Sasquatch 2016 Rumors:

Sasquatch! 2016 Lineup:

Florence And The Machine, The Cure, Disclosure, Major Lazer, Alabama Shakes, A$AP Rocky, Sufjan Stevens, M83, Grimes, Chet Faker, Leon Bridges, Jamie xx, Purity Ring, Tycho, Allen Stone, Mac DeMarco, Lord Huron, Kurt Vile, Big Grams, Nathaniel Rateliff And the Night Sweats, Rudimental, Caribou, X Ambassadors, Four Tet, Digable Planets, The Internet, Yo La Tengo, Yeasayer, Andra Day, BØRNS, Oh Wonder, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, M. Ward, Todd Terje, Ty Segall & The Muggers, Savages, Frightened Rabbit, Alina Baraz, Blind Pilot, Wolf Alice, Vince Staples, Marian Hill, Baauer, Saint Motel, Houndmouth, Baroness, Casey Veggies, Vic Mensa, Ibeyi, Matt Corby, Oddisee, Noah Gundersen, Wet, Chelsea Wolfe, Raury, Shamir, Julia Holter, Titus Andronicus, Telekinesis, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Beat Connection, Lany, Protomartyr, The Twilight Sad, Speedy Ortiz, Son Little, Shannon and the Clams, Tamaryn, Soak, La Luz, Kaleo, Kevin Garret, Bully, Autolux, Tacocat, Deep Sea Diver, Joseph, Hop Along, Baio, Marcus Marr, Hibou, Brothers From Another, John Mark Nelson, Briana Marela, Summer Cannibals, Bayonne, Isha Dhaaf, Sir the Baptist, Conner Youngblood, Oscar, Grace Love and the True Loves, Thunderpussy, Wimps, Mindie Lind, The Dip, Tangerine, Fauna Shade, Ruler, Dave B, Natasha Leggero, The Lucas Bros, Todd Barry, Moshe Kasher, Scharpling & Wurster, Lauren Lapkus, Dave Hill, Mark Normand

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Quadros 5: The Flaming Lips, Das Racist, Wye Oak, Givers

The Flaming Lips

Everyone has a story about the first time they saw the Flaming Lips live, but I believe my first experience rivals the best. Somehow I let this band slip through the cracks for the years leading up to Sasquatch 2006. The only Lips album I had listened to was the Soft Bulletin, and I new nothing about their lives shows. I heard so many people in the campground buzzing about how great they are live, so I had a mental note, “Do not miss the Flaming Lips.”

That afternoon, god (while chuckling about how moronic it was that I was wearing only sandals, shorts, and a thin button up shirt over a tee shirt) decided to empty out his ice machine on my face. At least that is what it felt like. I’m sure there were 20,000 other people that felt like they were also being picked on when the hail storm hit. I’m not sure what was more torturous, being pelted by giant balls of ice, or being greeted by a Tragically Hip set an hour later when the music resumed? My Canadian friends, stand in front of the mirror and say out loud, "I like the Hip because they play great music." Then take a deep breath, and say it again. Repeat four more times. Now be honest here, how many of you maintained eye contact with yourself the entire time? It's okay, I like Bryan Adams, we can still be friends.

Back to the story, apparently the festival was allowing re-entry because of the storm, but I didn’t get the memo. I was prepared to be cold, wet, and miserable the rest of the day, and seeing the Flaming Lips was my only motivation. My clothes were so drenched that I stripped down naked in a honey bucket to wring them out. I may or may not have spent ten minutes longer than needed there, because it was about 10 degrees warmer than being out in the cold breeze. Willingly standing next to a pile of human refuge with only a small piece of plastic separating us, just to stay warm, is about all I need to say. I really didn't want to miss the Flaming Lips.

Sometime briefly after it got dark, the announcement came which proved to be the nail in the coffin for my friend. The Flaming Lips, who were scheduled to play before Ben Harper, had agreed to play after, so the Harpers could play their regularly scheduled slot. I was digging the first 30 minutes of Benji’s two hour set, but then he took the pace down a couple notches and played his softer hits for the remaining 90 minutes. That nearly put me to sleep, and caused my friend to bail.

The Lips came on sometime after 12:30 a.m., which led to about an hour of my shivering jaw dropped while I stared in amazement trying to figure out what in the hell I was witnessing. The show will forever remain in my top five greatest concert experiences, and I have not missed a chance to see them live since. If this will be your first time seeing the Flaming Lips, I'm confident they will provide you a memorable experience you will be telling people about five years from now, especially if you are a democrat.

Because they are playing the Soft Bulletin all the way through, I'll keep the suggested tracks short. I'll also recommend you check out "Do You Realize," since they will likely play that tune near the end. This will be THE highlight of the festival, so you don't want to miss it.

