Photo by Ted Maider

Most people who came to Sasquatch! camped in tents and RVs in either the more peaceful VIP camping section or the favela on the hill camping section. Fellow writer/photographer Harley and I were in the very small minority of people who drove home every night after the whole festival was over. During the night drive back to Quincy, WA, we’d try to suss out and synthesize the day’s music, the people we saw, what costumes they were wearing, what native culture those costumes were appropriating, the things that were mumbled to us by a guy two vials deep into the evening, or “did you see that husband just yelling at his wife just then?” and were we possibly the only sober people there and should we just try to buy some drugs at the camp grounds tomorrow and oh look there’s the fourth ambulance of the week coming toward us racing back to the festival grounds. Then we argued for a long time about Bon Iver. Maybe we should stay sober.

All this handwringing led to this: You can’t really report honestly about a music festival unless you really allow yourself to accept the festival culture, which, for better or for worse, is what prevailed at Sasquatch! this year. Much of the middle card included fantastic bands finishing up long tours with a stop at The Gorge (e.g. Explosions in the Sky, tUnE-yArDs, Charles Bradley, Kurt Vile, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, The War On Drugs, The Head & The Heart, The Joy Formidable, etc..) and despite the lack of non-Seattle hip-hop and any kind of metal/hardcore/punk band, the four-day holiday weekend appeared to be less about connecting with the music of the festival and more crafting an “epic weekend” to remember forever.

I don’t think it’s hyperbole to call the first view coming up over the hill of the Gorge breathtaking. The topographical setting of the festival lends itself to a larger-than-life experience, which is certainly what the sequencing of the lineups were aiming for:  swelling lines of guitars, big beat stompy folk rock, Girl Talk b/w Pretty Lights, and Tenacious D being the most metal thing at the festival. There were a few magnetic moments, some special little minutes from the days that resonated in the realm of music, like Deer Tick’s impromptu covers set, or Jack White’s flawless headlining set, or Spiritualized closing the second largest stage playing to a crowd of less than 200. But in the end, Sasquatch! went for the big feelings and for the most part scored. The music heard at The Gorge just sounds better, feels better, is better because of Sasquatch! being what it is: a vacation.

Since I didn’t go all Vice Magazine and paint my face, don a poncho and a day-glo trucker hat, and get “mangled” as one guy told me, Sasquatch! was really what you made of it. It’s your trip and how much of it you want to remember is entirely up to you. I think the lineup this year wasn’t as strong as it was in previous years, but you’re surrounded by people who are trying — chemically or otherwise — to have a good time. There was a group of people who asked me to take a photo of them with their phone as the sun set on Monday night and against my exhaustion, frustration, they all looked so happy. That’s how you do it.

-Jeremy D. Larson
Managing Editor 

Friday

honeyhoney – Yeti Stage – 5:05 p.m.

As one of the first artists of the day, honeyhoney was late for load-in thanks to the traffic entering the festival. Fortunately, they arrived just in time to tackle the unenviable task of opening a festival. There may be shades of country to honeyhoney, especially in the voice of banjo-shredding frontwoman Suzanne Santo, but their brand of Americana was delivered with a spirited rock energy that captivated the few and faithful among the crowd. At the halfway point, guitarist Ben Jaffe marveled at how the view from the stage looked like a Bob Ross painting, but without the “crazy people.” Also under the spell of the Gorge’s unparalleled beauty, Santo commented that she would have painted us into such a work. -Frank Mojica

Of Monsters and Men – Sasquatch Stage – 6:05 p.m.

The topographically stark Gorge was the perfect backdrop for Icelandic six-piece Of Monsters and Men, who have stepped into a Mumford and Sons-sized footprint with their high-stepping version of the folk power ballad. Vocalist and guitarist Ninna Hilmarsdottir—who bore an uncanny resemblance to Maggie Gyllenhaal, especially on the basketball court-sized screens flanking the Sasquatch Stage—led the band in anthems like “Little Talks”, which roused the sizable audience with “Hey!”s punctuating trumpet rotundas and acoustic guitars. They closed with “kind of a new song” (which doesn’t seem to be new at all, since it appeared on My Head Is An Animal along with the rest of their set), “Mountain Sound”, whose title and repeated mantra, “Sleep until the sun goes down,” seemed appropriate in light of the soon-to-be-setting sun and the venue’s rocky acoustics. -Harley Brown

Poliça – Bigfoot Stage – 6:30 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

After the ominous intervals of set opener “Fist, Teeth, Money”, vocalist Channy Leneagh’s voice had dropped a few octaves. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that it was later pointed out to me that she simply didn’t Auto-tune her set. It’s a choice reveal that the band’s confidence has grown even since South by Southwest in March. The dual drums and Chris Bierden’s bass thundered as always, but Leneagh allowed herself to depart from their compartmentalized rhythm, riffing on “Lay Your Cards Out” and new song “Raw Exit” (formerly “Exit Raw”), which they’ve been playing live for a while and hopefully will make it onto their next album. I couldn’t tell if the audience knew of Polica or simply happened to wander over in a substance-induced stupor, but given the applause and bodies movin’, it appeared that many left converted. -Harley Brown

Little People – Banana Shack – 6:40 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

The Banana Shack was dismally underdeveloped this year. Shortening and widening the tent was great for the late night sets, but if you were slated for a day slot at the Banana Shack, that basically meant you were in for an all too sunny electronic appearance. Little People was among the first of many to experience this misfortune. He looked so out of place, sitting in the sun with his mixing board, a whimsical array of looping instruments. He even messed up on recording the looping segment on one of his songs, and took about a full noticeable minute to correct it, but he got there, against all odds. Impressive stuff live and in the flesh. -Winston Robbins

Santigold – Sasquatch Stage – 7:10 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Whenever conversing with my international festival-going friends about covering Sasquatch!, the response was always along the lines of “That’s the one with the dancing guy, right?” That viral video of the dance party to Santigold’s 2009 performance of “Unstoppable” has become a festival legend and was the top conversation topic among fans on the hill and in the pit over what would happen for a sequel. Such a follow-up never happened, as Santigold left that moment preserved in time and pushed forward for a new adventure. Supported by a band in aquamarine Egyptian costume and backup dancers whose choreography seamlessly flowed from retro to hammer-wielding robotic stylings, Santi White created an all-inclusive carnival that offered something for even the pickiest music aficionados. Drawing upon everything from rock to dancehall to hip-hop, Santigold distilled various genres down to what makes each uniquely fun and blended them into a breathless 45 minute party that reassured the crowd that they didn’t need to follow anyone’s lead to let loose and just dance. -Frank Mojica

Mark Lanegan Band – Bigfoot Stage – 7:45 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

It’s fitting that at least one critic has compared Mark Lanegan’s voice to leather, specifically something along the lines of “a well-oiled baseball mitt,” because he took the stage like an all-star up to bat: His gargantuan frame was clad in a straight-brimmed Starter and windbreaker, and he gripped the mic stand like a—you got it—baseball bat. Ball-playing metaphors aside, Lanegan’s supple rasp texturizes more than anything else, and lacking anything substantial to rub up, makes for a boring performance. His Band’s slow jams showcase its uniqueness but don’t add anything even close to Screaming Trees’ screamadelia or his scary/sweet collaborations with Isobel Campbell. -Harley Brown

Girl Talk – Sasquatch Stage – 8:30 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Greg Gillis has one of the most simple business models in music: a compendium of popular samples that run the scales from Biggie Smalls to Kelly Clarkson, and a straight “party or die” attitude. Feed The Animals and All Day were well represented, with prominent samples like Lil Wayne and Birdman’s “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy” to Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer”. Far more intriguing, however, were the new samples, which involved M83’s “Midnight City” versus Missy Elliott’s “Work It” and Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep” juxtaposed against Drake and Lil’ Wayne’s “The Motto”. In other words, look out for some great mixes from Girl Talk in the near future. There’s a time and a place for each genre of music, and Greg Gillis takes it upon himself to make it that time and that place whenever he dons his sweatsuit and picks up his confetti cannons. He pulled out all the stops for Sassy, though, closing out the night with an impressive firework show that included a spark shower straight out of a Michael Jackson Pepsi commercial. -Winston Robbins

Explosions in the Sky – Bigfoot Stage – 9:15 p.m.

Photo by Colin Athens

It took more than a little willpower to tear myself away from Girl Talk’s piece-by-piece striptease and onstage dance party to go see Explosions in the Sky, which I knew would place me squarely back in the time when Explosions graciously provided the soundtrack to my final thesis. One of the first things I noticed was that I have never seen a band take themselves so seriously: Bent over their instruments, all the members of the band kept their eyes closed for the duration of their songs. Their fingers stretched wide across the frets, enormous on the Bigfoot Stage’s screens, to achieve those raw, open chords that make listening to their prog-rock so visceral.

It was the perfect time of night to listen to them, too, since the darkness allowed everyone to fully absorb their resonance without visual distractions. Explosions closed with “The Only Moment We Were Alone”, putting their dubstep neighbors to shame with that nine-minute build—which in and of itself climaxes several times—before finally, finally unleashing a wall of noise that shuddered through everyone at the same time. It was one of many moments reminding the festival attendees that we weren’t alone. -Harley Brown

Pretty Lights – Sasquatch Stage – 10:15 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

After Explosions in the Sky, Pretty Lights’ variations in dubstep minor were a whole different exercise in tension and release, starting with the countdown to his set flashing on Sasquatch’s aforementioned giant screens. Derek Vincent Smith’s one-man electronic outfit deals more in mid- and down-tempo than some of his EDM contemporaries, but he still sprinkled enough wubbery drops to satisfy what must have been the attendees raining confetti of glowsticks down from the hillside. Even though his set lacked the immediacy and WTF factor of Girl Talk’s instantly recognizable mashups just a half hour before, I appreciated Pretty Lights taking its time, segueing into “Finally Moving” as the glowsticks rained down in wave after wave. -Harley Brown

Saturday

Charles Bradley – Sasquatch Stage – 1:05 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

Charles Bradley was born in 1945, making him a dogged 67. And instead of worrying about hip replacement, he’s more concerned with pelvic thrusts – a great way to gauge his performing ethos. The “Screaming Eagle of Soul” hit the stage looking slick with a grateful smile running from ear to ear. As he ran through hits from his solo debut, No Time For Dreaming, the crowd (a healthy mix of devoted fans and innocent morning passers-by) grew increasingly more receptive to his illustrious showmanship. It was wildly apparent that Bradley has the pipes to match his stage persona, especially as he crooned “The World Is Going Up In Flames” to a just-rousing Gorge. -Winston Robbins

Rob Delaney – Banana Shack  - 2:00 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

“Always open with not a joke,” Rob Delaney remarked, after commenting on a fan’s Montreal Expos hat. As a Twitter sensation, Delaney has posted countless laugh-out-loud moments under 140 characters, but onstage he proved equally adept at spinning a short story long. He seamlessly transitioned from an all too-revealing critique of anal sex to Danzig fan letters, selling him as a captivating teller of the dirtiest and most personal of stories. -Frank Mojica

Portlandia – Banana Shack – 3:00 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

Sasquatch!’s Portlandia live experience began with a simple but memorable gem of awkward humor as Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein each read alleged text messages from the other to the crowd, with Armisen’s increasingly affectionate closings rebutted by more and more cold formality from Brownstein. The slideshows of old family photos, second-place Dracula poems, and cycling, and the Q&A session that followed all proved chuckle-worthy to some starstruck fans, but the shortage of surprise guests and traditional skits increasingly dwindled the over-capacity crowd to a more modest showing. -Frank Mojica

The Civil Wars – Sasquatch Stage – 3:15 p.m.

