The core Portland crew made it out to Eastern Washington: Jamie, Shelly, and Colin. We were also joined by our Norwegian friend Arjo, who was able to combine a work trip here with the show.

On Friday, we picked up the RV. Arjo’s flight was delayed so Shelly, Colin, and I headed out on the road. Got a chance to stop at the Double Mountain Tap House in The Dalles and filled up a few growlers for the trip. Between traffic and our RV travel speed, we were able to take a quick beer break in Yakima and meet up with Arjo.

All we had was an hour or so ahead of us and we would be there. Well.. an hour or so of drive time and close to 3.5 hours in the entrance line. First benefit of the RV realized: our own mobile bathroom! Finally, we made our way into Premier Camping, nabbed a great spot near the shower trucks, and started making friends with the neighbors. Now I could be wrong, but I think we were surrounded by Canadians. Well, them, and the crew from a Boise alternative music radio station. All in all though, nice friendly people that we hung out with for most of the weekend.

On Saturday, we spent the morning getting tickets for Arjo, then headed in. In standard festival fashion, we bounced around a lot, but managed to listen to OK Go, Broken Social Scene, The National, Vampire Weekend, and Z-Trip. Listened to Deadmau5 from the comfort of our camp.

Sunday we hopped in Arjo’s car and headed out to Ellensburg for supplies and a couple of hours at the river. Too cold to go swimming but nice to relax and toss the frisbee around. As the afternoon wrapped up, Jamie showed up from Seattle. Using our secret hacker skills (sharpie and parking pass stub) we got both her and Arjo’s cars into our campsite. Sunday’s bands included They Might Be Giants (from campsite), Tegan and Sara, The xx, LCD Soundsystem, Pavement, A-Trak, Public Enemy, Massive Attack, and Booka Shade.

Monday, as usually the case during these long weekend parties, was spent complaining about our hangovers, and postponing getting ready for the show. Arjo had to be back in town bright and early Tuesday, so headed back to Portland. The girls weren’t ready to head in, so Colin and I went and caught Passion Pit, She & Him, and No Age. By that time, we were tuckered out, and headed back to camp. The girls stayed to see Boys Noize.

The “quiet time” gave me a second wind, so later that night Colin, Shelly, and I headed into the wild apocalypse of General Camping, bouncing from sound system to sound system into the night.

And that was it. Tuesday morning rolled around and we said our goodbyes. By the time we emptied the RV, returned it, and got home. It was nearly 6pm. Time for an early bed, right?

So…. The Buzzcocks played in Portland last night. Despite being drained from the weekend, there was no way I was going to miss seeing them. Seriously, they are in my top 5 of all times – the kind of band that basically shaped the music I like. So, hoping for a miracle burst of energy, I headed out to Berbati’s at 8:15. Of course, The Buzzcocks weren’t scheduled to play until 10 or so. Doh! Bracing myself at the bar with some red bulls, I waited.

And I am so glad I did. Managed to poke my way up front right near the stage and proceed to dance, sweat, and wear the biggest smile on my face as they ran through their set. So many random associations from times past flew through my mind. Hearing some of the songs that have been my “theme song” at points in my life live was incredible.They even looked like they were enjoying themselves – something a lot of “reunion bands” don’t necessarily do.

And with that I called it a night. Still can’t believe I was vertical today at work, but am definitely sleeping early tonight.

Hmmmm… now about that Killing Joke show tomorrow…

(Flickr set of Sasquatch pictures here)

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Way back in January, my friends Jamie and Shelly and I decided we wanted to get a big rental house for this year’s festival. Criteria: a lot of bedrooms, pool, and a hot tub. With all the properties available you would think it would be easy to secure this, but we actually had to scramble. Fortunately, the place we ended up getting was awesome. Because it was in Palm Springs, and not closer in like Indio or La Quinta, we arranged for a driver to shuttle us back and forth each day. (Note: This was one of the best moves ever. No worries about parking or being too drunk/tired to drive).

