I’ll start this off with the same promise of my Sasquatch 2011 post – posting who I saw with the hopes of fleshing things out with individual reviews and pictures once I have time.
One thing I will say about this year’s festival – there were a ton of “new to me” artists that blew me away, leading to no less than 10 album purchases and a boatload of names to watch for when they come to town. As with the Sasquatch post the bands that stood out are in bold (either individually, or the strongest part of a workshop), purchased may be bold as well as italic.
you may question how I was able to “see” so much on Saturday and Sunday, but it is really easy to understand. As a general rule I don’t like workshops where it is band A plays, then band B, and the other artists try not to look bored while they wait for their turn. I would generally give it a swing through the 2-4 artists on stage, and if they didn’t get it together I’d move on. Also, I generally like a bit more energy from who I’m watching, if not from their music then from their crowd interaction and general stage presence. A quiet artist with an arresting voice and a genuine connection with the crowd can be just as enthralling as a high energy, raucous band that is blowing the roof of the place.
Onwards to my busy folk fest viewing schedule!
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reflection on what I called (upon its completion) my best small venue concert ever. At some point I may have to dig back through the archives of cd’s and concert ticket stubs to possibly dispute that comment, but for now I’ll stand behind it as a fact… the Watchmen kicked my ass and did it with a smile.