Sasquatch was my attendance to a large music festival. It’s held once at year at the Gorge Amphitheater. If you haven’t been to this venue you should try and catch a concert there. The view is amazing. With the stage facing west you can watch the sunset during an evening concert. Just gorgeous (no pun intended). I went for the whole weekend with a friend from lab and a few of her friends. Two days, 12 hours each of concerts on three stages. We camped for the weekend along with I’d say around 5,000-7,000 other people in a field adjacent to the festival grounds. About double that number attended each day.
The crowd was more subdued than I expected, even after everybody was done for the night and the field parties started up. I got more sleep than I expected. The nights were cold. One evening my friend and I were freezing our asses off since we’d dressed for a warm day. The problem was the winds were so high that some of the the bands had to be rescheduled from the main stage. It also really knocked the perceived temperature down. Fortunately, her friend Ivan went back to the car and got some blankets. Watching the Beastie Boys under the stars while everybody around us was lighting up was a very memorable experience. They really showed there old school colors and their raw talent as rock musicians. Bjork of course was from another world, opting for a heavy brass orchestra and electronic section. She continues to reinvent herself.
In all 40-50 bands performed, with Bjork and The Beastie Boys finishing up Saturday and Sunday respectively. I went to see those two groups as well as Spoon, The Dandy Warhols, Interpol, and Neko Case. As hoped, I found some new groups that I need to investigate further including: Arcade Fire, Citizen Cope, Patrick Wolf, Earl Greyhound, Jesse Sykes, and The Polyphonic Spree. Not all of them are new, but they are new to mee. All said it was a great festival. It has a smaller feel and some headliners along with some new faces. Much recommended, but bring your own food or you will be visiting the Honey Bucket, frequently.
Arid Lands
The documentary Arid Lands was brought to my attention via the videoblog Minnesota Stories. Produced by Side Long Films in Minneapolis, it chronicles the growth of the Tri-cities region starting from just before the founding of the Hanford site to the present day.
I got a chance to see a screening at the 1st annual Mount Rainier Independent Film Festival. Had I not already planned to spend the weekend in Seattle and bought tickets to two concerts I would have spend my time here. They had a wonderful set of films lined up along with workshops and discussion sessions. Arid Lands was in the Mineral Function Center, a retired elementary school making for a very quaint venue. There were only about 10 people in the audience (last day crowd). At the end, a woman who was interviewed in the film held a Q&A. I chatted with her for a while and then ended up chatting with an old coot about the town of Mineral while I was pumping gas.
(more…)