Brace yourselves, music lovers! As it kicks off its third year, Cascade Equinox Festival is preparing for its most electrifying edition yet, making its triumphant return to the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond this September. Celebrated for its diverse programming and captivating experiences, the festival takes an exciting, fresh direction in 2025, pivoting toward a dance music-centered lineup that showcases top-tier talent.
Leading the jam-packed roster of Cascade Equinox 2025 headliners is Grammy-nominated electronic duo Disclosure. Renowned for their groundbreaking fusion of deep house, UK garage, and synth-pop, Disclosure’s energetic performance promises to be a festival showstopper, bringing their signature blend of addictive beats and heartfelt melodies.
The stellar Cascade Equinox 2025 headliners also include celebrated dance music artists such as electropop duo Sylvan Esso, trap innovator TroyBoi, saxophone-wielding bass music duo Big Gigantic, Montreal electro-funk duo Chromeo, and an exclusive DJ set from cherished indie-electronic band Passion Pit. Rounding out the stylings are groups like High Step Society, which is known for its big band dance music, and Pink Talking Fish, a mash-up band featuring elements of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, and Phish. Regional favorites like Barisone, Cliché and Yak Attack are also a must-see.
Just before heading out on a summer tour, Pink Talking Fish bassist and singer Eric Gould sat down to talk with SW about his band’s unique style.
the Source: Pink Talking Fish plays Pink Floyd, Talking Heads and Phish. You’re clearly into some older bands. Did you grow up listening to this kind of music?
Eric Gould: Definitely! My influence with Pink Floyd, particularly, was just right when I was getting into my teens, and it was just this music that had this depth that I had never experienced before. At the time, I was getting into classic rock, as well as old-school hip-hop like Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys, stuff like that. That was what was jiving with me at the time. Then this came up, and it was like, ‘Oh my God, what is this?’ And I found it on my own, too. My folks were into a lot of great music, but they didn’t get me into Floyd.
And from there, Talking Heads just came in through some hit songs. Then, I wound up diving deeper into the catalog as I got older. And Phish hit me real hard late in high school, like the ’91, ’92 zone. Once I saw my first show, it was over. I caught so many shows… I just saw three shows this past weekend in Manchester, New Hampshire. It was amazing, oh my goodness.
tS: Were you ever a big Grateful Dead fan, too?
EG: Yeah, yeah. I wasn’t a Deadhead the way I’m into Phish, but I always enjoyed them and appreciated them. And I actually toured with Mickey Hart from the Grateful Dead for a while. I really got to dive into the culture and go behind the curtain a little bit.
tS: Oh, wow! What an experience!
EG: That made me appreciate everything all the more.
tS: You even did a Pink Talking Fish are Dead tour, where Pink Talking Fish also played Grateful Dead songs.
EG: Yeah, we’ve done a lot of concepts beyond the concept where we’ve added a fourth band or done an album. Like this year- we’re doing a Wish You Were Here 50th Anniversary Celebration. We’re not doing it at the festival, but on our headlining shows throughout the spring, the first set was the album Wish You Were Here, straight up. Then, the second set was our combination of the three bands.
tS: If you could jam with a band from the 60s or 70s, who would it be?
EG: (Smiling) Oh, great question! Wow… I would love to have a jam with the Velvet Underground when they were at a residency at Andy Warhol’s factory. They took it out there, and, you know, they were a jam band before the jam band world even knew what to say.
tS: Before you became a musician, you studied film. How do you feel that film and music connect?
EG: Even though I’m not a professional in the film world now, it’s been amazing how the mediums are transferable. Especially in this day and age, there’s so much multimedia that goes on. So, for our Wish You Were Here 50th Anniversary Celebration, our keyboard player, Stephen Learson, designed video footage for the entire show. He did such a good job, and it just feels so good to have that happening while the music is going.
At the end of the day, artistically, I consider myself a storyteller. So whether it’s through music, film, or whatever it turns out to be, that’s the title I gravitate toward more than anything. With Pink Talking Fish, it’s interesting because we’re taking three songbooks from these amazing bands, and we’re displaying them in a unique way that fans of the music haven’t seen before. And so we’re telling different stories each time, and it’s great.
We’re psyched to be back in the Bend and Redmond area for the Cascade Equinox Festival. The lineup is awesome.
Festival co-founder Josh Pollack agrees, saying, “The lineup is super unique and really represents the festival and the PNW music community.” Beyond the incredible music, Cascade Equinox Festival delivers an array of activities, including kid zones and art experiences. Pollack is proud to be a family-friendly event, saying that the festival offers “a fully curated schedule of kids camps and activities from morning until the early evening. Last year, we added the Solar Spin, which is a giant roller skating rink that families absolutely loved, and we’re excited to be bringing that zone back with an even bigger skating area!”
Pollack is also excited about the arts. He says, “There will be so much amazing art packed into the festival weekend, highlighted by an incredible cast of some of the PNW’s most talented live painters, creating live works of art that are inspired by the festival. There will be more interactive art installations and dance performances scattered across the festival that are aimed to awe and inspire. We certainly have no shortage of incredible art in our region, and we do our best to showcase as much of it as we possibly can!”
When it comes to accommodations, Cascade Equinox has you covered with fantastic camping options for every style and budget! The crown jewel is the luxurious Alpenglow Campground, featuring glamping (complete with amenities). There are also deluxe car camping spots, RV hookups, dry RV camping, walk-in camping, and basic camping packages – ensuring every attendee can find their perfect home base for this unforgettable weekend adventure.
The Cascade Equinox Festival fuses the traditional festival landscape with groundbreaking innovations, as Pollack calls it, “a festival reimagined.”
This article appears in Source Weekly July 3, 2025.
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