BuzzSugar

Unpacking Sasquatch: Hanging Out Backstage

BuzzSugar — Thu, 29 May 2008 09:42:58 -0700

I did a lot of running around backstage at Sasquatch over the long holiday weekend chatting with musicians about touring all summer, hanging out at music festivals, and more. I've rounded up the final bits of conversations I had with Dead Confederate, Newton Faulkner, and Joshua Morrison.

Dead Confederate
These guys requested I interview them in the V.I.P. lounge keg line. Hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do for the music. There's more than three of them and the line was a bit chaotic, so I couldn't tell you who said what in the following!

Dead Confederate is a provocative name, are you guys making some kind of statement?

Hardy [one of the band members] used to date a girl named Dead Confederate, she kind of dumped him….every song is a memory of Dead Confederate. Nah, it just makes sense with the way we sound, something kinda dark. Got your attention, kinda dark.

How long have you guys been together?
Three weeks. We were on the cover of the Rolling Stone the first week we had the band.

Where did you guys meet?
Denny's.

Their manager: You guys have to answer some questions serious!

What do you guys dance to? Say, alone in your underwear?
James Brown! Queen! Lionel Richie, "All Night Long" that’s our answer! [started singing "All Night Long"].

To see my interview with Joshua Morrison and Newton Lawrence, read more.

Joshua Morrison
I sampled Joshua's music before heading out to Sasquatch and was really interested in chatting with him about his time in Iraq and how that influenced his music.

On your CD your vocals are distorted and hushed. Is that hard to recreate live?
Playing live is new to me. It’s hard to get that experience. The crowd was good, it was different, I haven't played outside in six or seven years.

You're native to the Northwest. Is playing Sasquatch a dream come true?
It is cool, you know, to come out and be at the Gorge is kind of surreal for me. My normal day-to-day life is different. Doesn’t have much to do with music.

Yeah you're in the army and a musician. Do you find in the army these days a lot of soldiers are looking for creative outlets?
Yeah an entire group of people in the army are creative, they play music for sure. It's frustrating for me as a soldier to see them portrayed in the movies, it gives me great joy to see soldiers represented that are interested in all sorts of things - art, poetry. . . they're out there.

Newton Faulkner
I also sampled UK import Newton Faulkner's music before the festival and had a great time chatting him up as well.

You've opened for a lot of great acts. Who's been your favorite?
John Butler, James Morrison, Paulo Nutini, G-Love, too. . . loads of Australian acts as well.

America seems to be catching up with Europe in regard to festivals being the primary way to see live music in the summer.
England really does festivals, there are millions of them as well. Really nice way to spend a weekend, if anything else. Just have to make sure it doesn’t get too expensive. Festivals abroad are my favorite thing in the world. I did one in Australia it was amazingly beautiful.

Your single, "Dream Catch Me," is really getting popular in the UK. Did you know you were writing a hit at the time?
I wasn't sure. . . If you try to write a hit you'll very rarely actually do it. I think you have to write and be honest. That’s all you really can do.

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Unpacking Sasquatch: Hanging Out With The Whigs

BuzzSugar — Wed, 28 May 2008 11:42:51 -0700

I've had a day to decompress, gather my notes and reflect on some of the sights and sounds from my time in George, WA and now I'm ready to share some more of my interviews. First I chatted with Rainn Wilson. Next up: The Whigs, a young band out of Athens, GA who are on tour promoting their second album Mission Control (released on Dave Matthews' label).

The Whigs are a classic garage band trio who may not be reinventing the wheel, but my-oh-my are they ever super fun to see live. The band's vocalist Parker Gispert sounds like the Spoon frontman gone wild and, well, it's pretty sexy. Drummer Julian Dorio may be young but he's supremely talented and capable. Can you tell I love this band?

I caught up with these guys in the press trailer on Saturday right before M.I.A. took to the main stage. To check out our conversation and watch a clip of their live performance on Dave Letterman's show, read more.

You guys got a lot of buzz coming out of SXSW this year and word is you are the most fun live.
Parker: That's what I'm talking about, that's what I'm after. That's like, why you start the band.

