Thursday, April 17, 2008

April's showers bring Summer music festivals

It's April, so it must be raining outside. Let me rephrase that... it's Seattle and it's not summer, so it must be raining outside. What a better way to spend a drizzly day than to dream about all the great music festivals hitting the Northwest this summer.

Playlist: Sasquatch Music Festival (May 24-26)
The kickoff to the season is the Sasquatch Music Festival, which year after year, gets the most best tasting/less filling lineup in the country. Doesn't get the press that Coachella gets, but the lineup is top notch, and it's hard to beat watching your favorite band with Grand Canyon Jr. (the Gorge) as a backdrop. Bands like R.E.M., Modest Mouse, The Cure and Death Cab For Cutie are great decoys for the real entertainment on a second stage. That's where you can see acts like Destroyer, Stephen Malkmus, Battles, Okkervil River in a slightly more intimate setting.
Must See: Fleet Foxes

Playlist: Sub Pop 20th Anniversary Festival (July 12-13)
The initial lineup was just announced this week, but rumors of a Green River reunion have been circulating since the fall. Not only do we get a GR reunion, but also reuniting for the event are Red Red Meat, Fluid, Seaweed and Beachwood Sparks. (What, no Tad?) The rest of the lineup is filled with current roster acts like Wolf Parade, Iron & Wine, Fleet Foxes and Flight of the Conchords, but no sight of the crossover successes - The Shins and Band of Horses. Portland's Sub Pop contingent is missing as well -- perhaps Hazel, Pond and The Spinanes can get their act together in time for the event?
Must see: Green River (duh?)
Website: SP20 Details

Playlist: Pemberton Music Festival (July 25-27)
This is a first for the Whistler area and I for one was surprised to see the local residents approve the festival. With a camping set-up and acts like Black Mountain, Jay-Z, Tom Petty, My Morning Jacket (see full lineup) it's a good thing Canada is much looser with their Marijuana laws. They even have a family section for camping, which presumably won't have the same cannibas fog surrounding it.
Must see: Sam Roberts Band (when in Canada...)
Website: Pemberton Festival

Playlist: Capitol Hill Block Party (July 25-26)
Occurring at the same time as Pemberton, CHBP has grown leaps and bounds throughout the years, but finally seems to have settled on a size, as this year resembles the last couple in size and strength (manageable and 'like bull', respectively). Vampire Weekends' got a busy, uh... weekend playing both CHBP and Pemberton fests. Other highlights for this neighborhood party include The Hold Steady, Kimya Dawson and Jay Reatard.
Must see: Jay Reatard!
Website: The Stranger's CHBP site

Playlist: Bumbershoot (August 30–September 1)
The annual labor day weekend arts extravaganza is always the bohemoth lying in wait... the giant straw that breaks your festival going back. I believe I've attended now every year since 1987, which makes my attendance this year of drinking age (21 years!) The beer gardens better watch out! A preview lineup has been announced featuring Beck, Neko Case, M. Ward, Dan Deacon and Wreckless Eric (!) among many others. It's too early to say how it's going to look, though, as there's a lot of time for plenty of surprise announcements to come. We'll of course be monitoring the situation.
Must see: Man Man (just added)
Website: Bumbershoot.org

So, who wants to fly to the Seattle area for the summer now?

5 comments:

Shawn Anderson said...

