We all know there's way more happening here than you can possibly witness. The 12th annual Sasquatch! Music Festival at the Gorge Amphitheatre features some 120+ artists and bands performing this Memorial Day weekend (Friday, May 24th through Monday, May 27th) on five stages (although one—Cthulhu—with only three acts per day hardly counts).
So, disregarding some the biggest billed names in popular culture right now—those who you either love or you hate, those you're either sure not to miss (insert: Mumford & Sons, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Vampire Weekend, The xx, The Lumineers) or sure to miss—OMN will attempt to distill each day down to three must-see acts (as well as a few honorable mentions) and then we'll make an effort to follow our own advice come Friday. Feel free to join if you fancy.
Friday, May 24th
ONE: The worst thing in the whole entire world is knowing Portland's RED FANGis melting faces on the Bigfoot stage (from 5-5:45pm) while you're stuck in a never-ending line of cars trying to get into the campground. Don't let that be you. Arrive early—that means early enough to polish off the six pack holstered in your Red Fang-branded, leather beer holder. Then, forget about setting up your tent and get your ass to the venue because there'll be lines there too. Until Sasquatch kicks off, get your air guitars warmed up with "Hank Is Dead"—a metal ode to a deceased cat:
TWO: The disparate MATTHEW DEAR will bring an hour of his dark-yet-dapper dance music to El Chupacabra (from 9:45-10:45pm). Full of murky emotions and beats that are both grinding and grindworthy, find someone to put your smell on because Dear's gonna make the tent sweat.
THREE: No stranger to the Northwest, FATHER JOHN MISTY's J. Tillman is a former member of Fleet Foxes and friend of mainstay, singin'/songwritin' Seattleites Damien Jurado and David Bazan. His indie folk and candid stage presence is sure to draw a crowd to the Bigfoot stage (from 7:30-8:30pm). Get spiritual with "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings":
HONORABLE MENTIONS
You'll have to choose between the rapid, garage-y riffs of the Arctic Monkeys (Sasquatch at 8:30pm) or the psychedelic spirituality of Youth Lagoon (Yeti at 8:30pm).
Another year and another whirlwind weekend at the 2012 Sasquatch! Music Festival is now in the books. The amount of phenomenal talent on all five stages (including the new "Maine" stage that featured NW hip-hop) spanned genres, intensities, and states of mind and being.
The weather was blissful and while the Banana Shack dance tent was consistently raging and often packed during all four days with the likes of Nero, SBTRKT, Awesome Tapes Africa, Tycho, Beardyman, LA Riots, Wolfgang Gartner, Purity Ring, Araabmuzik, Beats Antique, and Portland's very own Starfucker taking the stage, the best spot at the fest was on the hill soaking up the sun, the action on the mainstage, and the ridiculousness of wine guzzling Waldos, pants off dance offs, and the general mayhem that ensures when thousands of Sasquatchers start freaking out simultaneously to everything from energetic and schizophrenic dance makers like Santigold, Pretty Lights and Girl Talk (who dropped several Beastie Boys cuts into his mix) on night one; to indie rockers The Shins and Metric on night two; to harmony-filled groups of singer/songwriters like M. Ward, The Head and the Heart, Beirut and Bon Iver on night three; to Canadians and jokesters and a musical chameleon with Feist, Tenacious D and Beck on the final night.
But back to the beginning. The truncated day on Friday, May 25th may not have started until 4pm, but the fest packed in 18 bands, including many of our picks. Beatsmiths Pretty Lights, Beats Antique and Little People set their stages on fire as did the epic and beautiful sounds of Poliça and Explosions In The Sky.
But most importantly, our local love Starfucker had the Banana Shack so crowded you couldn't see the stage and the kids bouncing not only their feet to the drops but also an army of au naturel blow up dolls above their heads.
Festivals around the nation are adding days—or in Coachella's case an entire, identical weekend—and still selling out faster than ever, all while streaming their performances live from the location. And new ones for EDM kids and bassheads, indie hipsters and rock'n'rollers are cropping up every year.
