Some pictures from the first day. This was my 3rd year spending Memorial Day Weekend at Sasquatch. Highlights from Saturday were many. Brother Ali, Broken Social Scene, The National, Vampire Weekend, and Deadmau5 were all excellent.
We were lucky enough to see Vampire Weekend a few weeks back at the Wilma Theater in downtown Missoula. Scheduled to play 3 shows in a row at Radio City Music Hall in September and with a current tour that has sold out almost every date, they have been gaining popularity rapidly in the last year or so.
The Blow opened, an interesting choice that we spectulated might be local, but turned out to be from Portland.
When Vampire Weekend finally came out the crowd was certainly receptive. Their songs are happy and fun, and the live sound was clear and bright like their records. Playing almost every song off of their new album Contra, and most from their self-titled debut, the energy level in the room was super high from start to finish.
Highlights for me included M79 with the crowd providing the intermittant ‘whoas’ and the choice of one of my favorite songs off their first album, Walcott, to finish their encore. I have listened to their 2 albums countless times and it was a thrill to see the musicians behind the music.
I didn’t take a camera but it looked a lot like this, with the addition of a half-dozen or so chandeliers similar the one on the cover of their first album.
It was their 3rd time in Missoula and their first US show from their current tour.
Voices Voices and The Gaslamp Killer, both from Los Angeles, California opened.
Stolen from their Myspace sites:
“Over the course of the last few years, Gaslamp Killer has established a solid rep for devastating beats and intricate cuts. This nomadic West Coaster has steadily smashed the scene from San Diego to Los Angeles to San Francisco.”
“It’s hard to think of a name that carries as much weight in both hip-hop and avant-rock circles as Prefuse 73, who in the past year alone has been asked to remix TV On The Radio, Pelican, BLK JKS and Cornelius, not to mention his early collaborations with School of Seven Bells and Battles.”
The Good Old Boyz are Woody Wood, Scott Sharpe, D.C. Jones, and Richard Foulk. If you are ever lucky enough to have them play in your neck of the woods go see some excellent live music.
Last Thursday I saw Melt Banana play at The Palace. The Lion The Tamer and Deny the Dinosaur? opened. It was my first time at The Palace.
Put on your skinny jeans because its time for Northwest Jerk Fest presented by Northwest Movement Magazine . These are all from the final round featuring Portland’s own Bedrock Boyz vs. The Rip City Jerks.
All you future jerkers out there can learn some new moves here.
Both these bands absolutely killed it. They brought the rock with a furious intensity that your average hipster simply cannot comprehend.
On a political/ethical side note: The Fiery Furnaces want you to know the importance of health care reform in the United States that includes a government provided public option.
Perhaps you think it is reprehensible that someone might die, or their child or spouse, because they cannot afford health insurance and the standard of care that comes with it. If so, I encourage you to take a few minutes to contact the politicians who make decisions in your name. Urge them to support legislation that includes an affordable public option to help increase the quality of life for all Americans.
Contact Your Representatives in the House
The last three bands to play at Harvest Record’s Transfigurations. At the Grey Eagle in Asheville, NC.
After leaving the Books at Diana Wortham I went over to the Grey Eagle just in time to catch the last few songs of Jonathan Kane’s set. All five were onstage in a straight line, with Jonathan in the middle. They were absolutely wailing out some serious rock. Quite a change from the mellow pace of the Books. I was impressed.
More of Harvest Records’ Transfigurations. These pictures are from the Saturday evening show at the Diana Wortham Theatre. Villages opened, followed by Mount Eerie, and finally The Books.
These pictures are all from the late show at the Grey Eagle. Ice Cream opened up for Budos Band.
For their 5 year anniversary local Asheville record shop Harvest Records put on a 3 day music festival. My sister Rebecca arranged for me to attend the shows and take pictures for the local independent newspaper the Mountain Xpress .
It was my first time ever being commissioned to take pictures and it was a great experience. These are all from the first day at one of the best places to see live music in Asheville, the Grey Eagle.
The bands playing this show, in order of appearance, were:
Floating Action from Asheville, NC
The Coathangers from Atlanta, GA
Kurt Vile from Philadelphia, PA
Some pictures from the 2009 Sasquatch Music Festival at The Gorge Amphitheater at George, Washington, about a 5 hour drive west from Missoula.
