Colorado's OvalofSand Releases New Single "Thumb Tacky"

By: Dom Ellerbee

Friends: I would like to introduce you to the new, original, and very intricate musical musings of Boulder artist ovalofsand. Originally from Colorado, venturing to the rain soaked lands of the Pacific Northwest for a time, and eventually settling back down in Colorado, ovalofsand manages to enthrall his listeners with tales of times best left forgotten.

ovalofsand.

ovalofsand.

Listen to ovalofsand’s “Thumb Tacky”:

The debut single off of his upcoming album Stronger/Stranger, entitled “Thumb Tacky”, manages to give you a fleeting glimpse of the overall record; a short summary of what this developing masterpiece will be. I had the privilege of being one of the first to hear the upcoming album in it’s entirety, and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised:

Imagine yourselves in a sensory deprivation chamber, blasting this track on full volume, and listen. In doing so you will be taken to a strange, yet somehow familiar library of sound. Ambient melodies coupled with light-hearted guitar work make for some impressive and astonishingly beautiful tunes. This is just about the closest thing you’ll get to the sound of the Seattle underground. You’ll find songs with the mood of bands like Magnog, and the melodic capabilities of Kissing Book.

Stronger/Stranger is a concept album that follows the story of a toxic relationship, escaping that relationship, and moving on from it. It truly is a wonderful, fresh, and original new piece of art. The combination of sounds on the record serve the sole purpose of telling a wonderful story, and making you feel something powerful again.

ovalofsand laying tracks.

ovalofsand laying tracks.

If you want a little taste of what you can expect from ovalofsand, take a listen above, or head over to Spotify to hear this artist’s first album, Dear Forest, under his old name, "Young Jesse". Stick around, and listen to everything ovalofsand has to offer. BolderBeat will update you when Stronger/Stranger drops for the public, but in the meantime, I think you will love what you hear on “Thumb Tacky”.

-Dom

All photos, videos, and embedded tracks per the artists featured and those credited. This feature was edited for brevity and clarity by BolderBeat.

Sasquatch Day Three: Leon Bridges Plays a Small Acoustic Set to a Lucky Few, Savages Slay, Mac Demarco Parties (Duh), & The Cure Still Rule

Even with high winds threatening sets, the third day of Sasquatch had its share of awesome festival moments.

Sunday was a rough day here at the fest. The high winds that started early in the day never let up, and cancelled all but the main stage shows. Allen Stone and Tacocat were rescheduled, while Houndmouth, Saint Motel, and Frightened Rabbit’s sets were scrapped altogether. Leon Bridges, a highly anticipated show for many Squatchers, waited out the wind as long as possible, but as threats of cancellations loomed, Bridges actually made his way out to the lawn of the main stage to play some acoustic tunes to a lucky few.

Windy or not, Mac Demarco had a good time The Gorge. 

Windy or not, Mac Demarco had a good time The Gorge. 

Though it was a rough day for artists and festheads alike, there were definitely some highlights:

Summer Cannibals. 

Summer Cannibals. 

Portland's Summer Cannibals were a sunshine and wind-fueled set of rock’n’roll and good times.

Jehnny Beth of Savages. 

Jehnny Beth of Savages. 

The ladies of London’s Savages put on a truly savage performance, dressed in all black. Lead singer Jehnny Beth (Camille Berthomier) jumped from the stage platform into the crowd every other song, making for one of the most kick-ass aggressive sets of the entire weekend.

Yo La Tengo's James McNew.

Yo La Tengo's James McNew.

Yo La Tengo, a band that didn't get the numbers they deserved, were another example of the casualty of festivals booking great bands that get overlooked by the crowd that came for EDM.

Kaleo.

Kaleo.

Kaleo was an unexpected set to stumble on, and a nice surprise. The Icelandic troubadour sounded like a sweeter, prettier, modern-day Hank Williams. His steel guitar was gorgeous, and his playing was beautiful too.

Mac Demarco.

Mac Demarco.

Party boy Mac Demarco lured what seemed like the biggest crowd of the day, possibly due to the timing of the main stage closure, and possibly from people expecting another set like Ty Segall’s.

The Cure.

The Cure.

With the pinnacles of day three over, the sun set across The Gorge and evening entertainment began. Unfortunately, either people lost hope that shows would resume for the night after all of the day’s cancellations, or the majority of Squatchers don't know who The Cure are, because the night’s closing act played to a surprisingly thin crowd. Scheduled for a two hour set, The Cure played just an hour and fifteen minutes chock-full of hits. The sound was incredible; Robert Smith’s voice was just as smooth and perfectly toned as ever. They were true professionals and it was definitely a great performance, but it was a disappointing turnout.

