It's been a while. I started this blog with a review of Bumbershoot a few years ago. So it's fitting that I resume with the same event. If you're looking for some great entertainment over Labor Day Weekend, Bumbershoot is the place to be. Lots of local music, national acts, great food and amazing art.
Saturday, Sept 4th
Mainstage
The Decemberists Pac NW originals.
*Neko Case I love Neko’s brand of Country!
*Bob Dylan My first concert was Bob Dylan and the Rolling Thunder Review so many years ago.
Center Square Stage
Idiot Pilot Electronica from Bellingham
HEALTH LA band sharing Rock with beau coup FX.
Civil Twilight U2 meets Coldplay by three talented South African lads.
This Providence Polished, toe-tapping Pop Rock.
EMP Sky Church
Great Waves Sammamish Rockers are sure to delight Bumbershoot crowds.
Born Anchors Local band with great Rock N Roll.
Parlour Steps Enjoyable Rock tunes from a BC quintet
Feral Children Another Seattle band rocking out.
See Me River Local Rock with a hint of Country.
*The Cute Lepers Up-tempo Rock reminiscent of Elvis Costello & the Attractions.
Visqueen I heard an interview with Rachel Flotard on NPR. It made me revisit the work of Visqueen, I’m glad I did. Rock with a soul.
Broad Street Stage
The Submarines Folk influenced Rock featuring great vocals.
Plants and Animals Down from Montreal and rocking with purpose.
Atlas Sound "A largely ambient meditation on romantic obsession full of densely layered electronics and guitars that sound as if they were beamed in from some haunted parallel universe." The Fader. Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Jamie Lidell Soulful, World-music-influenced Electronica.
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Hard to categorize. I’ll take a stab and say Rock influenced by Cabaret.
The Raveonettes Danish Rockers gracing the Pac NW with their presence.
Starbucks Stage
*Becki Sue & Her Big Rockin’ Daddies Blues from WA State’s capitol.
*Star Anna & the Laughing Dogs Sweet, soulful Country Ellensburg style.
*The Maldives Local Country-Folk-Rockers with great tunes!
*Justin Townes Earle What do you do when you’re the son of one Alt-Country legend and named for another? You begin your own journey to Alt-Country legend status.
Bob Schneider Smooth, Country-Rock sounds from Texas.
Solomon Burke A legendary Bluesman, need I say more?
Fisher Green Stage
Grynch Seattle Hip-Hop, very nice grooves.
The Constellation Ghettotech? WTF? Sounds like R&B infused Rock to me.
Wheedle’s Groove Northwest Funk & Soul.
*The Budos Band Funky, Worldbeat instrumentals.
Balkan Beat Box Hip-Hop with an Eastern European soundtrack.
*Ozomatli Reminds of the band War.
Sunday, Sept 5th
Mainstage
Rise Against Head bangers from the Windy City.
Hole Courtney’s 15 minutes continues.
Weezer Still rockin’ in a hard place.
Center Square Stage
Sweet Water Local Rock quartet not to be confused with the band that played Woodstock.
Crash Kings Rock leaning toward the Punk side.
The Bouncing Souls Big Apple band, reminds me of the Ramones.
Motion City Soundtrack Nice vocals from Pop Rock quintet.
EMP Sky Church
School of Rock All Stars
*The Lonely H Classic Rock sound from Port Angeles.
The Redwood Plan Local, high energy, angry-young-man Rock band with a female vocalist.
Slender Means Strong vocals and snappy tunes from Seattle Pop-Rock quintet.
*Fences Slow, somber, melodic, acoustic songs.
The Physics South Seattle Hip-Hop crew.
Fatal Lucciauno Rap. Laying it down Seattle style.
Broad Street Stage
Unnatural Helpers Seattle punkers.
*Hey Marseilles Saw ‘em open for Toad the Wet Sprocket in July. Toe-tapping combo with great Folk-World-Rock tunes.
David Bazan Seattle Rocker rolling into town for Labor day.
*Ra Ra Riot Bright Pop-Rock from Syracuse.
Delorean Techno sounds abound.
*The Dandy Warhols They’ve been around forever, but I’ve never seen them. Of course they usually don’t take the stage until after my bedtime.
Starbucks Stage
*The Tripwires The Sangster brothers and company bring some great NW Rock to the stage.
*Horse Feathers One of the greatest contemporary NW Folk groups around. Don’t miss these guys.
*Sista Monica’s Singin In the Spirit A lioness of Blues, R&B and Gospel.
Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express Got Jazz if you want it.
*James Cotton Blues Band Saw James at the Rusty Anchor in the 70s. He was a great.
*Billy Bragg loved the Mermaid Avenue project with Wilco from a while back.
Fisher Green Stage
*Eldridge Gravy & the Court Supreme Funk & Soul from the land of moss and slugs.
Fresh Espresso Hip-Hop samples with lots of bass & drums.
Georgia Anne Muldrow & Declaime Dropping Hip-Hop beats straight outta Babylon.
Jay Electronica NOLA Hip-Hopper.
Aterciopelados Self-described as Melodramatic Popular Song from Bogota
LMFAO LMFAO is an electro-hop group from Los Angeles.
Monday, Sept 6th
Mainstage
J. Cole Who dat? Who dat? Rap on.
Drake Hip-Hoppin’ like a Mo-Fo.
Mary J. Blige Less Rap and more singing. MJB does a version of Stairway to heaven on her MySpace site.
Center Square Stage
JEFF the Brotherhood In your face Rock.
The Whigs More in your face Rock. Not that it’s a bad thing.
Baroness Bang your head.
Anvil Bang your head some more, Canadian style.
EMP Sky Church
people eating people Piano-centric, Jazzy Pop
BOAT Fresh from a tour of Montana, Seattle Rockers should entertain the Sky Church masses.
Helladope More Seattle Hip-Hop
THEESatisfaction Two chicks Rapping with feeling.
Lisa Dank Slick Pop tunes, very danceable.
Wild Orchid Children Seattle Psych Rock.
The Splits Ohio Rock, like very early Pretenders.
Broad Street Stage
Bobby Bare Jr. Son of Outlaw Country legend, making his own way in the Rock’N’Roll world.
The Clientele UK Psych Rockers with the Prog Rock sound.
Meat Puppets Old Punkers never die, they just reunite and play some tunes.
Japandroids Canadian duo Rocking in the free world.
Surfer Blood Interesting Surf-influenced sound with several YouTube cat videos on their MySpace page. I’m puzzled.
The Thermals Portland Rockers.
Starbucks Stage
Brent Amaker & the Rodeo C&W baritone leading the charge.
*Trampled By Turtles Bluegrass mostly, from the edge of the prairie.
Greg Laswell Heartfelt Folk songs.
*The Moondoggies When The Band broke up Rock’N’Roots music was left with a huge hole. These are the guys who filled that hole!!!
Jenny & Johnny Mostly Country.
*Booker T. The legend, live at Bumbershoot. Should be interesting.
Fisher Green Stage
Victor Shade One half of Common Market striking out on his own. I suspect some great Hip-Hop.
Garotas Suecas Brazilian Pop-Rock.
*Kings Go Forth Soul and Funk reminiscent of Curtis Mayfield or the Four Tops.
Bomba Estereo More self-described melodramatic Popular Song from Columbia, but it sounds like Columbian Rap.
*Angelique Kidjo The lady from Benin with the wonderful voice.
*The English Beat Dave Wakling is still going strong. Saw them a while back and they are great. What a great way to close out B-shoot 2010.