Joining us after a few shuffles and cancellations were my friends Colin from PDX, Josh from SEA, and Switch, Suga, Kirby and Audra from OAK.

By some luck of the reservation system, those of us from the PacNW all ended up on the same Portland to Palm Springs flight and arrived late afternoon on Thursday. After a quick test run of the pool and hot tub, we walked to the store, stole a shopping cart, and brought home supplies.

The Oakland crew drove down and got into town around 2am.

Day 1 of the Festival

Our driver showed up about 1pm and brought us to the Polo Fields where we were greeted by the biggest clusterfuck Goldenvoice has ever created.

This year there were no single day passes available and the 3-day passes were sold out. We waited in one line for about 45 minutes, had our bags searched, then were released into a holding pen, where Security was exchanging tickets for wristbands. No lines, just mobs of hot, sweaty, and excited people swarming around the wristbands. The Security were constantly running out of the wristbands, which forced them to wade through the crowds to pick up more.

After 30 minutes or so of this, we then had to walk a half mile or so where we were greeted by another set of lines to have our bags checked again and our bands verified.

We had planned to be at the festival at 2:30 and barely made it in time for a 4:00 set.

Shaking off the bad vibes of the entry, I (and a rotating cast of my housemates) managed to see:

Proxy – Jamie was set on seeing this, so we headed straight back to the Sahara tent. Was really good and the perfect way to get into the festival mindset.

Aeroplane – Wow! Very unexpected. I had heard a little bit before but am now a fan.

She & Him – Didn’t stay long. I am a fan of the band, but the crowd was huge, and they sounded like the record, so moved on fairly quickly.

The Specials – DING DING DING WE HAVE A WINNER. I had so much fun reliving my Dance Craze days. While they all looked older, the music and stage presence were spot on.

Wolfgang Gartner – Caught the tail end of this. Enjoyed what I heard.

Pretty Lights – Another hit!

La Roux – Caught a few minutes between sets. The tent was packed, so we moved on.

LCD Soundsystem – I am a huge LCD fan. Have seen them many times. After listening to the new album, I was completely psyched to see them again. Unfortunately, I thought the show was just OK. No real reason why – just didn’t hit like I thought it would.

Benny Benassi – We kicked it in the grass behind the Sahara tent and regrouped with people.

Fever Ray – Probably the best set of the weekend. The stage show was creepy and awesome, the sound was loud but not overpowering, and the music was… beautiful.

Deadmau5 – To close out the night, we crashed the Deadmau5 tent, forced our way into the crowd and had our own dance party. Amazing way to end the night.

And then it was back to the house for a late night dip in the pool.

Day 2 of the Festival

For me, this was the “weak” day of the show. The one band I was truly looking forward to, Bad Lieutenant, were stuck in the UK due to volcanic ash. We mostly hung out around the Sahara tent, with occasional forays out to poke our noses into the other sets. Plus, after a couple of late nights partying, the day was a bit of a blur. I can safely say we saw Craze & Klever, Dirty South, The Raveonettes, Bassnectar, David Guetta, and Les Claypool.

We ended up calling an audible, and bailed out of the show early.

Day 3 of the Festival

Another late night, but that didn’t stop us from rolling out and raring to go.

Rusko – Hadn’t heard much before, but became a fan.

The Glitch Mob – Whoo hoo! Another one of my faves. Was a bit disappointed by the set. They seem to be turning into “musicians” who play “songs” instead of “DJs” who play “sets”. Still enjoyable though.

Florence and The Machine – Played to a pack tent. I really like this band, but I think I like them better in my headphones than at a festival.

Club 75 – Jamie, Shelly, Colin and I were camped out on the side of the Sahara and probably danced non-stop for an hour and a half.  We must have been acting pretty wild, because we attracted a whole bunch of fun people who joined up with us.

Got split up by capacity beer tents and long bathroom lines at this point. Shelly and I bounced around listening to bits and pieces of Spoon, Phoenix, and Infected Mushroom.

