Like most cryptids, Saxsquatch has had doubters his whole life. Some people still don’t believe he exists. But when no one else believed in him, he did.
Bucking a longstanding tradition of seclusion among sasquatches, the seven-foot-tall, fur-covered saxophonist bet on himself when he emerged from the woods of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to launch his solo career as an electronic act in 2018.
Now, seven years later, his groovy productions, jazzy saxophone, and infectiously fun live performances have helped him build a community of over 3 million online believers.
“My whole goal is to let people know that I believe in them, because for so long, no one really believed in me,” Saxsquatch told EDM Maniac ahead of a recent gig in Columbus, Ohio. “Now that people do, it feels really good. I’m trying to spread that love right back.”
Saxsquatch’s saxophone solos and live-looped beats, recorded from his home in the forest, first went viral during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he’s leveled up the project each year since, merging jazz and rock with EDM across releases on respected labels like Monstercat, collaborations with the likes of John Oates, Billy Ray Cyrus, and the band WAR, and multiple U.S. headline tours.
Historically, sasquatches are a bit camera-shy, but Saxsquatch isn’t like most squatches. The bigfoot has also embraced the big stage as a guest on Jimmy Fallon’s That’s My Jam! and Tosh.0, and has shared the stage with esteemed jam bands like Tedeschi Trucks Band, Goldfish, Andy Frasco & The U.N., Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, and many more.
This spring, Saxsquatch will bring his good vibes back on the road with his upcoming “Footprints” tour. Beginning in February, the 30-date run is set to feature captivating live performances of his original tracks and familiar dance favorites, all-new stage production, and audience participation. It’s yet another place where no squatch has gone before.
But just how does a mythical creature come to pick up the sax in the first place?
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Before he was headlining, Saxsquatch’s musical lore begins with his family. His grandfather, Bigfoot, and sister, Bigflute, were both musicians and filled their neck of the woods with music.
When he heard the saxophone for the first time, “it was one of those things that happen maybe a couple times in your life where something happens and you’re just like, ‘Man, I have to do that,’ Saxsquatch said.
After purchasing his first sax from a local pawn shop, and giving the store clerk a bit of a fright in the process, he started playing and became obsessed, “so everyone started calling me Saxsquatch and that’s how I got the name,” he explained.
Saxsquatch’s roots are in blues, rock, and jazz—keeping his identity as a sasquatch a secret, he was also a member of the venerable Marcus King Band prior to launching his solo project—but he loves electronic music just the same.
“We always had a little radio out in the woods we’d listen to. It wasn’t a lot of electronic music. So when I got into electronic music, I was like, ‘Gosh, how come no one ever told me about this?’ Saxsquatch said. “Daft Punk was one of my favorite artists. The acid bass sound just got me, you know?”
Watching artists like Big Gigantic perform live, he’d soon see a path to bring his booming saxophone into the electronic realm. But more importantly, he fell in love with the people and fun he found in the EDM scene.
“It’s really the people for me, as well as the music. Of course, good music is good music, but the people in the scene, they just love to have fun. And I love to have fun,” Saxsquatch said.
“To me, a show is a lot about who you’re around,” he continued. “When I’m listening to music, it’s about more than just the musician on stage. It’s about the overall vibe, the world that you’re in.”
Saxsquatch shows are certainly fun. His set in Columbus, an outdoor gig at a free, city-run winter festival and an intensely stripped back version of his usual show, was still a non-stop party, rolling through his saxophone-ified reworks of dance hits like “Around the World” and “Better Off Alone,” as well as his original tunes.
Early releases on Monstercat and collaborations with the likes of John Oates and WAR to remake their respective classics, “Maneater” and “Why Can’t We Be Friends?,” have given way to more original, independently released Saxsquatch tracks this year. His latest, “Squatchology,” is a funky, sax-led bass track with squatch-themed vocals and guitar from heralded player Eric Krasno. Next in the pipeline is “Hide and Seek,” coming soon.
When asked if it’s tough to run a DAW (digital audio workstation), like Ableton or FL Studio, out in the woods, Saxsquatch chuckled. “In fairness I got myself a small little house now. So you know, we made it out of the forest, but just barely. You know we’re trying to keep growing, but stay humble,” he said.
Despite bitter cold and high winds, the Columbus crowd, comprising locals of all ages, parents and their children, and home to more than a few incognito ravers, showed out for Saxsquatch. No matter the track selection, the bodies were moving and the smiles were from ear to ear.
Saxsquatch has brought this infectious dancefloor energy to dozens of cities across the U.S., and the shows are only getting bigger. In addition to playing festivals like Solshine Reverie and Riot Fest, where Chicago metalheads moshed to his saxo-dubstep, Saxsquatch helmed his first run of Bigfoot Raves in 2024, bringing proper EDM production and an overhauled show to cities across the U.S.
In 2025, the rave shows will continue under a new moniker, the “Footprints” Tour, with even more lasers, run by Saxsquatch himself on stage, as well as cryo effects, live singing from Saxsquatch, new visuals from veteran artist Moe Angelo, audience interactions and more.
“At a Saxsquatch show, if you’re on the front rails, you’re going to go hard,” Saxsquatch assured. “We want to just let people know that, because as we’re getting more from the jam scene and EDM space and blending the two, we just want to make sure everyone is having a good time.”
At every show, Saxsquatch invites attendees to come dressed as something they believe in, whether that’s a seven-foot-tall mythical creature or simply themselves.
The tagline for the Footprints tour, “Be what you want to believe in,” is a “great motto to have in general,” Saxsquatch said. “That’s the vibe we’re trying to bring to the show.”
Check out the full list of dates on Saxsquatch’s 2025 “Footprints” Tour below.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit saxsquatch.com.
All images courtesy: Saxsquatch.
