This past Saturday, August 15, Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band became the first band in the continental US to play on an active volcano, entertaining fans, hikers, and park officials with a set at Washington state’s Mt. St. Helens. The hour-long performance featured new songs, along with favorites from their self-titled debut; the band played directly across from the volcano at the Johnston Ridge Observatory, which in and of itself is 4,300 feet above sea level. Invited to play a benefit show for the Mt. St. Helens Institute, the band made the three-hour trek from Seattle and took a two-hour tour of the site, learning all about the blast zone and its current regrowth. SPIN has a nice review of the event here.

Set list:
“Who’s Asking”
“Cheer For Fate”
“Masquerade”
“Going on a Hunt”
“George Clark”
“A Year or Two”
“At Night”
“Dull Reason”
“Hurrah”
“Anchors Dropped”
“Where the Messengers Meet”
“En Fuego”
“Albatross Albatross Albatross”
“On the Collar”

Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band will be playing a benefit show on August 15 at their namesake’s volcano in Washington state. Hosted by the Mt. St. Helens Institute in tandem with Expanding Brooklyn, the show will raise money for new exhibits at the Johnston Ridge Observatory in honor of the 30th anniversary of the volcano’s eruption. Tickets are $25 for just the concert and entrance to the National Volcanic Monument, or $35 for an additional guided hike. You can purcahse them here. The concert is also the first time that a band will have played a volcano in the continental United States… probably for good reason. On a related note, you should watch MSHVB’s video for “Cheer for Fate” because we like it and we said so.

In the wake of the ever increasing pool of festivals and the possible merger between Live Nation and Ticketmaster, the idea of paying $200 to see live music during a recession resulted in our pockets slapping us back into reality. But to be fair, the Sasquatch Festival — presented by Live Nation and tickets sold by Ticketmaster — is one of the cheaper weekend-long festivals and the line-up could quite possibly be the best yet.
Read the full story