{This is part two of our one-two punch showcasing the best in festival moments and photos from 2011. Start from the beginning here, where you can see picks #10 - #6!}

Favorite photo #5: Wye Oak :: Standing in the pit at Sasquatch! at the small stage is always a treat -- you're right up next to the performers, and unless someone's career has exploded between the time they got booked and the time the festival rolls around, there's not too many people mobbing the area surrounding the stage. Such was the case for Wye Oak, and while they were already a good, established band then with a solid crowd turnout, we were able to get up-close-and-personal for their set to capture this mid-song moment. If you haven't seen one of their many appearances -- Sasquatch! 2011, the shows with the National at the Neptune last month, or from the "HOLY SHIT" file: that time they played with Shearwater at the Triple Door in 2010 -- get out to see them on mid-sized stages while you can. {more photos from Wye Oak's set at Sasquatch!} {Wye Oak official}

Favorite moment #5: Del :: So, technically, this happened *during* Austin City Limits and not *at* Austin City Limits proper, but we couldn't compile a best-of without mentioning Del.

One morning, while loading up on espresso and bagels while uploading photos pre-fest on a hundred-degree day in Austin, we met Del. And as it turns out, Del is just an artist in a corner at a cafe, akin to those writing furiously in a notebook -- only he doesn't blog it, "show" it, exist anywhere on the internet, or have openings in art galleries. This is just what he does, and after getting permission to take his photo and chatting with him for a bit, we learned that this inky artpile is Del's form of art-therapy journal-y processing. While it wasn't a We Are Augustines set or a moment in front of the stage with Elbow, it was nonetheless a highlight of our ACL trip and well-worth preserving here in our 2011 storyline!

Favorite photo(s)-and-moment #4: Sharon van Etten

Favorite moment-and-photo(s) #4: Aloe Blacc

What an amazing, amazing pair of sets these two put on at Sasquatch! this year. Sharon van Etten's sparse, gut-wrenching performance rang out all the way into the darkest corners of our hearts where the best reverb lies, and Aloe Blacc held up to every expectation we had going into the set. The fact that they both looked good doing what they both obviously love {and are so, so well-suited} to do just made capturing it in photo-form all that much easier. {more Sasquatch! 2011 photos} {more about Aloe Blacc} {SVE official}

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The opening bell at this year's Sasquatch! music festival was no slouch, and we've got the photos to prove it!

Mixed in with the obvious wins -- sunshine, scenery, and good friends -- we spent a little over three days on what we're quite sure was the best trip so far of 2011. Days one and two brought the local flavor in a big way, opening up Saturday morning with Seattle Rock Orchestra's Radiohead cover set on the Bigfoot stage, a one-two punch of pow from the Globes on the Yeti stage, and an early afternoon set from the Head and the Heart on the main stage. We broke out of our melancholy-tinged swoonfest for one of the best sets of the festival, Aloe Blacc -- who connected with the throngs of fans at the Bigfoot stage beautifully with his smooth brand of funky old-school soul and some bad-ass dance moves.

Just before the sun started to fade, we caught regional local Dan Mangan back over at the Yeti stage -- hailing from Vancouver, BC -- who brought his thoughtful, alt.indie.ponder-pop songwriting to an incredibly enthusiastic crowd. We're up to our elbows in his last release, Nice Nice Very Nice, as we speak type -- check out the pictures below!

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Yes, you're reading that correctly. Kaylee Cole and Shenandoah Davis will be performing on the main stage at the Triple Door with the Seattle Rock Orchestra. We are not kidding, and this is not an April Fool's joke -- thought it sounds too good to be true, this is the real deal. And it's going on this Saturday night, April 2nd, at 8pm (with doors at 6 for dinner).

In case you need a refresher on why this is going to be so ridiculously blissful, here's some clips from this year's BARE at the Fremont Abbey:

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Okay. We know Saturday's Seattle Rock Orchestra show isn't just about Rachel Flotard, but she's just so damn fantastic (as this picture by the amazing Christopher Nelson shows) that we can't ever resist a chance to mention her.

The lovely Ms. Flotard, along with The Seattle Rock Orchestra, Jon Auer, Joshua Morrison, Kaylee Cole, and a veritable star-studded cast of local musicians will be performing a tribute-y evening around Radiohead's The Bends and OK Computer this weekend. The show takes place Saturday (February 19th) at the Moore Theater, and if you're not swooning the night away out at Columbia City Theater, you'd best come and get yourself a seat.

That's about all we need to say about it, n'est ce pas? We'll see you there.

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Here at TIG, we firmly believe that good content trumps mediocre video quality. Hopefully you do too. Because that's Sean Nelson above, doing his acapella rendition of "Brown Sugar" at BARE last month, a night at the Fremont Abbey full of nothing but some of our favorite local artists and their booming vocal cords. Below, our friends Goldfinch do an excellent version of "Jolene," and Kaylee Cole gives us both a stir and a laugh during "Smile."

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Kaylee Cole is one of Washington State's best kept secrets. The Spokane singer-songwriter and piano-princess has a way of crafting lyrics that squeeze your heart and your tear glands. I put on We're Still Here Missing You when I'm looking for beautiful, moody pop. Her songs make for a perfect rainy evening with a bottle of red wine and a whole lotta sentimental romance. Kaylee's got a way of making me so happy to be sad.

But she's not so secret anymore. In an email to her fans, Kaylee revealed that she's just signed to Chrysalis! Straight from the source:

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Upset. The word of the our 2008 Best Northwest Releases of 2008 Readers' Poll is upset.

With the Fleet Foxes winning readers and critical polls alike, who would've thought they wouldn't get top honors in our humble little Northwest poll? But they didn't -- they placed a distant second to New Faces, another debut record from some very talented, very young Northwest fellas.

We had other surprises as well, with unsigned newcomers such as Hey Marseilles, the Kindness Kind, and Kaylee Cole cracking the top ten, beating out Northwest heavyweights such as Death Cab for Cutie. We did not expect that. And we love it when you surprise us, dear readers.

We imaginaries like to champion the up-and-comers from the Northwest, and our results indicate that you do as well. We think you all also have fabulous taste, as always. Thanks to everyone who participated in our poll. We couldn't be more proud or thrilled to present the top 50 winners on your behalf...

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at Capitol Hill Block Party 2008

"Sign up for my mailing list," she told us, "and I'll send you emails. Or recipes."

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at Georgetown Music Festival

Cole still holds the youth most lose as they enter adulthood. Her piano parts do not delve into complication and they hold a frolicking cadence.

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There is plenty of Friday and Saturday afternoon to catch the route 60, 131, 134, or 170 to catch this little festival with a big Northwest line-up.

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