How was the response to your performance today?
Parker: People were excited, everyone's excited. I think it's just being in this place.

Have you guys been to Sasquatch before? How do you like it?
Parker: No. I love it, pretty amazing outside. You gotta realize we play in bars - that's what you do. So you're never in a national park.

How are you feeling about the band right now? Where you've been, where you're going?
Parker: Things have always been good, things have always been positive for the band. Nothing crazy. We never. . . we didn't have some gigantic monster smash. People weren't freaking out or stalking us or anything. But people have been gradually getting into the band, seeing us live and stuff.

Julian: We've been on tour for quite awhile. Started in the new year, record came out in January so we've just been touring, doing the rest of the Summer and hopefully the rest of Fall.

That's intense!
Julian: For us the act of playing is rewarding, maybe it's a little obvious or hokey but some people don't want to tour that much. If you play a sport and you love it, you actually want to get on the field.

How do you guys feel about all the music coming out of the South?
Parker: Anything from jazz to blues to rock music. America-wise, so much of it is rooted in the South. . . New Orleans or Memphis. We're super proud to be from the South. Bands are getting a lot of attention outside of the South, it's pretty cool.

Unpacking Sasquatch: Hanging Out With Rainn Wilson

BuzzSugar — Tue, 27 May 2008 16:47:12 -0700

While many of you were reveling in BBQs and sunshine over Memorial Day weekend, I ventured north for the 2008 Sasquatch Music Festival and it was so much fun! Soon I'll share with you my general take on the bands I got to watch perform and interview. However, before I could even get to the music my first day on the scene, I noticed an airplane circling round overhead with a banner promoting the film The Rocker and then suddenly I was surrounded by teenagers sporting bandanas with the movie's logo. I knew then: Rainn Wilson was in the house.

In The Rocker (opening August 1), Rainn plays a washed-up drummer who helps some teenagers learn how to live, love, and rock 'n' roll, so it's only natural that he's hitting summer music festivals to promote the film. Plus, he's originally from Seattle so I imagine it's not a total drag for him to hang out with bands native to his hometown.

Rainn was omnipresent throughout the festival and even took to the main stage between acts to entertain the crowd. Backstage I caught up with him and the band Dead Confederate (more on them and their music later). To check out Rainn hamming it up for the camera while these Southern boys grilled him on his favorite color, read more.

For those of you liking the song in this clip as much as I am, it's called "The Rat," and you can take a listen here.

Sampling Sasquatch: Newton Faulkner

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 May 2008 12:47:08 -0700

Tonight I catch my flight and head out yonder to the Sasquatch Music Festival. My sources tell me it's currently raining in Seattle so hopefully beyond the mountains the sun is shining. Otherwise, I might be in for a little more adventure than I had in mind.

This week I've been sampling music that I'm interested in checking out live, and today I have a singer who definitely brings the sunshine with his happy, acoustic sound. I'm just discovering Newton Falkner myself (as many Americans likely are) but he's becoming a UK favorite, and his debut album Hand Built by Robots is getting some love from the critics.

From what I've heard so far, I think he falls into something like a Jack Johnson/Ben Harper category but even that isn't quite right because he does some unique things with his percussion. My favorite description of his sound comes from Rolling Stone: "If Prince was an English hippie who was obsessed with Bobby McFerrin-esque percussion and had long cinnamon dreadlocks, you'd have Faulkner."

To check out the video for his single "I Need Something," and let me know what you think, read more.

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Sampling Sasquatch: Kathleen Edwards

BuzzSugar — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:00:19 -0700

I'm gearing up for Sasquatch and just thinking about the Columbia River Gorge in the sunshine and listening to good, live music gets my heart pounding with excitement. This week I've been running down some of the artists and bands I'm looking forward to seeing including The Kooks and Joshua Morrison.

If there is one genre of music that matches my outdoor music festival-loving soul, it's soulful alt-country by female singers of the Lucinda Williams tradition, and Kathleen Edwards is one of the greatest. She hails from Canada, isn't even 30 years old, and yet her songs contain great lyrical wisdom and insight. I love sticking in tracks like "Back to Me" on road trips. Alternatively, songs like "Alicia Ross" are incredibly moving, and remind me that a simple song with powerful lyrics can evoke such strong emotions.

