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| Jeremy Dutton makes a living off of reading other people's stories and designing pages you'll want to look at. He lives in Kennewick and dreams of the day when the TC gets an indie record store to feed his nasty record buying habit. |
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closeFriday, May. 22, 2009
Indie reigns supreme in this year's Sasquatch lineup
By Jeremy Dutton, Herald staff writer
Nearly 80 bands are set to rock three stages this year.
And with impressive lineups each day, it makes for some agonizing choices.
So with that here are five bands for each day of the festival that are not to be missed.
May 23
Mos Def: You're more likely to see him on screen than on stage nowadays but he's still one of the best MCs around.
Doves: They've never gotten the credit they've deserved, but after the lush sonics they dropped on Last Broadcast they've got to be able to pull it together live.
Sun Kil Moon: Former Red House Painter writes beautiful songs and does a mean Modest Mouse cover, too.
Animal Collective: Their latest is already hailed as the best of the year. See it live.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: You only need one reason, Karen O.
May 24
Calexico: Great songs, big sound and plenty of horns.
Avett Brothers: Bluegrass meets punk. You've never seen a banjo rock harder.
M83: There's so much to love about his '80s love letter. Big synths will fill the air.
John Vanderslice: He's a bit of an acquired taste vocally, but his off-kilter lyrics house great stories.
of Montreal: Performance art meets great songs.
May 25
Santigold: If she pulls off anything close to M.I.A.'s set last year, it'll be gold.
Girl Talk: Pure fun and wonder at what song comes next.
Deerhoof: Rockin' rhythms amid cute chaos.
Blitzen Trapper: A must-see band but they're also on at the same time as Gogol Bordello. Lucky for you Tri-Cities, the Red Room just added Blitzen to the calendar in July.
Gogol Bordello: Gypsy punk with a hyper-kinetic lead singer that's impossible to take your eyes off of.
A quick check on the Sasquatch fest Web site shows there are still tickets available for the May 25 show -- that's Memorial Day.
As you can see to the right there's still some pretty heavy talent planned.
Earlier this week, there was a brief scare as organizers said camping was completely sold out for the weekend. But days later and after what seems like a pretty vocal chorus of fans still looking for a place to stay, the festival said it secured enough overflow camping that no one would be turned away at the gate the morning of May 23.
-- Concert tickets for May 25 cost $76.50.
-- Camping pass (3-day) costs $95.
May 23
Kings of Leon
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The Decemberists
Animal Collective
Bon Iver
Devotchka
M. Ward
Doves
Sun Kil Moon
The Gaslight Anthem
King Khan & The Shrines
Ra Ra Riot
Shearwater
Passion Pit
Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band
Vince Mira
Blind Pilot
AA Bondy
Owl City
Arthur & Yu
Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele
Death Vessel
James Pants
Crystal Castles
Mos Def
Champagne Champagne
May 24
Jane's Addiction
Nine Inch Nails
TV On The Radio
The Murder City Devils
of Montreal
The Avett Brothers
Calexico
M83
The Airborne Toxic Event
The Walkmen
The Wrens
St. Vincent
The Dodos
John Vanderslice
The Submarines
Viva Voce
The Builders And The Butchers
Fences
Point Juncture, WA
Hockey
Deadmau5
Natalie Portman's Shaved Head
The Henry Clay People
Mike Watt and the Missingmen
Mad Rad
Street Sweeper Social Club
May 25
Ben Harper and Relentless7
Erykah Badu
Silversun Pickups
Fleet Foxes
Gogol Bordello
Santigold
Grizzly Bear
Explosions In The Sky
Girl Talk
Blitzen Trapper
The Knux
Monotonix
Bishop Allen
Black Moth Super Rainbow
Beach House
The Dutchess And The Duke
School Of Seven Bells
Horse Feathers
The Pica Beats
Loch Lomond
Other Lives
Amanda Blank
Tobacco
Chromeo (DJ Set)
Deerhoof
BLK JKS
Heartless Bastards
Here is a list of concert lineups at The Gorge, White River Amphitheater, and Marymoor Park and The Amphitheater at Clark County:
The Gorge (George)
July 11: Coldplay
July 18: Blazed and Confused Tour featuring Slightly Stoopid and Snoop Dogg
July 22-25: Creation Festival
Aug. 7-8: Phish
Aug. 15: Vans Warped Tour
Aug. 29: Nickelback with Papa Roach, Hinder, Saving Abel
Sept. 4-6: Dave Matthews Band
White River Amphitheatre (Auburn)
July 7: New Kids On the Block
July 14: Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival Feat. Marilyn Manson & Slayer
July 19: No Doubt with Paramore
July 27: Crue Fest 2
Aug. 7: Rod Stewart Rocks His Greatest Hits
Aug. 17: Aerosmith with ZZ Top
Sept. 10: Blink 182 with Weezer
Marymoor park (Redmond)
July 5: Duran Duran
July 11: No Depression Music Festival featuring Gillian Welch and Iron & Wine
July 16: Counting Crows
July 17: The Decemberists
July 18-19: Death Cab for Cutie
Ampitheater at Clark County (Ridgefield)
July 10: Coldplay
July 28: Crue Fest 2
Aug. 28: Nickelback
At many of the big summer festivals the "get" of the headliner is an indicator of its clout. Coachella grabbed Sir Paul McCartney, Bonnaroo has Bruce Springsteen, and the Austin City Limits Festival with Pearl Jam and the Dave Matthews Band.
Taking stock of Sasquatch's choice of Jane's Addiction, Kings of Leon and Ben Harper and it seems the Northwest's contribution to the festival scene is that we're second tier.
Kings of Leon, while steadily building cred, still doesn't seem worthy of a headlining spot. And while a Jane's Addiction reunion will be sweet, it's a tough sell that Nine Inch Nails shouldn't be on top. But none of that really matters beacuse the good stuff isn't on top -- it's the creamy filling.
A slew of amazing indie bands shows that the organizers have really got a handle on the festival's bread and butter. From the Decemberists to M. Ward to TV on the Radio and lesser-known talents in the Avett Brothers and John Vanderslice this roster is an indie lover's dream.
The comedy tent this year is even better. With the inclusion of Zack Galifianakis (bearded dude in the Fiona Apple video), it's enough to make me consider actually missing a few beats to brave the horrendous lines that have always scared me off.
So you know where I'll be and if you can't make it I hope you'll follow along online. This year, I'll only be attending the first two days (everybody's got a budget). While I shudder to miss Gogol Bordello and Girl Talk, I can take solace that I'll be able to see Blitzen Trapper at the Red Room in Kennewick in July.
* Jeremy Dutton: 509-582-1525; jdutton@tricityherald.com.
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