Sasquatch was proud in declaring the addition of a fourth day of music last year (Friday), and they'll continue the trend this year with what is a loaded half-day on Friday, May 25th. Plus, the Gorge Amphitheatre built a new stage, which is dubbed The "Maine" Stage, that now sits on the sloping hill behind the bowl. It'll feature 12 acts over the four days, primarily NW hip-hop. (KEXP has a nice roundup of the NW beats here.) Festival creator Adam Zacks explains the idea:
"Last year, there was a new, relatively modest sized stage installed at the epicenter of the Gorge property that we wanted to make use of. Since a lot of hip-hop uses minimal gear it seemed a logical use of the space, and a way to be more inclusive of Seattle’s hip-hop scene."
Celebrating a decade last year, the 2012 Sasquatch! Music Festival at the Gorge spans this Memorial Day weekend, Friday, May 25th through Monday, May 28th, and will bring more than 100 acts to its five stages including 10+ Portland-based groups.
If you didn't get your hands on tickets this year, check in with us on OMN as we publish daily updates and video interviews from the fest, and follow our stream of consciousness on Twitter. And speaking of streams, you can catch some Sasquatch from home as 94.7 FM will be broadcasting private performances and interviews with bands like Blitzen Trapper, Santigold, Metric, Greylag, The Head and the Heart, Joy Formidable, Fun., and more.
The first do-not-miss set of the fest comes at 6:30pm on Friday from the creative hotbed of the Midwest in the form of Poliça (pronounced po-lisa). Even with the names Bon Iver (Mike Noyce is featured on the record) and GAYNGS (Ryan Olson is the mastermind producer behind the beats) attached to the act, vocalist Channy Leaneagh (formerly Casselle) is plenty deserving of the attention she's been receiving. And although neither of the two aforementioned men tour with Poliça, she's found a more-than-adequate backing band to support her electro-R&B vocals, which are delicately manipulated and Auto-Tuned with mesmerizing effect. Just check out "Lay Your Cards Out" featuring Bon Iver's Mike Noyce on vocals:
The oft-Diplo-produced Santigold came back in 2012 with her second album, which also featured production from Q-Tip, Boyz Noize, Buraka Som Sistema, Switch, and Ricky Blaze—who contributed to the record's second single, "Disparate Youth"—watch it here.
The only Portland band playing on opening day will get the family-friendly, festival treatment on the billing: STRFKR. Proudly claiming as Starfucker as our own, check OMN's interview with bassist Shawn Glassford from last week and enjoy the vid for "Bury Us Alive" from 2011's Reptilians here.
Portland's dearest electro-dance makers Starfucker are about to embark on their longest hiatus from the stage.
It's well deserved as this last year saw them crisscrossing the States several times, making new fans, selling out shows, and changing a few band and touring members along the way, all while playing to the biggest audiences of their careers—and impressing those crowds as they did at San Francisco's Outside Lands and Seattle's Bumbershoot.
As the band hunkers down in a house at the beach in Astoria and a few other studios, the current lineup of Josh Hodges, Keil Corcoran, Shawn Glassford, and Patrick Morris (formerly of Strength) will continue to slowly craft what they expect to be their third record, a double LP. Planning to take "our sweet ass time," as Glassford exclaims, don't expect the record anytime soon. "It probably won't come out until 2013," he says.
Until then, what'll likely be your last chances to catch Starfucker on NW stages for a while are coming up: Catch the boys with Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Wampire at Branx on Thursday, May 24th, and then at Sasquatch up in the Gorge, if you're heading that way. STRFKR will be on the Banana Shack stage on Friday, May 25th from 7:45pm to 8:30pm.
OMN recently caught up with Starfucker bassist Shawn Glassford to chat about last year, this year and the new recording.
You guys toured like crazy last year. I feel like you were constantly on the road, selling out more shows across the country and playing bigger and bigger festivals each time I checked in with you. What stands out from the time you spent on the road supporting Reptilians?
The one show that stands out the most is the Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco last August. That was a super special one for us. Not only was it the largest crowd that we had ever played for, but we had also just made some major changes with the band, and it felt like a whole new beginning. There was definitely some crazy magic in the air that day.
What do or don't you miss about the road and touring?