After the trashy beats and flashing lights of Girl Talk and Pretty Lights just the previous night, I was a little skeptical that a folk duo from Nashville could fill Sasquatch!’s cavernous depths with just two voices and a guitar. But once again, the screens saved the day, broadcasting images of the happy (and pregnant) couple, which made up for what they may have lacked in ingenuity with charm. Onstage, the Civil Wars’ carefully harmonized folk alternated between the embarrassingly honest choruses of contemporary country and Bible-belt stompers like “Barton Hollow”, and the latter fit the Gorge’s craggy, unforgiving landscape much better than the majority of the songs they played. But then frontman John Paul White would say something like, “This is the biggest audience we’ve ever played to, and we’re so happy to be here, and there’s a lot of times when people really don’t give a shit, so thank you so much!” and I’d have a hard time finding fault with their music because it was too pretty. -Harley Brown

THEESatisfaction – Yeti Stage – 3:30 p.m. 

Photo by Harley Brown

Across the festival from the Civil Wars, another couple was making their version of baby-making music at the Yeti Stage. Catherine Harris-White and Stasia Irons, otherwise known as Seattle future-funk duo THEESatisfaction, were bumping, grinding, and talk-singing over an engaging backbeat that drew just as much from variegated African percussion as it did 808s. I usually approach vocalists with a pre-recorded soundtrack with trepidation, but Irons and Harris-White assuaged any fears I had with synchronicity between verses along the lines of MC Lyte and the group’s instrumentals. Even though Shabazz Palace’s Palaceer didn’t make an appearance for his guest spot on “Enchantruss”—girls can dream, can’t they?—lyrics like “You’re breaking my bad habits/So we can wake and bake instead” still went over just as well, especially with this crowd. Unfortunately, awE naturalE’s subtleties, like the duo’s subtle mouth sounds and call and responses on “Bitch”, were lost live. -Harley Brown

Kurt Vile and the Violators – Bigfoot Stage – 4:15 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

It was still a sluggish afternoon at the Gorge as Kurt Vile began his sound check, and he wasn’t about to change that mood. Sluggish is Vile’s bread and butter. His shoegaze folk kept the pace evenly for his set’s entirety, and as he sported cuts from last year’s Smoke Ring for My Halo, the crowd wasn’t unresponsive, but they weren’t ecstatic by any means. They were somewhere in the middle for “Jesus Fever”, but by the time he closed with “Freak Train”, the webbed-shoes and the bare feet started moving and kicking up dust. -Winston Robbins

Dum Dum Girls – Bigfoot Stage – 5:10 p.m.

Photo by Colin Athens

In the five o’clock hour, the sky at the Gorge was heavily overcast with rays of especially bright light peeking through the clouds. Similarly, the ’60s girl group-themed vocals of Dum Dum Girls were wrapped in a garage and shoegaze haze. While the pieces fell into place on set highlights “Bedroom Eyes” and “Only in Dreams”, the lively choruses aimed for catchy but lacked sharpness in their hooks, while harmonies were lost in a sea of reverb and persistent sound issues. Like a Dum Dum Pop, the set offered a little sweet but not completely satisfying treat. -Frank Mojica

Childish Gambino – Sasquatch Stage – 5:25 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

We all know Donald Glover is a jokester, but the more you listen to his raps and see his performances, you start to feel he’s found his true niche. On Saturday afternoon, Gambino took to the Sasquatch stage as a blazing force in hip-hop, opening with the club-influenced “Firefly”, which automatically sent the crowd into a frenzy. After that, everyone was bobbing up and down as he dropped a new jam for Questlove, touched fans with “Freaks and Geeks”, and sparked a riot of a crowd with “Bonfire”. Gambino knows how to throw down on the mic, and it might not be long before Donald Glover becomes something of the past and Childish Gambino becomes his true identity. -Ted Maider

araabMuzik – Banana Shack – 5:40 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

And now for something completely different: Not only did araabMuzik, the MPC-destroying performing and recording moniker of Abraham Orellana, take the stage after Portlandia, he suddenly became a dubstep artist when I had been expecting Instrumental University’s low-slung trap claps and airy synthpads. After araabMuzik’s hype man took the stage, providing a bigger, louder version of his recorded hypewoman (“You are now listening to araabMuzik” with the frequency of a radio personality), Orellana took the distorted piano that opens “1, 2, 3 Grind” and dropped it into that telltale wub-wub. Crowd control staff got involved shortly thereafter, practically lifting people out of the way to attend to multiple flower-tiara’d girls atop their boyfriends’ shoulders, who couldn’t have been more than 12 or 14 years old. You’d be hard pressed to say araabMuzik didn’t know his audience, but the question is, which audience? -Harley Brown

Metric – Sasquatch Stage – 6:40 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

After playing a very brief acoustic set in the Kokanee Tent comprised of “Help I’m Alive”, “Youth Without Youth”, and the world debut of “Synthetica”, Emily Haines and co. took to the Sasquatch stage to play to the masses at a very boisterous Gorge. Metric has gained a considerable following, and sure as the sun, they all showed up to sing along with every word – even the songs off the group’s forthcoming effort, Synthetica. In fact, their set was very Synthetica heavy, which weighed down the pacing for casual fans, but with help of old favorites like “Satellite Mind” and “Dead Disco”, they still made it a full-fledged pop-rock extravaganza. -Winston Robbins

tUnE-yArDs – Bigfoot Stage – 7:30 p.m.

Photo by Colin Athens

Among a small sampling of people I talked to at Sasquatch!, all had polarizing views on tUnE-yArDs’ music. “Oh, you’ve got to see them live,” I said, knowing that Merrill Garbus is a theatrical virtuoso that will mesmerize hapless bystanders with her clarion yawp. Sadly, the sprawl the Bigfoot stage and the dubious acoustics proved somewhat of a foil to tUnE-yArDs’ set, as jittery onlookers around me enjoyed bopping to “Gangsta”, but were definitely looking for something that hit harder. Even “Powa”, which was played early in the set and usually silences whole clubs, came out tepid (the vocal loops Garbus recorded in the beginning didn’t seem to ignite later in the song, as evinced by Garbus’ big goofy grin to the bass player at the end). All the elements were there, though– her gesticulations, her spot-on voice, her theatrical flair — everything that made tUnE-yArDs so impressive when she started this very same tour over a year ago. -Jeremy D. Larson

The Shins – Sasquatch Stage – 8:10 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

The Shins’ set was nearly upstaged by a hang glider. First one, and then a few, and then many people suddenly pointed at what seemed to be a flying go-cart zooming low over the canyon toward the setting sun (Choice excerpt: “What the fuck? Did you see that or were you too busy looking at your hand?” and a few seconds later, noticeably more distressed, “What is happening?”). But Mercer’s tenor commanded attention no matter the surroundings, especially while wailing the chorus on “Kissing the Lipless”, which opened the Shins’ set. For this performance, the band upped classical piano keys in the mix, softening the edges around the clipped enunciations on “Caring Is Creepy”. It still sounds smoother on record, but I appreciated the experimentation. The Shins played a good mix of old and new songs, indulging in “New Slang” and taking the time to jam out on tracks like “The Rifle’s Spiral”. The Sasquatch himself even made an appearance: Toward the end of the Shins’ set, he snuck out from behind the stage setup, essentially Port of Morrow’s album art. But Mercer is a professional and, of course, the band played on. -Harley Brown

St. Vincent – Bigfoot Stage – 9:00 p.m.

Photo by Colin Athens

Once the night finally rolled in, St. Vincent took the crowd at the Bigfoot stage to an even darker place. Annie Clark ferociously pummeled her guitar until it surrendered its utter jagged wickedness, jolted along like a haunted robot to her band’s twisted rhythms, and even attacked a theremin on “Northern Lights”, all while unleashing angelic cries. The effect was akin to being kicked in the gut and hugged simultaneously. After tearing through a cover of The Pop Group, Clark left the safety of the stage to be thrown around like a rag doll by a completely enthralled crowd during the riot grrrl rager “Krokodil”. As hard-hitting as the juxtapositions between the hideous and the gorgeous on the live interpretations of Strange Mercy and Actor highlights were, it was this set-closing one-two punch of punk rock appropriation that stole not just the St. Vincent show but the weekend as well.  -Frank Mojica

Jack White – Sasquatch Stage – 10:00 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

If anyone’s going to break the set-in-stone festival set times, not to mention his own rules about live performances, it’s Jack White. After playing almost until his allotted time of 11:30 p.m., he left the stage with his all-male backing band and returned with the same when I had been expecting his all-female band, since he almost always switches halfway through his set. And then he blew through his end time with “We’re Going to Be Friends”, “Hotel Yorba”, and “Seven Nation Army”.

But that wasn’t nearly the best part of Jack White’s set. Nor was his ability to noodle through rock and roll’s evolution over the past 60 years or so years, or the prodigious talent of the predominantly Nashville- and Detroit-based Los Buzzardos, nor was it the millions of dollars worth of equipment on stage. No, the best part was probably when he played the Raconteurs’ “Steady, As She Goes”. “Here’s the part where I ask you to sing along. I don’t care if you don’t know the words, or if you don’t want to sing the words, or if you can’t sing the words, or if you don’t know what the words mean, or if you won’t know what they mean until you drive home tonight.” With that, he commanded the audience to sing, “Are you steady now?” At the third repetition, White and Los Buzzardos crashed into the final verse and got two thousand people to jump up and down, hands in the air, in unison. No glow sticks necessary.  -Harley Brown

The Roots – Bigfoot Stage – 11:30 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

Saturday was stacked in terms of artists that warranted seeing. It seemed as though I was running all day to catch so and so’s set at a different stage, and I don’t think I was the only one. As a result, there was not much energy left in the reserves of most of the festival-goers. Those that stayed were yawning and standing on weak legs, but it was no fault of The Roots. They, as always, brought their “A” game and then some. In fact, as the masses migrated from Jack White back to camp or their cars, many were sucked in as The Roots crew dipped into their back catalogue, playing their anthemic “Proceed” followed by a funky off-the-cuff version of “Jungle Boogie”.

Drummer/hip-hop guru Questlove was sporting a different haircut (I guess he decided on cornrows for the evening), but the sound remained the same. Both Quest and Black Thought kept the ensuing massive hoard entertained throughout, dusting off more oldies like “The Seed 2.0” and “Mellow My Man” both of which were folded into choice cuts from their previous two albums, How I Got Over and Undun. By the end of the night, they were playing to the largest audience The Bigfoot stage saw all weekend. And yes, they played the Jimmy Fallon song. -Winston Robbins

Sunday

Hey Marseilles - Sasquatch Stage  - 12:00 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Fully aligned with those squinty-eyed early birds, the seven-piece Seattle chamber met the first crowd of Sunday with warm cello, fiddle, squeeze box, trumpet, and acoustic guitars backed with that big beat stomp. Props to their arrangements, which despite the all too familiar sound, flow in and out of the music without lulling a song into a weepy sleep. Eager, earnest, and polite — perfect for the first smile-and-nod of the day. -Jeremy D. Larson

Reignwolf – Yeti Stage – 1:20 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

He’s the kind of band that makes other bands roll their eyes at him — but that’s part and parcel why I stood and watched Reignwolf’s whole set. He’s Jordan Cook from Saskatoon, clearly a Jack White acolyte, and a complete cock-ass showman on guitar, playing pentatonic riffs with one hand and holding the mic with the other. For the first part of the show, it was Cook alone on stage, stomping on a drum, pleasing the living shit out of himself playing guitar and singing unabashed blues. His band came on a couple songs later and added a bit of a Black Sabbath via Spinal Tap groove-metal to the sound– a foreign vibe for most of the bands playing Sasquatch!. Of course, he was wearing a black leather jacket, doing The Lip Curl, pointing to screaming women in the crowd, standing on the bass drum, and sitting on the security guy’s shoulders. He’s without a record, but full of so much unabashed spirit, theatrics, and style that his live show is all he needs for now.  -Jeremy D. Larson

Here We Go Magic – Bigfoot Stage – 3:00 p.m.

