Who’s who at Sasquatch Music Festival
Since 2002, musicians and listeners alike have associated Memorial Day weekend with a trip to the Gorge Amphitheatre for the Sasquatch Music Festival.
What began as a one-day festival (performers at the inaugural Sasquatch included Ben Harper, Jack Johnson and the String Cheese Incident) eventually expanded into three days of nonstop music.
This year’s festival, Friday through Sunday at the Gorge, features headliners Bon Iver (Friday, 10:30 p.m., Sasquatch stage), Modest Mouse (Saturday, 10:30 p.m., Sasquatch), the National (Sunday, 10:30 p.m., Sasquatch) and David Byrne (Friday, 8:15 p.m., Sasquatch).
Those acts are bound to draw huge crowds, but they aren’t the only noteworthy musicians gearing up for the Gorge.
“Embarking on our 17th year, we’ve taken the opportunity to reflect on the past and collect feedback from the fans on how we can improve and evolve the festival experience,” festival creator and producer Adam Zacks said in a news release announcing the 2018 festival lineup. “We’ve taken the fans’ impassioned responses to heart and are fired up to share a lineup rich with new musical discoveries in the spirit of the best Sasquatches past.”
We suggest making room in your Sasquatch schedule for these artists:
Margo Price
Friday, 3:30 p.m., Sasquatch
Country singer-songwriter Price made a huge splash in 2016 with her debut full-length, “Midwest Farmer’s Daughter,” and she’s kept the momentum going with “All American Made,” which she released in October.
The album, which features guest appearances by Willie Nelson and the McCrary Sisters, peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard U.S. Folk Albums chart.
Thunderpussy
Friday, 7:15 p.m., El Chupacabra stage
The Seattle-based rock ’n’ roll quartet of drummer Ruby Dunphy, bassist Leah Julius, guitarist Whitney Petty and singer Molly Sides has been writhing across the stage and into fans hearts for the last few years.
Thunderpussy signed with Stardog Records/Republic Records, a division of Universal Music, late last year and will release its self-titled debut album on Friday.
Hurray for the Riff Raff
Friday, 4 p.m., Bigfoot stage
Folk-blues/Americana band Hurray for the Riff Raff, fronted by Alynda Segarra, released its sixth studio album “The Navigator” in October.
Much of the album is inspired by Segarra’s travels to Puerto Rico to reconnect with her roots, and her hometown in the Bronx, noticing the positive and negative changes that had taken place while she and the band were on the road.
The Suffers
Friday, 6 p.m., Yeti Stage
Chances are high that those who catch the Suffers’ set will hear a new track or two from the Houston-based soul band’s sophomore album “Everything Here,” which is scheduled to be released July 13.
Shakey Graves
Saturday, 7:15 p.m., Bigfoot
The first of Shakey Graves’ two shows in Spokane at the Knitting Factory, Aug. 26 and 27, has already sold out, so if you can’t make the second night, it might be worth the drive to see the Austin-based singer-songwriter.
Shakey Graves traded his signature Americana folk for more rock influences on “Can’t Wake Up,” which he released May 4.
Lizzo
Saturday, 3:30 p.m., Sasquatch
Just in time for summer, and two years after “Good As Hell” dominated the airwaves, Minneapolis-based rapper Lizzo has released “Fitness,” a body-positive feel-good anthem.
“I hope to inspire women all over to put themselves first,” Lizzo said on Twitter. “And next time someone has a critique about you or your body, say ‘I don’t do this for you!’ ”
Explosions in the Sky
Sunday, midnight, Bigfoot
If you missed Explosions in the Sky when they played the Knitting Factory in September, here’s your second chance to catch the instrumental rock quartet live.
After its fall tour, Explosions in the Sky decided to “disappear for awhile” before working on new music, so Sasquatch attendees might be the first ones to hear what the band has been working on.
Anderson .Paak and the Free Nationals
Monday, midnight, Bigfoot
When talking about his upcoming album during a recent interview with Beats 1’s Zane Lowe, Anderson .Paak revealed that he had “65,000 songs in the vault.”
.Paak released one of those songs, “Bubblin,” earlier this month. No word yet on when the album, a follow up to 2016’s “Malibu,” will be released.
Tank and the Bangas
Sunday, 3:30 p.m., Sasquatch
Since forming in 2011, New Orleans-based soul/funk/R&B group Tank and the Bangas have taken listeners on an emotional roller coaster thanks to its blend of high energy, feel-good tunes and spoken word poetry from frontwoman Tarriona “Tank” Ball.
Tank and the Bangas won the the NPR Tiny Desk Contest in 2017 and released its latest single “Smoke.Netflix.Chill” in April.
Soccer Mommy
Sunday, 1 p.m., Sasquatch
If you missed Soccer Mommy’s April show at the Bartlett, here’s another chance to catch the indie-rocker live before she hits the road with Paramore and Foster the People this summer.
Soccer Mommy, a.k.a. Sophie Allison, released her debut studio album, “Clean,” earlier this year.