Sasquatch celebrated its symbolic 10th anniversary this year, and as the decade turns over Adam Zacks flaunts his curatorial prowess by booking dozens of today's top alternative musical acts. The appearance of such groups as Against Me!, Foo Fighters, Bassnectar, and Bright Eyes represents a wide variation of genres. A division between the traditional guitar rock and single DJ electronic music was prominent, but the fragmentation of modern music did not prevent the folks at Sasquatch from bringing together the most talented practicing artist-musicians for 4 days of the rockin'est concert of all time.
My first roomate and trusty concert-going comrade Jeff and I hit up the Roseland on Thursday night to see Neon Indian and Sleigh Bells. I had never been there before, and although I was a bit skeptical of the guitarist hyping the crowd with Iron Man, the intense moshing that continued throughout was quite splendid.
Friday morning/afternoon we drove up through the Columbia River gorge then up through the Yakima Valley via WA-97/I-90 towards Wenatchee. This is a seriously scenic drive.
Friday night we saw Dave Greul and the Food Fighters. Seeing such a staple grungy alt-rock band was a special experience that lots of people enjoyed.
Saturday morning we woke up and wandered groggily over to the (shuttle) and saw Wavves and Radio Department on the main stage. Radio Dept's band members and sound are reminiscent of the best of Broken Social Scene, and contrasted the most pit of youngster punks at the Wavves that quickly turned into a pointless pushing match.
We headed over to the Yeti stage afterwards to check out Wye Oak who does well the awesome folk-rock sound that underlies the aesthetics of many of the younger rock groups playing the festival this year.
I met Jesse Rogers, a writer for pinpointmusic.com, at the Worf Parade show who told me to check out this band, the Thermals. They have a cool new-punk style that puts the required energy into updating the well-loved genre.
We had to peace because the Thermals played at the same time as Washed Out (who brought the band and knocked us over with ten foot high chillwaves). We missed Iron and Wine but got good spots for Bright Eyes which was awesome because their performance was spectacular. He was less drunkenly than when I saw him at the Concord Center for the Performing Arts in '05, which was much appreciated since every song, including new material, was crisp and delicious, and really tapped into the pop-emotionalism that makes Bright Eyes' music so successful.
Snapshot from secret seating area with secret trashcan tripod.
Death Cab played splendidly and really tempted me to go out and pick up all the new releases I haven't kept track of. You can see Ben Gibbard rocking out in this pic, but all the rest are blurry--like my memory of their insane performance at S'quatch '08.
Typhoon, one of the best known bands from the Tender Loving Empire record label, opened Sunday morning on the Bigfoot stage. The twelve-piece set up was pretty impressive. Complete with quasi-homeless looking percussionist shown above.
Typhoon is one of the most exciting new indie bands coming out of Portland. Their large ensemble with lengthy, sweeping compositions is pleasing to post-rock fans, while their pop vocals and lyrical themes cater to a more general audience.
Das Racist was pretty outrageous live, half hour late, belligerent, but the beats were good and the rapping was entertaining.. as always. Their recorded work is more expressive of their talents. They were rapping to me, and only to me.
Boogied over to the mainstage to see Wayne, Steve, sunglasses-bassist guy and the remaining Flaming Lip I did not recognize. They played soft bulletin all the way through, which was totally righteous as it is one of their finest most comprehensive (and certainly well-loved) albums.
Their shows are beyond the hook.
This is an image of Isaac Brock illuminating the world with beautiful lo-fi music.
A bright new group named "the Young Evils" kicked off Monday.
After some minor bands and a visit to the comedy tent, I couldn't have been ready for the face melting that Guided By Voices delivered. Chromeo fans cleared out from the mainstage area, leaving behind a committed group of experienced indie rockers. The assembly was small, but certainly had the highest crowd-surfing and mosh-dancing per audience member ratio of any show that weekend.
Epic cloudery
The lead singer of Best Coast is a real comedian, and a cutie! (Whatever, I got a crush.) I shouldn't let that overshadow the fact that they had one of the most satisfying lo-fi indie rock sounds of all the new performers (that I caught) this year.