1. Race For The Prize (The song they typically open their shows with)
2. Waitin’ For A Superman
3. The Gash
4. Do You Realize


Wye Oak

I didn't get into Wye Oak until a couple months before the lineup was released, but I've spent 15+ hours listening to their catalog, so my opinion is educated, if not somewhat dissenting. I have no interest in their first album, If Children. They were still trying to find their style, and to be brutally honest, the duets did not work. Their next album, The Knot, was a giant step forward, which is why I spend so much time listening to them. Personally, I think their best songs reside on this album. Their EP, My Neighbor/My Creator, is pretty fun, and signalled another leap forward for what was to come. Then Civilian came out last month. Maybe I'll eat these words in the future, but it isn't as good as The Knot. It does sound like their sound has evolved like I thought it would, but the really catchy songs aren't there. I like those tunes that stick to your brain, which should mean my suggested tracks will be accurate.

This duo (yes, they are only a duo) consists of Jenn Wasner on vocals and guitar, and Andy Stack on drums and keyboards, which he allegedly plays simultaneously. Jenn's vocals are very calm and effortless, bringing a very soothing sound to most of their songs. They still rock out, so don't think this will be a boring live act in which you really need to like their music to get it. The band I would most compare them to is the Cranberries, some mellow female vocal ditties mixed with upbeat rock songs. Wasner's voice reminds me of the Cranberries singer on a couple songs. I'm excited to see how their tunes translate live. You should be too.

Suggested Tracks:
1. That I Do
2. I Hope You Die (it's morbid, but it's the song I think of first when thinking of Wye Oak)
3. Civilian (title track from their new album, this track should show off the best each has to offer musically)
4. Tattoo
5. If Children Were Wishes
6. Mary Is Mary (eight minute epic)
7. Holy Holy (sounds like it will be a really fun song live)
8. For Prayer
9. The Alter


Das Racist

To really get Das Racist, you have to listen to more than just a couple songs, but I'll try to give you the cream of the crop. It's tough though, because they put out two mix tapes last year, totaling nearly three hours worth of music, so with the good, there is a lot of bad. Since I like math, I'll just estimate their output to be something like this:

11% is "holy shit" brilliant
12% is amazing
19% is great
39% is pretty good
19% is annoying

Then they take these five categories, throw them in a blender, and spit them out on literally every song. If you are looking for the annoying, you'll find it. If you are looking for the brilliant, you'll find it. If you want to experience all of their "amazing" and "holy shit brilliance," you should just listen to their mix tapes. You might not even catch it the first listen. It's some of the best hip-hop I've heard in years, and is loaded with clever rhymes on current events and pop culture.

Just think, if they wanted to trim out that extra two hours, and make one album, it might be the greatest album of 2010. They chose not to do that, instead saying, "this is who we are, take the good with the bad." It's witty, funny, and entertaining, everything knowidyuh strives to be. I've never referred to myself in the third person, but I feel it's very hip hop, thus appropriate. Although the Sasquatch blog does not endorse illegal activities, Das Racist smokes more weed than there's food at the store. They said so.

1. Amazing (their best straight up rap song)
2. Nutmeg
3. hahahaha jk?
4. Don Dada
5. Rooftop
6. You Oughta Know (start here if you want a ridiculous fun song)
7. All Tan Everything
8. Rainbow in the Dark
9. Return To Innocence
9. Puerto Rican Cousins
10. Coochie Dip City (let's get stoopid and dance)


Givers

I had my Villagers write up all prepared, then they cancelled yesterday right before I posted this Quadros. Add a one day delay, and I'm somewhat cheating by writing about a band with only one EP in existence.

Givers made a name for themselves opening for Ra Ra Riot and the Dirty Projectors. They have a very earthy reggae type sound, with catchy pop vocals and duets from the male and female lead singers. Their only EP came out in 2009, and their debut full length is due out any day now. Those who have seen them live seem to really dig them, so while I haven't seen them yet, I feel safe including them in my recommendations. Drums, bongos, piano, harmonies, horns, electronics, guitar solos, they have everything working, and can go any direction with their debut. If they have even two or three songs with a similar catchy vibe as "Up Up Up," their debut will be huge. I'm merely passing on the Internet hype to you. If they blow up, you can say you saw them when. If they flop, forget I said anything, kay?

