The
Sasquatch Music Festival at the Gorge Amphitheater in George, Washington
holds a special place in my heart because it was the first event I
covered for
CBC Radio 3. It was a proud return when I went there this weekend because I
didn't have to
sneak my way backstage to drink and talk with the bands
like I did two years ago. This time I had a right be back there because I was
playing the festival with
The Choir Practice.
Sasquatch began on Saturday, May 24
th but I drove
the seven hours from Vancouver
to the 3-day festival on Sunday to check out some bands before the Choir's
debut on Monday. Here's how the weekend broke down:
SUNDAY
The first band of the day for me was a local Washington band called
Truckasauras, performing on the smallest of the 3 stages at the fest -
The Yeti
(same stage that Choir performed on). This may have been one of the best sets I
saw because the band was so thrilled just to be playing the fest (a sentiment I could
empathize with) that the energy they brought to their electronica
fueled performance was contagious. The leader of the band even invited his
little brother on stage just to take in the big moment.
Fullerton,
California's
The Cold War Kids
was next over on the main stage. This was another band playing with full energy
that really impressed me. There were no frills just sincere passion for the
music they were playing.
I hung around for the rest of the afternoon at the main stage to catch
Tegan and Sara and
The
Presidents of the United
States.
T&S had the crowd in hysterics
and tears as usual with their emotional pop and witty between song banter.
The
Presidents let the 2008 audience know that they're still as tight as they were
in 1995 even though their song styling hasn't changed much.
I caught a little bit of the husband and wife harmonies of
The Mates of State before I had to rendezvous with the Choir Practice at a
motel on I-90 in Ellensburg,
Wash. to rehearse. Sadly I missed
out on
Death Cab for Cutie and the
2 and a half-hour performance by
the Cure.
Check back for
photos and
Monday's report later on today...