Here’s to hoping the wind dies down for the final stretch. We’ll keep you posted!

All content per Kaitlin Summer for BolderBeat.

All videos and embedded tracks per the artists featured. All photos per the author. This feature was edited for brevity and clarity by BolderBeat.

Noah Gunderson Made Us Cry, Ty Segall Made Us Bleed, & King Tuff Showed Up: Sasquatch Day Two

Sasquatch Day Two featured sad songs by Noah Gunderson, crowdsurfing selfies by La Luz, and a freak party by none other than Ty Segall.

Noah Gunderson.

Noah Gunderson.

Noah Gunderson, with his soothing and bottomless voice, was a welcome reprieve after the hottest part of the second day at The Gorge. Seattle’s own, Gunderson is currently touring on his 2015 release, Carry the Ghost.  His show was a family affair, with his brother on drums, and his sister singing backup and playing violin. But his sad songs were a little out of place in a big summer festival like Sasquatch, with heavy bass from rapper Ryan Caraveo bleeding over from the stage next door. Gunderson would be an amazing artist to catch at a more intimate venue down the line, but despite the limitations, his performance was captivating.

La Luz.

La Luz.

La Luz, Seattle’s female surf doo-wop four-piece, have become seasoned performers in their recent years, touring seemingly endlessly. Their surf attitude and sound, along with their quality songwriting, has recently fueled their move from Seattle to LA, though the group is still signed to Hardly Art Records. La Luz’s set was sparse to begin with, but a little bit of sun toward the end refueled the crowd, and prompted the ladies onstage to throw a disposable camera into the crowd asking for lots of “crowd surfing selfies”. Needless to say, the people made it happen.

Tamaryn.

Tamaryn.

Tamaryn was a set that would have been great later in the night and indoors, or rather in the tented El Chupacabra stage. The New York-based artist and multimedia collaborator put on a solid show, but not to many. There just aren't enough nu goth fans at this fest.

Ty Segall masked.

Ty Segall masked.

Ty Segall unmasked.

Ty Segall unmasked.

Ty Segall was next with a top notch touring band, including King Tuff on guitar. Unsurprisingly, Segall’s performance was the most theatrical set of the day. His always-shifting stage persona was in full-on freak-party mode. It was the kind of show where people walked out of the front bleeding, so of course it was a great set to end the afternoon and kick off the night.

King Tuff.

King Tuff.

More ‘Squatch coverage to follow! Look at today’s schedule here.

For the Colorado homies.

For the Colorado homies.

All content per Kaitlin Summer for BolderBeat.

All videos and embedded tracks per the artists featured. All photos per the author. This feature was edited for brevity and clarity by BolderBeat.

Sasquatch Music Festival Is This Weekend

 

By: Hannah Oreskovich

Sasquatch Music Festival starts tomorrow and we're pretty excited about it.

The furry creature in the woods is REAL kids and we’re STOKED to be covering its presence in The Gorge this year. Welcome to our weekend at the ‘Squatch! The massive music festival starts tomorrow, and here are the deets:

Who’s playing?

Sasquatch has a fat lineup this year, with heavy-hitters including: The Cure, Disclosure, Florence and the Machine, Major Lazer, M83, Grimes, A$AP Rocky, Sufjan Stevens, Purity Ring, Leon Bridges, Jamie xx, Kurt Vile And The Violators, Big Grams, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Nightsweats, and more! You can peep the full list on their website, and if you’re trying to figure out who to see when, click here for the schedule.

Are tickets still available?

Only a few, which are likely to sell-out in the next 24 hours. Cop ‘em here.

Life at The Gorge.

Life at The Gorge.

What’s up with this festival?

4 days. 4 stages. Music, food, comedy, and camping. Hooping. Ice Cream. The chance to see Bigfoot. Sun. Sweat. Unexpected onstage collaborations. Fun. The opportunity to refuse to shower for four days and make your best friends revel in your Yeti-like scent. And all the while, surrounded by the beauty of the Pacific Northwest in what is now the fest's 15th year. Yeehaw!

Aye! We're headed to Sasquatch!

Aye! We're headed to Sasquatch!

We’re bringing you exclusive coverage over the holiday weekend, so get ready for rad photos and sweet show summaries! Check back for all things ‘Squatch- show starts tomorrow.

-Hannah

Follow Hannah on twitter and instagram.

All photos and artwork per the festival featured and those credited.