*John’s picks
more to follow...
Showing posts with label Bumbershoot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bumbershoot. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 31, 2009
2009 Bumbershoot Preview
Sorry for the short notice. I have been Hella-busy. The asterisks are acts I recommend. See you this weekend.
More to follow....
Saturday, 5 Sept 09
Samsung Mobile Mainstage
Katy Perry http://www.myspace.com/katyperry
She kissed a girl and liked it!
All-American Rejects http://www.myspace.com/allamericanrejects
Rock, production is fine, but can’t really distinguish them from a lot of other bands.
*Old 97s http://www.myspace.com/theold97s
Old school Rock sound leaning toward Rock-a-Billy and Alt-Country.
Sheryl Crow http://www.myspace.com/sherylcrow
Sheryl has left Las Vegas to soak up the sun in Seattle.
Rockstar Stage
Sick Puppies http://www.myspace.com/sickpuppies
Loud, aggressive, angry young man Rock-n-Roll.
*Iglu & Hartly http://www.myspace.com/igluandhartly
Is it Dance, Techno or Hip-Hop? Yes and it’s upbeat and fun!
Gang Gang Dance http://www.myspace.com/ganggangdance
Dance music with a worldly pulse, get on your feet.
OTEP http://www.myspace.com/otep
Loud, aggressive, angry young man Rock-n-Roll.
Fisher Green Stage
*Adrian Xavier http://www.myspace.com/adrianxavier
Reggae
*Mayer Hawthorne http://www.myspace.com/mayerhawthorne
Sweet soulful sounds from a geeky looking white guy.
Wale http://www.myspace.com/wale
Thick and juicy Hip-Hop from DC.
Os Mutantes http://www.myspace.com/osmutantes66
Brazilian Pop.
De La Soul http://www.myspace.com/delasoul
Two decades in the trenches and still churning out smooth Hip-Hop grooves.
Starbucks Stage
Kristen Ward http://www.myspace.com/kristenwardmusic
Local talent sharing singer/songwriter Folk-Rock.
Kim Field & The Mighty Titans of Tone http://www.myspace.com/kimfieldandthemightytitansoftone
Slow and smokey, rough and rowdy Blues from Seattle.
*Massy Ferguson http://www.myspace.com/massyferguson
The self-proclaimed People’s Band rockin’ from Seattle.
Carrie Rodriguez http://www.myspace.com/carrielrodriguez
Folk Rock from a consummate entertainer with great pipes.
Eric Hutchinson http://www.myspace.com/erichutchinson
Catchy Pop tunes, reminds me of Billy Joel.
World Party http://www.myspace.com/worldparty
Rock that pops from the foggy isles.
Broad Street Stage
Everest http://www.myspace.com/everest
Slower, mostly Rock-based songs. Reminds me of Neil Young
Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head http://www.myspace.com/natalieportmansshavedhead
Seattle’s very own Electro-Dance group.
*Low Vs Diamond http://www.myspace.com/lowvsdiamond
Excellently arranged and delivered Rock’n’Roll.
Matt & Kim http://www.myspace.com/mattandkim
Electro-Pop from NY.
UH HUH HER http://www.myspace.com/uhhuhhermusic
Electro-Pop California style.
*The Long Winters http://www.myspace.com/thelongwinters
I love this band!!!! Excellent Rock from one of Seattle’s own.
Northwest Court
The Not-Its http://www.myspace.com/thenotits
Pop for the younger set.
We Are Golden http://www.myspace.com/wearegoldenmusic
Elaborately arranged Rock with great musicianship and vocals.
Cordero http://www.myspace.com/corderonyc
Latin Pop Rock from NY.
Eleni Mandell http://www.myspace.com/elenimandell
Folk Rock. Nice voice.
*Elvis Perkins http://www.myspace.com/elvisperkins
LA Folk Rock phenom.
EMP Skychurch
*Dyno Jamz http://www.myspace.com/dynojamz
To quote EMP, “West Coast cool jazz to East Coast 80s hip-hop”
Hotels http://www.myspace.com/hotels
New Wave, Electro-Rockers from Seattle.
Past Lives http://www.myspace.com/pastlivesmusic
Seattle rockers.
Akimbo http://www.myspace.com/akimbo
In your face Rock from Seattle. Suck it bitches!
The Whore Moans http://www.myspace.com/thewhoremoanssuck
More in your face Rock from Seattle.
*Telekinesis http://www.myspace.com/telekinesismusic
Great Rock sound. I love this band!
Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground http://www.myspace.com/kaykayunderground
Reminds me of Queen’s cabaret approach to Rock.
Sunday, 6 September 09
Samsung Mobile Mainstage
Cold War Kids http://www.myspace.com/coldwarkids
Rockin’ in from LA.
*Yeah Yeah Yeahs http://www.myspace.com/yeahyeahyeahs
If Chrissie Hynde was starting in music today she’d be in this band.
*Michael Franti http://www.myspace.com/michaelfranti
World Beat from the Bay Area. I dare you to sit still.
Jason Mraz http://www.myspace.com/jasonmraz
Smooth, Pop sounds from Southern California.
Rockstar Stage
Rockstar Winner
Maximo Park http://www.myspace.com/maximopark
UK Rock, rather tasty.
Swollen Members http://www.myspace.com/swollenmembers
Hip-Hop from Vancouver, BC
No Age http://www.myspace.com/nonoage
It’s knocking-over-trash-cans-with-a-chainsaw Rock.
MSTRKRFT http://www.myspace.com/mstrkrft
Self-described as Electro-Punk, I’m inclined to agree.
Fisher Green Stage
Kore Ionz http://www.myspace.com/koreionz
“Water for roots. Love of reggae. Fire for rock.” Ya mon…
Dyme Def http://www.myspace.com/dymedefchea
Portland Hip-Hop.
Extra Golden http://www.myspace.com/extragolden
Music from Kenya by way of a Chicago record label.
*Common Market http://www.myspace.com/commonmarket
Do yourself a favor and see these guys, Seattle Hip-Hop.
*Roy Ayers http://www.myspace.com/royayersubiquity
Jazz, Funk & Soul, what more could you ask for?
*Raphael Saadiq http://www.myspace.com/raphaelsaadiq
Soul and R&B with an old school sound.
Starbucks Stage
Handful of Luvin’ http://www.myspace.com/handfulofluvin
Interesting Folk Rock.
The Dusty 45s http://www.myspace.com/billyjoeandthedusty45s
3 chord guitar and a whole lotta shaking goin’on
The Honey Brothers http://www.myspace.com/thehoneybrothers
Canadian quintet playing World Beat Pop tunes.
Sera Cahoone http://www.myspace.com/seracahoone
Somber, Soulful Country from a former Indie-Rock drummer.
Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women http://www.myspace.com/davealvin
A walking, talking lexicon of American Roots music.
Brett Dennen http://www.myspace.com/brettdennen
If Jack Johnson and Tracy Chapman had a child…Funkified Folky Pop.
Broad Street Stage
Hey Marseilles http://www.myspace.com/heymarseilles
Folk music.
Mt St Helens Vietnam Band http://www.myspace.com/mtsthelensvietnamband
Rock’N’Roll
U.S.E. http://www.myspace.com/use
United States of Electronica, need I say more?
Vivian Girls http://www.myspace.com/viviangirlsnyc
NYC punkers
*Holy F**k http://www.myspace.com/holyfuck
Original instrumental electronic Rock.
*The Helio Sequence http://www.myspace.com/theheliosequence
Pop Rockers from Portland.