1. Up Up Up
2. Meantime
3. Ceiling of Plankton
4. Saw You First

Monday, April 4, 2011

Quadros 4: Bassnectar, Wolf Parade, The Head & The Heart, Foster The People

Bassnectar

Bassnectar will be serious entertainment, and may be remembered as the highlight of the festival. I don't spend much time listening to him, so I'm not going to suggest tracks. You don't need to listen to his albums to know what he is all about. It's electronic dance music, and if you are smarter than I, you already guessed his music is heavy in bass. The first time I bought a ticket to his show, I didn't know how to pronounce the name of the band, so I incorrectly pronounced the first part like the fish (bass). It was a hippie friend who talked me into going, so why would I guess he likes bass beats more than nature's fish (which he may or may not smell like)? He's also a big Phish fan, go figure.

The friendly folks on the Sasquatch Message Board have organized "Glowpocalypse" for this set. That means there will be a lot of glow sticks bouncing around, or something like that. I'm not talking about people bringing 20 glow sticks, I'm talking about people literally bringing 1,000 glow sticks. They should be unleashed in unison near the beginning of the set, so you don't want to miss that. Bassnectar also has a crazy visual show with giant monitors displaying weird stuff. If glow sticks wars aren't your thing, you'll still have plenty to see.


Wolf Parade

When festival lineups come out, there are always four or five highlights that stand out for the die hard music fan. Wolf Parade's final show is one of those highlights for Sasquatch 2011. As strange as it sounds, sometimes "I was there," is much cooler than seeing a band you might be more interested in. Shoot, I prefer weather in the mid 80s with sunshine, but the hail storm at Sasquatch 2006 will always be one of the most memorable moments of my life. "I was there."

It can be tough connecting the dots to who is who in the music world, so I'll fill you in. Wolf Parade has two lead singers, Spencer Krug on keyboards, and Dan Boeckner on the guitar. Krug also fronts Sunset Rubdown, and is a member of Frog Eyes. His lesser known solo project is called Moonface. Boeckner, along with his wife, comprise the Handsome Furs. Guitar/Bass player Dante DeCaro started out in Hot Hot Heat.

Just writing this short piece made me realize how excited I am for this. It won't be like the hail storm (it should be much more comfortable) but if they never get back together, I'll be bragging about how "I was there." Live review of their show in Portland last summer here.

Suggested Tracks:
1. Shine A Light
2. California Dreamer
3. You Are A Runner And I Am My Father's Son
4. Kissing the Beehive (Probably their best song, but not the best introduction if you are new to the band. It's really long, but potentially the last song they will ever play live.)
5. This Heart's On Fire (the sensitive song, "You're my favorite thing, I tell it everywhere I go.")
6. Cave-o-sapien (A lot going on in this song)
7. I'll Believe In Anything
8. Ghost Pressure (They'll turn the synth up loud for this one)
9. Cloud Shadow on the Mountain


The Head & The Heart

This sextet includes a male vocalist with a guitar, another male vocalist with a guitar, a female vocalist, bass, drums, and piano. The female vocalist also plays violin. The three singers create some pretty rad harmonies. The heart of the band is the lead vocals, which has a singer/songwriter feel to most of their songs. I meant the head of the band is the lead vocals which stand out. Wait, did I just say the heart of this band is the head? Or is the head the heart? Now I'm confused.

Their self-titled debut will officially be released April 19th. I had a tough time picking my favorites, but had a tougher time eliminating the songs I didn't like. It's a really solid album album top to bottom. A couple of the songs near the beginning show off their folky zany side (Ghosts, Cats And Dogs), while the rest of the album is much mellower. This album will make my year end top 50.

Suggested Tracks:
1. Rivers And Roads
2. Down In The Valley
3. Lost In My Mind
4. Cats And Dogs
5. Ghosts
6. Sound Like Hallelujah


Foster The People

Where did this band came from? Oh, L.A., thanks smart-ass. They played in town recently, so I was planning on strolling up to the venue the night of the show to pick up a ticket. Ten days prior, I noticed on the venue's website the show was sold out. The venue hasn't been around long, but I don't recall a show selling out there (capacity 300). Checking Foster the People's upcoming schedule, their next six shows are all sold out.

The main reason I wanted to go was to see how they would fill their set. They only have three songs in existence, under 12 minutes worth of music. Were they going to play the same three songs four times each? Were they going to do an extended 15 minute jam for each one? Were they going to play 30 minutes worth of covers? Maybe they just play for 12 minutes, then leave? I need to know the answer to this?

Their debut album is set to be released May 24th, a couple days before the festival. I guess that means they play a lot of new material live, which is less exciting than my earlier speculation. They are currently listed as playing the Yeti stage, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are playing the Bigfoot when the schedule is officially released. They are going to have a huge crowd. Whenever I think of Foster The People, I think "the next MGMT."

Suggested Tracks:
1. Pumped Up Kicks (Where all the hype starts)
2. Houdini (I actually dig this song more, but it's not their hit)
3. Helena Beat
4. (yet to exist)