Squamish Valley Music Festival Band of the Day: Dustin Bentall & the Smøkes

Dustin Bentall wants to get baked with Josh Homme and bake in the sun at Joshua Tree. He’s probably not going to have the opportunity to do that anytime soon, but he just might be able sneak in a toke with the Queens of the Stone Age frontman at B.C.’s Hendrickson Fields & Logger Sports Ground. You might too, which is just one more reason to head to Squamish next weekend.

Sea to Sky Playlist:

Tom Petty "The Waiting is the Hardest Part"

Bahamas "Your Sweet Touch"

Neil Young "Out On The Weekend"

Jay Smith "Partner In Crime"

The Marvelettes "Please Mr. Postman"

Everly Brothers "Claudette"

Lindi Ortega "High"

Levon Helm "Feelin' Good"

Jay Smith "When the Wheels Slow Down"

Tom Petty "Crawling Back To You"

Outdoor Essentials:

• Booze
• Drugs
• Good friends to take care of you
• A lawyer 
• Water 

I Would Love to Hang With:

Josh Homme. I wanna get on the Queens bus and go back to the desert with that gang. I L O V E the Sonora/Mojave desert so much. I've been to Joshua Tree a few times and its one of the only places in the world besides North Vancouver that I would want to live. I just wanna get baked and bake in the sun with Josh for a day or week or month… maybe make a record…

First Festival Experience:

Stein Valley Festival circa 1989-ish, I think. I was a youngster. My dad played there so the family rented a big-ass camper van and we took a trip out there. Gordon Lightfoot played. That was some real deal, early '90s, let's save the planet shit. We went swimming at a river and saw massive bear prints in the mud. That was my strongest memory for sure. I was six.

As stellar as this year’s Squamish bill is, what’s your Fantasy Fest line-up?

• Radiohead
• Tom Petty
• Paul McCartney
• Feist
• The Sadies

What’s your official rider request?

• Fresh guacamole prepared by a beautiful mexican señorita
• Fresh pico de gallo prepared the same way
• Chips
• Don Julio tequila
• Two bottles of anejo
• Two bottles of reposado
• All the margarita fixins
• 100 Negra Modelos
• 100 Pacificos
• Rick Baker

Trivia time: What’s Squamish’s official slogan?

"The Great Outside." Nope, that's Chilliwack. "Guaranteed Rugged." Nope, that's Lillooet. Hmm, Squamish: "Take it outside!"

The Squamish Valley Music Festival takes place at Hendrickson Fields & Logger Sports Ground. Quick—what’s your favourite logger sport?

Hands down, the log roll. Where logging meets American Gladiators. It's pretty much Canadian Gladiators.

Dustin Bentall & the Smøkes plays the Squamish Valley Music Festival's Garibaldi Stage on Thursday (August 8) at 8:45 p.m.