My distant view of Decemberists fans.
The long awaited Wilco played THE headlining spot on Monday night, tearing up every classic and new track with exceptional clarity and energy. They played the catchiest riffs the loudest and made sure to deliver ample guitar and drum solos, which may seem like cheating but damn what could really make a rock concert better?
Graduation's coming real soon, and as my college career comes to a screeching halt, I ask; besides a few Carlo Rossi jugs full of bottle caps, what do I have to show for myself? One thing I've managed to do over the years is locate many of Eugene's finest second-hand establishments. This may not seem like a significant accomplishment to most Republicans, but potentially thrifty and fashionable readers will appreciate this article's critical intel surrounding the acquisition of people's old crap. These folks know what troves of fantastic stuff lie in store.
Your route will vary by location, but the first stop on a typical Eugene Thriftxpedition for me is usually the dueling St. Vincent de Paul and Goodwill on 11th and Seneca. These two huge thrift stores are literally right next to each other and are even laid out similarly to those who are used to homogeneous store layouts in their shopping experience. Both stores are packed with a plethora of clothing, shoes, electronics, furniture, and other housewares that have been cycling through the homes of Eugene residents and college students for the past couple decades. A few blocks down Broadway back towards campus and you're at the SVDP donation center, a thrifting Mecca with more random items than a mystery box in Marioland. This Bermuda Triangle of thrift stores provides shoppers access to maximum volume & diversity (making it easier to find more good stuff in fewer visits).
Whether you live in North Eugene (probably not if you're reading this), or if you don't mind cruising the North Bank bike trails, the Goodwill off Delta Hwy is totally worth a visit. This store has a huge area, super friendly associates, and a good selection of jeans.
Some folks are particularly drawn to thrift stores for the unique styles of yesterday. If fashion is what you're in to, then head straight down Eugene's bustling thoroughfare; Willamette street. Between 10th and 11th you'll find Kitsch, and off 13th, Deluxe; a duo of fashion boutiques with a range of second hand and original garments for all Eugenians. Kitsch specializes in eccentric and avant-garde clothes, original t-shirts, accessories and other novelites, whereas Deluxe carries more hip and classic stuff. Both stores are owned and operated by Mitra Chester and her husband Aaron, and are often teaming up with other local boutiques like Redoux Parlour to put on pageants and other great events. These shops save you time sifting through stretched out sweaters and ugly shirts, and are very competitively priced with other vintage re-sale shops in the area like Eugene Jeans and Value Village.
Hosea Youth Services thrift store on 7th and Blair is a unique, small boutique which carries a really nice hand-picked selection at the lowest prices. Relatively new and in cognito, Hosea is the perfect target for experienced thrifters looking for that extra edge in finding cool stuff cheap. Another tip is the St. Vincent De Paul in Santa Clara, a large facility that is frequented less by the hip types notorious for snatching up good flannels and retro stuff.
Whatever shops you choose, visit them occasionally in as regularly spaced intervals as your schedule allows, but be discretionary in your purchases. It is best to shop often and buy rarely, this will ensure that you only walk out of the store with that one garment that is "totally you." And when you rock clothes that express your personality, you're inevitably more confident and successful in your everyday interactions.
Also, by stocking your wardrobe with second hand clothes, you're supporting your local economy in a big way by creating jobs and wealth, recycling unused goods, therefore reducing waste, as well as being sure you're not paying $15 for a t-shirt that was made out of subsidized cotton from Texas only to be made in China. After a while, scoring cool clothes cheap and guilt-free could cause you to wonder why you ever shopped at a mall in the first place. So check out one of these fine thrift-stablishments, or one I missed, you really never know what you might find.
Originally I had planned to contextualize this conversation through my (albeit limited) understanding of the Zeitgeist. A current professor of Art History of mine warned the class to be wary of people who use the term "post-" to describe a movement of any sort, since that usually means they don't know what they're talking about-- yet. But the high Post-Modern era has come and is beginning to be replaced by a new generation of technologies, social conventions, political issues, and power structures.