Photo by Colin Athens

“Is everyone stoned?” Everyone probably should have been for this colorless start to the afternoon, which evaporated almost as soon as it pulsed from Jen Hunter’s admittedly formidable bass. I don’t know if it was the fact that Here We Go Magic’s bass-heavy blend of krautrock and psychedelic afterthoughts should be heard in a dark, enclosed space (i.e. headphones) as opposed to the blinding light and wind of midday in the Gorge, but the heavy atmosphere the band was trying to drive home with rhythm fell flat. They were effective when combined with more engaging foils, like vocalist Luke Temple’s Hayden Thorpe-like falsetto on “Tunnelvision” or the uptempo “Collector” with its synthesizers and catchy repetition of “I’ve got a mild fascination.” -Harley Brown

Blind Pilot – Sasquatch Stage – 3:30 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

Sunday was a bit of a slow morning, so to hear Blind Pilot’s keen harmonizing and to see their smiling faces was truly a much-needed energy booster. Since last playing at The Gorge, they released We Are the Tide, a far more ambitious album than their debut and one that’s primed for a live setting. The best of the new bunch was the astoundingly beautiful “Half Moon”, and they left just enough time to play some of their golden oldies like “Oviedo” and “The Story I Heard”. Their tight, Northwest folk struck a chord with the Northwesterners at ease, who all came out in droves to see local rock on the mainstage. -Winston Robbins

The War On Drugs – Bigfoot Stage – 4:10 p.m.

Photo by Colin Athens

The hairs were grayer in the crowd for The War On Drugs’ set as Adam Granduciel’s humbuckers made their bossgaze music spiral out across the field. This was my first time seeing the band at a big festival on a sizable stage, though they hardly seem suited for any other environment. Their rolling guitar lines, no longer tangled in a small club, are given the chance to stretch and breathe in the wind. “Baby Missles” could stand tall next to any Springsteen song at Wrigley Field, and even the moseying “I Was There” wrapped around the crowd as Granduciel merely suggested the melody for those great lyrics: “I was there to catch a man/I thought I had him by the hand/I only had him by the glove.” Oh, and a fairly large dance circle broke out during “Come To The City”, instigated by a guy in a top hat wearing a black shirt with neon letters that read, “I’m In Cancun, Bitches.” Won’t find that at a rock club. -Jeremy D. Larson

Beat Connection – Banana Shack – 4:40 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

Sunday was the windiest day of all at Sasquatch!, so to hole up in the Banana Shack to catch Beat Connection’s electro-savvy surf rock was a major relief. Not only did it get everyone out of the wind, it invited them into an atmosphere of rock ‘n’ roll straight from the beach. They ran through most of their Surf Noir EP over their short set, hitting triumphant strides during “In The Water” and “Silver Screen”. -Winston Robbins

M. Ward – Sasquatch Stage – 5:25 p.m.

Among the list of names that could have potentially headlined the festival over Pretty Lights was M. Ward, a man who needs very little introduction. If you’re a rock enthusiast, the man shreds like there’s no tomorrow. If you’re an indie vet, he’s written some of the best indie folk of our generation, and to the layman, he’s the other half of Zooey Deschanel’s She & Him project. I feel like any one of those criteria would deem him an eligible suitor for headlining, but alas, he was mid-day on the mainstage. None of that mattered once he started plunging deep into his enormous back catalogue. His latest effort, A Wasteland Companion, was well represented, but he also played a surprising amount of 2009’s Hold Time. What’s more, “For Beginners” and his cover of Buddy Holly’s “Rave On” were greeted with special warmth. He and his band (which included Bright Eyes mainstay Nate Walcott) played a tight, enjoyable set to finish off the afternoon at the Gorge. -Winston Robbins

Active Child – Yeti Stage – 5:40 p.m.

Photo by Colin Athens

Admittedly, I was hesitant about how Active Child could pull off their affecting, unconventional sound live. Any doubts promptly dissolved upon witnessing Pat Grossi belt “You Are All I See” with a power only hinted at on the album of the same name. Instruments outnumbered people by at least a two-to-one ratio, but the trio switched back and forth to recapture the intricately layered nature of the album. The pacing picked up after Grossi switched from harp to synth for “Playing House”, with the crowd breaking out in one of the weekend’s unlikeliest sessions of clapping and dancing along. -Frank Mojica

Wild Flag – Bigfoot Stage – 6:20 p.m.

Photo by Colin Athens

Right after Wild Flag’s set, I tweeted “Wild Flag > Jack White,” which elicited more responses than I’ve ever gotten, with people asking, “Are you sure about that?” I’d like to blame such an inflammatory statement on the comedown from Flag frenzy, but the truth is, the post-Sleater Kinney/Helium/Autoclave supergroup singlehandedly overturned my predilection for male-fronted rock. Their whole set simply annihilated, acting as the antithesis to White’s testost-rock: On “Racehorse”, Carrie Brownstein stretched open her red-lipsticked mouth and screamed, “You’d better RIIIIDE!” after commanding her rapt audience to “pony up” and “put your money where your sweet, sweet mouth is.” She and fellow guitarist and singer Mary Timony held their instruments aloft, letting the feedback buffet an audience slightly older and tamer than the festival’s general population but no less appreciative (“They fucking rocked it!”, “That was sick!”).

Despite the sanctity of Wild Flag’s performance, the foursome indulged in light moments like the falsetto harmonies on “Electric Band” and Brownstein’s infamous Portlandia humor (“We’re happy to be here in this Whitesnake video wind tunnel onstage”). During a cover of Patti Smith’s “Ask the Angels”, Brownstein took a moment to push against Timony’s forehead while the latter riffed, finally butting her away to finish the song. It was such a classically rock ‘n roll moment that reminded me of the age-old question: Are men necessary? Probably, but the ladies onstage certainly made me think twice about it. -Harley Brown

The Walkmen – Bigfoot Stage – 7:30 p.m. 

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Anyone who had the foresight to stick around at the Bigfoot Stage for the early evening also had the privilege to see the veteran musicians of Wild Flag and The Walkmen put on two of the weekend’s best sets back-to-back. While the former technically hasn’t been around for that long, The Walkmen have been playing together for a decade, and it shows. Hamilton Leithauser moves seamlessly from the Bing Crosby croon of brand new material like “We Can’t Be Beat” to throaty favorites like A Hundred Miles Off’s “All Hands and the Cook”, all the while busting the veins in his neck with his signature wail. Cuts off Heaven bounced with enthusiasm, but older songs sounded well-worn with years of experience and ceaseless touring. After such a professional performance, it was surprising to hear Leithauser say dryly, “We’re rarely invited in the first place, so it’s an honor to be invited back.” But when several shirtless young men crowd-surfed during “The Rat”, slamming the front row into the barricade, I think I understood where he was coming from. -Harley Brown

Apparat – Banana Shack – 8:00 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

I’m going to come right out and say it: I have a very rudimentary knowledge of Apparat and its history. All I know is that someone handed me a copy of The Devil’s Walk earlier this year, and I was infatuated by Apparat’s collected combination of the sentimentality of Aqualung with the beat-centricity of Modeselektor. I don’t want to jump the gun and say anything prematurely, but there were some serious Radiohead vibes coming off the Berlin outfit’s stage. As they drifted in and out of songs it was easy to get lost in their melodic beats. “Sweet Unrest” even evoked chorus chanting from those fans who were relishing the opportunity to see the out-of-towners play Sasquatch. And like I said, I’m not overly familiar with the band’s complete works, but I know for certain they put on a hell of a show for a very big audience (many of whom were just lining up early to see Mr. James Murphy).  -Winston Robbins

Beirut – Sasquatch Stage -8:10 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Meanwhile, over at the Sasquatch! stage, every single couple at the festival was settling into what would be three hours of some of the most unabashedly romantic indie music today, starting with Beirut (which one friendly, older gentleman in a tie-dyed Pink Floyd t-shirt next to me called “tragically romantic”). I got to Beirut’s set just in time for “Postcards from Italy”, as Zach Condon’s ukulele washed over a field of blankets and ketchup-stained curly fry containers with the setting sun. And then the horns kicked in, mirroring the tenor and vibrato of Condon’s own warble, which should be patented or put in a glass case somewhere for future generations—I’m sure more than a few were conceived that night—to marvel at. I was pleased that synth-based songs, like “My Night with the Prostitute from Marseilles” and Gulag Orkestar’s version of “Scenic World”, which sound thin on record, were fleshed out with a live drum and Beirut’s copious instrumentation.

When I asked my musically-trained fellow correspondent why “Scenic World” was so good, he didn’t have an answer. Instead, he asked, “Why is Beirut so good?” Maybe like the Gorge, both have an inherent beauty that’s difficult to explain or scientifically reconcile. The bassist, who threw his hands up in ecstasy during “Rhineland (Heartland)”, seemed to think so, too. -Harley Brown

James Murphy – Banana Shack – 9:30 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

And then it was time to choose. Do you go with the uber-hip funky disco of James Murphy or the crowd-friendly fest of pristine folk that Bon Iver had to offer? It might be the most important decision you ever make. This decision could ostensibly define you as a person. Okay, maybe not. But there were enough bodies in the Banana Shack to consider that the ratio may have been much, much closer to 50/50 for Bon Iver/James Murphy than one might have guessed. And those in attendance to see Mr. Murphy were certainly not let down. He began his set with a humble question – “Can I play some records now?” – not aimed at the crowd, but at the sound guy.

Regardless, both gave him their adamant approval, and that’s how it was for the next two hours: Murphy in his headphones, going back and forth between his turntables and the table he had set up behind him, full of vinyl (a formidable collection, to be sure) and drinks. The man brought the party so nonchalantly, it was easy to forget he was the ringleader. What wasn’t easy to forget, though, was the constant flux of disco and rave he kept thudding for the next two hours. And perhaps the most endearing part of his set was that he didn’t play a single song that anyone was familiar with, and it was still a solid two-and-half-hours of non-stop dancing. After going half an hour longer than he was scheduled for, he announced that this was “the most fun festival show in a long, long time,” and I doubt anyone in attendance would argue. One of the strongest sets of the festival, through and through.-Winston Robbins

Bon Iver – Sasquatch Stage – 10:00 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Full disclosure: “Skinny Love” made me cry. Right after a guy wearing what appeared to be a faux-fur head wrap and a tie-dyed tank top asked me if I was “journaling” and asked me for a hug, this hardened journalist got a little verklempt. It’s hard not to when thousands of people shout, “Now all your love is wasted/Then who the hell was I?” at the top of their lungs. Like the other cuts off For Emma, Forever Ago, it received the Bon Iver backing band treatment, swelling with lush strings and horns that would have sounded out of place on Justin Vernon’s mostly acoustic debut. Fortunately, he didn’t take himself too seriously, pausing after “Perth” to say, “This is pretty fucking cool!” and admitting that “Towers” was about “sweet, sweet college” while “Holocene” was about drugs and alcohol.

