Squamish Valley Music Festival Act of the Day: We Are the City

Like Halloween, when the early October fogs start to roll in, and Kanye West when he isn’t cancelling his shows the day they are supposed to happen, it’s starting to feel like it’s almost here.

Yes, we’re talking about the Squamish Valley Music Festival, taking place August 8 to 10 at the Logger Sports Grounds and Hendrickson Fields. In anticipation of the big event—headlined by Eminem, Bruno Mars, and Arcade Fire—we’re spending the next few weeks rounding up local artists who’ll be playing the open-air party, and getting them to answer some important questions.

Like who they’ll be cueing up on the iPod for the Sea-to-Sky drive to the site, what they’ll be making sure to pack to make it through their set, the all-time dream-festival lineup, and who they plan to stalk backstage. Read on, but not before you pick up your Squamish Valley Music Festival ticket. The last thing you want to miss is today’s spotlighted act...

Featured artist

The members of Vancouver-based experimental-pop trio We Are the City have not only been touring across North America and Germany in support of their 2013 record Violent, they’ve also been making appearances on the film festival circuit. Their feature-length Norwegian-language movie, also called Violent, was screened at the Cannes Film Festival this year.

The multi-talented artists clearly have a knack for giving their all. The young musicians were barely out of high school when they released their first full-length album In A Quiet World in 2009, and nabbed the top prize in the PEAK Performance Project in 2010.

As they prepare to play Squamish on August 9, guitarist David Menzel reveals the band’s appreciation for Beyoncé, Fred Durst guitar solos, and that log-balancing scene from Dirty Dancing.

Sea-to-Sky playlist

Beyoncé Pretty Hurts

Beyoncé Haunted

Beyoncé Drunk in Love

Beyoncé Blow

Beyoncé No Angel

Beyoncé Partition

Beyoncé Jealous

Beyoncé Rocket

Beyoncé Mine

Beyoncé XO

Beyoncé Flawless

Beyoncé Superpower

Beyoncé Heaven

Then we'll probably throw that on repeat... You'll notice that we left out the track "Blue"

Outdoor essentials

Really the only thing we need is three pairs of the green Telus sunglasses that seem to be at every festival. And maybe a battery-powered iPod dock so we can listen to the Beyoncé record.

I’d love to hang with...

To be completely honest I would love to get some time with Eminem. He provided the soundtrack to my most angstiest of teenage years. He, compared to all the other artists playing at Squamish this year, feels like a real celebrity to me.

First festival experience

Funny enough the first outdoor festival I ever attended was one we played called Artswells. Located only a few minutes from the ghost town of Barkerville, the town of Wells is home to only a few hundred people. It was my first time eating as a vegan and being surrounded by girls who didn't see the point in shaving under their arms.

What’s your fantasy festival lineup?

Oh, it's way too hard to make a whole festival lineup, I think the lineup at Squamish is pretty great this year but I would make one suggestion to the headliners: Fred Durst (but only if he spends the whole set soloing on guitar).

What’s your official rider request?

Well, we don't have anything too crazy on our rider. No puppies or brown M&Ms... Just three Kit Kat Chunkies at every show.

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

Squamish Valley Music Festival: "the happiest place on earth."

The festival takes place at Logger Sports Grounds and Hendrickson Fields. Quick—what’s your favourite logger sport?

Log dancing is my favourite, but only if performed exactly like the scene from the original Dirty Dancing.

We Are The City play the Squamish Valley Music Festival’s Meadow Stage at 8 p.m. on Saturday (August 9).