously long wait to get in to the venue, we made it in just in time to catch Patrick Wolf.
As an aside, it took so long to get inside because they were slightly more thorough with the searches. That being said, the searches were still so half-assed that you could have snuck anything you wanted inside. If you intend to hold up the line for the sake of security, at least make it somewhat worthwhile. I loved the fact that they were checking in people's cigarette boxes, presumably for joints, but I pulled a full bottle of pills out of my bag and the guy at the gate didn't bat an eyelash. Granted, all I had was some Advil, but I'm just as likely (if not more so) to have drugs in that as someone with a pack of smokes. But I digress.
I haven't really paid much attention to Patrick Wolf in the past. His first couple of albums didn't really do it for me, and while I'm way more into the new one, I haven't had a chance to give it too many spins yet. For that reason, I'd have to say that he was the most pleasant surprise of the weekend. My friend quipped that he was "like Owen Pallett, but gay." And while that really doesn't make sense, in another way it makes so much sense. "Accident and Emergency" sounded like it was pulled straight from some electroclash cabaret. Y'know, if the concept of an "electroclash cabaret" was totally mindblowing.
I was pretty psyched about the prospect of seeing Bad Brains, but in all honesty, they were sort of boring. HR mostly stood fairly still, and there was a bit too much of the band's reggae influence on display for my liking.
If you were at last year's festival, you will most definitely remember when the weather took centre stage, and unfortunately during the Polyphonic Spree's set, Mother Nature decided to snag the spotlight again. Part way through their set, the winds kicked up so strongly that the band had to stop playing. The lighting rigs were getting whipped around so hard that there was a worry that they might come down. After the Spree were shooed off stage, there was a delay of several hours as they simultaneously waited for the wind to die down and solve the lighting problem. The result was the Polyphonic Spree opening up their "exclusive" after hours show (it was originally only for wristband holders who let some Verizon Wireless guy give them a schpeel about new cell phones), Michael Franti being moved to the Wookie Stage, and Spoon being pushed back. I had no interest in sitting through Michael Franti when there was nothing else to see, so the rescheduling was actually fine by me.
On a side note, the Polyphonic Spree's decision to dump their "we're in a cult, please drink our kool-aid" uniforms to new duds that are more than vaguely reminiscent of the SS is an even worse fashion decision than dumping your ugg boots for crocs.
During the ensuing mainstage delay, I made it up to the Wookie stage to catch Tokyo Police Club. They rep'd for Canada, putting in one of the better sets that I caught all weekend, and happily the sound was actually better (despite the weather issues) than when I saw them out at UBC last year.
Smoosh! I read some preview of the show that complained that "nobody likes the sound of a 15-year old girl's voice." I think it might have been in the the Stranger. To that I say, nobody likes your shitty, cynical music criticism... except maybe people who hate other adorable things like lolcats. After hearing their Bloc Party cover again, I may also go out on the unpopular limb and say that it's better than Final Fantasy's.
After checking on the progress over at the mainstage, I caught some of the Black Angels' set from afar. I totally dig what they're serving up, but a bright afternoon in May is about as far from the ideal setting to see the band that you can get.
We were waiting around (begrudgingly in my case) to catch the Dandy Warhols when we got wind (by that I mean literally hearing them line check because the wind was blowing from the mainstage) that Spoon might actually be on soon. I hung around until they played "We Used to Be Friends" two songs in and booked it over to see Britt Daniel and co, who had just torn into "The Way We Get By." Speaking of Britt, there was nary a word out of him, but what they lacked in talk, they more than made up for in rock. "The Way We Get By" and "I Turn My Camera On" were predictable crowd favourites, but the set was solid through and through.
By the time Interpol made their entrance the wind chill had made it feel more like October in Kelowna instead of George in May, and my comrades and I made a quick retreat about five songs into the band's set. I haven't seen them since their first show in Vancouver quite a few years ago, but after getting a bit of a refresher I didn't feel like I was missing much when we opted to escape the cold instead of sticking around (well, except for the Beastie Boys, but despite the fact that they're pretty stellar live, once Beastie's live experience in the last couple of years is enough for me).
Side notes...
true story.
Despite the fact that it doesn't look like it in the photo, it was absolutely frigid when I took this shot. Is it stupid outfits or hulahoops that prevent your body from getting hypothermia? Or drugs maybe. My bet is on the drugs.
Finally, I must give a big thank you to my friend Josh, who recommended that I stay at Wild Horse Campground instead of the Gorge campsite (read: like Arts County Fair, but overnight - translation: gross). It was an amazing place to camp, and I highly recommend booking early and staying there if you plan to head to the Gorge for Sasquatch 2008 (or anything for that matter). Everything about it was great, but the food in particular was awesome. I haven't eaten a lot of red meat in the last 5 years, but when I have it hasn't made me regret the lack of beef in my diet. That being said, I think I'm looking forward to the Campground's "Wild Burger" as much as I'm looking forward to next year's festival. This probably seems totally trivial to most of you, but seriously, it was the best burger I've had in my life.
now playing: the Affair - Andy
Labels: sasquatch, show recaps