Sasquatch Music Festival 2008

1. Living Well Is The Best Revenge - R.E.M.
2. Florida - Modest Mouse
3. Paper Planes - M.I.A.
4. Myriad Harbour - New Pornographers
5. Slow Show - The National
6. Cumbia De Los Muertos - Ozomatli
7. A Sunday Smile - Beirut
8. Seeing Hands - Dengue Fever
9. Sun Giant (Album) - Fleet Foxes
10. German Studies - The Breeders
11. Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe - Okkervil River
12. Dark Leaves Form A Thread - Destroyer
13. The Cheapest Key - Kathleen Edwards
14. Like A Vibration - The Whigs
15. The Rat - Dead Confederate
16. Dream Catch Me - Newton Faulkner
17. Torn Blue Foam Couch - Grand Archives
18. A Blueprint Of Something Never Finished - David Bazan
19. Shotgun Wedding - Joshua Morrison
20. Blistered - Vince Mira
21. About To Walk - Throw Me The Statue
22. Summer's Life - The Shaky Hands
23. Seward Park - Grand Hallway
24. Dating Game - Handsome Boy Modeling School
25. The End Of The World - The Cure
26. I Will Possess Your Heart - Death Cab For Cutie
27. Yell Fire - Michael Franti
28. Ladybug - Presidents of the United States of America
29. I Was Zapped By The Lucky Super Rainbow - The Flaming Lips
30. Hang Me Up To Dry - Cold War Kids
31. Joe Metro - Blue Scholars
32. Retreat! Retreat! - 65daysofstatic
33. Back In Your Head - Tegan and Sara
34. Dragonfly Pie - Stephen Malkmus
35. Always Where I Need To Be - The Kooks
36. Goods - Mates of State
37. Lake Michigan - Rogue Wave
38. The Plot - White Rabbits
39. Sun Chase Moon - The Heavenly States
40. Idecide - What Made Milwaukee Famous
41. Loose Change - The Morning Benders
42. Two Times - The Blakes
43. You Might as Well (Album) - Sera Cahoone
44. Evryday Bidness - Cancer Rising
45. Secret Lives - The Cops
46. Jesse's Not a Sleeper - J.Tillman
47. Porkwich - Truckasauras
48. Comedy Death Ray (Comedy Death Ray) - Brian Posehn
49. So Beautiful (Olivier Desmet & Oriental Funk Stew Remix) - Reggie Watts
50. Goodbye - The Maldives
51. Aberinkula - The Mars Volta
52. Business Time - Flight Of The Conchords
53. Tamacun - Rodrigo Y Gabriela
54. Goin' Against Your Mind - Built To Spill
55. Tick Tick Boom - The Hives
56. Mr. Pitiful - Matt Costa
57. Fresh 2 Def - Dyme Def
58. Heavy Heart - Ghostland Observatory
59. Earjuice Synthesis (Hair Does Loose Aboot This Hoose Remoox) - Jamie Lidell
60. B + T - Battles
61. Dancing On Our Graves - The Cave Singers
62. Lovers Who Uncover - The Little Ones
63. Lost To The Lonesome - Pela
64. Bag of Hammers - Thao Nguyen
65. Gimme Some Motivation - Delta Spirit
66. Point That Thing Somewhere Else - Kinski
67. Northwestern Girls - Say Hi
68. Wolf And Crane - Siberian
69. Lady Fingers - Whalebones
70. Sex (I Am A Wonderful Man) - Michael Ian Black
71. Erotica - Michael Showalter
72. Seattle, Steakhouse - Eugene Mirman
73. Fueled By Self Hate - Marc Maron

Shawn Anderson said...

Sub Pop 20th Anniversary Festival

1. "Swallow My Pride" - Green River
2. "Sulfur" - Red Red Meat
3. "Is It Day I'm Seeing" - Fluid
4. "Confusion Is Nothing New" - Beachwood Sparks
5. "Losing Skin" - Seaweed
6. "Sun Giant" - Fleet Foxes
7. "Business Time" - Flight Of The Conchords
8. "Cassius" - Foals
9. "Miniature Birds" - Grand Archives
10. "Lately" - The Helio Sequence
11. "House By the Sea" - Iron & Wine
12. "Dayroom at Narita Int'l" - Kinski
13. "Breaker" - Low
14. "Touch Me I'm Sick" - Mudhoney
15. "Eraser" - No Age
16. "I'll Believe in Anything" - Wolf Parade
17. "I Don't Need Smoke to Make Myself Disappear" - Pissed Jeans
18. "Tane Mahuta" - Ruby Suns

Shawn Anderson said...

