Pitchfork Music Festival 2009

Next up, I went with a special someone to a smaller music festival in Chicago, the Pitchfork Music Festival. It's a great mid-size festival that is run by the musical geniuses at Pitchfork Magazine. (Okay, they probably hire a group to run it, but you know what I mean.)

Some good ones we missed: Beirut, Cymbals Eat Guitars.

I will give some brief highlights:

• The National - solid, but not remarkable.
  
• The Black Lips - can't recall
• Matt and Kim - oh man, they were good. Unexpectedly good. Is that really just two people on stage? Yeah, we were blown away.
• Yeasayer -- Loved it, loved it, loved it. Killer energy. I bought their most recent album afterward.
• Final Fantasy -- I've never seen anything like it. I haven't bought the music, and probably wouldn't because I'm not certain how it would translate, but check this guy out if you ever have a chance. Do it. He plays violin and constructs entire songs in front of you with his violin, keyboard, loops and pedals. It's unique and great artistry.
• The Dutchess & The Duke -- Great folksy rock sound. A surprise we stumbled upon and were glad we did.
• Mew -- solid
• Grizzly Bears -- a better venue for them than Sasquatch...or at least a more solid performance.
• M83 -- whereas M83 was better suited for Sasquatch, and played better there. Still solid though.
• Japandroids -- loud and unspectacular
• The Walkmen -- solid
• The Thermals -- simply a blast. They really outperformed my expectations of them. Super fun.
• Vivian Girls -- ehhh
  
• Pharoahe Monch -- very fun vibe and I would see them again.
• The Killer Whales -- another fun one.
• Blitzen Trapper -- do these guys ever get old? (Hint: no.)
• Frightened Rabbit -- strong performance
• Dianogah -- can't recall
• The Mae Shi -- impressive and fun
  
• The Flaming Lips -- trippy. Loved the performance, but they were overshadowed by...
• The Very Best -- the reason you go to music festivals is due to the sampler platter effect. You get to try lots of bands out in a short time...with the hopes of discovering a gem. The Very Best were that gem. Fantastic international rap-esque sound. They brought such energy that we were disappointed when we broke away to check out The Flaming Lips. I immediately bought there album afterward and listen to it frequently still. I rave about this group to everyone I meet!

Sasquatch Music Festival 2009

Here are but a sample of the many pictures that were taken at the Sasquatch Music Festival. The crowds were fun, the bands amazing and views spectacular! (Some of the pics include Silversun Pickups, Explosions in the Sky, Blitzen Trapper, Bon Iver, Ben Harper and Crystal Castles.) The festival is held at The Gorge Amphitheater, which leads to a stunning backdrop to the stage.

I will say that the area is dry and hot. I recall no reprieve from the sun -- it's basically a desert. At one point, a small cloud covered the sun for a brief moment at the end of a performer's song. The crowd erupted into excitement and cheers and the band must have thought they really rocked it. They were good, but even the sun worshipers appreciated a bit of cloud cover at that moment.

You can still access the 2009 Sasquatch Lineup, but I will give a quick review of who I saw. But first, the misses: Hockey, Blind Pilot, Beach House, Owl City, The Doves, Avett Brothers, Walkmen, Passion Pit, Ra Ra Riot, St. Vincent, The Dutchess and the Duke, Janes Addiction & NIN (later toured as part of the NIN/JA tour that I caught). It just didn't happen, but I have at least seen Hockey, Passion Pit, Blind Pilot, Ra Ra Riot, The Dutchess and the Duke, Janes Addiction & NIN since and all rocked in their respective genres.

Bands I caught:

• Kings of Leon -- they continually rock of course.
  
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs -- strong set.
  
• The Decemberists -- chill, but solid
• Animal Collective -- great tunes, but didn't fit the festival, or at least a day time, main stage slot. It seemed like a weird fit and most didn't appreciate them.
• M. Ward -- dug him
• Devotchka -- interesting and fun
• Bon Iver -- one of my favorite acts here. He tore down the site. Played in a passionate trance, and nearly set his acoustic guitar on fire with his fingers. It was a raw and beautiful performance and the audience reflected that energy back at him. Simply put, it was awesome.
• Crystal Castles -- man, this was fun, but why couldn't they plan deeper into the morning?
• TV on the Radio -- solid but unspectacular
• Street Sweeper -- sucked. Don't pay to see them. Worst band I caught there.
  
• Of Montreal -- they blew up the stage. It was killer. One of the highlights of the festival.
  
