I’ve been granted a press pass to the Sasquatch Music Festival taking place this weekend in Washington State, and I couldn’t be more exhilarated. Why? Because Sasquatch has recently emerged as one of the premier festivals in the United States, and with its impressive 2011 lineup, maybe worldwide.
What makes Sasquatch unique amongst what seems to be an endless list of oddly—named music festivals is, undeniably, its location. Situated in the middle of Washington State, with no meaningful civilization for miles, Sasquatch takes place atop the Columbia River Gorge.
In case you’ve never heard of the Gorge, please take a moment to acknowledge the amazing idea of having a music festival on the edge of a breathtakingly gorgeous, four-thousand-foot deep canyon. The main stage literally looks over the edge, and audience members spend just as much time watching the beauty around them as they do the bands.
Maybe it’s because everyone is fresh off of a road trip (Quincy, WA is at least two and half hours away from any major city), but in general, Sasquatch-ians seem more elated and just stoked to be in attendance, compared to the attendees of most other high-profile festivals.
As a veteran of Coachella and Bumbershoot, I can safely say that the overall vibes and atmosphere at those festivals doesn’t even begin to compare to Sasquatch.
And that’s all without even mentioning the musical entertainment, which is top notch. In fact, this is Sasquatch’s ten-year anniversary, so they’re celebrating in regal fashion. For the first time, Sasquatch has expanded to four days (May 27-30), and the likes of Wilco, the Flaming Lips, Ratatat, and many more will be taking to their stages.
Due to previous plans in New York, I’ll be missing Friday and experiencing just the final three days. But that’s no big loss, because those days are loaded, and I’ll still see a great selection of the roughly 100 artists spread out from Saturday to Monday.
In fact, there may be too many artists, because my mind is swirling with conflict mania. I have a few days to work out my schedule, so I’ll give you a better idea of what I’ll be checking out in my next preview, but there are several acts from Quebec (e.g. Sam Roberts) and Washington (e.g. the Moondoggies) that I’ll be sure not to miss.
In my next preview: I’ll give you my complete schedule, provide transcripts from a few interviews, highlight key artists, and provide a bit more insight into the journey I plan on taking.
Ratatat – Wildcat by rabbitron
Festival photo from festivalcircuit.wordpress.com
logo photo from http://three-colours.blogspot.com/
