With sunny skies gracing the Emerald City and the past two posts here on Ear Candy focusing on the Capitol Hill Block Party and Bumbershoot it's pretty evident that summer has officially arrived in Seattle. So what better way to celebrate the warm glow of the 80+ degree sunshine and prepare for enjoying the duration of the outdoor concert season than to reminisce about the three days of musical wonderment that was Sasquatch! 2010? So check out Brittney Bush Bollay's portraits of the people who made Sasquatch! 2010 tick. Who knows, maybe you'll spot your sunburned self in the photos below.
The Heavy A crazy soul-funk dance party at noon on a Monday? I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't been part of it. I had more fun during the twenty minutes I caught of this set than I would have had at a two-hour MGMT show.
Girls After this set I grabbed a friend and demanded, "HOW HAVE YOU NOT MADE ME LISTEN TO THIS BAND BEFORE?" I still want to know.
Japandroids Watching five security guards struggle to hold up the barriers against the billowing mass of exultant Japandroids fans warmed my little rock-n-roll heart, and inspired me to stow my camera bag and run in to the crowd to participate in the fun.
The National Singer Matt Berninger finished The National's set balanced precariously on the edge of the stage, his eyes and voice haunted like a man standing instead on the ledge of a skyscraper. This sight was so intense and resonant for me I had to actually step away from the performances for a while to absorb and process it.
Pavement I had been waiting fifteen years to see this band, and I loved every sloppy, start-and-stop minute of it. I've seen a few negative reviews of this performance, but remember that messiness is an important part of the band's aesthetic. And even if the majority disagrees, there were at least two people in that crowd - me and some guy about fifteen feet behind me - blissed out and singing along to every single word.
It's hard to believe that almost two weeks have passed since the wonderful weekend at the Gorge Amphitheatre that was Sasquatch! 2010. We're close to the beginning of the end of our Sasquatch! 2010 coverage here on Ear Candy (check it all out over here) and before things are all wrapped up some time next week I wanted to chime in with a few of the notable artists that made big impressions on me, and others, at the festival. Since the festival is all about musical discoveries, here's a list of seven artists I plan to spend more time with in the coming months thanks to my experience at Sasquatch! 2010.
The Heavy: This UK group got added to Sasquatch! late and they sort of got screwed by having a noon time slot on Monday. The main stage crowd was sparse for their performance but those who were there witnessed one of the most electrifying sets of Sasquatch! The band's dirty R&B garage rock was spiked with horns and featured an amazingly energetic and passionate frontman in Kelvin Swaby. It was impossible not to shake your booty in a dancetacular frenzy to The Heavy's highly polished modern take on retro rock. Catch them live when they come to the Showbox at the Market June 21.
The National: I missed most of their set at Sasquatch! a few years back and I had to miss most of their set this year because they were playing opposite America's greatest festival band, The Hold Steady. I heard some really great things about the entire set by The National so I plan to give The Boxer a good listen in the coming weeks and I also plan to check out High Violet. There has to be a reason why everyone seems to like these guys, right?
Editor's note: Ear Candy's Brittney Bush Bollay is busy processing and editing the hundreds thousands of photos she shot during the Sasquatch! Music Festival. Her work will be featured here throughout the month. Until she completes her editing here's a look at some of the crowds to give you a feel for the festival's atmosphere.
The Heavy A crazy soul-funk dance party at noon on a Monday? I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't been part of it. I had more fun during the twenty minutes I caught of this set than I would have had at a two-hour MGMT show.
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