Sasquatch 2018 Preview: Grandpa and Acquaintances Go to Sasquatch
Sasquatch! 2018 Music Festival
May 25-27, 2018
The Gorge Amphitheater
Gorge, Washington
This year, our intrepid Sasquatch one man media node, Grandpa Andy Bookwalter, will be flanked by two other keen NadaMucho.com contributors he doesn’t really know as he performs his yearly ritual of enjoying and describing his experience at the yearly festival at the Gorge Amphitheater. The three of them will provide updates on their own social media handles as well as our Instagram, Flickr and Twitter pages.
As they set out on their heroic voyage today, here’s a quick look at who they’re excited to see.
Andy Bookwalter, Journalist / @bookwalt
“Why I’m driving a rolling meth lab over the mountains to camp with children, in no particular order.”
David Byrne. Respect must be paid. Saint David (Dave?), the patron saint of art school weirdos made good, hard to work with awkward nerds, and all manner of genius dorks. I went to college in the 80’s, so by law Remain In Light on cassette was playing in audible range for at least 12 hours a day. Talking Heads were post punk before there was punk to be post. Also, True Stories is a great movie.
tUnE-yArDs (auto correct does NOT like that band name!). Nothing about tUnE-yArDs (my phone recognizes it now, you’re goddamn right I’m going to spell it that way!) should appeal to me. Lo-fi percussion loops and ukulele solos played by a puppeteer from Vermont? Yikes! The thing is, I skipped almost all of their last Sasquatch set, probably for something dumb, but the 10 or so minutes I did catch were mesmerizing and very cool. Also, “Water Fountain” totally reminds me of Belle Stars version of “The Clapping Song”, and I love me some Belle Stars.
Speaking of bands I shouldn’t like based on their description: Polyrythmics. Funk and soul and jazz is all well and good, unless it’s jammy, and Polyrythmics definitely flirt with the jam. Still, last year I was blown away by Vulfpeck, and what I’ve heard by Polyrythmics satisfies my apparent need for funky solos, so bring it on.
Spoon, because I have no idea what songs are theirs, but more than a few times I’ve heard a great pop song that stuck with me long enough to dig through the KEXP archived playlist, and found that it was a Spoon song.
Spoon at the Showbox Theater in Seattle, January 2018. Photo by Rachel Bennett.
Neko Case, because the Gorge Amphitheater, already a breathtaking venue, is never better than when Neko Case is playing at it. She won’t quite be singing the sun down, which would be so perfect, but Neko’s songs scream for windy places overlooking rivers.
There’s plenty more, it’s a really good lineup this year. I’m looking forward to being surprised.
AJ Dent, Journalist/Photographer / @digitalaj
I can’t wait to see Tank and The Bangas‘ combo of spoken word and New Orleans soul impact the crowd. Tank’s voice acts like an Olympic gymnast in the midst of earning the gold medal, while the Bangas bring it on home. I’m already daydreaming about their lowkey funk, playful theatrics, and sure-to-be cohesive surprises in the Gorge sunshine: a perfect offering from the main stage on Sunday afternoon.
If you only know Rostam from his work with Vampire Weekend, let’s fix that right now. Check out the band Discovery, consisting of the artist and Ra Ra Riot singer Wes Miles—the one album they’ve released together is a bag of electro-pop pixie sticks. Next, here’s a brief list of other wonders with whom Rostam has worked: Paul Simon, Hamilton Leithauser of The Walkmen, Carly Rae Jepsen, Kid Cudi, Charli XCX, etc. forever. In his solo work, his voice is a near-literal dream; it sounds like he’s whispering an intimate secret to you as you fall asleep. On top of all that, I always want to support queer artists, so you know I’ll be right in front of El Chupacabra’s stage for this one.
Being from Minnesota, I am not going to miss this Minneapolis-based heroine. Lizzo sounds made of self-love and satisfaction, voice giddy with what she sees in the mirror. Both her solo work and collaborations pop with crescendo raps and silly-putty smiles. She’s even Prince-approved, having worked with the artist on his track BOYTROUBLE. No doubt she’s gonna bring all she’s got to the main stage, and then some.
Maurice Harnsberry, Photographer / @mobetta206
Sasquatch Favorites to See:
Huge fan of Tyler the Creator’s catalog and “No Fucks Given” attitude. I’ve never had the opportunity to see him perform live so not only getting photos will be dope BUT I’ll be treated to an awesome performance.
Dope MC, Incredible Mind. Vince Staples also has a mindset like Tyler the Creator. He’s had some misses in his music catalog (in my opinion) but I’m an overall fan and excited to see him live.
Confident Full Figure woman who isn’t scared to show her body. Her music is dope and Lizzo always puts on a good performance.
Magic Sword @ Freakout Festival 2017. Photo by Jake Hanson.
Magic Sword is the “Daft Punk” of Idaho. I had the opportunity to see them perform at Upstream Music Fest and the show was great, so just imagine them on a bigger stage and a much huger audience…MIND BLOWN!!! Plus, the outfits they wear are FUCKIN COOL. They look like lost family members from Star Wars.
Ummmm I like Breakfast Food and I love Japan *shrugs*..LOL no but I just enjoy Japanese Breakfast’s music and they are great to watch live.
OH MY GOD!!! If you never seen this genius live…you are missing out. Thundercat performed at the Capitol Hill Block Party last year and fuckin’ (excuse my French) killed it. Dude is amazing and very short of words when talking to the audience. Great Artist…check out his “Drunk” project if you haven’t yet. It’s so amazing.