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, February 22, 2011

Quadros 1: Wilco, Yeasayer, Alberta Cross, Twin Shadow

Between now and the festival, the only thing we have to talk about is the pending schedule, lineup adjustments, and the lineup itself. Rather than saying, "I like this band a lot," why not dive in depth into each band? Tonight starts the weekly feature, "Quadros," where I will tell you what I know about four bands, and give you a couple songs (or albums) to get you started if you are unfamiliar. Yes, I made up the word "Quadros." I'm not going to be suggesting obscure and rare tracks trying to prove an elitist grasp of music, just the better or catchier tunes. I'll be spending three plus hours listening to each act on the lineup, if I haven't already, so I'm not guessing here.

Not everyone visiting this site is an Internet nerd with hours a day available for listening to music, so this should help some of you get familiar with the lineup. I'll also tell you my experiences seeing these bands live, or the opinions of trusted friends if I haven't seen them. I'm not a youtuber, nor do I promote illegally downloading music, so I'll leave the research of my suggestions up to you. Feel free to agree, disagree, or provide additional song/album suggestions in the comments section, as well as providing your live experiences and opinions.


Wilco

It took me a while to get into Wilco too. I even skipped most of their set at Sasquatch 2005 for relaxation and shade (it was 98 degrees that year). I'm still kicking myself for that, because I have since become a huge Wilco fan, and seeing them live for the first (second) time in 2008 sold me. Nels Cline shreds on the guitar, and Tweedy is such a comedian addressing the crowd. They were number 13 on my top 20 shows of 2010. Most of why I like Wilco live is addressed there, so read it if you are curious.

If you are new to the band, you should start with the album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, which is generally accepted as their best. Personally, Summerteeth is my favorite. If you are going to Monday's show, check out both of those albums. My suggested tracks below are by no means the best Wilco songs, and will likely be ridiculed by devoted Wilco fans, but I feel it is a diverse start. They have a ton of material after all. "Wilco will love you baby."

Suggested Tracks:
1. War On War (their catchiest tune)
2. A Shot In The Arm
3. Casino Queen (a fun song)
4. Spiders (Kidsmoke) (the stoner jam)
5. Impossible Germany (listen to the guitar solo(s) at the end)
6. Passenger Side (you like road sodas?)
7. Hate It Here (a fun sad song about no longer having your lady around).


Yeasayer

Yeasayer is experimental rock with extensive harmonies. Truth be told, I think All Hour Cymbals was an outstanding album, and I think Odd Blood was way too much. It sounds like a completely different band. I tried really hard to add a couple Odd Blood track selections below, but my real top six would all be All Hours Cymbals songs. I saw Yeasayer live a couple years ago, and I thought it was a below average performance. The bass player mostly sang with a bass around his neck, and when he did play, I couldn't hear it (like it wasn't plugged in). The main lead singer appeared to be mimicking Avey Tare (of Animal Collective), so he didn't grab my attention either. Anand Wilder, the guitar/electronics dude, stole the show. I kept thinking, "he needs to form his own band." Their light show was minimal, and they had cheesy white bulbs placed ten feet off the ground throughout the stage which occasionally changed colors (very unoriginal).

To be fair, I've heard outstanding things about Yeasayer live, and I've been looking forward to seeing them a second time. Maybe I was having a bad day when I saw them the first time? They've been known to have visuals projected on a screen behind the band, which they didn't have when I saw them, so that would've created a much better experience. It appears they will be playing an evening set Sunday on the Bigfoot stage, so hopefully they bring their best, including those visuals.

Suggested Tracks:
1. Wait For The Wintertime
2. Sunrise
3. Rome (grooooovy beat)
4. Red Cave
5. Ambling Alp
6. 2080


Alberta Cross

Alberta Cross' 2007 debut EP, Thief and Heartbreaker, has five songs that could have made my top 20 for the year. Their lead singer looks and acts like a rock star, even if he sounds a bit like a choir girl. Their bluesy rock sound landed them on the Dave Matthews Band fall 2010 tour, opening with Ben Harper, so it's obvious some people like them. One would think that break would vault them to popularity, but that remains to be seen.

I spent so much time listening to the Thief and Hearbreaker, I actually had to force myself to quit listening to it. I can't think of another album/EP I can say this about, I was that obsessed. It still has their greatest songs, a couple of which appeared on their first full length album, Broken Side of Time. Having seen them live a couple times, I can say they are very tight. They sound pretty much like their albums, which is a compliment in this case, but they do put a spin on a couple of their bigger songs. "Old Man Chicago" is classic.

