Sasquatch! 2012 revisited
Radio Free SoDo sent the staff shutterdog, yours truly, off to the gorgeous Gorge Amphitheater last weekend for the 11th annual Sasquatch! music festival, and in addition to a nasty sunburn & an equally nasty hangover, I think I may have actually brought back a few images worth sharing this time. I’m happy to report back that Sasquatch! is still the undisputed heavyweight champ of the upper-left coast when it comes to music festivals with a world-class lineup of over 130 artists performing over the extended four-day Memorial Day weekend on four outdoor and two tented stages.
The highlights for me included a couple of newcomers to the arena (at least for me) as well as a couple of my all-time favorite standards who seem to have reinvented their sound and infused new energy into both their music and their live performance. The photos from those performances start at the bottom of this page and continue on page two.
Newcomer – We Are Augustines
I totally blew this one off last year when it came out. I listened to it a couple of times & I liked it, but moved on. I had no idea that this is the band that rose from the ashes of the awesome Brooklyn band Pela after they broke up. My loss because these guys are the real thing… energetic, passionate, brash and, oh my god, so much fun live outdoors under a bright blue sky!
Newcomer – Reignwolf
Equal parts Hendrix, Jeff Beck and Kim Thayil on the guitar with a voice that ranges from Mark Lanegan lows to a screaming Layne Staley, Jordan Cook a.k.a. Reignwolf is a fucking rock and roll typhoon live. This dude is all over the place, playing drums & guitar at the same time, covering Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain, working the crowd like a seasoned vet the whole time. An amazing performer and an epic guitar player with a debut album coming soon, this kid’s going to break big and and he’s going to break fast.
I’m already missing the sun & that view. Wish I would have known that winery & restaurant were that close – saw the sign on my way in, but figured that it was too far to walk around & thought they would be all down on the concert crowd. Next year!
Yup. Pleasant surprise. I knew it was there, but I didn't know about that back gate onto the property. They were totally cool about the concert crowd coming in, by the way… it's the only business they get that weekend!
Totally agreeing about Jurado & Augustines. Caught both of their shows & they were just perfect (though totally different)! Did you get to see the Head and the Heart? That was a fun show too!
Hey Karen- No I didn't. They were flanked by Wild Flag & The Walkmen on the upper stage. I'd never seen either of those bands live & I've probably seen THATH close to a dozen times over the past couple of years around town. Great band though & an outstanding album.
Great pics & writeup on a great weekend. So many outstanding performances!! Did you not get to see Bon Iver?
Long story, but I watched part of his show from the nosebleed section. The sound sucks up there * it was getting lat so I took off after two songs.