I miss being busy all the time when we're not on the road, and the hectic nature of traveling [to] shows. I thrive in hectic situations. Though, I do love checking out and not having shit to do. It's really hard to get into any routine when we're home for less than a month at a time, so I end up being kind of lazy when not on tour. Which I love/hate.
You've mostly taken this winter/spring off and holed up in Astoria to record. Why Astoria? Who's house is it?
Josh was out there for a couple months. It's a mutual friends house, up on the hill. The four of us we're all there for about three weeks working on recording stuff. It was a beautiful house that ended up being very magical and inspiring. Hopefully we can go back there someday. Astoria is a special place.
Listen to the original demo recording of "Astoria" from Starfucker's last album Reptilians. This track along with the other demos from the Reptilians sessions were recently released on vinyl for Record Store Day 2012 under the name Heaven's Youth, the original title of their second album:
Plus Portlanders M. Ward, Wild Flag, Portlandia The Tour, Greylag, and The Helio Sequence.
Headliners include Jack White, Beck, Bon Iver, Pretty Lights, Tenacious D, Beirut, Girl Talk, The Roots, Feist, Metric, The Head & the Heart, Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai and so, so many more.
And some other selections that are personally exciting are Spiritualized, Little Dragon, SBTRKT, Felix Cartal, Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, Com Truise, and Seattle groups Pickwick and Hey Marseilles.
The 11th annual, 2012 Sasquatch! Music Festival takes place over Memorial Day weekend, Friday, May 25th through Monday, May 28th, at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, WA.
See the 10th annual Sasquatch! Music Festival in photos here and read OMN's daily highlights from Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday at the Gorge Amphitheatre. Whoo hoo!!!
Celebrating a decade in action, the 2011 Sasquatch! Music Festival at the Gorge Amphitheatre adds a fourth day, albeit short, of music making on Friday and sold out in record time. Spanning Memorial Day weekend, Friday, May 27 through Monday, May 30th, there are more than 100 acts lined up to grace three stages plus the newly dubbed (and freshly sponsored) Banana Shack tent–check out the fest map here–including a handful of comedians and some of OMN’s favs from Portland and the greater NW.
If you were too slow to get your grubby little hands on tickets, we’ll tell you where in Oregon you can catch these acts on their way to and fro, and if you’re watching from home, follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the weekend since internet coverage can be shaky from the great expanses of the Gorge.
Here’s how we’ll be spending out weekend:
FRIDAY
Playing a two-hour set: The Foo Fighters are hot to trot with their seventh studio album, Wasting Light, and a five-man line up that includes Foo forefather Pat Smear back in the fold. The album, which clocked in at #1 in twelve countries and marked the first FF album to debut at the top spot in the US, is nothing but pure rawk with Grohl channeling all that under-used rage kept aside from their last several efforts. Expect a heavy set, both with new material and rocking oldies, and if you’d like a 110-minute preview to prepare, watch the Foos live from the Ed Sullivan Theater on Letterman performing the new record in its entirety followed by the classics–just don’t expect the Fab Four trib at Sasquatch.
Foo Fighters rock the Sasquatch stage from 9:30 – 11:30pm.
PDX pick:DJ Anjali & The Incredible Kid are spinning an even longer set than the Foos from 9pm to 12:30am in the Banana Shack, and they’re the only act at Sasquatch performing more than once. Really, the PDX club mainstays hit the Banana stage all four days! Immerse yourself in the infectious, jangling rhythms of their Bollywood and Bhangra beats and catch them around Portland at the long-running monthly parties Andaz and Atlas or their new Thursday residency in the Crystal Hotel’s Al’s Den.
See DJ Anjali & The Incredible Kid in the Banana Shack from 9pm – 12:30am on Friday, from 6:05 – 6:50pm on Saturday, 6:30 – 7:15pm on Sunday, or 6:00 – 6:45pm on Monday.
Tantalizing treat, try for yourself: Five years since the band broke up, the Toronto dance-punk duo of Jesse F. Keeler and Sebastien Grainger is reunited and excited. As Death From Above 1979 readies their collaborative “collision of two different worlds,” according to Grainger, you can catch an electronic Keeler incarnation in MSTRKRFT on Sunday night.