Another disclosure: I did not enjoy Bon Iver’s set on Saturday night, Colin Stetson’s mind-bending circular breathing aside. The swaying burlap curtains hanging from the light fixtures, glowing tiki lights onstage, and “Towers”’ 10-minute jam session was all too much. I was probably the only one who felt that something was missing—except the people next to us who wondered if this was a dubstep show—but I had a hard time finding For Emma-era’s emotion behind songs like the almost unrecognizably orchestral “Blood Bank”. After a performance so far removed from Vernon’s original intent, I wasn’t surprised to hear he’s taking five years off from Bon Iver. -Harley Brown

Monday

Gary Clark Jr. – Sasquatch Stage – 2:10 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Before he even started his first song, the crowd down in the pit chanted “Gar-ry! Gar-ry! Gar-ry!” It’s an unusual reception for someone playing so early in the day, but Gary Clark Jr. is the latest guitar god. Under a scorching sun, Clark shredded some vicious guitar solos and scraped his guitar strings with wild abandon in a manner more intimidating than anything in the swamps of the Delta. The blues may have been around for decades, but Clark proves that there is still freshness and innovation to be drawn from that world. -Frank Mojica

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Sasquatch Stage – 3:15 p.m.

 I last saw Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at Bonnaroo in 2006, fresh off the success of their self-titled debut. Even though the tent had been dark and hot as a jockstrap and the set was plagued with technical difficulties, the band’s wild-eyed enthusiasm made it worthwhile. Six years later, I approached another Clap Your Hands Say Yeah festival set, this time post-Hysteria, with some reservation. Even though the band members stayed static onstage, “Same Mistake” and “Hysteria” swept big and clean across the dancers—two of which held their right hands and clapped their left hands together, embodying the happy-go-lucky spirit of my first CYHSY show—in the front section, and old cuts like “Heavy Metal” still invigorated in a live setting. The telltale buzzing keys cuing “The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth”, however, sounded old and tired, as though the band couldn’t muster the energy to play their most popular song anymore. It only reminded me that there will never be another Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. -Harley Brown

The Joy Formidable – Sasquatch Stage  - 4:20 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Thankfully the rocky landscape of the Gorge is a sturdy one, because The Joy Formidable fired a set of catchy pop backed by the kind of shoegaze noise that could cause an avalanche. The Welsh power trip performed like rock stars and were given a likewise response, especially for set high point “Whirring”. After a promise of a return and a completed album, the Welsh power trio ripped into “A Heavy Abacus” for a fast-paced, roaring close, which ended with drummer Matt Thomas pummeling solo for the finale. If anyone in The Joy Formidable deserved their own time in the spotlight, it was Thomas because his especially frantic style was one of the hardest-hitting of the entire weekend. -Frank Mojica

fun. – Bigfoot Stage – 4:40 p.m.

Photo by Colin Athens

After reading lackluster reviews of Some Nights, judging the album tracklist by its cover, and getting sick of the person who drives around my block blasting “We Are Young”, I didn’t have high hopes for fun.’s Monday afternoon set. I was the only one, apparently, since the band drew the second-largest crowd to the Bigfoot Stage after the Roots’ performance on Saturday night. And I have to admit, everyone else was right. Fun.’s set was, well, fun. Frontman Nate Ruess, who sported a “FUN.” basketball jersey with his name on the back, sounds uncannily like Freddie Mercury. His band also specializes in Queen’s bombastic, theatrical rock, minus the sense of humor. Their arena rock gets people singing along to ridiculous lyrics like “my friends are higher than the Empire State” (although that was probably because in this context, it was true). It’s true that Ruess’ stale soliloquy on “Some Nights”—“I sold my soul for this/Washed my hands of that for this/Miss my mom and dad for this?”—is kind of cringe-worthy, but who has time to think about that when you’re singing along? -Harley Brown

Feist – Sasquatch Stage – 5:30 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

On the Sasquatch stage, Leslie Feist illustrated how she can grip a crowd while actively avoiding shortcuts, even going as far as to omit obvious old favorites such as the iPod commercial sensation “1 2 3 4″ and reinvent others. For opener “When I Was a Young Girl”, Feist took the stage backed by only a drummer as she gave the song a makeover with country-tinged guitars, while “Mushaboom” was stripped down to an almost unrecognizable form. For penultimate “Comfort Me”, Feist asked the crowd to channel Bon Jovi or their favorite ’80s band to wave their hands and sing along all the “na na na’s”. The result may have reminded her of New Kids on the Block, but for the crowd it was the latest in a nonstop series of engrossing moments. -Frank Mojica

The Cave Singers – Bigfoot Stage – 6:50 p.m.

Photo by Colin Athens

Seattle-based folk outfit The Cave Singers both managed to follow fun.’s anthems and set the stage for Deer Tick, whose covers set was to take Mogwai’s place after them. Frontman Derek Fudesco even sounded like John J. Macaulay, spitting gravel into the mic while he shook duct-taped maracas. The group’s more angular cuts, like “Black Leaf” and “At the Cut” from several years ago, got a four-day-tired audience on their feet—literally, a guy was wrapped in a blanket at my feet, rising only to tell his friend, “I’ve never been so tired in my life” before going to lean against the barricade—more than their quieter, more acoustic ballads. All in all, though, it was a good mix. I was just disappointed they didn’t have time to play their 10-minute version of ZZ Top’s “Legs”, which they promised they would later play acoustically next to the frozen margaritas. -Harley Brown

Silversun Pickups – Sasquatch Stage – 7:00 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Sometimes a band’s meant to play a festival at a certain point, and the Silversun Pickups were destined to perform at the Sasquatch stage, amidst the sun’s last plunge into the Gorge on this Memorial Day weekend. As exhausted as the crowd was, the California rockers’ loud fuzz breathed some life into the wary spectators, and frontman Brian Aubert even offered some comedic respite. ”Be excellent to each other and party on, dudes,” he exclaimed, quoting Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, all before launching into classics like “Panic Switch” and Lazy Eye”. How could we not oblige? -Ted Maider

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists  - Yeti Stage – 7:50 p.m.

Like The Cave Singers, Ted Leo also realized he was fighting a battle against festival fatigue. “Thanks for sticking it out for all four days,” he said, peppering his high-wattage set with Paul Stanley quotes and regret that there wasn’t an Erin Esurance hologram onstage with him (“But in this light, it probably wouldn’t work anyway”). The knot of fans clustered against the oncoming cold yelled things like “More of the same! Similar to before!” after Leo ripped through fan favorites like “Me and Mia” and “The One Who Got Us Out”. His band rocked so hard that they broke a bass drum pedal on “arguably their wimpiest song,” “Bottled In Cork”. Even though the crowd was small and the night was getting cold, Ted Leo’s warm stage presence and brutally intimate performance gave off enough energy to last the rest of Sasquatch! 2012. -Harley Brown

Deer Tick – Bigfoot Stage – 8:00 p.m. 

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Mogwai’s performance was cancelled due to travel issues, and Spiritualized was promoted to their closing timeslot, while a second Deer Tick set was added to the schedule. “We’re not here to play any Deer Tick songs”, announced frontman John McCauley before tearing into a special covers set that included Chuck Berry’s “Maybelline” and The Replacements’  ”Waitress in the Sky”. High points were a raucous rendition of “La Bamba” and becoming Deervana for “On a Plain”. It may not have been the post-rock giants, but Deer Tick’s cover set was still a special treat that made the most of the moment. -Frank Mojica

Tenacious D – Sasquatch Stage – 8:15 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Those who remained Monday evening quite possibly stuck around just for Tenacious D. Not only did they attract one of the largest crowds of the weekend, but also the liveliest. When JB and KG arrived on stage in comedic white fur coats, everyone surged (like an At the Drive-In reunion sort of surge), and things got tough. “We want to shut this motherfucker down,” Jack Black screamed, backing this statement up with on-target renditions of “Tribute”, “Kickapoo”, “Senorita”, and plenty more. The set’s true highlight, however, was when the festival’s mascot arrived for Pick of Destiny gem “Sasquatch” to shred some mean guitar solos in the name of rock. Only at the Gorge– and only with Tenacious D– could such a memorable performance take place. -Ted Maider

Spiritualized – Bigfoot Stage – 9:30 p.m.

 Photo by Colin Athens

Due to Mogwai’s late cancellation, Spiritualized was moved back an hour and a half, forcing everyone to wait longer, but giving them the last slot on the Bigfoot stage, with plenty of time to go over – which they did. After opening with a blistering rendition of “Hey Jane”, Jason Pierce and his band ran through a very sizable portion of their latest LP, Sweet Light, Sweet Heart. The party didn’t really begin, though, until they dropped “Ladies And Gentlemen, We’re Floating In Space” in tandem with the quiet ballad from the same album, “Stay With Me”. At 11:00 p.m., half an hour after they were supposed to be finished, they began a rousing live version of “Come Together” that had the dismally small crowd rocking back and forth in unison. That would be their last song of the night, but it was as triumphant a note to end with as the one they rode in on. In all seriousness, there should have been a lot more people at The Bigfoot stage to see the legendary UK outfit (to be fair, he was competing against Beck’s headlining set), but Pierce was unphased by the small turnout, and he rocked just like everyone knew he would. -Winston Robbins

Beck  - Sasquatch Stage – 10:00 p.m.

Photo by Jeremy D. Larson

Before the final set of the weekend, the main stage screens ceased the cycling of advertisement slides for corporate sponsors and upcoming concerts to show footage of a raccoon climbing the rafters. The surreal moment was the perfect segue for a performance by a weirdster chameleon such as Beck. Earlier in the week in Los Angeles, Beck reunited with his Sea Change band for the first time since it was recorded, and at the Gorge they took advantage of this special assembly to perform album standouts “Lost Cause” and “Sunday Sun”. As stirring as the renditions of these heartbreak odes were, it was the more upbeat hits like “Devil’s Haircut”, “E-Pro”, and “Loser” that predictably drew the biggest response, even if the man himself seemed somewhat disinterested.

Near the end, Beck and company were joined by Tenacious D for a rare performance of “Mutherfuker”, giving this year’s Sasquatch! its final “can you believe that happened?” moment. Beck may have been an odd choice for a headliner, namely for the lack of any new material, but he showed how fun it can be to just hear the crowd-pleasing hits combined with oddities for the more seasoned fans. -Frank Mojica

Gallery

Photographer(s): Jeremy D. Larson, Ted Maider

Guess we spoke too soon. Beck may not have played any new music during his concert in Los Angeles last night, but he’ll soon release a brand new single through Jack White’s Third Man Records. The latest installment in the label’s Blue Series, “I Just Started Hating Some People Today” b/w “Blue Randy” will be released on 7″ vinyl and digitally on May 28th. You can stream clips of both tracks at Third Man’s website.

According to a press release, “both tracks were recorded in 2011 while Beck was in Nashville working on new material for his long awaited next album. The songs spontaneously came together at the Third Man studio on Beck’s final day in Nashville.”

It’s worth noting that both Beck and White will appear at this weekend’s Sasquatch! Music Festival in George, Washington. Perhaps they’ll debut one of these tracks on stage? Let’s hope.

The 11th annual Austin City Limits Music Festival runs October 12-14th at Zilker Park in Austin, Texas. The lineup boasts Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jack White, The Black Keys, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Florence and the Machine, Avicii, Bassnectar, Iggy and the Stooges, The Avett Brothers, The Roots, The Shins, Weezer, M83, Gotye, The Afghan Whigs, Crystal Castles, Andrew Bird, M. Ward, Alabama Shakes, and Childish Gambino.

