changing music one bleep at a time: 2010 Sasquatch Music Festival

This last weekend was a great weekend for musicbleep as we headed up to Seattle to catch the SASQUATCH! Music Festival at the Gorge in Washington, and I have to say, it was quite the magical weekend! We started out our adventure on Friday night in Ballard, a neighborhood in Seattle known for a list of cherished music venues and hidden hot spots. After dinner at King's Hardware, we were headed back to the car and passed Aaron Dessner from one of our favorite bands, The National. Now, it was my birthday and I did meet them on my birthday two years ago, so I thought this to be a little ironic, so I had to stop him. The next thing you know, we were at the Tractor Tavern with the National drinking PBR's and watching an intimate set by Peter Buck from R.E.M. That was just the beginning. The next morning we got up and drove east, past the cascades and pine trees to the Gorge.

The spectacular views of the Columbia River, and the broken cliff edges of the gorge as the backdrop and scenery for the amazing lineup of artists that they put together, set the mood for the weekend and was certainly well thought out. Each day had remarkable sets, no matter which stage you chose; Sasquatch Main, Bigfoot or the Yeti, you were guaranteed a great performance.

We arrived early Day 1 of the festival to make sure that we caught some of the earlier acts; Laura Marling, Mumford & Sons (unbelievable) Portugal. The Man (whom we had the chance to hang out and chat with after their show), The Middle East, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros (best show of theirs I have seen so far), and a speechless performance by The National. Just to name a few.

The overall set-up of the festival was amazing, with it being built out of nature and using nature as the driving force behind the acoustics for live performances, to the overall vibe of the people that were there. Nobody was there to fight, push, or shove (although there were times where a lot of dancing and pushing around during shows), everybody was there to share an experience that we all have a common bond over and that is MUSIC! And to have it all laid out in those breathtaking surroundings, created a complete package.

Day 2 of the fest we started out our day right by hitting the Bigfoot stage, which was right by the entrance and two ponds. Local Natives opened our late morning with lively energy and then we walked our way down the gorge to the Sasquatch stage to see Seattle locals The Long Winters, and They Might Be Giants (I bought my first TMBG album in the 7th grade, it was a nostalgic moment). We decided to just take in all that was going on for a while; walking around, people-watching, checking out different stages and bands and then wondered back up the hill the catch an unforgettable set by the UK's The XX. And they KILLED it! We had the opportunity to meet up with the XX after and talked to them for a while. We finished our day by watching a set by LCD Soundsystem which just blew us away. Spectacle not to be missed.

Sadly Day 3 arrived *tear*. But our frowns were quickly turned upside down, because we still had a FULL DAYS worth of bands and music we love. Our day started of rather early with a surprisingly interesting performance by Detroit's Mayor Hawthorne and then some of our favorite AUSSIE'S....The Temper Trap, where Dougy and Co. nailed it, once again! Drums + Water = RAD! The Passion Pit soon came after and we danced to their electro-rock beats. We were preparing ourselves for a more mellow ending to our evening, but She & Him have, well grown. When musicbleep first saw this "duo", they were just that, Zooey and M.Ward. Now they are a full grown band with much more upbeat and danceable sounds. And how can you resist her face and personality...so adorable. We had some time to kill so we walked around a bit and caught up with the drummer and singer from Band of Horses. They were really sweet guys and very humble, which was nice to see with their quick rise to their success. They soon took the stage and...I don't even know what to say. We have been listening to them for years, but to see them live completely introduced us to them on a whole new level. After they finished their unspeakably amazing collections of songs, we walked up to finish the night with The New Pornographers, which we all know involves one of musicbleeps favorite singer/songwriters, Neko Case. I have seen them before, but to see them so close to their Canadian home, was very special. They were full of personality and humor, and then put on the perfect final touch to this amazing weekend!

As you can imagine, this was a great experience and we are so grateful that we were a part of it and be able to bring all the music love back to share with all of our muscbleep readers. Keep reading this week as we will doing full individual reviews of highlighted performances, as well as reviews on some upcoming shows this week: The School of Seven Bells, The Hundred In The Hand, The Middle East and Mumford & Sons (yes, twice in one week). We are very excited and look forward to going back to the SASQUATCH! Festival next year. I'm sure the line-up of artists and the atmosphere will just be as great as this year, if not better.

WE ARE SASQUATCH!!

STORY: TONY CRAGO/CORY RADKE
PHOTOS: TONY CRAGO/CORY RADKE

Another awesome day at Sasquatch! It was hard to beat the first day, but it surely didn't disappoint. We kicked off the day with L.A.'s own Local Natives. A band I've been wanting to see for some time now...

A few other highlights from the day were The XX, They Might Be Giants, Tegan & Sara and LCD Soundsystem. We were a little sad that City of Colour didn't make it out, but Mt. St. Helen's Vietnam Band filled in and did an amazing job.

This weekend is seriously like a music lover's dream. I can't turn my head without seeing one of my favorite bands. I'm like on overload and it's only day 2. I had to pinch myself at one point, cuz I seriously thought I was dreaming.