Suggested Tracks:
1. Old Man Chicago (great great song, I prefer the EP version)
2. The Thief & The Heartbreaker
3. I've Known For Long
4. Rise From The Shadows (they typically end their shows with this chant-a-long)
5. Devil's All You've Ever Had
6. Low Man
7. Atx (much more rockin' than their EP)


Twin Shadow

I mistakenly assumed Twin Shadow was a dance act when I first read about him last fall. There are some good beats on his album Forget, but it doesn't make me want to dance. It's more like 80's new wave music than dance music. If 80's new wave makes you dance, that's cool. I keep thinking of Depeche Mode whenever I listen to Twin Shadow. Depeche Mode doesn't make me dance though. I've heard very few testimonies on what his live shows are like, so listen to the suggested tracks, and see if he fits your likings.

1. For Now (by far the best)
2. When We're Dancing
3. Slow
4. Shooting Holes At The Moon

Thursday, February 10, 2011

How About That Lineup, Eh?

We have plenty of time to digest the lineup over the next couple months, so I'll start by giving my opinion on the top tier, and discuss another couple highlights. Feel free to give your opinion on the lineup (or your opinion on my opinion) in the comments section.

Top Tier: At first glance, this is the only disappointment of the lineup. 2010 was too good to be true, and the headliners (Massive Attack, Ween, My Morning Jacket) were three of the best shows I saw all year. Those headliners, along with Pavement and a stacked undercard, is why so many people living outside of the Pacific NW chose to make Sasquatch 2010 their first. It's also why the festival sold out in record time. That was last year though, so comparing this year's lineup isn't exactly fair. If we must compare the two, this year we get a fourth day to hang out with our friends at one of the biggest/friendliest parties on the planet, discussion over.

It's a bit of a shame Arcade Fire isn't on the lineup. Word is they were in discussions, but something happened at the last minute. Whatever happened occurred within the last two weeks, so the lineup probably looks much different than expected. Does that mean we can expect a giant addition, not really, especially since the festival might be sold out by the time you read this. It would suggest there is some extra money laying around. Death From Above 1979 might have gathered that extra cash, since a month ago, no one knew they were getting back together, and they are a HUGE addition (they weren't on the original poster).

I'm completely down with Wilco, they are a huge draw in the NW, and the Flaming Lips playing the Soft Bulletin is gigantic. I follow the music scene pretty close, and I don't recall the last time they did this album live. It is one of my favorite albums of all time. I'm one of those people who have seen the Lips enough times to think, "maybe I don't need to see them again." I've seen them indoors and outdoors, during daylight and while dark, with the UFO and without, with the hamster ball and without, with naked women on stage and without, but I never thought I'd have a chance to see the Soft Bulletin live. That is THE highlight.

Death Cab For Cutie isn't really my bag, but they also have a huge following in the NW, and the dance tent lineup this year is stacked. Relatively smaller headliners isn't that big of a deal when you have other grand alternatives. I'm somewhat disappointed I've missed so many EDM acts the past two years, because I've spent so much time on the main stage. I've seen some below average Modest Mouse shows (the band I've seen live the most), but the last time I caught them 18 months ago, it was pretty great. And the Foo Fighters might be the second most entertaining main stage act of the weekend (behind the Flaming Lips). I've written much about the Foos on this blog already.

Other highlights include Wolf Parade's first ever last show ever, Rodrigo Y Gabriella (I'm not sure why more people aren't talking about this), Bassnectar, Guided By Voices, Archers of Loaf, and an undercard stacked as usual. Speaking of Guided By Voices, they have not played too many shows since their recent reunion, but I was lucky enough to catch one of them last fall, and wrote a review. It's a fair assessment of what you might expect. I should warn you, I'm very PG-13 on this blog, but I can get a bit adult oriented on the Cog. You'll see what I mean reading the intro of this review. Read it here.

Much more to come over the next couple weeks. I've seen many of the bands on the lineup live, or listened to them extensively, so I have a lot of opinions. In time, I'll see if I can get a mini review of every act on the lineup. However, sometimes it's just really tough to say anything good about certain acts.

What do you think about the lineup?

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Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Predictions For Sasquatch 2011 (Guess 50)

Okay, these are just my guesses based on some facts, some probability, a joke, and a lot of hunch/wishlist. It is not, I repeat is not, the actual lineup!

Foo Fighters / Wilco / Death Cab For Cutie / Decemberists / Lil' Wayne / Queens of the Stone Age / Modest Mouse / Cake / Bright Eyes / Ghostland Observatory / Cold War Kids / Empire of the Sun / Kid Sister / Wolf Parade / Janelle Monae / Yeasayer / Atmosphere / Flying Lotus / Chromeo / Iron & Wine / The Go! Team / Sleigh Bells / Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings / Menomena / Matt & Kim / Scissor Sisters / Black Mountain / Twilight Singers / Delta Spirit / Mister Heavenly / The Morning Benders / Matthew Dear / Twin Shadow / Best Coast / Das Racist / Starfucker / Foster The People / Wavves / Wild Flag / Horse Feathers / Viva Voce / The Head & The Heart / The Builders & the Butchers / Mad Rad / Mimicking Birds / Moondoggies / Sharon Van Etten / Wye Oak / Fitz & the Tantrums / CSS

Post your guesses in the comments, if you dare...