Also playing are Tegan and Sara, Rufus Wainwright, Thievery Corporation, Umprhey’s McGee, Metric, Stars, Delta Spirit, Polica, Esperanza Spalding, Steve Earle, Patterson Hood, Gary Clark Jr., Die Antwoord, Big K.R.I.T., Zola Jesus, The War on Drugs, Black Lips, Los Campesinos! Freelance Whales, Caveman, Tennis, LP, Two Door Cinema Club, Trampled By Turtles, Oberhofer, Bombay Bicycle Club, Old 97s, Antibalas, Lee Fields & the Expressions, Father John Misty, Ben Howard, Michael Kiwanuka, and Patrick Watson.

Three-day and single-day passes are now available via the festival’s website.

For the second consecutive year, Austin City Limits will reveal a portion of its lineup through a “lottery.” As the festival’s website notes, scratch cards will be placed in various Austin establishments over the course of the next four days. At least five acts will be revealed each day, with each card containing the names of three acts (a card containing three matching names wins a prize!)

We’ll be keeping track of the results below and will post a formal lineup when the official announcement is made on Tuesday, May 22nd.

Austin City Limits 2012 takes place October 12-14th at Zilker Park. Three-day and single-day pases will go on sale this spring.

Fridy, May 18th:

Update: We’re told yesterday’s card revealing Red Hot Chili Peppers was actually fake.

1. Childish Gambino

2. Delta Spirit

3. LP

4. Quiet Company

5. Punch Brothers

6. Steve Earle

Saturday, May 19th:

1. Bon Iver

2. Alabama Shakes

3. Freelance Whales

4. Kimbra

5. Barrington Levy

Sunday, May 20th:

1. Jack White

2. The Black Keys

3. Andrew Bird

4. Esperanza Spalding

5. A-Trak

6. Zola Jesus

Monday, May 21st:

1. Iggy and the Stooges

2. Black Lips

3. Gary Clark Jr.

4. Bombay Bicycle Club

5. Two Door Cinema Club

This weekend, Hangout Music Festival will broadcast select performances from the beaches of Gulf Shores, AL live and on-demand on MySpace. On the schedule are sets by Jack White, Wilco, Dispatch, Alabama Shakes, Umphrey’s McGee, Coheed and Cambria, Paul Oakenfold, Gogol Bordello, Dr. Dog, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, and more. Check out the full broadcast schedule below. Additional footage will be available on select Hangout artists’ own MySpace pages.

Friday, May 18th:
02:00 – Switchfoot
03:00 – Alabama Shakes
04:00 – Coheed and Cambria
05:30 – Yelawolf
06:00 – Paul Oakenfold
07:30 – Wilco
09:00 – Umphrey’s McGee
09:30 – Jack White

Saturday, May 19th:
02:15 – Heartless Bastards
03:15 – Gary Clark Jr.
04:15 – Gogol Bordello
05:15 – Dispatch
06:30 – Dr. Dog
07:00 – Flogging Molly
08:30 – String Cheese Incident

 Sunday, May 20th:
02:00 – The Lumineers
03:00 – Young the Giant
04:00 – Michael Franti & Spearhead
05:00 – Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
06:30 – The Faming Lips
08:00 – G. Love & Special Sauch
08:30 – TBD

* = All times in CDT

Who would’ve thought that out of all Jack White’s projects — and there are quite a few – his debut solo album would be his first atop the Billboard charts? According to Yahoo! Music, Blunderbuss sold 138,000 copies in its first week out, topping Adele (84,000), UK boy band One Direction (50,000), and last week’s #1 Lionel Richie (78,000).

White’s other bands The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, and the The Dead Weather have accumulated seven top 10 albums in total, with the White Stripes’ 2007 record Icky Thump peaking at #2 on the Top 200. Congratulations, Jack!

Below, watch his video for “Sixteen Saltines”.

Photo by Jo McCaughey

If you missed it, Jack White’s Friday night performance at New York’s Webster Hall, which was streamed online as part of American Express’ Unstaged series, is available to replay below. White performed with both his female and male bands during the career-spanning 21-song set. With Jay-Z looking on, he also briefly covered Frank Ocean’s part from Watch the Throne’s “No Church in the Wild” during his performance of “Cut Like a Buffalo” (scroll to the 1:12:45 mark.)

Jack, you’ve been the subject of nine different articles this week. Can we take the weekend off?

Setlist:
(With female band)
Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground
Missing Pieces
Freedom At 21
Love Interruption
Hotel Yorba
Two Against One
Top Yourself
I’m Slowly Turning Into You
Blue Blood Blues
Take Me With You When You Go
[intermission]
(with male band)
Sixteen Saltines
Cut Like a Buffalo
Weep Themselves To Sleep
Trash Tongue Talker
You Know That I Know
Were Going To Be Friends
Hypocritical Kiss
Hello Operator
Carolina Drama
Seven Nation Army
Goodnight, Irene

Later… with Jools Holland was back on the air Friday night with a second set of performances by Jack White, Norah Jones, and Alabama Shakes. (Here’s the first set if you missed it.)

White tackled the Blunderbuss track “Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy” with the ladies, ripped through The White Stripes’ classic “Ball and Biscuit” with the fellas, and shared a few words with Jools.

Jones showcased her new LP Little Broken Heart with performances of its title track and “Say Goodbye”, plus teamed up with Jools for a cover of Kris Kristofferson’s “For the Good Times”.

Alabama Shakes performed “Hang Loose” from their recently-released debut, Boys & Girls.

Watch the video replays below.

Jack White – “Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy”:

Jack White – “Ball and Biscuit”:

Jack White Interview:

Norah Jones – “Little Broken Heart”:

Norah Jones – “Say Goodbye”:

Norah Jones – “For the Good Times” (Kris Kristofferson cover):

Alabama Shakes – “Hang Loose”:

Photo by Joe McCaughey

In support of Blunderbuss, Jack White will live stream an intimate performance at New York City’s Webster Hall tonight as part of American Express’ Unstaged series. Actor Gary Oldman will serve as director for the webcast, which you can watch on YouTube starting at 9:00 PM EST/6:00 PM PST. You can also watch the concert via VEVO and YouTube apps for mobile and tablet devices.

While you’re counting down the hours, be sure to watch the webcast preview (spoiler alert: it’s Oldman and White wrestling.)

The last time Jack White appeared on The Colbert Report, a week-long rock odyssey resulted in Stephen Colbert putting out his very own, White-produced 7″ single through Third Man Records. On Thursday night, the two geniuses reunited, and while no music was recorded, a wacky interview led way to an enthralling performance of White’s Blunderbuss single “Freedom At 21″.

The interview took place backstage after White questioned the need to talk about music. “That’s ridiculous. It’s like dancing about architecture or singing about paintings.” Colbert responded by offering examples of questions he’d ask, including if it was any coincidence White went solo after they worked together, why Colbert wasn’t invited to perform backing vocals on Blunderbuss (he demonstrated his talents on “Love Interruption”), and if White’s absurd distribution techniques may have something to do with the music industry’s demise. White eventually turned the tables, quizzing Colbert on the legitimacy of the ‘Colbert Bump.’

Watch a replay of the entire thing below (via The Audio Perv). In case you weren’t aware, Blunderbuss is out now.

The two of us talked about the band beginning work on their latest album and looked over the history of Built to Spill, including the band’s relationship with their label Warner Brothers. We find out if there is anything on the horizon for The Halo Benders, his project with Beat Happening’s Calvin Johnson, and we visit his solo efforts, including a contribution to a Smiths tribute album.

Featured Music:
01. Jack White – “Sixteen Saltines” (excerpt), “On and On and On” (excerpt)
02. Moonface – “Heartbreaking Bravery” (excerpt), “Teary Eyes and Bloody Lips” (excerpt)
03. Battles – “Wall Street (Gui Boratto remix)” (excerpt), “Toddler (Kangding Ray remix)” (excerpt)
04. Bassnectar – “Va Va Voom” (excerpt), “Ugly” (excerpt)
05. Built to Spill – “Conventional Wisdom” (from You In Reverse), “Randy Described Eternity” (from Perfect From Now On
06. The Halo Benders – “Planned Obsolescence” (from Don’t Tell Me Now)
07. Built to Spill – “Time Trap” (from Keep It Like a Secret)
08. Doug Martsch – “Reel Around the Fountain” (from Please, Please, Please – A Tribute to the Smiths)

Audiography Episode 034 – “Doug Martsch (of Built to Spill)”
Written and Produced by Len Comaratta, Alex Young, Michael Roffman, Adam Kivel, Katjusa Cisar, Bryant Kitching, David DiLillo, Nick Freed and Derek Staples.

[powerpress]

Are you enjoying Audiography? Subscribe to the Podcast via iTunes!

In support of Blunderbuss, Jack White will appear on the Thursday night episode of The Colbert Report. If you recall (or as you can relive below), his last appearance was rather enthralling, so set your TiVo’s now. Or, check back here Thursday night for the video replay.

Now that Jack White has his first solo outing in the can, the Third Man Records head has sights on another first: film scoring. As Variety reports, White has been tapped by Walt Disney Pictures to provide the score for their upcoming Gore Verbinski-directed The Lone Ranger. The film’s producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, had this to say: “Jack’s an amazing songwriter with a unique style. We’re thrilled to hear his fresh take on the [Lone Ranger theme] ‘William Tell Overture’.”

Though White has contributed to films in the past (2008′s Bond film Quantum of Solace, 2007′s Cold Mountain), The Lone Ranger will be his first foray into scores. You can thank Verbinski and Johnny Depp, the man playing the Lone Ranger’s “sidekick”, Tonto. “Gore hatched the idea and Johnny was thrilled with it,” Bruckheimer tells Variety. “We’re all very excited to have him on board.”

With Armie Hammer in the iconic title role, filming for The Lone Ranger is currently underway in New Mexico with an eye on a May 13th, 2013 release.

It was a big night on Later… with Jools Holland featuring performances from Jack White, Norah Jones, Alabama Shakes, and Grimes. (Music trivia timeout: Three of these four acts have worked together? Can you name which ones?)

Supporting Blunderbuss, which is out today, White ripped through “Sixteen Saltines” and “Freedom At 21″. Norah Jones showcased “Happy Pills” from her new Danger Mouse-produced LP, Little Broken Heart. Alabama Shakes performed “Hold On” and “Be Mine” from their recently-released debut, Boys & Girls. And Grimes offered “Genesis”, off her recently-released third LP, Visions. Watch the video replays below.

Jack White – “Sixteen Saltines”:

Jack White – “Freedom At 21″:

Norah Jones – “Happy Pills”:

Alabama Shakes – “Hold On”:

Alabama Shakes – “Be Mine”:

Grimes – “Genesis”:

It’s almost messianic what White has created. In an age where countless label conglomerates are dwindling and falling into the fiery pits of bankruptcy, the former White Stripes frontman walks about in crisp suits and that trademark smirk of his, surrounded by millions of cash-carrying fans, who are willing to scavenger for rare 7″ vinyl, even if they’re falling from the sky. If that weren’t enough for religious parallels, there’s something to be said of the Third Man Rolling Record Store, a truck that travels across the land, selling goods all under the Third Man umbrella. By the time it can even toot its horn, there’s already a mob scene surrounding it, almost as if there’s this divine that dwells within, because, really, the first thing everyone’s always thinking is: I wonder if Jack’s inside.

There’s a reason to focus on this, despite the fact that this is a review of his solo debut, Blunderbuss, because for the past three years, that’s really what White has been about. Following The Raconteurs’ Consolers of the Lonely in 2008, White’s remained behind the scenes, even throughout the two LPs for The Dead Weather. Instead, he’s become a figurehead, something bigger than a musician (read: Nashville Music City Ambassador), and his music now has taken on its own mythos, something even deeper than the mercurial days of Jack and Meg. So, with Blunderbuss, there’s that to keep in mind.

