It’s about time I write about Sasquatch, eah? Unfortunately I don’t have any exciting pictures. I was hoping to be able to bring in my Canon Digital Rebel XTi, but it’s not allowed because it has an attachable lens, and I wasn’t about to risk getting it confiscated or having to run back to (and actually manage to find) my car to put it away. But, it was still a glorious musical weekend, and here, “ladies!” and “gentlemen!” (Hives reference!) is a list of standout bands (good and bad).

Saturday, May 24

Beirut
This is my favorite new find. I love them. And it’s no surprise, really. Folksy, world-type music is clearly my thing. It also helps that it sounds Eastern European. And that his voice is rich and wonderful. And that they use a ton of instruments. And that he composed all of the parts when he was nineteen. They’re just good. I was, and am, very impressed. Buy The Flying Club Cup.

Modest Mouse
I can’t think of anyone, really, that doesn’t like Modest Mouse. They’re just good. However, I don’t feel that I gained a whole lot of anything by seeing them live. They don’t sound any better or worse than their albums live, and Isaac mumbles more than my boyfriend when he actually deigns to talk to the crowd. I still love Modest Mouse, but I don’t think I’ll be going to see them again anytime soon. Maybe they’d be really impressive live in a smaller venue, but sadly, I think those days are over.

The Shaky Hands
It took me a couple of listens to like this band. I saw them first when they opened for The Decemberists at the Moore Theater back in January. I wasn’t super impressed then. But, then I pilfered some songs from a friend and began to really appreciate them. It was great to see them now that I officially like them. They’re a high energy band that’s great for summertime shows. And I got a signed CD. :) Buy The Shaky Hands.

Sunday, May 25

Blue Scholars
I’m not normally a big hip-hop kind of girl. But these guys are pretty good. First of all, they’re from Seattle. So that’s always a bonus. Truthfully, I don’t really remember how they were on stage. That was the set when I had my freak out and break down. But, their music still made its way into my ears. And I approve. Buy Bayani.

Death Cab for Cutie
I have a newfound appreciation for Death Cab after seeing them. Not because their show was anything special; they had the same “issue” as Modest Mouse — they sounded no better or worse than their albums and had very limited crowd interaction. However, I finally heard more of their stuff. I only recently got into Death Cab, and this definitely solidified my interest and caused me to listen to them nonstop on Tuesday. So I guess that’s worth something! :)

The Presidents of the United States of America
These guys were just fun. They kept the crowd happy and played a good mix of old and new stuff. Plus they had excellent banter. I’m a sucker for banter. I don’t have or even really know all that many Presidents songs aside from Peaches and Lump, but this was good incentive to start getting into their stuff.

Tegan & Sara
Okay. Before Sunday, I wasn’t 100% sold on Tegan & Sara. I like their So Jealous CD, but the rest I tended to find annoying. They have very distinctive and sometime grating voices, but they were just so darn cute in concert. Great crowd interaction and I pretty much fell in love with them. Plus, they sound way better live than on CDs. I’d go see them again for sure.

Monday, May 26

The Flaming Lips U.F.O. Show
I had never heard Flaming Lips songs before Monday night. But their show was tight. First of all, they had a giant UFO prop hanging over the stage. It lowered as the show began, down over a semi-circle screen that showed a blinking picture of a nebula. As the UFO lowered, the singer stood and inflated a bubble (ala Bubble Boy) around him, and rolled off the prop and into the crowd where he proceeded to crawl around on top of people and looked a lot like a hampster. After a few minutes, he headed back toward the stage, climbed out of the ball and the show began. The lights and the visuals throughout the whole show were great. The music was good. And there were naked women dancing on stage at one point. It was crazy. We left early though to beat the rush out of the Gorge. Still, I don’t know that Flaming Lips is my kind of music. It’s good, just not what I would normally listen to.

Flight of the Conchords
Brett and Jemaine are the entire reason I decided to go to Sasquatch. I was stoked to see them. Unfortunately, I don’t think a festival is the best place to see them. They seemed to constrict their banter a lot, which was what I was looking forward to most. I’d love to see them in a smaller venue when they can really spend time and interact with the crowd. But they were still hilarious. Most of the songs they played were ones from the show, but they played two or so that I hadn’t heard before. The best of which was a song that went along the lines of “There are angels in the clouds… doin it!” These guys are a class act. As evidenced by my favorite moment when they were talking about being a real band, Brett asks Jemaine: “How many blowjobs have you had today?” To which Jemaine replies, “47, it’s about average.” The crowd cheers, Jemaine says, “There…you can hear some of them now…thank you!” Buy their CD.

The Hives
Best. Act. Period. So much energy! And so much arrogance! haha. I liked it. It was a perfect mix of chatter and songs. And watching him climb all over and jump into the crowd was great. I love the Swedes, man. Prior to this show I only had one Hives CD. Now I have them all, or most, anyway. I’d see these guys again in an instant. They’re way entertaining. If you haven’t seen them yet, make a point to. Know their music or not, it doesn’t matter. They’re great!

The Mars Volta
Good lord. This was terrible. I want that hour back. Wretched. They sounded awful. I can’t even come up with the words to describe my hatred of this set. And I even liked a few Mars Volta songs before I saw them. Now I hate them. All their songs are gone from my computer and my life. Ew.

Rodrigo Y Gabriela
These two were impressive. I have never seen anything like it. They could do so much with their guitars. He was amazing with the way he made use of the fret, and she was amazing with the way she continued to play the guitar as “intended” as well as rhythmically. I was super impressed. I’d see them again as well. I’m not convinced that their CD would be as satisfactory — so much of my jaw dropping came from watching them perform. Brilliant.

Conclusion

Well worth the $170 I spent on tickets, and the sunburns. I don’t think I’ll be able to see another show for a while, but that’s okay — this one should tide me over for quite some time. I walked away with a lot of new music on my to-get list. And I love what I’ve gotten!