New Year's Hype Machine, Sasquatch 2011

Happy New Year everyone. The last couple weeks have been pretty slow for music news in general, but that is common this time of year. Most of the music industry shuts down during the Holidays.

Last year at this time, we had two confirmations, and three rumors, so we're way ahead this year. With only one month before the lineup is announced (yes, it's only a month away), the rumors should be hot and heavy the next couple weeks. The first full work week in January is when Sasquatch season usually starts. We have a month to speculate about the impending lineup, a month to talk about the released lineup, a month to talk about adds/cancellations, a month to speculate on schedule conflicts, then a month to plan our trip.

Let's take a look at the stronger possibilities:

Confirmed:

Foo Fighters: They are rather fantastic live, so skip them if you must. Chances are, any act playing opposite the Foos can been seen locally for under $15, while the Foos will cost a small fortune. I've already seen them a couple times, but I won't miss them at Sasquatch.

Wolf Parade: In a recent online interview, guitarist Dan Boeckner confirmed the band will be playing Sasquatch. A lot can happen between now and the festival, deals fall through, people get sick, bands cancel, but barring issues, Wolf Parade will be there. Read my review of their recent Portland show here.

Rumored:

Arcade Fire: Sasquatch appeals to Canadians more than any other U.S. Festival. Arcade Fire (who is Canadian if you are new to the band) played Sasquatch as rookies in 2005, and as sub headliners in 2007, so a headliner appearance is overdue. They are playing European Festivals this summer, and heavily rumored to play Coachella, so their musical pulse will be active during Memorial Day. Plus, many of us have attended shows at the Gorge before, and we know it is the best venue in the nation. By the same token, returning acts probably think playing at the Gorge is special.

As for the rumor floating around the Internet that Portishead will be opening for Arcade Fire at festivals this summer, I wouldn't get your hopes up for Sasquatch. Portishead recently made a statement they will not be in the U.S. until this fall, so that hurts their Sasquatch chances immensely.

Best Coast: The name Best Coast refers to the West Coast being the superior of the two, right? Settle down East Coast folks, I didn't name the band. Because of this rumor, I'm predicting other West Coast bands will be on the lineup.

Chromeo: They played a DJ set in 2009, which was a bit of a headscratcher. They later said they hoped they would be back playing their regular show. They were not on the lineup last year, and are still touring in support of their latest album, Business Casual.

Cold War Kids: New album expected near the end of January, and a supporting tour has been announced. Look for them to be making the festival rounds this year, with a return trip to Sasquatch (they were last there in 2008). They opened for Death Cab For Cutie near the end of the previous decade, so this might be hint? Also, One of Janelle Monae's best songs is called, "Cold War," so maybe she'll be there too?

Last year, the Sasquatch crowd exploded more during MGMT's song "Kids," than any single song I've witnessed at Sasquatch. There were even people jumping up and down in Dancing Man's Corner. From that point on, I've been convinced either the Cold War Kids or Kid 'n Play will be at Sasquatch 2011.

Cut Copy: Flying from Australia to Europe/The U.S. and back is not like jumping over a puddle. If they are going to play some shows in the United States, they might as well stick around for a couple months. They are playing the Ultra festival in Miami in late March. If they end up on Coachella's lineup (which could be announced as early as next week), that would increase the likelihood they might stick around to play Saqsquatch. They will be supporting a new album (out in February), so a spring tour with festival dates is already likely.

Foster The People: I have no idea who this is. From the day this rumor surfaced on the Coachella board, I thought it was made up to generate free hype for a friend's band. But hey, I don't know much about the music scene in L.A., and there are bands on the lineup every year that I've never heard of. We can call them this year's Shadow Shadow Shade.

Matt & Kim: Confirmed through twitter. I'm not sure exactly who that Twitter belongs to, but it's still up, and I don't hear anyone denying it. Since 2008, the festival has been at least three days, and has resulted in a peculiar trend; two different persons connected with a variation of the word "and" in their band name appear on the lineup.

2010: She & Him, Tegan and Sara
2009: Arthur & Yu, Dutchess & the Duke
2008: Tegan and Sara, Rodrigo Y Gabriela

Who might be the second? Iron & Wine and Toro Y Moi are each one guy. There is no "and" between Daft and Punk, so that's not going to happen. Guesses?

Twin Shadow: This is straight up 80s music. While M83 also had an 80s sound, they combined it with a modern electronic sound, but I don't hear anything modern in Twin Shadow. I hear Depeche Mode, and although I came up with that comparison on my own, googling "Twin Shadow sounds like Depeche Mode," yields about sixteen million results. That's why his album Forget narrowly missed my top 50 albums of 2010 on the Cog. He is playing Primavera the same weekend, so if he does make the Sasquatch lineup, hopefully there are no signs of fatigue/jet lag.

Wavves: Last year, I jokingly predicted Wavves would be on the lineup because Vetiver was confirmed, and they led the league in Vs. Maybe I have psychic abilities in predicting bands who will be on the lineup the following year? Don't expect Velvet Underground, but what about Viva Voce? They even have 50% more Vs.

If you have any tips, thoughts, likes, dislikes, corrections, or you just want to point out how terrible you think my sense of humor is, include any insight in the comments section below.