The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper: Line Out: Shotgunning

Sunday 'Squatch Digest

Emily Nokes — Mon, 27 May 2013 23:39:59 -0700

[Apologies for the lag on this one, after some Monday 'Squatchin, it took five whole hours to drive back to Seattle in Memorial Day Ski-Doo/camper traffic! I guess the constant rain caused a mass exodus from all manner of weekend fun. And OMG you should have seen this Taco Bell line in Ellensburg.]

The little stage that could, the Zulu Chihuly Cthulhu or whatever stage, is for "Northwest" acts. It's intimate, like your fav local hiphop group agreed to play your backyard and some really drunk body-painted neighbors came over to dance like they recently learned how. Kingdom Crumbs were the backyard band for the afternoon (they started at 2:20pm). Four frontmen, two laptops, and so much bounding around the stage—ten points for their occasional synchronized moves (everyone should have more synchronized moves, seriously) and unique set. The assorted midday crowd (guy in a gas mask with a camera on a pole, girl in a swanky sequin dress, guy wearing Dropkick Murphys sleeveless tank) was also defs impressed.

jumbo-Tron420
Danny Brown

Then it was time for Danny Brown's 3:15pm set over at mainstage. If you don't already know ALL about him, Danny Brown is an insane human being with the A+ best laugh at Sasquatch. And before his show, Kelly O got to meet him! Boasting wild hair, missing front teeth, and wearing a black T-shirt so long it looked like a dress with gym shorts underneath—he charmed the crowd with his spazzy honk/whine vocals and boundless energy; my eyes were glued to the Jumbo-Tron as he frolicked across the stage, rapping almost exclusively with his mouth wide open and grinning. Apparently he was wasted (O RLY?), an announcement he made several times during his set after he spilled an entire cup of something. Overheard in the crowd: "Is he speaking English?"

Elvis Costello will always have a place in my heart, but his evening Sasquatch mainstage slot seemed a bit out of place in the Gorge setting, playing to the zoned-out nutbars and precious indie couples killing time before Mumf & Sons. Costello (with Steve Nieve, an original Attraction) played hits and non-hits that spanned his career—of course I was glad to hear "Everyday I Write the Book," and my personal fav "(I Don't Want to go to) Chelsea"—though his familiar sound had been dipped in a little more reggae juice than usual. The mainstage audience dutifully crowded around the giant stage, but didn't seem to be moving, though where Anna Minard was sitting, a lone man was rave-dancing on the hillside—there seem to be a dozen of those per show, no matter what show, and how inappropriate the music is to be rave-dancing to!

Derek Erdman
"This one's for the ladies of Washington State."

The surprise Sunday standout performance was definitely Killer Mike. We didn’t even catch the whole set, but WHOA! You could hear his heavy-bass beats from across the pizza ditch (a depressing ravine littered with triangle-shaped boxes) that separated the mainstage from Yeti, where his classic hiphop filled the space. Mike commanded the stage and seemed equally as into the crowd as the crowd was into him—everyone was crazy dancing, especially during his high-powered jam "Kryptonite." Near the end, he gave an inspirational sermon (with a cracking voice) like someone who'd been through some shit (Josh Bis and I were wondering if his last name was literal). He also thanked Washington for legalizing it (welcome!). After his last song, a KIL-LER MIKE! chant started as he exited the stage from the front. As he walked away, fans hung onto the chain-link fence, shouting praises at him—he circled back to thank them, and even let Kelly and me give him a big hug #nbd.

I was watching Grimes' light-sounding performance and felt sorta bad when the audience demanded she "sort it out, sort it out," and "turn it up, turn it up" when the vocals were much too soft. Her shadowy, lispy poptronica just wasn't super well-suited for the giant night crowd who wanted a bitchin' party (10pm is the wall, and I'm not talking about Pink Floyd, EVEN THOUGH I ACTUALLY AM BECAUSE CAN YOU BELIEVE SOME CAMPSITE COOL-BRO WILL STILL PUT THAT ON AT 10AM? WHAT YEAR IS THIS?), as she is a solo musician behind a desk/table (what do DJs call those portable things they stand behind, that look like cooking-show counters?) of technology, and even though she had interesting back-up dancers, it just wasn't the right vibe. I'm sorry I just said "vibe."

Ephrata Safeway cam
~~Mumford & Sons~~ A Pomeranian in someone's car with a dreamcatcher!

Out of morbid curiosity, I ran over to the Mumford & Sons mainstage show for the non-stop earnest banjo-ride that seemed to be tailor made for indie couples wearing two-person Urban Outfitters ponchos and searching for meaning. I immediately noticed the British band were FAKING AMERICAN ACCENTS! SLIGHTLY SOUTHERN ONES! Plus banjo (so hot right now), stand-up bass (eternally hot), and a talented piano/keyboard played wearing a nice vest. It's music for buying a Prius to. A guy next to me explained matter-of-fucking-factly that Mumford & Sons are the most popular band in the world.

The night closed with the #1 thing at Sasquatch: PRIMUS 3-D!!!

The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper: Line Out: Shotgunning

Sunday 'Squatch Digest

Tonight! Trashies, Stickers, Wimps, Big Eyes & Loud Eyes @ the Black Lodge

Ballard Roulette Last Friday, Featuring the Sunset and the Tractor

Friday Night Line Out Giveaway EXTRAVAGANZA

Animal Collective

Portland-ing? MusicfestNW is Happening!

Is "Highway to the Danger Zone" a Serious Song?

Midnight Haiku

#10: Rudy Near Vomit, Cold Teeth

#9: Cuz'n - Masters, Footloose, No Burp

#8: Ritter International Edition

#7: Woman Shotguns For the First Time

Caperin': Claudine & the Great Jailbreak

#6: The Burp Of The Motherfucking Year

#5: He Whose Ox is Chugged

#4: Bin Laden is Dead Edition

Episode 3: Eugene Dreadlocks

Episode 2: Buffalo Madonna in PDX

Episode 1: Ritter, Hollies