She's oh-so-talented and seems to be always on the brink of mainstream success. Her song "Summerlong" was featured on the soundtrack of Cameron Crowe's Elizabethtown, for example. For now, though, she enjoys a loyal fan following and continues to make great music.

To check out the video for "Back to Me" and let me know what you think of Kathleen Edwards, read more.

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Sampling Sasquatch: The Kooks

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 May 2008 14:32:24 -0700

As I continue to prep for my journey northward to the 2008 Sasquatch Music Festival, I'm sharing music from some of the bands I'm looking forward to checking out live.

I've already written about the soft, intimate vocals of Joshua Morrison and today I'm spotlighting a band that is already a bit hit in the UK: The Kooks. I like to balance out both my iPod as well as my festival-going experience with equal parts pretty song writing and bouncy, upbeat rock. The Kooks provide the latter and sound a little like The Strokes, or a softer version of Arctic Monkeys.

I think their debut album is a lot of fun and happens to have my favorite song on it, "Naive." To check them out for yourself and let me know what you think, read more.

Naive - The Kooks

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Sampling Sasquatch: Joshua Morrison

BuzzSugar — Tue, 20 May 2008 12:34:17 -0700

I'm so excited for this weekend! I'm packing my shorts and tent (along with laptop and sunglasses) and heading out to George, WA, for the Sasquatch Music Festival. Woo-hoo! It's not the largest music fest of the year by any stretch, nor is it the most well-known, but that's what I really like about it. It's an intimate experience, and blessedly devoid of young Hollywood. In other words, it's very much "by music lovers, for music lovers." Add to that the gorgeous outdoor setting of Eastern Washington (and I promise to take photos), and I've got one heck of a good time ahead of me.

This week I'm giving you a taste of some of the smaller, lesser-known bands and musicians I plan to check out live this weekend. I'm starting with Joshua Morrison who, like a lot of the artists playing at Sasquatch, is a native of the Northwest (though he currently resides in Kentucky). If you like the slow, stripped-down, and sometimes melancholy sound of bands like Iron & Wine, then you will probably enjoy Joshua's music. I'll admit, I'm a little addicted right now; I think his lyrics are gorgeous and moving. And here's an interesting fact: Joshua joined the military and wrote many of his songs after serving in Iraq.

You can get his entire album titled Home from iTunes here, and I have one of his songs for you to listen after the jump. To take a listen for yourself and tell me about your first impressions, read more.

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Sasquatch: Mythic Creature With Great Taste in Music

BuzzSugar — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:30:00 -0800

The Sasquatch Music Festival, held annually at a gorgeous outdoor amphitheater in George, Washington, has just released this year's lineup, and at first glance I'm liking what I see. R.E.M. and The Cure are the big headliners, which, like Coachella where they're spotlighting Roger Waters of Pink Floyd, is in keeping with this year's trend of bringing back older bands. At least with Sasquatch I don't have to go as far back as bell bottoms; I just have to dig out my Doc Martens (or find new versions of my old Docs!).

Billboard reports that The Flaming Lips will premiere their anticipated film Christmas on Mars at Sasquatch. They'll also perform their U.F.O. Show in which the band emerges from a giant U.F.O. and then one of them finds himself in a hamster ball of some sort. I've seen these guys live, and it's super fun.

For more bands in the lineup and ticket information, read more.

The festival is held on Memorial Day weekend, May 24-26 and tickets go on sale March 8th for $56.50 per day. The price increases two days later. Also, this is a camping event so you have to plan for that as well. More info is available here.

A good chunk of the lineup is what I would describe as "Northwesty" as many of them hail from that part of the map, including Modest Mouse, Death Cab for Cutie, Built to Spill, The New Pornographers, and Kinski. In addition to those bands M.I.A., the Hives, Tegan & Sara, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and the Breeders will be there, along with Flight of the Conchords! I'd also love to check out power-bop band The Cops that I've heard a lot of good things about.

A little something for everybody, no? What do you guys think of this lineup?

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