Northwest Court
Central Services presents the Board of Education http://www.myspace.com/cskids
Kiddie Pop.
Steve Griggs Quintet http://www.stevegriggsmusic.com/
Jazz, but I can’t hear it because he has no Myspace page.
Mark Taylor Quartet http://www.myspace.com/marktaylormusic
Jazz!
Michael Shrieve’s Spellbinder http://www.myspace.com/michaelshrievesspellbinder
Latin Jazz!
Paul Oscher http://www.myspace.com/pauloscher
Blues, Blues, Blues.
Todd Snider http://www.myspace.com/toddsnider
Blues, Folk, Country and Rock.
EMP Skychurch
The Kindness Kind http://www.myspace.com/thekindnesskind
Local Rockers.
*Black Whales http://www.myspace.com/blackwhales
These guys are good, basic Rock’N’Roll.
Parenthetical Girls http://www.myspace.com/parentheticalgirlsband
Chamber Rock from Everett by way of Portland.
Romance http://www.myspace.com/romance
New Wave Rockers from Seattle.
Sleepy Eyes of Death http://www.myspace.com/sleepyeyesofdeath
Electro-Rock from the Emerald City.
D.Black/Spaceman http://www.myspace.com/sportnliferecords
Local Hip-Hop
DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid http://www.myspace.com/djspooky
No tunes on the MySpace player.
Monday, 7 September 09
Samsung Mobile Mainstage
The Knux http://www.myspace.com/theknux
Hip-Hop from Hollywood , by way of New orleans, California
*The Black Eyed Peas http://www.myspace.com/blackeyedpeas
Saw Fergie a few years ago, this should be fun.
Franz Ferdinand http://www.myspace.com/franzferdinand
Rocking along
Modest Mouse http://www.myspace.com/modestmouse
Issaquah Rock band.
Rockstar Stage
Rockstar Winner
Forgive Durden performing Razia’s Show http://blogs.myspace.com/forgivedurden
Not entirely sure what this is
Dead Confederate http://www.myspace.com/deadconfederate
Hard Rocking boys from Georgia.
Audrye Sessions http://www.myspace.com/audryesessions
“…polished, propulsive rock songs and gentle, stripped-down tunes…”
3 Inches of Blood http://www.myspace.com/3iob
Just exactly what you’d expect from a band called 3 Inches of Blood.
Fisher Green Stage
Macklemore http://www.myspace.com/macklemore
Seattle Hip-Hop
Dehli 2 Dublin http://www.myspace.com/delhi2dublin
Celtic melodies and Indian beats with a little Hip-Hop for good measure.
*The New Mastersounds http://www.myspace.com/newmastersounds
Funky, Soulful, Bluesy.
Janelle Monae http://www.myspace.com/janellemonae
Soul/R&B, Pop, Great vocals!
Vieux Farka Toure http://www.myspace.com/vieuxfarkatoure
Mali sensation keeps the family tradition alive and well.
Sly & Robbie http://www.myspace.com/slyandrobbie
Reggae from Bob Marley’s rhythm section.
Starbucks Stage
Tyler Bryant http://www.myspace.com/tylerbryantmusic
Tyler’s talented, but way too young to play authentic blues.
The Minus 5 http://www.myspace.com/theminus5
Pop-Rockers going strong.
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears http://www.myspace.com/blackjoelewis
No tunes on the MySpace player.
*The Devil Makes Three http://www.myspace.com/thedevilmakesthree
Fun, bright Country sounds.
*The Cave Singers http://www.myspace.com/thecavesingers
Saw ‘em on the NW stage a few years back. Great music!
Keller Williams http://www.myspace.com/kellerwilliams
Acoustic Funk, Folk, Country and whatever else he feels like doing.
Broad Street Stage
Visqueen http://www.myspace.com/visqueen
No doubt about it Rock’N’Roll.
Say Hi http://www.myspace.com/sayhitoyourmom
Rock and it’s not too bad at all.
Mirah http://www.myspace.com/coldcoldwater
Pop Rock from sultry singing siren.
Akron/Family http://www.myspace.com/akronfamily
Jazzy grooves switch to in-your-face Rock guitar.
Soulsavers http://www.myspace.com/soulsavers
UK Rock somberly
Metric http://www.myspace.com/metric
Yeah, they Rock.
Northwest Court
Anomie Belle http://www.myspace.com/anomiebelle
Electronic, somber approaches to Rock.
Recess Monkey http://www.myspace.com/recessmonkey
Kid focused Pop.
Grand Hallway http://www.myspace.com/grandhallway
Folk Rock with a Japanese influence. That’s what their MySpace page says.
Oren Lavie http://www.myspace.com/orenlavie
Jazzie, electronic background with soulful vocals. Sounds a bit like Nick Drake.
Portland Cello Project http://www.myspace.com/celloproject
This is not your father’s cello band.
Lenka http://www.myspace.com/lenkamusic
Nicely done Pop from Down Under
EMP Skychurch
*Department of Energy http://www.myspace.com/deptofenergy
Great original Rock.
Point Juncture, WA http://www.myspace.com/ptjuncturewa
More Rock from Portland.
The Lonely Forest http://www.myspace.com/thelonelyforest
Anacortes own Rock, WOW! Go see this band.
Champagne Champagne http://www.myspace.com/champagnechampagne
Local Hip-Hop
Wallpaper http://www.myspace.com/wallpaper
Pop & Hip-Hop.
Truckasaurus http://www.myspace.com/teapartiesgunsnvalor
Hippity-Hoppity Techno
Head Like a Kite http://www.myspace.com/headlikeakite
Shoegaze, WTF? Who comes up with these?
More to follow....
Saturday, 5 Sept 09
Samsung Mobile Mainstage
Katy Perry http://www.myspace.com/katyperry
She kissed a girl and liked it!
All-American Rejects http://www.myspace.com/allamericanrejects
Rock, production is fine, but can’t really distinguish them from a lot of other bands.
*Old 97s http://www.myspace.com/theold97s
Old school Rock sound leaning toward Rock-a-Billy and Alt-Country.
Sheryl Crow http://www.myspace.com/sherylcrow
Sheryl has left Las Vegas to soak up the sun in Seattle.
Rockstar Stage
Sick Puppies http://www.myspace.com/sickpuppies
Loud, aggressive, angry young man Rock-n-Roll.
*Iglu & Hartly http://www.myspace.com/igluandhartly
Is it Dance, Techno or Hip-Hop? Yes and it’s upbeat and fun!
Gang Gang Dance http://www.myspace.com/ganggangdance
Dance music with a worldly pulse, get on your feet.
OTEP http://www.myspace.com/otep
Loud, aggressive, angry young man Rock-n-Roll.
Fisher Green Stage
*Adrian Xavier http://www.myspace.com/adrianxavier
Reggae
*Mayer Hawthorne http://www.myspace.com/mayerhawthorne
Sweet soulful sounds from a geeky looking white guy.
Wale http://www.myspace.com/wale
Thick and juicy Hip-Hop from DC.
Os Mutantes http://www.myspace.com/osmutantes66
Brazilian Pop.
De La Soul http://www.myspace.com/delasoul
Two decades in the trenches and still churning out smooth Hip-Hop grooves.
Starbucks Stage
Kristen Ward http://www.myspace.com/kristenwardmusic
Local talent sharing singer/songwriter Folk-Rock.
Kim Field & The Mighty Titans of Tone http://www.myspace.com/kimfieldandthemightytitansoftone
Slow and smokey, rough and rowdy Blues from Seattle.