Orbital – Another blast from the past. (Satan! Satan! Satan! Satan! Satan!)

The girls and I decided we wanted to head over to the main stage and stake out our ground. Got sidetracked by some food and drinks and a trip to the Heineken Headphone Rave dome. Had a good time dancing around with wireless headphones on.

Gorillaz – ZOMG! I had been expecting a show that incorporated their “hologram” characters and was wondering how they were going to pull it off with the wind that kicks up at night. When Admiral Snoop Dogg came up on the main screen and kicked off the set, I knew we were in for something different. Damon Albarn and crew played live with an insane multimedia show behind them. Can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of the DVD for Plastic Beach.

And with that we bid farewell to the festival. Our friends from Oakland were scheduled to leave the next day, so we made sure to get our fill of the pool and hot tub that night.

Monday was spent decompressing and recuperating. At noon, we said our goodbyes to the Oakland crew. At dusk we headed out to the Aerial Tramway to see the city lights from the snow covered lodge. A nice steakhouse dinner and brief stroll down the main Palm Springs drag ended the night.

Tuesday, we packed up and bolted for the airport.

Every time I go to Coachella, I say it was the best year ever, and this year I am going to say it again. An awesome rental house, great weather, and the best group of people to hang with that I could ask for. It was a grand slam home run! Thanks to everyone who was there for a great week.

A Flickr set of house pics are here. Kirby borrowed my SD card during the festival so his camera has most of the concert pics.

(and a nod to the memes of the week: “music goes in my earhole”, “shots shots shots shots shots shots”, and “fucking iceland”)

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With a few routes to choose from, we opted for the 8 bridge / 24 mile route. Chris, Colin, Bryan, April, and myself met up at Stumptown at 7am, then headed over to Salmon and Front for our 7:30am start. Which we got to around 8am.

After a quick pass through some city streets, we hit our first bridge, the Hawthorne. This was then quickly followed by the Ross Island bridge. So far so good. I cross these bridges all the time as part of my short waterfront loops, so nothing extraordinary yet.

Then came the loop onto I-405 and up the Marquam. These were our first big hills of the day. The onramp to the freeway gave us a good opportunity to pick up speed as we cruised to the top of the double decker freeway span.

The course wound its way through SE, past Branx/Rotture, and then back to downtown across the Burnside. Things got a little bunched up here, but soon enough we made our way to the Broadway bridge. Again, these two bridges are bike commuter bridges (and drunken walks, but thats another story), so nothing exciting.

We then had to make our way to the Fremont bridge, the second car only bridge we got to cross. There is a fair elevation difference between the Broadway and the Fremont, so by the time we got to mid span of this double decker, a quick water break was in order.

After the Fremont, we had a long trek through industrial NW Portland out to the St. Johns Bridge. Again, another decent elevation climb right at the end to get on the bridge, which nearly kicked my ass.

At this point we had crossed all but the last bridge back in town to get back to the Waterfront, and were probably 3/4 of the way done with ride. It was just before 10am, so pints were in order. Well, actually, a couple of pitchers. We ran into our friends Anne and Carly there, and after a nice 45 minute pit stop got back on the road.

The route had us head back to the Broadway bridge, loop through the North end of the Pearl District, down to the waterfront and to the finish line.

Except, thats about two blocks from Bridgeport Brewpub. So with the finish line in sight (basically), we stopped for another pitcher and some snacks. Feeling refueled, we headed down and finished the ride.

Futzed around the Bite for a minute, headed off to Voleur for some lunch, then back home.

Weather was amazing. A little cool and gray to start, then breaking open to sunshine later on.

The ride was all sorts of fun, our crew stayed fairly close together, no mechanical mishaps (at least during the ride), lots of people having a good time, pitchers, biking… Phew!

(rest of the pics on the Flickr)

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It’s Not the Most Important Match Ever….

…it’s bigger than that.