White doesn’t have a clear-cut agenda on Blunderbuss; instead, he’s just letting it all out. In a way, the record feels like a mental release of three years’ worth of ideas, as if he’s sat on his own proverbial crossroads, glossing over ideas for The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, or even another Dead Weather outing. It’s arguable whether he took the road “less traveled on,” but by going at it alone, he’s made quite a statement to his fans. What exactly is it? That he is his own army. A track like “Sixteen Saltines” proves that tenfold. Over crunchy chords, White spits out high school imagery (“She’s got stickers on her locker, and the boys’ numbers there in magic marker”) and a dollop of lyrical hooks (“Who’s jealous who’s jealous who’s jealous who’s jealous of who?”) that all feel stamped and ready to go for disc-jockeys everywhere. It’s a White Stripes track, but it’s not, and that’s sort of the lesson learned here.

It’s also a tad forced. Upon release, one could almost hear the digital sigh of relief across the ‘net, as if White needed to write a track that sounded like The White Stripes, to ease the tension leftover from last year’s dissolution. Its preceding single, “Love Interruption”, arguably a far more mature exercise in songwriting, didn’t receive the overwhelming reception “Saltines” did. That’s probably because with the Wurlitzer and the clarinet, it didn’t necessarily revive those feelings of seeing the Detroit duo. Ah, the predicament at hand for White. Do you shift ahead, look behind, or do a little bit of both?

Because he’s been the principal songwriter for each outfit, it’s hard to tell what he decided on for Blunderbuss. It’s a straight-up blues record– the Rhodes piano that bubble wraps opening track “Missing Pieces” sells that within 15 seconds– but isn’t that what White’s always accomplished? Whether it’s the minimalistic carnage of the Stripes, the lush instrumentation of The Raconteurs, or the mucky distortion of The Dead Weather, it all goes back to Mississippi Delta blues. White offers plenty of that here, and it all works as it has before: the Detroit prowler “Freedom at 21″; the shoulder-shrugging, rough love in “Hypocritical Kiss”; the roadside BBQ blazin’ riffs within “I’m Shakin’”; and the Stones boogy-ing “Trash Tongue Talker” all conjure up various faces in White’s armoire. However, there is a delicate underbelly to Blunderbuss.

White goes country. On the titular track, Fats Kaplin builds this Southern roadway with some fabulous pedal steel work, and it soars over Brooke Waggoner’s piano melodies, leaving White to croon his ol’ croon. When he harmonizes “Da da da da” throughout, his vocals just float. It’s beautiful and it really works. It’s a new edge to a sharp character, but it only cuts a few times on Blunderbuss. When he returns to this vibe again, it’s during “On and On and On”, a far more meditative track that could echo Wilco, but White tugs it all back. Now, if this is one trail White previously considered, he would be wise to pack lightly and venture forward, and preferably soon.

“And I know, that I can’t defeat you/But you don’t worry now, I ain’t going to preach to you,” he sings over the sentimental skip ‘n’ shake of “Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy”. This is true. Despite the aforementioned religious connotations, White is hardly a preacher; instead, he’s just an intriguing character. People like characters, too, which explains his countless followers. The problem White struggles with on Blunderbuss, however, is that unlike Third Man Records, he isn’t building up a brand here – he’s transitioning one. He’s no longer The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, or The Dead Weather: He’s Jack White. And perhaps he’s always just been Jack White, but he still has to contend with those previous names and brands, especially if he ever plans on returning to them.

He’s a little scatterbrained on Blunderbuss, as if he’s still shaking up his past to move forward into the future, and as a result, Jack White represents everything Jack White has already accomplished. Not too shabby of a handle, but there’s just something slightly irritating about it, like there’s a secret that was lost, or just never there altogether. Does that really matter, though? Truth is, there isn’t a fan of his that won’t be waiting outside their local record stores for this release. So, technically, he’s already succeeded. Now, could you imagine if he had actually become a preacher?

Jesus take the wheel — or Jack.

Essential Tracks: “Love Interrupted”, “Blunderbuss”, and “Sixteen Saltines”

Feature artwork by Steven Fiche.

Photo by Jo McCaughey

His second TV appearance in support of Blunderbuss, Jack White performed two songs on Germany’s De Harald Schmidt Show on Thursday night. He first whipped through “Sixteen Saltines” with his all-female band, then brought out the guys for “Freedom At 21″. Watch the video replay below.

Blunderbuss officially arrives April 24th via Third Man/Columbia, but you can stream it now.

San Francisco’s Outside Lands Music Festival turns five years old this summer (August 10-12th to be exact), and it’s celebrating with some pretty big name talent. Metallica, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Foo Fighters, Jack White, Stevie Wonder, and Beck top this year’s bill. Other notable acts include Sigur Rós, Justice, Regina Spektor, Norah Jones, Skrillex, The Kills, Dispatch, Passion Pit, and Grandaddy.

Also appearing on the lineup are Big Boi, Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, Andrew Bird, Explosions in the Sky, MSTRKRFT, Portugal. the Man, Dr. Dog, The Walkmen, Alabama Shakes, Fitz and the Tantrums, Amadou & Mariam, Reggie Watts, Sharon Van Etten, YACHT, Zola Jesus, Tennis, Die Antwoord, Thee Oh Sees, Tanlines, Caveman, Of Monsters and Men, Father John Misty, Tame Impala, Big Gigantic, White Denim, Yellow Ostrich, wallpaper., Trampled By Turtles, City and Colour, and Two Gallants, among others.

Tickets will go on sale Thursday, April 19th at Noon PDT via the festival’s website.

One of the year’s more anticipated albums, Jack White’s solo debut, Blunderbuss, is now available to stream early on iTunes. The 13-track effort, self-produced at Third Man Records HQ in Nashville, will be formally released on April 24th.

Blunderbuss Tracklist:
01. Missing Pieces
02. Sixteen Saltines
03. Freedom At 21
04. Love Interruption
05. Blunderbuss
06. Hypocritical Kiss
07. Weep Themselves To Sleep
08. I’m Shakin’
09. Trash Tongue Talker
10. Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy
11. I Guess I Should Go To Sleep
12. On And On And On
13. Take Me With You When You Go

In celebration of the impending release of his solo debut, Blunderbuss, Jack White has scheduled a handful of intimate performances to take place later this month. Among particular highlight is an April 27th gig at New York City’s Webster Hall,  which will also be webcast online as part of American Express’ Unstaged series. Police Commissioner Gordon, AKA Gary Oldman, will serve as as director for the webcast, which will stream live at YouTube beginning at 9:00pm ET.

White will also perform in Paris on April 22nd, London on April 23rd, and Los Angeles on April 30th, as well as serve as a musical guest on Later with Jools Holland on April 24th. Check out White’s full tour docket below (he’s also got a ton of previously-announced summer tour dates lined up.)

Blunderbuss officially arrives April 24th via Third Man/Columbia. Beginning this evening (9 pm BST/9 pm PT), fans will be able to stream the album in full on iTunes.

Jack White 2012 Tour Dates:
04/22 – Paris, FR @ La Cigale
04/22 – London, UK @ HMV Forum
04/27 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
04/30 – Los Angeles, CA @ Mayan Theater
05/15 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium *
05/16 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium *
05/18 – Gulf Shores, AL @ Hangout Music Festival
05/19 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel *
05/21 – New York, NY @ Roseland Ballroom *
05/22 – New York, NY @ Roseland Ballroom *
05/24 – Detroit, MI @ Scottish Rite Theater *
05/26 – Quincy, WA @ Sasquatch! Music Festival
05/27 – Vancouver, BC @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
05/28 – Eugene, OR @ Silva Concert Hall at Hult Center for the Performing Arts
05/30 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
05/31 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
06/21 – London, UK @ O2 Academy
06/22 – Lodnon, UK @ Hammersmith Apollo
06/23 – London, UK @ Radio 1?s Hackney Weekend
06/25 – Amsterdam, NL @ Heineken Music Hall
06/26 – Berlin, DE @ Tempodrom
06/27 – Cologne, DE @ E-Werk
06/29 – Werchter, BE @ Rock Werchter
07/01 – Belfort, FR @ Le Eurokeennes
07/02 – Paris, FR @ L’Olympia
07/03 – Paris, FR @ L’Olympia
07/05 – Hamburg, DE @ Docks
07/20-22 – Dover, DE @ Firefly Music Festival
07/27-29 – Niigata, JP @ Fuji Rock Festival
08/03-05 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza

* = w/ Alabama Shakes

Lollapalooza’s 2012 lineup is officially one day old and that means it’s time for some post-reveal analysis. In the pages that follow, we run through the biggest highlights and surprises appearing on this year’s bill, in addition to the most glaring omissions. We also highlight five names worth knowing as you prepare for your summer vacay in the 312.

Highlights

At-the Drive In

Not only is this the hottest reunion act of 2012, but Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez have yet to appear at Lollapalooza. Believe or not, The Mars Volta have never appeared at the festival (though, Sparta did in 2006). So, to make up for all that lost time with Cedric and Omar, the festival did one better and booked their old act. Based on videos from their first performance this past week, we should be in for one hell of a show. Odds are a few us close-to-thirtysomethings will lose our shit during “Arc Arsenal”. -Michael Roffman

Jack White

Have you read the reviews from his live gigs yet? Mr. White hasn’t just performed material off of his forthcoming solo LP, Blunderbuss, but he’s also been digging into his archives – all of his archives. He’ll knock out White Stripes tracks, ice off The Raconteurs’ stuff, and even give the ol’ Dead Weather material another go around. Throw in a couple of covers and you’ve got yourself a fucking combo meal a la Jack White. When you think of it like that, there’s little reason to go elsewhere. -Michael Roffman

Sigur Rós

Don’t do this, but you can if you want: Scroll through the years of “wish list” posts on the Lollapalooza Message Board. Odds are you’ll see Sigur Rós pop up in every other entry. It happens each year. Finally, it’s a reality, and now it’s sort of surreal to think about seeing the Icelandic export in Grant Park. One has to hope they perform near dark, or at dusk, and not under the scorching hot summer sun that attacks everyone every August in Chicago. Seriously, it would just be awful to hear “Untitled 4″ at three o’clock in the afternoon. -Michael Roffman

The Weeknd

You know what they say: the second time’s a charm, and this is The Weeknd’s second U.S. festival appearance (if he hadn’t just announced a tour, it would be his second U.S. appearance, period). From the bootleg recordings we’ve seen of his limited overseas performances, Abel Tesfaye’s otherworldly voice and nasty lyrics hit just as hard live as they do recorded. And if he can make hundreds of people sing along, can you imagine what Lolla’s thousands will sound like? -Harley Brown

Frank Ocean

Like The Weeknd, Odd Future R&B wunderkind Frank Ocean will play his first Lollapalooza and second U.S. festival performance following limited live performances in support of his standout solo mixtape, Nostalgia, Ultra. It’s the perfect strategy to build hype for his forthcoming debut LP, especially since plans for a physical Nostalgia, Lite have been abandoned. Between producing an official album, playing Coachella and Lolla, and opening for Coldplay overseas, 2012 is going to be a good year for Frank Ocean. -Harley Brown

Surprises

Black Sabbath

Once word broke of Black Sabbath’s reunion last year, the heavy metal legends became a fixture atop nearly every fake lineup poster that found its way online. Headlines over the past few months put out those flames, however. Between a reportedly booked Coachella appearance that never came to fruition, Tony Iommi’s diagnosis with lymphoma, and a canceled European tour, Black Sabbath didn’t seem likely at any festival. Consider it a nice surprise then to see Sabbath headlining Lollapalooza, making this the band’s first gig on American soil since Ozzfest 2005. Sorry, Download Festival, looks like you’ll have to share the Sabbath with us. -Möhammad Choudhery

