In the wilds of Washington, the beautiful Columbia Gorge serves as the backdrop to the 4-day music festival extravaganza known as Sasquatch Fest. Alexa Harris was there to experience great shows and interesting people, and sometimes braving the elements along the way.

Guitar-slinging, torch-singing sensation Anna Calvi has been lighting up the Western Hemisphere this year in support of a stunning debut album. Steve Stav was lucky enough to witness her act firsthand, and came to his senses long enough to file this report.

Before John Hughes and Molly Ringwald came along, “Pretty in Pink” was a song on a seminal post-punk album, Talk Talk Talk. The Psychedelic Furs are celebrating the disc’s 30th anniversary with a tour, and Steve Stav was there to soak up the nostalgia – and a few surprises.

Many have called them the first punk band. Others insist they were the first “grunge” act. Regardless of their place in rock’s family tree, The Sonics’ influence has reached as far as Nirvana and The White Stripes. Recently reunited after 40 years apart, New Year’s Eve found The Sonics playing a homecoming show. Steve Stav was there to capture all their furious glory.

One of the eighties’ biggest icons is back - Billy Idol is on tour, and Ink 19 was there to witness the U.S. leg’s first show. Steve Stav attempts to bridge his Idol-worshipping teenage years with the 21st century in his riff-by-riff review.

Rockabilly, blues, jazz - delightful Dublin diva Imelda May put everything but the kitchen sink on the Moore Theater’s stage. Seattle hepcat Steve Stav was there to admire it all.

In an era of $100 tickets for has-been arena shows, twenty bucks doesn’t buy much entertainment. Or does it? Steve Stav found that his thin wallet went a long way at Seattle’s Showbox, in a night capped by Glasgow sensation Camera Obscura.

A mind-boggler - not one, but two bands from Tacoma have been performing almost as long as rock ‘n’ roll has been on the radio. Is Pacific Northwest drinking water a fountain of youth? Steve Stav ponders such longevity in his review of the Fabulous Wailers and the Ventures.

Blinded by science, indeed. Out of the blue, synth-pop pioneer Thomas Dolby is back – and sounding as if he never left. The cell phone technology mogul has taken a break from his day job, dazzling his long-lost fans with a brief spring tour. Steve Stav braved everything but inclement weather in order to file his report on Dolby’s one-man show, which proved to be one of the most unusual concert experiences of his life.

The Sunset Tavern’s Anniversary Toga Party, featuring The Young Fresh Fellows, Huge Spacebird, and The Chris & Tad Show, at the Sunset Tavern in Seattle, WA on June 21, 2002. Event review by Steve Stav. Photos by Andrea Miller.

Paul Kelly at the Crocodile Café in Seattle, WA on March 20, 2002. Concert review by Steve Stav.