*Massy Ferguson http://www.myspace.com/massyferguson
The self-proclaimed People’s Band rockin’ from Seattle.
Carrie Rodriguez http://www.myspace.com/carrielrodriguez
Folk Rock from a consummate entertainer with great pipes.
Eric Hutchinson http://www.myspace.com/erichutchinson
Catchy Pop tunes, reminds me of Billy Joel.
World Party http://www.myspace.com/worldparty
Rock that pops from the foggy isles.
Broad Street Stage
Everest http://www.myspace.com/everest
Slower, mostly Rock-based songs. Reminds me of Neil Young
Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head http://www.myspace.com/natalieportmansshavedhead
Seattle’s very own Electro-Dance group.
*Low Vs Diamond http://www.myspace.com/lowvsdiamond
Excellently arranged and delivered Rock’n’Roll.
Matt & Kim http://www.myspace.com/mattandkim
Electro-Pop from NY.
UH HUH HER http://www.myspace.com/uhhuhhermusic
Electro-Pop California style.
*The Long Winters http://www.myspace.com/thelongwinters
I love this band!!!! Excellent Rock from one of Seattle’s own.
Northwest Court
The Not-Its http://www.myspace.com/thenotits
Pop for the younger set.
We Are Golden http://www.myspace.com/wearegoldenmusic
Elaborately arranged Rock with great musicianship and vocals.
Cordero http://www.myspace.com/corderonyc
Latin Pop Rock from NY.
Eleni Mandell http://www.myspace.com/elenimandell
Folk Rock. Nice voice.
*Elvis Perkins http://www.myspace.com/elvisperkins
LA Folk Rock phenom.
EMP Skychurch
*Dyno Jamz http://www.myspace.com/dynojamz
To quote EMP, “West Coast cool jazz to East Coast 80s hip-hop”
Hotels http://www.myspace.com/hotels
New Wave, Electro-Rockers from Seattle.
Past Lives http://www.myspace.com/pastlivesmusic
Seattle rockers.
Akimbo http://www.myspace.com/akimbo
In your face Rock from Seattle. Suck it bitches!
The Whore Moans http://www.myspace.com/thewhoremoanssuck
More in your face Rock from Seattle.
*Telekinesis http://www.myspace.com/telekinesismusic
Great Rock sound. I love this band!
Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground http://www.myspace.com/kaykayunderground
Reminds me of Queen’s cabaret approach to Rock.
Sunday, 6 September 09
Samsung Mobile Mainstage
Cold War Kids http://www.myspace.com/coldwarkids
Rockin’ in from LA.
*Yeah Yeah Yeahs http://www.myspace.com/yeahyeahyeahs
If Chrissie Hynde was starting in music today she’d be in this band.
*Michael Franti http://www.myspace.com/michaelfranti
World Beat from the Bay Area. I dare you to sit still.
Jason Mraz http://www.myspace.com/jasonmraz
Smooth, Pop sounds from Southern California.
Rockstar Stage
Rockstar Winner
Maximo Park http://www.myspace.com/maximopark
UK Rock, rather tasty.
Swollen Members http://www.myspace.com/swollenmembers
Hip-Hop from Vancouver, BC
No Age http://www.myspace.com/nonoage
It’s knocking-over-trash-cans-with-a-chainsaw Rock.
MSTRKRFT http://www.myspace.com/mstrkrft
Self-described as Electro-Punk, I’m inclined to agree.
Fisher Green Stage
Kore Ionz http://www.myspace.com/koreionz
“Water for roots. Love of reggae. Fire for rock.” Ya mon…
Dyme Def http://www.myspace.com/dymedefchea
Portland Hip-Hop.
Extra Golden http://www.myspace.com/extragolden
Music from Kenya by way of a Chicago record label.
*Common Market http://www.myspace.com/commonmarket
Do yourself a favor and see these guys, Seattle Hip-Hop.
*Roy Ayers http://www.myspace.com/royayersubiquity
Jazz, Funk & Soul, what more could you ask for?
*Raphael Saadiq http://www.myspace.com/raphaelsaadiq
Soul and R&B with an old school sound.
Starbucks Stage
Handful of Luvin’ http://www.myspace.com/handfulofluvin
Interesting Folk Rock.
The Dusty 45s http://www.myspace.com/billyjoeandthedusty45s
3 chord guitar and a whole lotta shaking goin’on
The Honey Brothers http://www.myspace.com/thehoneybrothers
Canadian quintet playing World Beat Pop tunes.
Sera Cahoone http://www.myspace.com/seracahoone
Somber, Soulful Country from a former Indie-Rock drummer.
Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women http://www.myspace.com/davealvin
A walking, talking lexicon of American Roots music.
Brett Dennen http://www.myspace.com/brettdennen
If Jack Johnson and Tracy Chapman had a child…Funkified Folky Pop.
Broad Street Stage
Hey Marseilles http://www.myspace.com/heymarseilles
Folk music.
Mt St Helens Vietnam Band http://www.myspace.com/mtsthelensvietnamband
Rock’N’Roll
U.S.E. http://www.myspace.com/use
United States of Electronica, need I say more?
Vivian Girls http://www.myspace.com/viviangirlsnyc
NYC punkers
*Holy F**k http://www.myspace.com/holyfuck
Original instrumental electronic Rock.
*The Helio Sequence http://www.myspace.com/theheliosequence
Pop Rockers from Portland.
Northwest Court
Central Services presents the Board of Education http://www.myspace.com/cskids
Kiddie Pop.
Steve Griggs Quintet http://www.stevegriggsmusic.com/
Jazz, but I can’t hear it because he has no Myspace page.
Mark Taylor Quartet http://www.myspace.com/marktaylormusic
Jazz!
Michael Shrieve’s Spellbinder http://www.myspace.com/michaelshrievesspellbinder
Latin Jazz!
Paul Oscher http://www.myspace.com/pauloscher
Blues, Blues, Blues.
Todd Snider http://www.myspace.com/toddsnider
Blues, Folk, Country and Rock.
EMP Skychurch
The Kindness Kind http://www.myspace.com/thekindnesskind
Local Rockers.
*Black Whales http://www.myspace.com/blackwhales
These guys are good, basic Rock’N’Roll.
Parenthetical Girls http://www.myspace.com/parentheticalgirlsband
Chamber Rock from Everett by way of Portland.
Romance http://www.myspace.com/romance
New Wave Rockers from Seattle.
Sleepy Eyes of Death http://www.myspace.com/sleepyeyesofdeath
Electro-Rock from the Emerald City.
D.Black/Spaceman http://www.myspace.com/sportnliferecords
Local Hip-Hop
DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid http://www.myspace.com/djspooky
No tunes on the MySpace player.
Monday, 7 September 09
Samsung Mobile Mainstage
The Knux http://www.myspace.com/theknux
Hip-Hop from Hollywood , by way of New orleans, California
*The Black Eyed Peas http://www.myspace.com/blackeyedpeas
Saw Fergie a few years ago, this should be fun.
Franz Ferdinand http://www.myspace.com/franzferdinand
Rocking along
Modest Mouse http://www.myspace.com/modestmouse
Issaquah Rock band.
Rockstar Stage
Rockstar Winner
Forgive Durden performing Razia’s Show http://blogs.myspace.com/forgivedurden
Not entirely sure what this is
Dead Confederate http://www.myspace.com/deadconfederate
Hard Rocking boys from Georgia.
Audrye Sessions http://www.myspace.com/audryesessions
“…polished, propulsive rock songs and gentle, stripped-down tunes…”
3 Inches of Blood http://www.myspace.com/3iob
Just exactly what you’d expect from a band called 3 Inches of Blood.
Fisher Green Stage
Macklemore http://www.myspace.com/macklemore
Seattle Hip-Hop
Dehli 2 Dublin http://www.myspace.com/delhi2dublin
Celtic melodies and Indian beats with a little Hip-Hop for good measure.
*The New Mastersounds http://www.myspace.com/newmastersounds
Funky, Soulful, Bluesy.
Janelle Monae http://www.myspace.com/janellemonae
Soul/R&B, Pop, Great vocals!
Vieux Farka Toure http://www.myspace.com/vieuxfarkatoure
Mali sensation keeps the family tradition alive and well.
Sly & Robbie http://www.myspace.com/slyandrobbie
Reggae from Bob Marley’s rhythm section.
Starbucks Stage
Tyler Bryant http://www.myspace.com/tylerbryantmusic
Tyler’s talented, but way too young to play authentic blues.
The Minus 5 http://www.myspace.com/theminus5
Pop-Rockers going strong.
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears http://www.myspace.com/blackjoelewis
No tunes on the MySpace player.
*The Devil Makes Three http://www.myspace.com/thedevilmakesthree
Fun, bright Country sounds.
*The Cave Singers http://www.myspace.com/thecavesingers
Saw ‘em on the NW stage a few years back. Great music!
Keller Williams http://www.myspace.com/kellerwilliams
Acoustic Funk, Folk, Country and whatever else he feels like doing.
Broad Street Stage
Visqueen http://www.myspace.com/visqueen
No doubt about it Rock’N’Roll.
Say Hi http://www.myspace.com/sayhitoyourmom
Rock and it’s not too bad at all.
Mirah http://www.myspace.com/coldcoldwater
Pop Rock from sultry singing siren.
Akron/Family http://www.myspace.com/akronfamily
Jazzy grooves switch to in-your-face Rock guitar.
Soulsavers http://www.myspace.com/soulsavers
UK Rock somberly
Metric http://www.myspace.com/metric
Yeah, they Rock.
Northwest Court
Anomie Belle http://www.myspace.com/anomiebelle
Electronic, somber approaches to Rock.
Recess Monkey http://www.myspace.com/recessmonkey
Kid focused Pop.
Grand Hallway http://www.myspace.com/grandhallway
Folk Rock with a Japanese influence. That’s what their MySpace page says.
Oren Lavie http://www.myspace.com/orenlavie
Jazzie, electronic background with soulful vocals. Sounds a bit like Nick Drake.
Portland Cello Project http://www.myspace.com/celloproject
This is not your father’s cello band.
Lenka http://www.myspace.com/lenkamusic
Nicely done Pop from Down Under
EMP Skychurch
*Department of Energy http://www.myspace.com/deptofenergy
Great original Rock.
Point Juncture, WA http://www.myspace.com/ptjuncturewa
More Rock from Portland.
The Lonely Forest http://www.myspace.com/thelonelyforest
Anacortes own Rock, WOW! Go see this band.
Champagne Champagne http://www.myspace.com/champagnechampagne
Local Hip-Hop
Wallpaper http://www.myspace.com/wallpaper
Pop & Hip-Hop.
Truckasaurus http://www.myspace.com/teapartiesgunsnvalor
Hippity-Hoppity Techno
Head Like a Kite http://www.myspace.com/headlikeakite
Shoegaze, WTF? Who comes up with these?
Monday, September 10, 2007
Bumbershoot 2007 Day One
I recently spent three days at Bumbershoot, the Seattle based arts and music festival that occurs over Labor Day weekend. The event takes place on the 74 acres at Seattle Center and consists of seven music stages, three comedy stages, four performance stages, a film festival, an independent publishers’ exhibition as well as countless artisans peddling their wares, numerous street performers honing their craft and food vendors with a selection so ethnically diverse it’s like a trip around the globe. It is with bittersweet anticipation that I look forward to Bumbershoot each year. The conflict stems from the excitement of seeing many great performers in a small location over a short period of time for a reasonable price, but it is tempered by the fact that it signals an end to summer. In the immortal words of Robert Hunter, “Every silver lining has a touch of grey.”
Saturday: My wife and I arrive at the Mercer Street entrance courtesy of the Metro system and head straight to Horn of Africa for chicken, lentils and that wonderful, spongy, fermented bread. Over the previous few days I’ve scoured the Bumbershoot sections of the Seattle Weekly and The Stranger, two of Seattle’s weekly newspapers, and made notes on my schedule to determine which acts we should see. Once nourished we proceeded to the Wells Fargo Stage to see The Cave Singers (Seattle Weekly pick) an acoustic-based trio and veterans of Seattle bands (Pretty Girls Make Graves) who play some pretty nice stuff. Their sound leans toward folk but the stripped down arrangements have a somber, almost haunting tone. I imagine that this is what Woody Guthrie would sound like if he’d been exposed to punk, grunge, rock, seemingly endless precipitation and great coffee during his formative years. Invitation Songs, their release on Matador is scheduled to come out 25 Sept 07. I would recommend getting it. If you’d like to hear a few of their tracks you can check out their Myspace page.
After The Cave Singers we hustled through the crowd to the Mainstage to see The Shins (Seattle Weekly pick.) I know they are the most popular band to come out of the Pacific Northwest in recent years and they are quite talented, but my mood for the show was soured when Bumbershoot staff made me dump my water bottles out before entering Memorial Stadium because a full water bottle could be used as a projectile (I’m certain it had nothing to do with stadium vendors selling bottled water, evidently equipped with projectile-restricting technology, for $3 per half liter) and then shut down the line just as we were getting through the checkpoint. Inside the stadium was hot with nary a breath of air. We sought relief from the heat in the shaded seats on the side but the sound mix was muddled. We stayed for three songs and left.
We navigated toward the Starbucks Stage to see The Honey Dripper All Stars, a group of accomplished Rhythm & Blues musicians assembled for the new John Sayles film Honeydripper. These guys were tight! Great sound, great songs, great delivery, all in all an excellent show! I can’t wait for film. It’s due out this fall.
After that performance we worked our way into the Starbucks VIP area, in the cool, cool shade and sampled free lattes while we reassessed our game plan and poured over the pages of the Bumbershoot Official Program, The Seattle Weekly and The Stranger in an attempt to create a new itinerary. We decided to stay for The Avett Brothers, three young, good-looking musicians from North Carolina. The trio consists of upright bass, banjo & guitar with all three sharing vocals. At first I thought it was going to be a Bluegrass band but shortly in to the first song they started jumping and dancing and hootin' & hollerin'. It was more like Black & Bluegrass. I heard once festival-goer refer to the music as Punkgrass. Whatever it’s called I liked it, high energy deliveries of fun melodies. The Avett Brothers have several releases with Emotionalism being their latest CD. If you’d like to hear a few of their tracks you can check out their Myspace page.
We topped off our lattes and waited for The Gourds (Seattle Weekly pick), a group of shit-kickers from Austin with ten years of touring and 9 albums under their belt. Sadly, most folks only know them for a countrified cover of the Snoop Dogg song, Gin & Juice. However, The Gourds’ are a talented bunch of boys who have a lot of fun playing music. They have a wonderful stage presence, they’re relaxed with the audience and you can tell that they are really having as much fun playing as the audience is listening & watching. To top it off their songs are wonderful! If you’d like to hear a few of their tracks you can check out their Myspace page. Unfortunately we had to leave their set early to catch a boat and get back home to feed the dog.
More to follow...
Saturday: My wife and I arrive at the Mercer Street entrance courtesy of the Metro system and head straight to Horn of Africa for chicken, lentils and that wonderful, spongy, fermented bread. Over the previous few days I’ve scoured the Bumbershoot sections of the Seattle Weekly and The Stranger, two of Seattle’s weekly newspapers, and made notes on my schedule to determine which acts we should see. Once nourished we proceeded to the Wells Fargo Stage to see The Cave Singers (Seattle Weekly pick) an acoustic-based trio and veterans of Seattle bands (Pretty Girls Make Graves) who play some pretty nice stuff. Their sound leans toward folk but the stripped down arrangements have a somber, almost haunting tone. I imagine that this is what Woody Guthrie would sound like if he’d been exposed to punk, grunge, rock, seemingly endless precipitation and great coffee during his formative years. Invitation Songs, their release on Matador is scheduled to come out 25 Sept 07. I would recommend getting it. If you’d like to hear a few of their tracks you can check out their Myspace page.
After The Cave Singers we hustled through the crowd to the Mainstage to see The Shins (Seattle Weekly pick.) I know they are the most popular band to come out of the Pacific Northwest in recent years and they are quite talented, but my mood for the show was soured when Bumbershoot staff made me dump my water bottles out before entering Memorial Stadium because a full water bottle could be used as a projectile (I’m certain it had nothing to do with stadium vendors selling bottled water, evidently equipped with projectile-restricting technology, for $3 per half liter) and then shut down the line just as we were getting through the checkpoint. Inside the stadium was hot with nary a breath of air. We sought relief from the heat in the shaded seats on the side but the sound mix was muddled. We stayed for three songs and left.
We navigated toward the Starbucks Stage to see The Honey Dripper All Stars, a group of accomplished Rhythm & Blues musicians assembled for the new John Sayles film Honeydripper. These guys were tight! Great sound, great songs, great delivery, all in all an excellent show! I can’t wait for film. It’s due out this fall.
After that performance we worked our way into the Starbucks VIP area, in the cool, cool shade and sampled free lattes while we reassessed our game plan and poured over the pages of the Bumbershoot Official Program, The Seattle Weekly and The Stranger in an attempt to create a new itinerary. We decided to stay for The Avett Brothers, three young, good-looking musicians from North Carolina. The trio consists of upright bass, banjo & guitar with all three sharing vocals. At first I thought it was going to be a Bluegrass band but shortly in to the first song they started jumping and dancing and hootin' & hollerin'. It was more like Black & Bluegrass. I heard once festival-goer refer to the music as Punkgrass. Whatever it’s called I liked it, high energy deliveries of fun melodies. The Avett Brothers have several releases with Emotionalism being their latest CD. If you’d like to hear a few of their tracks you can check out their Myspace page.
We topped off our lattes and waited for The Gourds (Seattle Weekly pick), a group of shit-kickers from Austin with ten years of touring and 9 albums under their belt. Sadly, most folks only know them for a countrified cover of the Snoop Dogg song, Gin & Juice. However, The Gourds’ are a talented bunch of boys who have a lot of fun playing music. They have a wonderful stage presence, they’re relaxed with the audience and you can tell that they are really having as much fun playing as the audience is listening & watching. To top it off their songs are wonderful! If you’d like to hear a few of their tracks you can check out their Myspace page. Unfortunately we had to leave their set early to catch a boat and get back home to feed the dog.
More to follow...
Bumbershoot 2007 Day Two
Sunday: I entered at the Broad Street entrance with the big man and four, 13 year old girls whose sole mission was to see Fergie on the Mainstage at 9:45 PM. The show was nine hours away. We set the ground rules, designated a meeting place in case someone got cut from the herd and came up with a cell phone “check-in” schedule. I found out later in the day that the wireless mics used at every Bumbershoot stage interfered with my cell phone signal so I couldn’t talk or text when someone’s performing. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Once the big man and I were happy with the details, we proceeded to Horn of Africa for chicken, lentils and that wonderful, spongy, fermented bread. We sat on the grass in front of the Bagley Wright Theatre and reviewed our options for entertainment and planned our day.
First up was The Watson Twins (Seattle Weekly pick) at the Sound Transit Stage. The LA based girls, who are actual twins, caught the attention of some while working on Jenny Lewis’ (of Rilo Kiley fame) solo debut, Rabbit Fur Coat. The sound mix was a little shaky to start, not the girls fault. The techies couldn’t get the vocals sorted out until the fourth song. It was worth the wait. The blend of the voices was as good as it gets. Their Folk-Rock style betrays their Kentucky roots by leaning a bit toward country. The sisters traded lead singing roles and swapped an acoustic guitar back and forth. They spoke of a CD coming out at the end of the year, but for those who can’t wait The Watson Twins EP Southern Manners is available now. Check out their appearance on Morning Becomes Eclectic.
After The Watson Twins we set a course for the Mainstage and the other end of the musical continuum to see Kings of Leon. The Kings are three sons of a preacher and their cousin playing their version of Southern Rock. I say their version because it definitely ain’t Skynyrd. It’s Southern Rock as Jimi Hendrix or Joe Strummer would have played it and it’s very good. The boys have a tight delivery, tasty licks, nice hooks and I’m sure they would be very loud at an indoor venue. The big man was impressed as indicated by his nearly imperceptible swaying to the beat. The Kings of Leon have several releases including their latest Because of the Times. If you’d like to hear a few of their tracks you can check out their Myspace page.
We left the Mainstage and returned to the Sound Transit Stage to hear Portland’s Stars of Track and Field (Stranger pick) excellent vocals over attractive melodies. The lads have talent. Unfortunately their sound seemed derivative. It lacked uniqueness. I really like bands who take a genre of music and make it their own. The Stars didn’t do it for me. Additionally, there was a similarity that was present in many of their tracks. Don’t get me wrong, what they do they do well, it’s just that there are so many others who’ve come before them who’ve done the same thing just as well. Sorry…I should say that the Stars have an EP and an LP available for purchase. The LP Centuries Before Love and War was released last winter. I encourage you to form your own opinion. Contempt without prior investigation is just plain wrong. Here’s the link to their Myspace page.
After the Stars the big man was feeling a bit subdued and needed something with more energy. I had no back-up plan on the itinerary so we started through the crowd for something else and ended up at the Starbucks Stage watching Rose Hill Drive, a Colorado Trio whose bass & guitar player looked like Greg & Duane Allman circa Fillmore East, sounded like a hybrid of early ZZ Top, AC-DC and Led Zeppelin. These guys rocked!!! We stayed for the entire set. Note: I went to their Myspace page and listened to some tracks. Reptilian was the track that most accurately captured the show witnessed by the big man and me. They have a self-titled release from 2006 and in the their Apr ’07 issue Rolling Stone magazine tapped Rose Hill Drive as one of ten artists to watch, which is exciting for the boys but I hope that’s not a kiss of death. If you’d like to hear a few of their tracks you can check out their Myspace page.
After Rose Hill Drive we had to rendezvous with the girls. We met them alongside the Esurance Stage partially because that’s the stage they were nearest to and partially because I wanted to hear Barrington Levy, a Jamaican artist who was big in the 80’s. Believe it or not the girls hadn’t seen a single music act all day and two of them wanted to get in line for the Fergie concert that was still four hours away. Through negotiation, compromise and outright manipulation we convinced the girls to wait for another hour before entering the Mainstage. The big man had to leave and attend to other matters so I was flying solo for the rest of the night with four teens who were talking about getting close to the stage and crowd surfing, just what a dad wants to hear from his daughter and her three friends. I bought strawberry shortcake and had the girls accompany me to catch the end of Barrington Levy’s performance. I don’t think they enjoyed it as much as I did.
At 7:15 we began the gauntlet into Memorial Stadium to see Sean Paul on the Mainstage. Once inside I admonished the girls on crowd behavior, imposed a strict no-surf rule and we designated another cut-from-the-herd meeting spot. Lastly, I showed the girls my location for the duration of the show. I sat on the comfy field turf reading Sound Magazine waiting for the show to begin.
Around 8:15 the lights dimmed, the musicians took the stage and laid down a bass & drum track and we waited. The MC came out and at the end of a three minute intro engaging the crowd and getting folks hyped up for Sean Paul, another MC came out and did the same thing. This happened a few more times and after 14 minutes, I actually timed it, Sean Paul finally appeared with four very scantily clad women who proceeded to gyrate and grind suggestively for the duration of the show, pole dancing without the pole. Sean Paul rapped on ad nauseam about sexy women. I’m trying to be open-minded here. I do like some rap and some hip-hop, but all of his music sounded the same and it wasn’t that good.
The girls returned at the end of Sean Paul sans one of the quartet. They complained of being squished, pushed, bumped as well as subjected to cigarette and pot smoke. They decided that the front of a big concert was not the place to be. We busied ourselves with the task of finding the missing member before Fergie took the stage. We had about 15 minutes. The girls circled back up to where they were during Sean Paul and then went to the designated rendezvous point. I stayed where I was. They found their missing compatriot with two minutes to spare and then plunked down on the field turf beside me for the Fergie show.
I have to say Fergie has talent. She sings well. Her stage show is nicely choreographed, her band is tight and even though she’s not my cup of tea her performance was good. She left the stage around 10:30 with a simple thanks thrown over her shoulder as she sauntered to the wings. She didn’t return for an encore for a full ten minutes. By that time the girls had had enough and we were on our way to the bus. More to follow...
Once the big man and I were happy with the details, we proceeded to Horn of Africa for chicken, lentils and that wonderful, spongy, fermented bread. We sat on the grass in front of the Bagley Wright Theatre and reviewed our options for entertainment and planned our day.
First up was The Watson Twins (Seattle Weekly pick) at the Sound Transit Stage. The LA based girls, who are actual twins, caught the attention of some while working on Jenny Lewis’ (of Rilo Kiley fame) solo debut, Rabbit Fur Coat. The sound mix was a little shaky to start, not the girls fault. The techies couldn’t get the vocals sorted out until the fourth song. It was worth the wait. The blend of the voices was as good as it gets. Their Folk-Rock style betrays their Kentucky roots by leaning a bit toward country. The sisters traded lead singing roles and swapped an acoustic guitar back and forth. They spoke of a CD coming out at the end of the year, but for those who can’t wait The Watson Twins EP Southern Manners is available now. Check out their appearance on Morning Becomes Eclectic.
After The Watson Twins we set a course for the Mainstage and the other end of the musical continuum to see Kings of Leon. The Kings are three sons of a preacher and their cousin playing their version of Southern Rock. I say their version because it definitely ain’t Skynyrd. It’s Southern Rock as Jimi Hendrix or Joe Strummer would have played it and it’s very good. The boys have a tight delivery, tasty licks, nice hooks and I’m sure they would be very loud at an indoor venue. The big man was impressed as indicated by his nearly imperceptible swaying to the beat. The Kings of Leon have several releases including their latest Because of the Times. If you’d like to hear a few of their tracks you can check out their Myspace page.
We left the Mainstage and returned to the Sound Transit Stage to hear Portland’s Stars of Track and Field (Stranger pick) excellent vocals over attractive melodies. The lads have talent. Unfortunately their sound seemed derivative. It lacked uniqueness. I really like bands who take a genre of music and make it their own. The Stars didn’t do it for me. Additionally, there was a similarity that was present in many of their tracks. Don’t get me wrong, what they do they do well, it’s just that there are so many others who’ve come before them who’ve done the same thing just as well. Sorry…I should say that the Stars have an EP and an LP available for purchase. The LP Centuries Before Love and War was released last winter. I encourage you to form your own opinion. Contempt without prior investigation is just plain wrong. Here’s the link to their Myspace page.
After the Stars the big man was feeling a bit subdued and needed something with more energy. I had no back-up plan on the itinerary so we started through the crowd for something else and ended up at the Starbucks Stage watching Rose Hill Drive, a Colorado Trio whose bass & guitar player looked like Greg & Duane Allman circa Fillmore East, sounded like a hybrid of early ZZ Top, AC-DC and Led Zeppelin. These guys rocked!!! We stayed for the entire set. Note: I went to their Myspace page and listened to some tracks. Reptilian was the track that most accurately captured the show witnessed by the big man and me. They have a self-titled release from 2006 and in the their Apr ’07 issue Rolling Stone magazine tapped Rose Hill Drive as one of ten artists to watch, which is exciting for the boys but I hope that’s not a kiss of death. If you’d like to hear a few of their tracks you can check out their Myspace page.
After Rose Hill Drive we had to rendezvous with the girls. We met them alongside the Esurance Stage partially because that’s the stage they were nearest to and partially because I wanted to hear Barrington Levy, a Jamaican artist who was big in the 80’s. Believe it or not the girls hadn’t seen a single music act all day and two of them wanted to get in line for the Fergie concert that was still four hours away. Through negotiation, compromise and outright manipulation we convinced the girls to wait for another hour before entering the Mainstage. The big man had to leave and attend to other matters so I was flying solo for the rest of the night with four teens who were talking about getting close to the stage and crowd surfing, just what a dad wants to hear from his daughter and her three friends. I bought strawberry shortcake and had the girls accompany me to catch the end of Barrington Levy’s performance. I don’t think they enjoyed it as much as I did.
At 7:15 we began the gauntlet into Memorial Stadium to see Sean Paul on the Mainstage. Once inside I admonished the girls on crowd behavior, imposed a strict no-surf rule and we designated another cut-from-the-herd meeting spot. Lastly, I showed the girls my location for the duration of the show. I sat on the comfy field turf reading Sound Magazine waiting for the show to begin.
Around 8:15 the lights dimmed, the musicians took the stage and laid down a bass & drum track and we waited. The MC came out and at the end of a three minute intro engaging the crowd and getting folks hyped up for Sean Paul, another MC came out and did the same thing. This happened a few more times and after 14 minutes, I actually timed it, Sean Paul finally appeared with four very scantily clad women who proceeded to gyrate and grind suggestively for the duration of the show, pole dancing without the pole. Sean Paul rapped on ad nauseam about sexy women. I’m trying to be open-minded here. I do like some rap and some hip-hop, but all of his music sounded the same and it wasn’t that good.
The girls returned at the end of Sean Paul sans one of the quartet. They complained of being squished, pushed, bumped as well as subjected to cigarette and pot smoke. They decided that the front of a big concert was not the place to be. We busied ourselves with the task of finding the missing member before Fergie took the stage. We had about 15 minutes. The girls circled back up to where they were during Sean Paul and then went to the designated rendezvous point. I stayed where I was. They found their missing compatriot with two minutes to spare and then plunked down on the field turf beside me for the Fergie show.
I have to say Fergie has talent. She sings well. Her stage show is nicely choreographed, her band is tight and even though she’s not my cup of tea her performance was good. She left the stage around 10:30 with a simple thanks thrown over her shoulder as she sauntered to the wings. She didn’t return for an encore for a full ten minutes. By that time the girls had had enough and we were on our way to the bus. More to follow...
Bumbershoot 2007 Day Three + Wrap Up
Monday: I entered at the Broad Street entrance solo. As on the previous two days, I proceeded directly to Horn of Africa for chicken, lentils and that wonderful, spongy, fermented bread. I walked back across the Center and found a great spot next the red tube sculpture for The Blakes (Seattle Weekly pick) at the Sound Transit Stage. I finished my food while they completed the sound check. Wow!!!! The Blakes were great!!! I loved this band. High energy, Rock N’ Roll with catchy melodies, infectious beats all delivered with a presence and confidence to match the most polished veterans. Their EP, Streets is available now via their Myspace site.
After The Blakes I decided to go free style and dabble. I had no one that I really had to see so I and followed the recommendations of The Weekly and The Stranger. For the next hour I split my time and sampled performances at two different stages.
I ended up at the Esurance Stage enjoying Kultur Shock (Weekly and Stranger pick.) Gino Yevdjevich, the lead singer, describes Kulture Shock as, “Balkan punk rock gypsy metal wedding-meets-riot music from Bulgaria, the US, Japan, and Bosnia. Six members, and no two of us really speak the same language” And I can’t think of a more accurate description. This was a fun performance to watch and not a single person in the crowd was standing still. Go to their Myspace page and sample some of their tracks.
I spent 40 minutes with Kulture Shock and then returned to the Sound Transit Stage to see Viva Voce (Weekly and Stranger pick), a Portland, OR-based, husband and wife duo. Basically Rock N’ Roll with drums & guitar reminiscent of The White Stripes (the drumming was better, but the guitar wasn’t.) They were OK, it’s just that with a guitar/drum duo there’s only so much you can do before you begin to sound repetitious. 30 minutes was enough. If you’d like to hear a few of their tracks you can check out their Myspace page.
I had every intention of staying to see Steve Earle at either the special ticket KEXP performance (enter 3 Sept 07, 5:26 PM on the KEXP website to hear Steve) or the show at 8:30 PM on the Starbucks Stage. I caught a few tunes by his wife, Allison Moorer, at the Starbucks Stage while transiting from venue to venue. Unfortunately I ran out of gas before Steve was scheduled to play. What can I say? I'm no longer 25. I wish I had a better excuse, but I don’t. I walked out the Broad Street Gate down the hill to SAMs Sculpture Park before heading south on Alaska Way.
The wrap up: Bumbershoot was great as usual and once again the best acts were not at the Mainstage. However, it was clear from this year’s line-up that I am not a member of the Festival's target demographic. Fortunately, my diverse taste in music combined with a willingness to venture into unknown territory allowed me to not only see some artists that I was already interested in, but I was able to enjoy some great musical discoveries.
I couldn't sleep nights if I didn’t mention a couple of things to the folks at One Reel, Bumbershoot’s producers. While I appreciate the effort that goes into producing an event like Bumbershoot I’d like to share my perspective as a veteran of nearly two decades worth of Bumbershoot:
1. Thanks for making it easy to get tickets. Basically, any Starbucks has them prior to and during the festival. That’s a great move on your part. Please don’t increase ticket prices any more. $35 per day plus $10 for food not to mention transportation costs, makes the minimum per day investment approximately $50. Some would say that’s cheap for a day of great art & music, but fifty bucks is fifty bucks. It’s expensive enough for a working man, but nearly unreachable for a teen with a part-time job and the teen to twenty-something bracket seemed to be your target demographic.
2. Telling me I can’t bring a water bottle into Memorial Stadium because it can be used as a projectile and then trying to sell me bottled water inside for $3.00 is disingenous, greedy and wrong. Please change that practice before Bumbershoot 2008.
3. The temporary barricades installed to contain concert-goers enroute to the Mainstage literally bisects Seattle Center in an east/west line and nearly stops the flow of north/south foot traffic. Please figure out a better way to get people in and out of Memorial Stadium.
4. Please work with Metro to increase the number of buses leaving Seattle Center, particularly around the time that the Festival closes for the day.
After The Blakes I decided to go free style and dabble. I had no one that I really had to see so I and followed the recommendations of The Weekly and The Stranger. For the next hour I split my time and sampled performances at two different stages.
I ended up at the Esurance Stage enjoying Kultur Shock (Weekly and Stranger pick.) Gino Yevdjevich, the lead singer, describes Kulture Shock as, “Balkan punk rock gypsy metal wedding-meets-riot music from Bulgaria, the US, Japan, and Bosnia. Six members, and no two of us really speak the same language” And I can’t think of a more accurate description. This was a fun performance to watch and not a single person in the crowd was standing still. Go to their Myspace page and sample some of their tracks.
I spent 40 minutes with Kulture Shock and then returned to the Sound Transit Stage to see Viva Voce (Weekly and Stranger pick), a Portland, OR-based, husband and wife duo. Basically Rock N’ Roll with drums & guitar reminiscent of The White Stripes (the drumming was better, but the guitar wasn’t.) They were OK, it’s just that with a guitar/drum duo there’s only so much you can do before you begin to sound repetitious. 30 minutes was enough. If you’d like to hear a few of their tracks you can check out their Myspace page.
I had every intention of staying to see Steve Earle at either the special ticket KEXP performance (enter 3 Sept 07, 5:26 PM on the KEXP website to hear Steve) or the show at 8:30 PM on the Starbucks Stage. I caught a few tunes by his wife, Allison Moorer, at the Starbucks Stage while transiting from venue to venue. Unfortunately I ran out of gas before Steve was scheduled to play. What can I say? I'm no longer 25. I wish I had a better excuse, but I don’t. I walked out the Broad Street Gate down the hill to SAMs Sculpture Park before heading south on Alaska Way.
The wrap up: Bumbershoot was great as usual and once again the best acts were not at the Mainstage. However, it was clear from this year’s line-up that I am not a member of the Festival's target demographic. Fortunately, my diverse taste in music combined with a willingness to venture into unknown territory allowed me to not only see some artists that I was already interested in, but I was able to enjoy some great musical discoveries.
I couldn't sleep nights if I didn’t mention a couple of things to the folks at One Reel, Bumbershoot’s producers. While I appreciate the effort that goes into producing an event like Bumbershoot I’d like to share my perspective as a veteran of nearly two decades worth of Bumbershoot:
1. Thanks for making it easy to get tickets. Basically, any Starbucks has them prior to and during the festival. That’s a great move on your part. Please don’t increase ticket prices any more. $35 per day plus $10 for food not to mention transportation costs, makes the minimum per day investment approximately $50. Some would say that’s cheap for a day of great art & music, but fifty bucks is fifty bucks. It’s expensive enough for a working man, but nearly unreachable for a teen with a part-time job and the teen to twenty-something bracket seemed to be your target demographic.
2. Telling me I can’t bring a water bottle into Memorial Stadium because it can be used as a projectile and then trying to sell me bottled water inside for $3.00 is disingenous, greedy and wrong. Please change that practice before Bumbershoot 2008.
3. The temporary barricades installed to contain concert-goers enroute to the Mainstage literally bisects Seattle Center in an east/west line and nearly stops the flow of north/south foot traffic. Please figure out a better way to get people in and out of Memorial Stadium.
4. Please work with Metro to increase the number of buses leaving Seattle Center, particularly around the time that the Festival closes for the day.
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