Sasquatch! 2009: Bishop Allen, Blitzen Trapper, The Dutchess and the Duke

Bishop Allen:

Bishop Allen played a short set of peppy, collegiate indie pop. If McSweeney’s had a record label, this is the kind of music they would release. The band had tons of energy, which was infectious and much needed mid-afternoon on the last day of a three-day festival. They also win for having a marimba on stage.

Blitzen Trapper:

If you’re one of those people who loves classic rock radio and feels like there’s no good new music, Blitzen Trapper, who sounded like they were playing the 1973 edition of Sasquatch!, might change your mind. This is another band that was probably just slightly too big to play a sidestage.

The Dutchess and the Duke:

Speaking of bands who wear their classic rock influences on their sleeves, the Dutchess and the Duke sound like a slightly twangier version of the Rolling Stones circa “Mother’s Little Helper.” They make a lot of noise considering their only percussion is a tambourine and a floor tom.

– Jeff Reguilon

Sasquatch! 2009: Fences, Aziz Ansari

Fences:

About a year ago at a fancy sit-down venue in Seattle, I saw Fences, which, at the time, was just Chris Mansfield and a drummer. Mansfield faced away from the audience and the two of them turned out these impossibly melancholy songs at a super-slow tempo, magnifying the sadness to the point where it was inescapable. It was music that seemed to be both created and meant to be listened to alone in the dark.

Now, with a full band, a Fences show is a completely different experience. The songs move more swiftly than before without losing any of their emotional heft. Instead, the quicker pace adds a layer of subtlety, making the music more real, round, and relatable. Standing in front of me, the coolest nine-year-old in the world made the observation that they sound like Bright Eyes, which is an astute judgment for a fourth grader, though Mansfield’s voice is certainly stronger than Conor Oberst’s and his songs are more streamlined.

Fences are currently not signed to a label, but I don’t anticipate that will last long. This is powerful music.

Aziz Ansari:

Though Sasquatch! has featured a bunch of great comedians, I hadn’t ventured into the comedy tent until this year. Maybe it was Aziz Ansari’s role in Parks and Recreation, or the popularity of Human Giant, or maybe it was just the right time to escape the sun, but there were a ridiculous amount of people trying to get in to see this dude. The entire tent was packed and there were still several rows of people spilling outside of it at every opening. Those who got close enough to hear caught Ansari keeping it on the music tip, telling stories about Kanye West and R. Kelly which I will not repeat out of respect for comedy and general public safety. I wanted to stick around to catch Zach Galifianakis, but fire hazard-based anxiety and ready availability of other shows prompted me to hightail it the f-word out of there as soon as I could, though not before I caught some comedy Ansari wrote for a character he’s playing in Judd Apatow’s forthcoming Funny People.

– Jeff Reguilon

Sasquatch! 2009: Grizzly Bear, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Horse Feathers, Santigold

Another amazing, sunny day here at Sasquatch! I’ve coated myself with the highest SPF sunscreen I could procure and set off running. Here’s a sampling of some of the acts I’ve caught so far:

Grizzly Bear:

My first band of the day was Grizzly Bear, who played through the majority of their new new album Veckatimest, which they’ll unleash on the world starting tomorrow, along with some old favorites like Yellow House’s majestic single, “The Knife.” It was a great, mellow way to lull the crowd back into the last day.

Black Moth Super Rainbow:

The smooth and psychedelic sounds of Black Moth Super Rainbow up on the Wookie Stage had a similar impact on the crowd there. I feel like their albums can be a bit meanderery, unstructured, and noisy, but this live set was beautiful–swimming in vocoders, analog synths, and bliss.

Horse Feathers:

I only caught a couple songs of Horse Feathers’ set on the Yeti Stage, but enjoyed what I heard–acoustic strings, including cello, viola, banjo, and acoustic guitars that completed the mellow vibe blanketing the festival from every corner.

Santigold:

Here’s where the tempo’s picking up. Santigold had the crowd throwing their arms in the air with her mixture of world beat’s driving rhythms and new wave pop’s sleek synths and structure. The audience was all over this, especially when she played her hit single “L.E.S. Artistes.”

Alright–I’m off to check out more bands, and will report back later

–Alan Wiley

EotWKLRU is on vacation

End-o’-the-Week Kid-Lit Roundup will return, but we’re taking it easy this weekend–as illustrated below, with Silas learning about the magical effects of wriggling sand between your toes:

We’re all keeping busy reading, though: I’m finally getting to the Wordy Shipmates while simultaneously enjoying the new Max Disaster series; Heidi is reading The Incognito Lounge (”Denis Johnson is like the better-writer version of Bukowski,” she says) and the upcoming middle-reader When You Reach Me; and Silas’ current rotation of favorites includes The Sleepy Little Alphabet, Bringing Down the Moon, A Small Surprise, and Have You Ever Tickled a Tiger?