Throughout Memorial Day weekend, SPIN was on site at the Sasquatch! Music Festival at the Toyota Music Den, where we invited many of the fest’s best and brightest to stop by for portraits shot by photographer Erik Voake. We also asked the artists for a quick quote to accompany their photos, discovering that Briana Marela is a huge Simpsons fan, Rudimental played on the same football teams growing up, and Digable Planets reunited because they “missed each other,” among many other revelations.
Check out the photos and quotes below, and see coverage from all three days of the Music Den at Sasquatch! here, here, and here.
Who: Rudimental
What: U.K. drum and bass party-starters
Quote: “Our friendship is strong. We all grew up together and were on the same football teams.” — Leon “DJ Locksmith” Rolle
Who: Frightened Rabbit (Scott Hutchinson)
What: Singer/songwriter/leader of Frightened Rabbit
Quote: “If I couldn’t make music, I’d be drawing in a little shed somewhere.”
Who: Digable Planets
What: Recently reunited hip-hop legends
Quote: “We missed each other.” — Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler
Who: Walshy Fire
What: One-third of electro supergroup Major Lazer
Quote: “You want that raw feeling, like you’re at a party and it’s gritty.”
Who: Protomartyr
What: Detroit post-punk
Qutote: “I like British post-punk and stuff like Pere Ubu.” — Joe Casey
Who: Casey Veggies
What: Hip-hop artist and entrepreneur
Quote: “Sasquatch! was great people. Great energy. The scenery was crazy and I just had a good time.”
Who: Wet
What: Synth-laden R&B devotees
Quote: “My perfect meal would be french fries, nachos, salad, and apple pie with ice cream.” — Kelly Zutrau
Who: Kevin Garrett
What: Blue-eyed soul singer/songwriter
Quote: “My all-time favorite singer, definitely the biggest influence on me, is Sam Cooke.”
Who: Tamaryn
What: Shoegaze dream popper
Quote: “Sasquatch! curates really well. From what I’ve heard from festival-goers, this is the one that has the coolest bands.”
Who: Speedy Ortiz
What: Classic alternative-influenced indie rock
Quote: “If I wasn’t playing music I might be a hot dog vendor.” — Sadie Dupuis
Who: Baroness
What: Critically-lauded alt-metal quartet
Quote: “I’m just a weird ball of energy.” — John Baizley
Who: Hop Along
What: Raucous indie rockers and vivid storytellers
Quote: “I listen to Dylan all of the time. Highway 61 was the first album I ever heard, and that was just like a painting to me.” — Frances Quinlan
Who: La Luz
What: Seattle surf-rockers
Quote: “I got to see Shannon and the Clams and Ty Segall yesterday.” — Shana Cleveland
Who: Conner Youngblood
What: Multi-talented folktronic artist
Quote: “The scenery here is just amazing. There’s nothing better than playing music while looking at this scenery.”
Who: Deep Sea Diver
What: Dreamy power pop
Quote: “Because of the wind, our drum kit was airborne and snot was flying out of our noses.”
Who: Baio
What: Vampire Weekender Chris Baio’s eclectic solo project
Quote: “I had a job with Teach for America before playing music professionally.”
Who: Summer Cannibals
What: Blistering punk with pop
Quote: “No other place can offer this much wind.”
Who: Briana Marela
What: Dreamy, moody pop
Quote: “My favorite Simpsons is the one where Homer goes on fat disability. I love the bird that types for him and his Muumuu.”
Who: Thao & the Get Down Stay Down (Thao Nguyen)
What: Unique, folk-inspired rock
Quote: “My dream movie double bill is The Princess Bride twice.”
Who: SOAK (Bridie Monds-Watson)
What: Irish singer/songwriter prodigy
Quote: “I’m an Irish leprechaun.”
Who: Son Little
What: Rootsy singer-songwriter with hints of R&B
Quote: “I don’t really have a particular creative process. The main goal is to end with something that pleases me.”
Who: Noah Gundersen
What: Neil Young-influenced indie folk singer/songwriter
Quote: “Neil Young’s Tonight’s the Night, specifically.”
Who: Tacocat (Lelah Maupin)
What: Glittery art punks
Quote: “Blade Runner meets a space princess in a candy factory.”
Who: Telekinesis (Michael Lerner)
What: Seattle indie rocker with love for pop hooks
Quote: “I’d love Wes Anderson to direct a video for me.”