The Afghan Whigs

What was the bright flame for All Tomorrow’s Parties has now spread to Lollapalooza’s torch, as well. Set to reunite at ATP’s Ill Be Your Mirror Festival in London come May, The Afghan Whigs will perform together for the first time since 2001, which makes their appearance at Lolla a little special. For Americans, it’ll be the first chance to see them; that is, if they don’t announce a tour or something beforehand. Granted, they’ll also be playing at ATP’s Ill Be Your Mirror series in Asbury Park, NJ, but that’s a whole month later. Quite a grab, Lolla. -Michael Roffman

Frank Ocean

Sure, he’s at Coachella, he’s opening for Coldplay, and he’s attached to a slew of European festivals – but, did you really peg him for Lollapalooza? -Michael Roffman

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Six years ago, Red Hot Chili Peppers headlined Lollapalooza; at the time, they were on the heels of a double-album, which would go on to be certified double platinum and nab five Grammys. This time around, they’re supporting a nearly year-old album (2011′s I’m With You) and with a new guitarist in tow (Josh Klinghoffer) – not exactly the most exciting prospects. What’s weirder is that the Chili Peppers have an arena show set next month at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL. Sort of hard to get jazzed for a top-billed headliner when they’re playing in a matter of weeks. Here’s hoping it’s hot enough in August that they’ll want to revisit their penis socks. -Nick Freed

Omissions

The Missing Headliner

Glance at the poster for this year’s lineup: How many rock acts do you see? Traditionally, at least if previous years are to be considered, Lollapalooza sports some variety. Right now, four rock ‘n’ roll juggernauts top the bill: Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Black Keys, Black Sabbath, and Jack White. Solid names, no doubt, but hardly eclectic. Where’s the pop? Where’s the hip-hop? Arguably, we’ve got Florence + the Machine, Justice, and Avicii floating nearby, but in recent years, it’s been far more varied or fleshed out. Also, on a somewhat related sidenote, when will Jay-Z finally add his footprint into Lollapalooza history? Or, hell, even Madonna? -Michael Roffman

Odd Future

Photo by Heather Kaplan

With Odd Future’s meteoric rise to fame over the last two years, it seemed natural that Lolla would book the notoriously raucous Wolf Gang crew and have them mix it up with a big festival crowd. Perhaps Perry was wary of Jim DeRogatis’ campaign against their lyrical content/intent, one that led to some protestest at last year’s Pitchfork Music Festival. It may not be a glaring omission in and of itself, but it speaks to the dearth of hip-hop across the whole lineup, and even if Perry was trying to focus more on some jumbo-sized rawk sounds for Lolla, OFWGKTA could bring the noise as good as if not better than any act there. -Jeremy D. Larson

Garbage

Seemed like a perfect fit: ’90s favorite returns to the scene, releases a new album, and hits the road touring. What better place to stop than Lollapalooza? All signs pointed to Garbage. Quite a surprise that they weren’t on there. Now who acts as the festival’s legacy headliner? Oh, right, Black Sabbath. Still! -Michael Roffman

The Cure

Photo by Debi Del Grande

Where’s the love(song), Robert Smith? The Cure are scheduled to play 20 festivals in Europe this summer, but they’ve never played Lollapalooza and it’s been a while since the last time they played the U.S. at all. Whether they’re actively eschewing this side of the pond or not, their conspicuous absence from any American festivals- or venues, period- feels an awful lot like a snub, especially since in light of being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. -Harley Brown

Bon Iver

Photo by Drew Litowitz

Bon Iver is already playing Coachella, Bonnaroo, and Sasquatch!, so why not just go the extra hundred-something miles to his Midwest homestead? Fortunately, he’s excused, since he’ll actually be somewhere between Austria and Finland at that point. Still, he’s only performed at Lollapalooza once (way back in 2009), though now he would have been the perfect sub-headliner, especially in light of his recent Grammy Award. -Harley Brown

Who to Know

Imaginary Cities

Lately, a good number of these festival “who to knows” are from the northern confines of Canada (see: Sasquatch!). Well, Imaginary Cities is another Canuck to add to the list. Similarly enough, this Polaris Prize-nominated export also crafts a delectable brand of indie-pop, only there’s just two of them making it. Pretty impressive. So, if you enjoyed our recent premiere of “Ride This Out” (see below), then be sure to check out the rest of their college-friendly debut LP, Temporary Resident, and then add them to your Lolla schedule. -Michael Roffman

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LP

South by Southwest has been a breeding ground for some pretty fantastic talents over the years, and this year was especially kind to the big voiced whistling phenom, Laura Pergolizzi, or LP. With her debut live EP coming from Warner Bros. at the end of the month and a full-length due later in the year, the New Yorker turned LA songstress is poised to crack wide open. No doubt she’ll soar higher over summer, so be sure to take part in the sweaty dance party this August, when she charms thousands with just a ukulele and her voice. -Nick Freed

Polica

If trip-hop had more muscle or if R&B had more had more psychedelia, then perhaps you could better classify the Minneapolis quartet. But often Polica seep through the cracks of categorization, especially when you consider their live show. The band builds out the rhythmic groundwork laid by the dual drummers and layers on slinky bass and sultry vocals with just a dash of auto-tune. It all stretches and breathes on stage, and when the band locks into a groove for that extra minute, you’ll know you’re in the right place. -Jeremy D. Larson

The Jezabels

This Australian outfit shares a label with Andrew Bird and Sleigh Bels (ahem, Mom+Pop), and last year won the Australian Music Prize for their debut LP, Prisoner. Okay, so the Aussies love ‘em, but what about you? Well, Hayley Mary’s vocals are quite irresistible, but so is the sweeping underbelly behind each track. If you’re lacking an afternoon discovery, pencil this one in. Actually, use a pen. -Michael Roffman

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs is the UK-based recording and performing moniker of Orlando Higginbottom (real name), a DJ, producer, and member of Damon Albarn’s collective DRC Music. Nestled in atmospheric space and time organized around techno lite, Higginbottom’s wistful vocals recall other British dance crossover acts like Two Door Cinema Club or Jai Paul. Since he doesn’t play the U.S. often, TEED’s Lolla performance will be one you won’t want to miss. -Harley Brown

Lollapalooza 2012 takes places August 3-5th in Chicago’s Grant Park. According to Chicago Sun-Times, Black Sabbath will top this year’s bill, performing their only North American tour date of 2012. They’ll be joined by fellow headliners Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jack White, The Black Keys, Justice, and Avicii.

Other heavyweights include At the Drive-In, Sigur Rós, Florence and the Machine, The Shins, The Afghan Whigs, The Weeknd, M83, Passion Pit, Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, Frank Ocean, Childish Gambino, Miike Snow, The Gaslight Anthem, Alabama Shakes, J. Cole, and Metric.

Also playing are Delta Spirit, tUnE-yArDs, The Tallest Man on Earth, Die Antwoord, Dr. Dog, Dawes, SBTRKT, The Walkmen, Neon Indian, Gary Clark Jr., Sharon Van Etten, Polica, The War on Drugs, Doomtree, White Rabbits, Washed Out, Of Monsters and Men, Tame Impala, Bowerbirds, The Temper Trap, The Black Angels, Bear In Heaven, Chairlift, Oberhofer, First Aid Kit, and JEFF the Brotherhood.

The festival’s electronic stage, Perry’s, will also return, boasting a lineup that includes Bassnectar, Kaskade, Santigold, Calvin Harris, Nero, Knife Party, Little Dragon, Skream & Benga, Zeds Dead, Big Gigantic, Sub Focus, Porter Robinson, and Star Slinger.

Three-day and VIP passes are currently on sale via the festival’s website.

Opting for a more traditional form of distribution this time around, Jack White’s Third Man Records has announced the 12th installment (and second of 2012) in its quarterly subscription series, the Vault. As has become the case for these releases, this new installment is a veritable smorgasbord for true collectors.

The centerpiece of the collection is a new White Stripes live DVD entitled Under New Zealand Lights. The effort utilizes archival footage from two White Stripes performances: their November 2000 in Auckland at the King’s Arms (part of the band’s first international tour), and from their “sweet, innocent” October 2003 gig at Freeman’s Bay Primary School. Along side performance footage, the DVD sees Meg and Jack White offering students a primer on American blues.

Also included is a 7″ vinyl single comprised of two previously-unreleased tracks from The Raconteurs’Consolers of the Lonely sessions. Versions of the two cuts, “Open Your Eyes” and “You Make a Fool Out of Me”, would later surface on subsequent Brendan Benson solo albums (“Fool” on 2009′s My Old Familiar Friend, while “Open Your Eyes” became “Here in the Deadlights” off Benson’s forthcoming LP, What Kind of World). In a statement, White lauded the “Open Your Eyes,” proclaiming it “sounds like a hit. Seems like it could’ve been released as a single and I can’t remember why it didn’t make the album.”

Lastly, the installment will feature a live LP from White’s ex-wife Karen Elson, recorded at Third Man Records in Nashville on May 24th, 2010. Featuring cuts from her debut album, The Ghost Who Walks, the record “breathes a life into the songs that is wholly different from their studio versions.” The package also includes an interactive cover sleeve, allowing purchasers to “effectively play ‘dress-up’ with four different looks for Elson, depending on the orientation of the sleeve,” according to a press release.

Check out Third Man Record’s website to join the Vault.

Jack White made headlines last month when he said there is “absolutely no chance” for a reunion of his old band, The White Stripes. “I couldn’t see any reason to ever do that,” White told NME. “I’m not the kind of person that would retire from baseball and come out of retirement the next year. I mean, if we went to all the trouble of telling people we’re done, we meant it, you know?”

However, a new interview with The New York Times, White revealed that if it were up to him, the band would still be around. ”I’d make a White Stripes record right now. I’d be in the White Stripes for the rest of my life. That band is the most challenging, important, fulfilling thing ever to happen to me. I wish it was still here. It’s something I really, really miss.”

Instead, according to White, it was Meg’s decision to break up the band. “Some people can live their whole lives in limbo, I’d rather cut the lifeline so we can move on with our lives. There came a point where I said, ‘If we’re not doing this, we need to put an end to it right now.’ And that’s what she wanted to do.”

Prompted to explain what he meant by that, White said “You’d have to ask her… I don’t know what her reasons are. Having a conversation with Meg, you don’t really get any answers. I’m lucky that girl ever got onstage, so I’ll take what I can get.” (The band was forced to cancel their fall tour in 2009, citing Meg’s “acute anxiety.”)

White was also asked if he felt strange playing White Stripes songs on his current solo tour. He responded “Maybe it should… But it doesn’t. I wrote the White Stripes songs myself. It always felt like the two of us covering my songs.”

As previously reported, White’s solo debut, Blunderbuss, arrives April 24th via Third Man/Columbia. Watch his new video for “Sixteen Saltines” below.

Jack White is the only person about the age of 18 in the video for “Sixteen Saltines”, the second single from his forthcoming solo debut, Blunderbuss. Paint-covered children wreck havoc in this parentless world as they waste their days break dancing, downing Theraflou (see what I did there?), and plotting the death of our favorite rock hero. Find out what happens below.

Blunderbluss arrives April 24th via Third Man/Columbia. Have you checked your backyard recently?

Lollapalooza will reveal its 2012 lineup at Midnight on Tuesday, April 11th. However, over the last week, the festival has hinted at a number of potential acts with a series of ads displayed both online and in Chicago train systems. These ads have contained song lyrics from Jack White, Sigur Rós, Bloc Party, Justice, M83, The Weeknd, Santigold, Die Antwoord, Twin Shadow, The Big Pink, and Kimbra. (Click on each link to see the lyric in question.) Update: New ads are hinting at Dawes and Washed Out.

Based on tour schedules, other plausible acts include The Black Keys, The Shins, Passion Pit, Childish Gambino, Sharon Van Etten, The Walkmen, and tUnE-yArDs. You can stay up to date on all the latest Lollapalooza lineup news and rumors at Festival Outlook.

Lollapalooza runs August 3-5th at Chicago’s Grant Park. 3-Day and VIP passes are currently on sale at the festival’s website.

Photo by Joe McCaughey

Albeit April Fools Day, Jack White and Third Man Records were 100% serious when they released the Blunderbuss track “Freedom at 21″ via helium baloom yesterday. As an issued press release reports and the below video illustrates, 1,000 flexi-disc records containing the track were launched from the label’s headquarters in Nashville:

Envisioned as an experiment exploring non-traditional forms of record distribution and a way to get records in the hands of people who don’t visit record shops, the label was sure to use biodegradable latex balloons and all-natural twine in the process.

Accompanying the balloons were custom postcards with instructions for the finders to submit photos, discovery location and the date on which the record was found, all of which will be incorporated into a website where fans can access the information at http://thirdmanrecords.com/balloon

Of the 1,000 ballons launched, Third Man expects only 10% to recovered. The label has no plans to launch additional ballons or re-release the flexi-disc in a different means, so your time may be better served ripping up couches in Detroit.

Blunderbuss is available to everyone on April 21st via Third Man/Columbia.

The inaugural Firefly Music Festival will set up shop at Delaware’s Dover International Speedway from July 20-22nd. According to Delaware Online’s Pulp Culture, Jack White, The Killers, and The Black Keys top the lineup and they’ll be joined by Death Cab For Cutie, The Flaming Lips, John Legend, Passion Pit, and Girl Talk.

Also playing are Cake, Lupe Fiasco, OK Go, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Young the Giant, Cold War Kids, The Wallflowers, The Head and the Heart, Grouplove, Tinie Tempah, Cults, Heartless Bastards, Ra Ra Riot, The Felice Brothers, Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires, Mayer Hawthrone & The County, Mariachi El Bronx, Kids These Days, Bombay Bicycle Club, and Penguin Prison, among others.

Three-day passes (priced at $178) go on sale Thursday, April 5th via the festival’s website. On-site camping will be offered.

With Blunderbuss arriving next month, Jack White is currently immersed in the pre-album press junket-palooza and it didn’t take long before someone asked about the possibility for a White Stripes reunion. Responded Jack to NME: “Absolutely no chance. I couldn’t see any reason to ever do that. I’m not the kind of person that would retire from baseball and come out of retirement the next year. I mean, if we went to all the trouble of telling people we’re done, we meant it, you know?”

“If we were forced to change our mind about that, I can only imagine being the reason (sic), like if for some reason we went bankrupt or something or needed the cash, which would be a really sad thing, I would probably be issuing an apology along with the announcement of the show dates!”

And there you have it. At least he’s playing some oldies at his solo shows.

Blunderbuss is out April 24th via Third Man/Columbia.

Jack White will be back on the road in May, showcasing tracks off his debut solo LP, Blunderbuss. Centered around his headlining slots at the Hangout and Sasquatch! music festivals, the trek includes multiple performances in Nashville, New York, and Los Angeles, as well as one-offs in his hometown of Detroit, Asheville, Vancouver, and Eugene, Oregon.

Rising rockers Alabama Shakes will support White on the leg. The two acts previously teamed up for a live 7″ single, which was released by White’s Third Man Records earlier this year.

Check out White’s full itinerary below. And for a preview, read our recap of his recent performance at South by Southwest. Spoiler: It was great.

Blunderbuss is out April 24th via Third Man/Columbia.

Jack White 2012 Tour Dates:
05/15 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium *
05/16 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium *
05/18 – Gulf Shores, AL @ Hangout Music Festival
05/19 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel *
05/21 – New York, NY @ Roseland Ballroom *
05/22 – New York, NY @ Roseland Ballroom *
05/24 – Detroit, MI @ Scottish Rite Theater *
05/26 – Quincy, WA @ Sasquatch! Music Festival
05/27 – Vancouver, BC @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
05/28 – Eugene, OR @ Silva Concert Hall at Hult Center for the Performing Arts
05/30 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
05/31 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
06/22 – Lodnon, UK @ Hammersmith Apollo
06/23-24 – London, UK @ Radio 1′s Hackney Weekend 
06/25 – Amsterdam, NL @ Heineken Music Hall
06/26 – Berlin, DE @ Tempodrom
06/27 – Cologne, DE @ E-Werk
06/29 – Werchter, BE @ Rock Werchter
07/01 – Belfort, FR @ Le Eurokeennes
07/02 – Paris, FR @ L’Olympia
07/05 – Hamburg, DE @ Docks
07/27-29 – Niigata, JP @ Fuji Rock Festival

* = w/ Alabama Shakes

This past week, it felt like everyone was in Austin, TX. Between the tweets, Facebook posts, or random scans through the blogosphere, news about the awesomeness that is SXSW was utterly inescapable. But even while the majority of the music world’s attention turned in that very particular direction, there was still a bunch of stuff going on that served as a consolation prize for those stuck everywhere but Texas. The lucky ones can sample this, too, like the icing on the already massive cake. Featuring tracks from Guided By Voices, Garbage, Jack White, and more, this should do the trick.

-Adam Kivel
Deputy Editor

Death Grips – “Lost Boys”

Not many tracks can match the grimy darkness of “Lost Boys”, the third preview off Death Grips’ upcoming The Money Store (April 24, via Epic). Huge swashes of dubstep-esque bass and a splintered drum sample provide the backbone, and a sample of a female voice blithely saying the song’s title is as close to a hook as it gets here. Stefan Burnett’s rhymes about being “gated zone terrorizers” and “blood on barbed wire,” bleak stuff equally matched by producers Zach Hill (of Hella) and Andy Morin.-Adam Kivel

[soundcloud width="500"]http://soundcloud.com/deathgrips/death-grips-lost-boys[/soundcloud]

Garbage – “Blood for Poppies”

It’s been seven years since Garbage released the commercially big, critically middling Bleed Like Me. The May 14th release of Not Your Kind of People ends that absence, and “Blood for Poppies” is an early taste of what’s to come. Huge, fuzzed out, noir-y guitar chops supplement the vaguely dubby rhythm of the verse, while vocalist Shirley Manson’s chorus is vintage pop rock radio material. The Metric-y track rumbles and kicks, relishing the big moments and producing a memorable hook. -Adam Kivel

Gossip – “Perfect World”

Though Gossip haven’t completely disappeared since 2010′s Music for Men (frontwoman Beth Ditto put out a pretty solid solo mixtape/EP last year), they’ve certainly been missed. The dance-punk trio are back this week with “Perfect World”, the very infectious lead single off of their forthcoming fifth LP A Joyful Noise. The synth-leaning track (no doubt indebted to producer Brian Higgins, of Pet Shop Boys and Kylie Minogue fame) is a surprisingly patient effort for Gossip–though the trio seem to have no trouble amping things up each time that massive chorus comes around. A Joyful Noise is out May 22 on Columbia Records.-Möhammad Choudhery

Stream it here: http://perfectworld.gossipyouth.com/

Guided By Voices – “Keep it in Motion”

When ’80s/’90s college rock bands reunite, it’s often more in the “Let’s make some money on another tour vein” than with the idea of restarting the creative process. But the always prolific Robert Pollard and the whole classic crew are seemingly back on for real, planning to release their second LP of the young year with the June Fire Records release of Class Clown Spots a UFO. On opening single “Keep it in Motion”, kickstart drums and lo-fi guitar strumming whir underneath mantra-like vocals repeating the lines “keep it in motion/ keep it in line.” The simplicity of the thing is its strength, the old equation still producing solid results. -Adam Kivel

[soundcloud width="500"]http://soundcloud.com/firerecords/guided-by-voices-keep-it-in[/soundcloud]

Hot Chip – “Flutes”

This June, London electro outfit Hot Chip are set to finally release their follow-up to One Life Stand, their brilliant, CoS Top Star-earning album from way back in 2010. We got our first listen to the record, to be titled In Our Heads, this week, when the quintet released an in-studio video for its first single “Flutes”. It’s a dizzying (literally) eight minutes of slow-morphing, constantly evolving dance-pop glory that certainly sets the bar high for the rest of In Our Heads, due out June 11 on Domino. -Möhammad Choudhery

Jack White – “Sixteen Saltines”

About as far from Blunderbuss‘ first single “Love Interruption” as we’d imagine Jack White would go (and much closer to what many had expected at the news of a White solo album), we first heard the raucous “Sixteen Saltines” as the second half of his stellar SNL performance. The track, marked by some of Mr. White’s typically chunky riffage and a heavily phased bridge, gets its official release here, out next Tuesday as a 7″ single, backed by that really great U2 cover he cut back in October. Oh, and Blunderbuss is out April 23rd on Third Man Records. -Möhammad Choudhery

The Kickdrums (Feat. Casey Veggies) – “Thieves in the Choir”

The Brooklyn team of Alex Fitts and Matt Penttila, AKA The Kickdrums, sound like they have a giant blender that they can toss entire genres into, whirring them up into some sort of tasty musical milkshake. The second single from their upcoming mixtape Follow the Leaders, “Thieves in the Choir” is a chilly, sugary dose of neo-psychedelia, complete with icy synths and heavy bass. The beat comes to the forefront, though, under a verse from founding Odd Future member Casey Veggies, his flow silky smooth alongside the dripping instrumental. -Adam Kivel

The Kickdrums feat. Casey Veggies – “Thieves In The Choir”

Quakers – “Smoke (feat. Jonwayne)”

Though he’s most famous as a third of Bristol trip-hop legends Portishead, Geoff Barrow is set to release his hip-hop debut later this year under the name Quakers on the famed L.A. imprint Stones Throw. “Smoke” is the second cut to be released off the forthcoming record, and it’s straight fire, with Alpha Pup beatwiz/rapper double-threat Jonwayne deftly handling MC duties. Quakers’ release is out March 27th on Stones Throw Records. -Möhammad Choudhery

Quakers – “Smoke”

Spiritualized – “Little Girl”

Jason Pierce, the man behind Spiritualized, says much of his inspiration for the group’s soon-to-be-new album came from the extensive Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Floating in Space tour they embarked on last year, which saw them play their classic 1997 record in its entirety night after night. No surprise then, that “Little Girl” is the second straight blissfully, spaced-out jam that you’d be excused for mistaking for one off of that hallowed album. Check out Pierce and co. perfuming said blissfully, spaced-out jam live on BBC Radio 6 below. Sweet Heart Sweet Light is out April 17th on Fat Possum. -Möhammad Choudhery

Teen Daze – “Treten”

It’s fitting that the Vancouver producer known as Teen Daze has shrouded his true identity in mystery, only revealing his first name as Jamison. His futuristic, wavering, dizzy synth worlds and lush vocals pulse with a cloudy energy that works without personal context. On “Treten”, the opening track of his upcoming LP, All of Us, Together (via Lefse Records), blurry, arpeggiated synths trail off in every direction, insistent bass tones pulsing out a heavily danceable beat. The melody is vaguely new wave-y, but the wave this track catches is stuck in outer space, complete with a free-floating, twinkling star break. -Adam Kivel

Teen-Daze – “Treten”