The final USL match between the Portland Timbers and the Scum from Seattle.

And it’s Thirsday Thursday.

And a late start.

And it’s on Fox Soccer Channel.

We shall bring the noise and the pain and make them simper back to their moldy, fish-stank home.

The match will be preceded by a funeral parade. (Yes, we have an actual human-sized coffin.)

Be at the Bitter End at 6pm or at the Bullpen about an hour later.

Bagpipes; pallbearers; trumpets; booze.

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Thursday (7/24) – Portland Timbers home game vs. Carolina RailHawks.

Friday (7/25) Either group outing to the Drive-In or DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist at Roseland (probably drive in – havent been to one in forever!)

Saturday (7/26) Girl Talk at Roseland. This show should be super fun. The Feed The Animals album is great. Listening to Girl Talk Murders Seattle – Live at Chop Suey gives me great hope for this show. (psst – follow the Feed The Animals link and you can download it for free/name your own price).

Sunday (7/27) Chromeo at Berbati’s Pan. May be too tuckered out for this show, considering I just saw them at Coachella.

Saturday and Sunday (7/26/727) Oregeon Brewer’s Fest at the Waterfront

Monday (7/28) Weekly bar trivia at Chez Jose (eastside). Will Sparklemotion return to dominance, or is this the week apathy totally kills us off.

Thursday (7/31) Last Thursday in NE.

Saturday (8/2) Red Bull Flugtag at Waterfront Park.

Saturday and Sunday (8/2/83) Bones and Brew in the Pearl

Sunday (8/10) Providence Bridge Pedal. Our crew has decided to do the 8 bridge/24 mile route. Unless someone signed us up for the 11 bridge/37 mile route. Better step up my daily rides.

(errata: wrote this using MarsEdit to see if I like blogging from a desktop client as opposed to just using the web)

edit: added beerfest and bbq

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<rant on>

My main complaint with the show was timing. Apparently Edgefield has noise issues with their neighbors. This forces them to start and end the shows early. No big deal. Info said gates open at 5 and show starts at 6. We rolled into the parking lot at 5:50 and the first band, Nada Surf, had already started playing?! We must have been the only ones not to get the memo as the grounds were fairly full already and the prime blanket spots were nabbed already. Nonetheless we found a decent spot and camped out. I thought, maybe since they had three bands they had to start a bit early to finish by a certain time. Ok. No big deal. Until the first intermission came. There must have been 20 – 25 minutes between the two bands. Sure, it was nice to get up, walk around, get some drinks, but had they been able to tighten that up, we may not have had to miss the beginning of the show.

<rant off>

I was never that big into Nada Surf, really only remembering that one hit way back when “Popular”. Was really surprised by their new sound. Found myself really enjoying it.

POTUS was great. They played their big hits from back in the day (Lump, Kitty, Peaches) and mixed them with tracks from their new album.

Spoon. Spoon Spoon Spoon. I love seeing them in concert. Which is odd, because I really dont enjoy listening to them on the ipod. Maybe its the pacing of the albums, maybe its the extra oomph in the live shows – I don’t know. But last night was no exception. Even with Britt forgetting/missing some of the lines, I thoroughly enjoyed it. They had a horn section as well for some of the songs. Our crew gave that a mixed reception, but I liked it.

All in all it was a good time. My first time at Edgefield for a concert (the last time I was there was for a wedding where shenanigans went down…) and I really liked the venue.

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I guess its like putting a nutrition label on a candy bar. It may stop you once or twice, but if you’re really craving the sweets, you’re gonna eat ‘em.

On the other hand, its not as bad as Juicy which can go one of two ways. (shudder)

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If you’re in town, we’ll be leaving from my place in The Pearl around 11:45am and walking down to the park. Weather should be nice and warm. Come join us!

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My spanish is a little rusty but I think the description of these pictures says something like “Abandon all hope ye who enter here, for here are the Gates of Hell.”

Or something like that…

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