Karli IngersollIt’s that time of year again! Spokane is really becoming quite a great place for music listeners. Volume, just three years in, is keeping their high powered local multi-venue festival going and Elkfest is celebrating their 10th year with some great bands.
Nothing too surprising this year with either of these festivals. They both have established their brands quite well and the lineups seem consistent for 2014. Here’s some bands to check out in advance. We’ll put together our schedule of picks for Volume when time slots are announced
I’ve written about Volume quite a bit. From the beginning I’ve felt strongly that it has been an important movement in the local culture of music. The Inlander is the strongest music supporting media outlet and it’s been a great way for them to give an on the ground push to their readers to get out and actually SEE local bands. I LOVE that’s it’s focused on local artists and pretty much all of my favorite local bands are making their presence known this year.
Last year Volume added the element of touring bands and they continue that this year with a collection of regional acts. The majority of the focus seems to be kind of a wedge of gritty, raw, anti-pop bands. Rose Windows and Kithkin stood out to me on the lineup as some breakout Seattle bands. Bigger acts like Flavr Blue and Cami Bradley all the way to Jason Webley or The Grizzled Mighty round out the weekend with a whole bunch of different vibes.
80 BANDS IN TWO DAYS. Get on board or miss out on one of the most fun weekends of the year. VOLUME WEBSITE (full lineup, tickets, info about bands, etc)
Elkfest consistently blends a combination of a few old school crowd pleaser type bands, some northwest up and coming bands and some local favorites. There’s no specific genre inclination. This year covers, blues, jam bands, DJ’s, Rock, folk, and more. The main commonality is energy. With the festival being an outdoor celebration, each set has a goal of captivating the beer gardens and the wide age-ranging number of free floaters in the street who stop by. The event is free and draws all types. I love music, so no surprise here…but I LOVE ELKFEST. I always have. It honestly doesn’t matter who is playing. The lineup has definitely been more favorable to my taste in past years, but every year it never fails to give me a few bands that I’m over the moon about.
This year I’m really most excited about Hollow Wood and Tango Alpha Tango, two bands we’ve recently had at The Bartlett. Both KILL IT live and couldn’t be more perfect for Elkfest. Tango Alpha Tango will slay you with the dirtiest blues riffs you’ve ever heard…you will be a pool of melted butter but the end of their set. Hollow Wood is young, energetic and heartfelt. Their lyrics are sweet, hopeful and wistful. Their songs fill you up with a rainbow of memories you can’t quite pinpoint and leave you humming long after.
There’s no good reason to not go to Elkfest.