Get your fix of Death From Above 1979 on the Sasquatch stage from 8:00 – 9:00pm.
Band you can skip: Biffy Clyro. But really, we can’t get too huffy about these mediocre Scottish rockers with lame lyrics because there’s not much competition for your attention on Friday night. Hey, they are big time in Europe and opening for the Foos on a few dates (same goes for Mariachi el Bronx who you can see on the Yeti stage) so if you must have a listen we won’t stop you. They also hit the Doug Fir in Portland on 5/30.
Also appearing in Portland: Rival Schools will be at Peter’s Room in the Roseland on 5/26.
SATURDAY
NW picks: In the definitive indie-folk tradition of the NW, Seattle’s The Head & The Heart are instant classics. Delicately placed vocal harmonies alongside piano and violin melodies make for heart-wrenching stories told by a band that has grown into a sextet which genuinely cares for their craft.
They’ll also hit the Crystal in Portland on 5/31 opening for Iron & Wine (who play the Sasquatch stage from 6:45– 7:45pm).
The emotive Sub Pop signees play the Sasquatch stage from 2:10– 2:55 pm.
On the other end of the indie rock spectrum are Portland’s The Thermals. With punk influences, indelibly poppy songwriting and energy galore, we wouldn’t miss them for the world… neither should you.
Catch The Thermals on the Yeti stage from 6:45– 7:45pm.
The reason why Canadians call it Samsquanch: Trailer Park Boys. The comedy highlight of the fest, expect rumblings of chips and kitties from Bubbles, Ricky and Julian. Officially dubbed The Drunk, High & Unemployed Tour,“Cory, Trevor, smokes, let’s go!”
The Canuck crew will also be around Portland at the Aladdin Theater on 5/27 and 5/29 but both are already sold out!
Bring your liquor and jerky to the Banana Shack from 3:45– 4:45pm.
“Nothing gets me out to Sasquatch at noon,” said a concertgoer after witnessing the soulful, bluesy grit of UK rockers The Heavy who kicked off the final day of Sasquatch on the main stage. It’s an endeavor to stay inside the The Gorge Amphitheatre for 10 to 12 hours of music, and often festival goers neglect a few early acts for a later start. But numerous fans continued to gush praise for The Heavy, remarking that the quartet, plus guest brass, should have replaced Pavement on the Sunday night bill.
MCing a solid mix of tracks from their debut as well as their most recent release, The House That Dirt Built, The Heavy’s lead singer Kelvin Swaby told the crowd, “I think we need to make some more noise,” as they mixed reggae with souled out horns in a blend of anthemic blues rock. The crowd that was filtering in and filling the pit was treated to blazing energy and immediately threw up arms and swung hips to “Sixteen” and “No Time.”
Guitarist Dan Taylor and bassist Spencer Page were impressed not only by the “outrageous setting” but also the response, especially from all American audiences, saying that they prefer playing the USA to Europe. “The American crowd is not reserved about enjoying themselves.” Always letting loose, they did so in a riotous manner as The Heavy closed the first set of the last day with “How Do You Like Me Now?”
Posting up on the side stage was the thin-mohawked Kelvin Swaby to witness an utterly different breed of soul-inspired grooves. Yellow tambourine in hand, a carefree Mayer Hawthorne brought his timeless, white boy Motown to the main stage. Bopping and clapping on sugary tunes like “Your Easy Lovin’ Ain’t Pleasin’ Nothin,” the sun peaked out to shine on his sunny soul music. The audience screamed when asked and smiled at his cheesy, endearing interludes. From the jazz club to the open air, Mayer Hawthorne and The County soaked up the adoration with funky basslines and a few bars of Snoop Dogg’s “Gangsta Luv,” a track which Mayer Hawthorne remixed for the Top Dogg.
Sasquatch! Music Festival creator Adam Zacks has put together a show that rivals its natural surroundings. For those artists that failed to mention the magnificence of the venue while they were on stage, they were damn well thinking about it as they rocked one of the four breezy stages. But diversity is the draw as Sasquatch combined reunited acts with the blogosphere buzz, and those same artists were also awed by their contingent.
