CONCERT: Sasquatch '09

I don't even know where to begin. (And by the length of this post, I don't know when to stop either.)
Except maybe to say, "Never forget your camera."
Followed by, "Don't stand too close to the guy with no pants."

Two adages I learned the hard way this year at the Sasquatch Music Festival.

Right now I'm in some pretty dire financial straits and in the weeks leading up to Sasquatch the $60 some odd dollars I spent on my one-day Saturday ticket months before seemed ill-advised. ($60 can purchase a fair number of Hot and Ready pizzas. 12 before taxes.)

Then the prospect of driving from Provo to the Gorge was pretty daunting. We've had a lot of good memories Idaho, but driving through your southern portion...not one of them. I only stopped to go to the bathroom there. Seemed like a fitting tribute...

At the Gorge I started thinking of the full day I was about to endure in the hot sun, craning my neck for a better view, all the while avoiding having the drunk co-eds who sneaked alcohol in plastic baggies stuffed into their bikini tops (point for creativity) from vomiting on me. I became prematurely exhausted and muttered to myself, "Maybe I'm getting too old for this stuff." (For the record, I'm 25)

So that was my attitude going into this. Pretty crappy. (And $10 for a personal pizza didn't help my already cash-strapped self)

Then the music started and 800 miles suddenly seemed like nothing. A paltry distance to travel for what I was suddenly seeing and hearing.

I forgot about the sun, I forgot about the heat, and I forgot that I really didn't have the money to be there, but I was reminded why I love music.
I was entranced. I simply could not believe that there were people not fixed 100% on the stage. Were they not hearing what I was hearing or did they simply want pleasant background music to enjoy their $9 beer?

Why I love music and who reminded me of that love...playlist style.

How much crazy fun can music be? Whatever the answer is to that question Animal Collective is pushing that. They turned it up to '11'
mp3: Animal Collective - Summertime Clothes

The Hazards of Love from beginning to end. Simply astounding. The Rake Song blew me away. Heck, the whole thing blew me away. (And as though you need any other reason to see them, they're touring with Blind Pilot. Another festival fave.)
mp3: The Decemberists - The Rake Song
mp3: Blind Pilot - Oviedo

The Kings of Leon were always meant to play the Gorge. Their huge arena rock sound deserves to be played at such venues. This song has been played in the back of my mind since. ("...given the chance I'm gonna be somebody. If for one dance I'm gonna be somebody.")
mp3: Kings of Leon - Be Somebody

And at the top of everything. The King of Whisper Rock and the Queen of the Taiga. Breathtakingly beautiful.
mp3: Bon Iver - Flume



Thanks for reading.

ARTIST: Animal Collective

If you already know about Animal Collective: Don't bother, nothing new here.

If you haven't heard of Animal Collective: Please listen and try to make sense of their self-proclaimed genre - "freeform, electronic, horror, gospel, hip-hop, soul, pop madness."

Either way, its a lot of fun and quite the experience.

Oh and yes, the picture is moving. Weird huh?

Animal Collective - My Girls
from the album Merriweather Post Pavillion (Amazon/iTunes)

PLAYLIST: A Beach Boys Tribute

I made this playlist a while back, and I've enjoyed it way too much not to share it. It's made up completely of modern tunes that are, to my ear anyway, in some way inspired by the Beach Boys. In some of them, it's just the percussion that does it for me, in others its the harmonies or the production techniques - some are more overt than others (The Explorer's Club and Panda Bear), but a few of the subtler ones are real stand-outs as well (the breakdown in "Quiet Houses"). This started out as a sort of novelty playlist but it's turned into one of my favorite mixes from last year - I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

mp3: The Explorer's Club - Do You Love Me?
from the album Freedom Wind (iTunes)
mp3: Death Cab for Cutie - You Can Do Better Than Me
from the album Narrow Stairs (iTunes)
mp3: Department of Eagles - No One Does It Like You
from the album In Ear Park (iTunes)
mp3: Magnet - Wish Me Well
from the album On Your Side (iTunes)
mp3: Panda Bear - Bros (edit)
from the album Person Pitch (iTunes)
mp3: Animal Collective - Derek
from the album Strawberry Jam (iTunes)
mp3: Fleet Foxes - Quiet Houses
from the album Fleet Foxes (iTunes)
mp3: Okkervil River - John Allyn Smith Sails
from the album The Stage Names (iTunes)
mp3: The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
from the album Pet Sounds (iTunes)