If the previous era was marked by Warhol, Jeff Koons' vacuum cleaners and Reaganomics; the glory & glamor of being on the handle-end-of-the-stick, then this one is marked by Banksy and Fairey's Andre the Giant, and the reality of sending critical messages through the capitalist infrastructure itself.
The author of Unmarketable: Brandalism, Copyfighting, Mocketing, & the Erosion of Integrity Anne Elizabeth Moore refers to it as "manic, late-stage capitalism," as she details in her book the various ways in which advertising organizations have infiltrated not only alternative media, but the alternative ethos itself.
Advertisers target an alternative audience by becoming them. The Diesel Jeans ad emotes political passion, depicting protesters in the act of standing up for their message. Their signs say "Kiss your Neighbor" but their message is simply "Buy Diesel Jeans."
This approach of marketing fashion through a direct association with protesting is all the rage. This image appeared on Vice magazine's website shortly after the recent student protests in Britian, right above a sub text listing the brands of the clothes the model is wearing, and right to the left of an American Apparel ad.
Directly above are the clever Sony PSP GraffADis which appeared on the walls of major cities overnight. The international street artist community was outraged by the seamless transition of public spaces from canvas to billboard. They argued that the average passerby would not be able to differentiate an ad from an artistic expression when it presents itself in a medium which, up until this point, belonged expressly to the latter.
The tactics of energy drink producers such as Red Bull are a common and visible example of the veracity of advertisers in their attempts to reach not just young people, but cool young people. Whether on foot or in a weird chop-top mini cooper, hip looking associates hit skate parks, coffee shops, local hangouts, college campuses, trendy neighborhoods, social events, music festivals, etc. in order to get their brand recognized. I've even seen the Red Bull car handing out drinks to whitewater rafters at a boat launch on the Colorado river.
Word of mouth messages weren't always diluted with consumerism. Two decades ago, in our very own rainy backyard, punk and feminism has fused to form the Riot Grrrl movement. Anything but capitalist; people like Alison Wolfe, Kathleen Hanna, Molly Neuman, and Tobi Vail and the zine they produced were dedicated to promoting egalitarian ideas, or more adamantly, criticizing oppressive practices.
The movement gained much of its momentum from the healthy punk and alt scene of the early 90's. Token Riot Grrrl bands Bratmobile and Bikini Kill often played with (and even dated members of) Nirvana. It was a pure, rebellious message, but it was obscured by the mainstream media when "girl-power" was used simultaneously to describe No-Doubt and the Spice Girls.
Nowadays Bonnie Burton, zinester & underground media person, uses the -grrl suffix to promote Star Wars: The Clone Wars drawing books on her "indie" blog Grrl.com.
By playing off of popular Minor Threat album art, Nike SB was able to commandeer the attention of punks on the East Coast. Most of them were livid, but the nationwide backlash only led to more brand recognition for Nike within the punk community. Dischord Records never filed a lawsuit, since doing so would send the message that it really is all about the money.
Just last year there was an uproar when an AT&T commercial showed national monuments and buildings being wrapped in orange fabric. Anyone who is familiar with the work of Cristo and Jeanne-Claude immediately recognizes the association, and if there was any doubt, the disclaimer on the bottom the the last frame confirms that indeed the commercial has (no) association with artists Cristo and Jeanne-Claude. Whether or not AT&T was marketing specifically towards those with a background in contemporary art history, is unclear. Judging by the comments on Youtube & the Huffington Post, the commercial reached a very general audience and then gained popularity through word of mouth controversies, just as in the example above.
What does it mean to live in a world where urban and indie images and media are regularly hijacked for advertisement? Well, for one, more kids are seeing corporate logos. Many of them in media where art or egalitarianism used to (or should still) be. I argue that this infiltration, this invasion, has had devastating effects upon the contemporary subculture and its political identity.
II.