• M83 -- great show
• Airborne Toxic Event -- I really enjoyed this act
• Deadmau5 -- great DJ set
• Ben Harper -- typically a huge fan, but helluva show and I would see him again
• Erykah Badu -- same as above
• Silversun Pickups -- one of the main reasons I attended and they didn't disappoint. A solid, electric, smashmouth success. I loved it, loved it. Great band.
• Fleet Foxes -- smoooth and beautiful. Chirag partied with them in the campground. How cool is it that the band hung out with the campers throughout the weekend?
• Gogol Bordello -- crazy internationals! Amazing and fun show.
• Santigold -- or is that Santogold? In any case, she put on a funky and fun show.
• Grizzly Bear -- Not as good as I had hoped, but solid.
• The Wrens -- left no impression on me
  
• Monotonix -- Okay, these guys...they are not amazing to hear. In fact, I would never buy a CD, but I will see them again for certain! They threw instruments into the audience and dove in to play them. Climbed the stage. It was mayhem. Great entertainers.
• Explosions in the Sky -- It's like two young Jeff Becks. Killer guitars, no vocals. Solid.
• The Knux -- they were better later in the year at Lolla.
• Blitzen Trapper -- another one of the highlights as far as I was concerned.
• Girl Talk -- stumbled upon them for a last couple of songs. I was blown away by how much the audience loved it. I felt like I was at an outdoor house party. Very entertaining.
• Chromeo -- my favorite DJ of the festival.

As with any festival, you really have to play it one of two ways: run around catching half acts, etc. Or picking solid ones to watch. I had a few that I picked to watch fully: Silversun, Bon Iver, etc. Mostly, though, the venue is small enough to run between sets and catch lots of music. As I look back at the lineup, it was even more incredible than I realized at the time. I saw some amazing bands at a spectacular venue, but still missed some really good ones.

After the festival, Chirag and I drove around through the Cascades and enjoyed the scenery before returning home.

Seattle 2009

Zapping back in time...Chirag and I ventured out to Seattle to explore the city for a couple of days ahead of the Sasquatch Music Festival. We snagged a cool cheap hotel and then walked around the city, especially the famous market area...








We were fortunate to stay with some wonderful friends in the Seattle area. After several days, we stocked up with supplies for our festival camping, and off we rode to The Gorge for some great live music.

Music Retro

Admittedly, I've been remiss in updating.

When last I left you, we were heading to Sasquatch Music Festival, then later I hit Pitchfork and Lollapalooza. In 2010, I ended up going to Lollapalooza for one day and I've hit several single concerts in between. In my next posts, I will give you updates of each concert in dedicated posts.

New Day, New Design

So, much has happened since last I had an entry. I never did update on my music festivals or the Life List. I hope to have some entries to get you updated so I can then write some messages about the new (culinary) adventure: Sushi Showdown!

Stay tuned for more information, including some possible guest bloggers.

Final Life List Item?

So, here I am, many years later and finally checking off the final item on the original Life List. Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Going with some great friends to have a killer time in February. Somehow, it feels like I'm coasting through this last one on fumes. It's been a great ride. Of course, once finished, there's new list to start completing!

iPhone tester

Testing from my phone


-- Posted from my iPhone

Busy Times

Yes, I know, I haven't updated this all summer. Some great music festivals and photos and yet, no update. I'll get on it so the two people who check this can see what I have to say about new indie bands and the like. Sorry...

Sasquatch

Heading to Seattle tonight to hang out in the city, then attend the Sasquatch Music Festival. I will probably also be going on a strenuous 13 mile hike. Nice relaxing and varied vacation. Oh yeah. I will try to update the blog, but likely won't have many options while I am gone. Also, I just found out that I can't take my D90, so I will have to rely on my older T100 for a variety of pics and vids. Hopefully, when I return, I can clean up my digital identity and various sites as well. (I get weird about things, but for instance, I have a YouTube page. Well two. /WebMooreVid and /WebMooreVids. It just makes sense to move everything over to the Vids site because, well, I have posted more than one video. HA!

Anyway, enjoy Memorial Day Weekend. I'm doing my part to help the economy.

I will try to grab some interesting experiences and captures.

Life is good, eh?!

Easter Updates

First, happy Easter to everyone! I really haven't updated the blog in some time. I think it's because I loved randomly checking back here and gazing at the brown eyes from the previous post. Nice.

Or, could be that I've been super busy with work. And still not getting enough done. In any case, I'm getting really excited about the Sasquatch Music Festival, Seattle and some killer hiking. More on all that to come.

For now, best wishes to everyone. Always.