In its ninth year, the Memorial Day weekend festival at The Gorge Amphitheatre brought together indie rock and hip-hop, electro dance tents and down tempo trip-hop to a sold out sward of 20,000+ concertgoers. And in its third year as a three-day event, Saturday was lovely, Sunday was dance-y, and Monday threatened to rain but instead shone with sunny giddiness.
Indulging in ridiculousness, Sunday’s middy pageantry was typified by They Might Be Giants’ geeky adult rock on the main stage. Replete with a raunchy puppet show, their sparse comical rock was fun, even for “Your Racist Friend,” as TMBG showed the crowd some stompin’ and clappin’ jams from their back catalogue while making it obvious, through their stupid antics, just how easy the transition to kiddie tunes has been for the duo of John Flansburgh and John Linnell, who’ve been together for more than 25 years, and crew.
With over 75 performers on three untamed stages–dubbed Sasquatch, Bigfoot and Yeti–and inside the Rumpus Room, the ninth annual Sasquatch! Music Festival takes place on Memorial Day weekend–Saturday, May 29th through Monday, May 31st–at The Gorge Ampitheatre in George, WA.
2010 features headliners My Morning Jacket, Massive Attack, Pavement, and Ween alongside indie and electro combos, hip-hop, DJs and dance acts from around the world, and OMN is here to help navigate the offerings.
Sorry kids, this year’s festival is sold out (check C-list for last-minute buys), but we’ll also tell you who’s coming through town before or after the fest and where you can catch them.
And don’t forget the Ice Cream Man (aka Matt Allen) who will be handing out thousands of free frozen treats from his 1969 Chevrolet Step Van. To date, he’s passed out around 400,000 ice creams, and he’s shooting for a million, so there should be no shortage in sight. Hooray!
For the last year, this YACHT has been sailing around the world touching every continent possible. One week ago they were playing Bogotá, Colombia. Tomorrow they’ll be back in their home state rocking Eugene’s WOW Hall for University of Oregon student radio KWVA’s Birthday Bash.
Another one week and one day, YACHT will set sail north through the Pacific Northwest to the Gorge to devastate the second day of Sasquatch on Sunday, May 30th.
Less than a week later they’ll be in Corvallis on Saturday, June 5th hanging at OSU for the Flat Tail Music Festival on campus playing a free gig with Neon Indian, Minus The Bear, I Will Be King, and Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band.
Bam! In July, it’s back to the Eurozone for some dates in Deutschland and elsewhere before rocking the Hollywood Bowl in California opening for the Chemical Brothers and Chromeo on August 29th.
Hot shit! Can you even wrap your mind around this?
They’ve been spreading their individualist ideologies around like wildflowers–sometimes in the form of scripture (like the interview below), but more frequently in the form of jump and bump dance music–all while staying “fascinated with the common ground of underground spirituality and underground music,” blogged Team YACHT just two days ago. “After all, both are motivated by the desire to create something more real, special, and rare than what is being presented by the mainstream cultural machine.”
“The music concert is a series of rituals just as the religious service is; we come together in the dark club, following a sequence of understood rules (hand-stamp, coat check, merch table, posture), and we hope to experience transcendence, to have synergistic and communal experience worth remembering.”
Traveling to spread their message, it’s just the lifestyle when you’re involved in YACHT.
Nurses were the latest PDX band to visit the Horseshack and lay down 3 live tracks for Daytrotter, which you can download for free!
In their worming and brooding manner, Nurses took three psychedelic tracks from Apple’s Acres, put two together as an 8 minute amalgamation ("Technicolor/Man At Arms"), and recorded an unreleased beauty.
Sadly, Nurses just played their last PDX gig this week (opening for Atlas Sound) and won’t be back for a while when their tour with The Tallest Man On Earth comes to the Mission Theater on Tuesday, May 11th.
In other big Nurse-news, the trio will be rocking this year’s Sasquatch Music Festival on Saturday, May 29th. Other PDX acts playing the 3-day Memorial Day weekend fest include YACHT (who rolled Holocene this week), Quasi, Portugal. The Man... and if we can count them as one of ours... the Pavement cash-grabbin', alt-rockin' reunion show. Frontman Stephen Malkmus does live here after all!
