sasquatch 2012 sunday
Sasquatch 2012 Photos and Review: Sunday May 26

By Sunday of Sasquatch 2012, many an attendee had been there four days, which is a lot for anyone that’s spent four days in a grass field without showers, abundant running water or electricity. As one Canadien dude told me, “It’s the third day. I’m lethargic. But it’s a party, so we’re good.” Check out how the third day of said party played out.

Blind Pilot: Sasquatch is no stranger to PNW folk acts, and Blind Pilot are no strangers to Sasquatch. And while many of these folk acts risk falling into a somewhat indistinguishable–or at least “lumped together”–category, Blind Pilot’s set was both refreshing and entertaining. I caught Blind Pilot and their expanded band lineup in Seattle at Neptune. That show reignited my love for the Portland folk act. Their Sasquatch set rode similar vibes. Many folk acts rely on the earnest card (see: Head and the Heart below), but Blind Pilot’s zealousness and legitimate excitement to play radiated through their set (see: their squeezebox player’s facial expression). Additionally, their integration of the more minimalistic Three Rounds and  Sound material with the new, more expanded We Are The Tide tracks was quite seamless. 

Gardens & Villa: Gardens & Villa! Ah, one of my favorite new acts of 2011. After digging their new album, seeing them live at SXSW and our interview with Gardens & Villa, I was pretty much sold. Their Sasquatch set further confirmed that. Playing their whimsical, mystic tunes into the cascading rays of light amidst the Gorge, Gardens & Villa garnered a wholesome crowd at the Yeti Stage. Their layered harmonies, breezy melodies and Chris Lynch’s flute pipe playing charmed the crowd during one of the weekend’s more underrated shows.

The War on Drugs: As label-mates with Gardens & Villa, the War on Drugs took the Bigfoot Stage immediately after G & V. Playing to a slightly larger afternoon crowd, Adam Granduciel and his band delivered lofty, floating, dreamy jams to a somewhat lethargic, third-day crowd. Granduciel’s songwriting and vocals are akin to his own blend of Tom Petty and Dylan, settled over slow, ocean-rolling, rising instrumentals. War on Drugs was a great match for the Sunday afternoon daze.

Head & The Heart: The Head & The Heart are certainly talented. They put a lot into their performances and their stage presence. But watching both the Head & the Heart’s rise over the past few years and their main stage set, I’m confused as to how they rose out of the abundance of post-Fleet Foxes, acoustic folk bands in the Seattle scene. I’m not knockin their talent, as Charity Rose Thielen’s vocals on “Rivers & Roads” plenty demonstrated that they had every right to occupy the stage at that time. It’s just odd that their relatively generic folk jams launched them to where they are now. One thing I did have a gripe with was their “earnestness”. Each time I see them, it just seems they’re visibly trying hard to display how earnest they are. Case in point: one day after coming home from actually working in two feet of snow in the woods for hours, I came home to see the Seattle city slickers aimlessly marching around in the snowy wilderness in this music video. The whole “Pac-NW, outdoorsy, earnest folk” vibe just seems too staged for me.

[nggallery id=20]
The Walkmen:  As I pointed out in our 10 Bands to See at Sasquatch 2012 article, the Walkmen are an incredibly talented, but underrated band. Their newest LP, Heaven, is the seventh in a long line of quality albums. The live rendition of the album at Squatch was marvelous. The band members wielded incredible restraint as Hamilton Leithauser’s vocals swelled and crooned before the Walkmen dropped into the meat of their tunes with the full band eagerly backing Leithauser. Speaking of Leithauser, having not seen his throat yoddles live before, I was blown away at the volume and range of his voice. Expect great things from the Walkmen’s Heaven tour this year. Don’t sleep on em!

Beirut: Zach Condon and his world-groove instrumental pals have carved out a unique niché for themselves through the career of Beirut. While their most recent effort, The Rip Tide, took a step back with more minimalistic approaches, their Sasquatch set boasted the full-on, horns-a-roarin tunes of older Beiruit. The crowd ate up “Nantes”, “Sante Fe” and “Postcards from Italy”. Perhaps my own zest for the eclectic, sprawling world tunes of Beirut has faded, but by the end of their set, Beirut’s honky, horn blasting seemed a bit much. Nonetheless, they delivered a passionate performance for an appreciative crowd.

Bon Iver: Two years ago, a bearded dude with a collection of songs he wrote in a Wisconsin cabin took the Bigfoot Stage and delivered one of the best concerts of my life. A few people found out about his lil’ project called “Bon Iver”, he sold some albums, won a few Grammy’s and then took the main stage to headline Sunday night. Watching the latter made me realize how much success Vernon has (rightfully) found since then. But as he stuttered through telling the crowd “so this prrrrettttty fuckin cool” after Bon Iver’s first few songs, it became apparent that Vernon was as surprised–and as honored–as anyone at Sasquatch at his newfound status. Anyhow, the new Bon Iver set, with expanded band and production value, was a true treat for the crowd. Their light show was as stellar as any other throughout the weekend. And the drawn out, poignant work of Bon Iver shone as they demonstrated just why they took that stage for the headlining spot.

James Murphy (DJ Set): Admittedly, I’m a bit of an LCD fan boy. I saw them 5 times (including Sasquatch 2010) during their final tour that summer/fall. I wrestled my way into the premiere of the film documenting the band’s final days, Shut Up And Play the Hits, at SXSW this year. So when the seminal, 00’s dance-punk act called it quits I was quite devastated. Conversely, when I found out leadman James Murphy would be DJ’ing Squatch it was a hell of a constellation prize. Biases aside, walking into the Banana Shack for Murphy’s DJ set immediately quelled the allergy attack I was in the throes of and lifted my mood. Murphy jockeyed a mix between the New Order/80’s Euro dance vibe that LCD channeled and some brand of classy house jams that shifted me into boogie gear. If I hadn’t been in a hay fever fallout, I would’ve easily danced the rest of the night away (or the rest of Murphy’s set).

Photos by Christopher Nelson and Kyle Johnson. All Rights Reserved by Sasquatch Music Festival

One thought on “Sasquatch Festival 2012: Sunday May 27

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *