MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC! Obvs, Sasquatch! Music Festival is all about the music. Still can’t. Stop. Dancing. And what an incredible place to hear it all, with this year’s lineup being nothing short of EPIC. The main stage was nestled inside Quincy Valley Gorge of Washington State and made for the most breathtaking acoustics, creating a natural amphitheatre. The sound feels like you’re sitting in a cereal bowl and the warmth envelopes you circular; it’s beautiful and all around you. Makes listening to something off a tiny speaker attached to your iPod seem obscene.

I’ve collected some reviews from my own and other’s fave moments and below is a Sasquatch 2012 Playlist of some of the best at this year’s fest. As there were 4 days of music on 4 stages and a few other tents & shacks to catch some tunes, it was impossible to hear it all and include all the great stuff. Take this as a sample platter plucked from a worldly feast of great music – with honourable shoutouts to Childish Gambino, Metric, Beirut, Girl Talk, John Reilly, Pretty Lights, and ohhhhhh so many others!

1. Jack White Dead Leaves and The Dirty Ground 

Seeing this rock & roll God jam out and sing his heart away for a good 1.5 hours pretty much made my life. He did songs from all his projects, and played White Stripes towards the end, yay! Hey Jack White, did you know that we are, in fact, in love with each other? I can tell that we are gonna be friends.

2. Tenacious D Tribute 

After seeing them live I can confidently say that Jack Black is a better rock star than actor. But who can say where acting and rocking begins and ends when watching Tenacious D, which is all part of the fun. I’m not too familiar with all their material but enjoyed the spectacle, the crowd went crazy throughout PLUS their stage decor included a huge inflated ding-dong. And not the snack from 7-11.

3. Beck Loser

I loved this song in grade school and loved seeing it live even more. Beck came on after Tenacious D on the last night of the fest, and can I mention that at the end of his set they jammed out together to finish it all off? Jack Black, Beck and Beck’s dancing son all onstage together after 4 days of tunes in the mountainous desert. Nbd.

4. Santigold Disparate Youth

5. Charles Bradley The World (Is Going Up In Flames)

This man is legendary! He left fronting a James Brown cover band to pursue a solo career and for that I am so glad. Not many soul singers like him around these days. And his stage antics were a throwback to elaborate gyrations, the splits and theatrics of The Temptations, Jackson 5, James Brown…ahem Charles Bradley. No comparisons necessary. I <3 You, Charles! I was 3rd row centre, and I know we made eye contact for a solid 3 seconds when you “took us all to Church”.

6. The Shins New Slang

7. Feist Mushaboom 

8. Fun. We Are Young

This group from New York seems to be blowing up the world’s radio stations with this anthem right now, and it was a treat to see them live. Too bad Janelle Monae couldn’t make a cameo to sing her vocal part in this song, but the band was wearing neon T-Shirts with “Fun.” printed on them in block letters so I forgive them. 

9. The Head and the Heart Rivers and Roads

Never knew about this band until seeing them live, which is so great about music festivals. They’re from nearby Seattle and I guess it was a bit of an emotional homecoming for them playing at the main stage at Sasquatch – by the end the female lead singer was so part nostalgic part gaga over the scenery she started crying! Aww.

10.  Group Love Tongue Tied

11. Tune-Yards

Love the looping this badass cool lady did vocally and instrumentally during her set.

12. The Roots 

The Roots! Live! Amazing! Although their Beastie Boys cover that started the show could not be taped and shown to you, I can assure you it was funkadelic. Seemed like they played mostly a jam out groove sesh to get us moving around, with a brass band on stage. 

13. Gary Clark Jr. Don’t Owe You A Thing

14. Bon Iver Skinny Love

Their set was sooooo haunting. They played late into the night while people snuggled under blankets or danced the cold away right by the stage. True story: Frontman Justin Vernon addressed the crowd at one point to say that’s years festival roster “is the best lineup possibly ever”. (Quote may not be verbatim. I was cold. And in a Bon Iver-stupor.)

15. SBTRKT Wildfire

~ Becca Lemire