Dating back to the 1920's and perhaps earlier, the US has traditionally seen a relatively consistent progression of subcultures throughout the decades. Jazz, Beat, Mod-Rocker, Hippie, Alt-Punk, Indie-Emo, and now, the Hipster. But whereas hippie subculture arose out of a discontentment with modern conventions and the Vietnam War, and punk was borne from sheer rebelliousness and anarchism, the new subculture seems to have risen up without any corresponding political ideals.
Traditionally western subcultures have always had a large constituency of white middle-class college students and other young intellectuals, and this one is no different. These college students have time, money, and intellect to devote towards progressive, artistic, and inventive expression, and are typically the conduit through which radical ideas travel. The only difference is that where earlier subcultures were organizing demonstrations and screaming anti-capitalist criticism from a microphone, the current, is not.
Postmodernism witnessed a shift towards recycling and re-contextualizing existing material as a means of production, as opposed to a more traditional approach which relies upon originality. Hipster as a late-postmodern (or early post-postmodern) subculture, looks towards all earlier styles and cultural phenomena to re-adapt and re-combine to call their own; the granola aesthetics of the hippies, the day-glo colors of 1980's hip-hop, and the tight pants of the punks and emos. The hipster does what any person does, socialize him/herself according to the closest recent historical matches, but since the hipster does not match perfectly any historical movement, he or she does what any postmodern person does, and re-adapts past elements to form his or her "own" style. Within the culture is a fundamental fear of conformity, which is caused by the multitude of individuals involved in this far reaching pastiche of modern style. There is even air of disillusionment and disgust, since even the simplest things such as flannel shirts have been "stolen," appropriated, made hip. And of course, once it's hip-- it's no longer cool.
Assuming the close association of any social movement with its respective musical movement, this contemporary subculture appears relatively healthy. Despite the massive fragmentation of today's indie music into niches (among them doom gaze, chillwave, dub-step, sludge metal, trip-hop and other forms of new electronica), there are robust indie scenes in many major US cities. Perhaps it's this very dichotomy between generic indie & highly-specific niche music, or perhaps it's because they haven't figured out how to dance to it yet, but the term "indie" has been somehow replaced by "hipster" to describe the culture of up-and-coming bands. Without a wider recognition of the concept indie or independent culture, hipsters are less likely to identify with not only indie shows and bands, but books, films, games, news outlets & other publications, shops, and services. Despite being recognized for the most elementary acts of being independent (riding and building bicycles, eating local & organic food), the term "hipster" is still widely preferred. Wikipedia even defines hipsters as "urban middle class adults and older teenagers with interests in non-mainstream fashion and culture, particularly indie rock, independent film, and magazines such as Vice and Clash, and websites like Pitchfork Media." It is unclear whether or not the appropriation of the term "hipster" itself is a conspiracy to sideline indie culture and open up a new markets for flannel shirts, but one things for certain; the nomenclature of the current subculture is confused.
In a time where photos and blog posts are picked up and left behind like a million intersecting bread crumb trails, advertisers are just as likely to lay a trail as they are to follow one. Douglass Haddow argues in the Adbuster Magazine article “Hipster: The Dead End of Western Civilization” that being born under the microscope of the ad industry has caused the counterculture to meld, despite itself, with the mainstream. He also suggests that “hipsterdom” and its ongoing identity crisis help create an environment of constant consumption; as the old band or trend becomes popularized, the hipster must find the new one...
Never before has a society witnessed such a massive manipulation of the concept of cool. The mainstream media and our education system also shape the contemporary subculture, though, and in the age of smartphones and Texas standards, advertorials and infotainment, the young person is not afforded much help in developing a critical viewpoint of the society around them. A politically charged counterculture is important for any society, as an outstanding example of opposition to the status quo, but more importantly as a framework for young people to express their ideas and learn about the world. Without one, the threat of an entirely homogenous youth culture unthinkingly subservient to the whims of mainstream society is quite real and already underway. Though it is unlikely a massive DIY movement will come to replace hipsters in the next few years, an inevitable paradigm shift is on the distant horizon. Whether or not the future will usher in a new generation of critical and politically active youngsters will largely be up to us.