Pemberton Music Festival 2008

1. Fix You - Coldplay
2. American Girl - Tom Petty
3. I Know - Jay-Z
4. Little Bones - The Tragically Hip
5. Mr. Ambulance Driver - The Flaming Lips
6. Empty Walls - Serj Tankian
7. I Will Possess Your Heart - Death Cab For Cutie
8. The Heinrich Maneuver - Interpol
9. Off The Record - My Morning Jacket
10. With A Bullet (Live @ Austin City Limits) - Sam Roberts
11. On The Sly - Metric
12. Stormy High - Black Mountain
13. Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa - Vampire Weekend
14. Name Of The Game - The Crystal Method
15. Giving Up The Ghost - DJ Shadow
16. Spoon - Cut Chemist
17. Night Falls - Booka Shade
18. Cities in Dust - Junkie XL
19. Kenny's Back - Guy Geber & Sahar Z - Dave Seaman
20. Lipstick - Wintersleep
21. 1957 - Buck 65
22. Sad And Lonely [Live] - Secret Machines
23. Little Black Sandals - SiA
24. Easy Love - MSTRKRFT
25. Not Exactly - Deadmau5
26. Jique - Brazilian Girls
27. Time To Pretend - MGMT
28. Duplexes Of the Dead - The Fiery Furnaces
29. Goods - Mates of State
30. I'm Not Over - Carolina Liar
31. Sometime Around Midnight - The Airborne Toxic Event
32. What You Goin to Do - Monte
33. This is Your Life (New Album Version) - Low Vs Diamond
34. It's You (Single) - Annie Stela
35. Body Language (Original) - M.A.N.D.Y.
36. Limit Of Your Mind - Tommie Sunshine
37. Bonafied Lovin - Chromeo
38. Road Rage (Beep-Beep) - Timeline

Shawn Anderson said...

Capitol Hill Block Party 2008

1. Oxford Comma - Vampire Weekend
2. Patty Lee - Les Savy Fav
3. Let's Start This Party Right - Girl Talk
4. Open Your Eyes (Lee Grooves Radio Edit) - U.S.E
5. Walking - The Dodos
6. Blood Visions - Jay Reatard
7. Ground Control to Major Bummer - Akimbo
8. It's Okay - PWRFL Power
9. The Swish - The Hold Steady
10. Fancy Footwork - Chromeo
11. Tire Swing - Kimya Dawson
12. The Night pt. 1 - The Builders and The Butchers
13. Six Gun Hand - Hands
14. 3 To The 6 To The Oh - Velella Velella
15. Jacob the Skate - Man Plus

Shawn Anderson said...

Bumbershoot 2008

1. Timebomb - Beck
2. All In The Suit That You Wear - Stone Temple Pilots
3. Are You Alright? - Lucinda Williams
4. Maybe Sparrow - Neko Case
5. The Way I Am - Ingrid Michaelson
6. Bubble Pop - Del the Funky Homosapien
7. Something Good This Way Comes - Jakob Dylan
8. Pardon My Freedom - !!!
9. Chase The Devil - Lee "Scratch" Perry
10. List of Demands (Reparations) - Saul Williams
11. Walk In My Shadows - Joe Bonamassa
12. To Go Home - M. Ward
13. Louisiana - The Walkmen
14. A Smo-o-oth One - Asylum Street Spankers
15. Big Milk - Dan Deacon
16. Kesariya Baalam - MIDIval PunditZ
17. Jesus on the Mainline - Blitzen Trapper
18. Walls Fall Down - Bedouin Soundclash
19. Songline - Tim Finn
20. Hollywood Hillbilly - Dale Watson
21. My Old Flame - John Vanderslice
22. Arctic Circle - Final Fantasy
23. Ex-Creations - The Fall Of Troy
24. Sophisticated Honky - Orgone
25. Asa Branca Feat. David Byrne - Forro In The Dark
26. Southside Of Heaven - Ryan Bingham
27. Whole Wide World - Wreckless Eric
28. Time For Me To Come Down - Amy Rigby
29. Lion''s Mouth - Arthur & Yu
30. Didn't I - Darondo
31. Are You For Real - Nino Moschella
32. Sol - Pacifika