Cascade Equinox Welcomes Us With Open Arms

Summer is over and the weather is changing but that doesn’t mean the festival scene is cooling down. In Eastern Oregon, Cascade Equinox made sure to fall into autumn on a high note with some long days of music, and even longer nights. The strongest of the festival goers were treated to a full 16 hours of music each day, spread across a handful of stages both inside and outside. The outdoor stages kept attendees warm and cozy throughout the day while the indoor stages welcomed those with an itch that can only be scratched by the vibrations of bass to the face. The one exception was the roller-disco area, which was a nice respite of groovy house tunes where dancers could watch experienced skaters slide their way across the floor with grace…and a few newcomers who didn’t let repeated slips and falls break their determination to enjoy their skating experience. As the earth turned to a new season, and the cold wind blew, Cascade Equinox made for a fire experience that ensured attendees would remember the weekend of the 21st day of September.

Day one featured several activities and smaller acts for the first few hours of the day which were then followed by an opening ceremony at the main stage. Following the ceremony came the one and only Häana, a multi-faceted artist who mixed visceral electronic music, soothing violin chords, striking visuals, and engaging dancers to culminate in one of the strongest starts to a festival I have seen in a long time. We had the pleasure of sitting down with her later on and getting to know her more, be sure to check out our 1 on 1 interview as well. I made my way between 3 main stages on Friday, making sure to get a diverse and eclectic combination of tunes. Justin Jay and Wajatta kept listeners entertained inside at the Tilt stage, while Kitchen Dwellers and Dirtwire held down the fort at the main stage. The crowds were very well dispersed at each stage so attendees had space to dance to their hearts desires and really get into the music from all the amazing performers. Sol even got down into the crowd and formed a dance circle on his closing song, which was a special treat for those lucky enough to see his performance at the Harvest stage. As the night stretched into the next day, The Motet soulfully closed out the Harvest stage and Clozee made sure to make a serious impression with her bass on the mainstage which led perfectly to Daily Bread bringing his own style of bass back inside the Tilt. Sleep got the better of me by this point but I heard from attendees that Sunsquabi was an experience worth staying up for.

Day 2 started off the same with relaxing activities, slow wake ups back at camp, and a mixture of acts at the side stages. By the time I got into the festival, there was barely enough time to check out Free Creatures killing it on the mainstage before it was time for 4 straight sets of bone shattering bass in the Tilt stage. Park Breezy, Ravenscoon, Barclay Crenshaw, and Liquid Stranger took it upon themselves to try and collapse the whole building with their consecutive sets. As you approached the Tilt stage, the metal walls holding in the bass could be heard vibrating from far away. Each one of these artist brought a different combination of bass music and lasers to the table but Ravenscoon took the crown for me as his tunes literally knocked me over while taking pictures, and a few songs even gave me a full body massage due to my proximity to the speakers. Thank goodness for concert earbuds, that sound system was immaculate. For those that needed a break from the bass or just weren’t up to the challenge, the mainstage hosted a diverse collection of acts with the legend Deltron 3030, the soft sounds of Poolside that felt like you actually had your toes in the water, and the impressive collection of instruments that made up STS9. I can’t praise the mainstage lighting director enough, the visuals and lights for Poolside and STS9 were utterly perfect and really set the vibe nicely. By the time it was The Floozies turn to play at the Tilt stage, the atmosphere from the previous acts had made the stage into a sauna in its own right. I couldn’t even capture much media because my camera fogged up so quickly as people grooved relentlessly into the early AM. Even as I walked back to camp to get a few hours of sleep, I could hear renegade DJ sets happening all across the grounds.

After 2 days of 12+ hours of beats, I surrendered to the slumber and took my time getting in to the fest. The strongest of the festival still got up at 12, got in for some nice yoga and other fun activities, and experienced great acts across the stages. Noetik the Alchemist, Sugarbeats, Willdabeast, and Goopsteppa all did their thing at the Tilt stage while Katrina Rykman and Neil Francis kept the vibes up at the mainstage. I was unable to catch any other stages this day but once again, I received a splash of FOMO from attendees who experienced the other stages earlier and had stories to tell. Then came Marc Rebillet. What. A. Performer. As he ran out on stage with nothing but boxer briefs on and a hardcore scowl on his face, I knew we were in for a treat. Marc made the festival experience for several attendees as he brought them up on stage to help him with his performances and even took a few suggestions from the crowd. Loop Daddy did his thing and had the crowd dancing, laughing, and at times slightly confused (in the best way possible). I still can hear him saying “EAT YOUR MF VEGETABLES” in my head today. Jungle was up next on mainstage but I would be remiss if I didn’t run over to the Tilt stage one last time to catch Wreckno throw down one last bass set for the weekend. The bass was pumping, the crowd was bussy boppin’, and the energy was high. Wreckno did their name proper and wrecked the crowd. With sore legs, a tight back, and sleepy eyes, I made my way back to the mainstage for Jungle. All of those feelings melted away within the first song. The bright warm glow of Jungles lighting and the even brighter warm glow of their tunes woke me right up and took us into the next day, which just happened to be my birthday. 

I don’t think I could have asked for a better birthday weekend than what I experienced at Cascade Equinox. I came away from the weekend with so many new friends, new followers, new fond memories, and a new appreciation for the Pacific Northwest. Even though I wasn’t strong enough to last all 16 hours each day, I feel like I had enough experiences to fill a full 72 hours. Thank you Cascade Equinox, thank you to all the attendees and vendors, and thank you to all the incredible acts that performed this weekend. I hope to be back in 2025 with everybody and I can’t wait to see the lineup they come out with. Much love, many blessings, and best wishes to all with closing out the year.

Check out the photos I took HERE! Here are some more! And finally!