Yep, it’s that time of year. Fall and all that brings is just around the corner. Fortunately, summer has one last hurrah, in the form of Labor Day weekend and three days of arts, music, film, books, theatre, posters, elephant ears, and Seattle Center crowds–or to put it more succinctly–Bumbershoot. Without further ado, here’s some picks, care of The SunBreak’s hive mind.
Josh: Without jumping on the annual Bumbershoot complaint rituals, the degree to which this year’s festival is intentionally unflashy is kind of astonishing, in both good and bad ways. But, in general (and how often does one get to day this, so let’s savor the moment): I have to say that Duff McKagan makes a great point about headliners:
Seattle is a funny town. We hate the headliners when they come, and feel left out and small when they don’t. But does it really matter to you who is headlining? Do you go to festivals for the headliner, or do you go for the whole experience, and perhaps even the chance of discovering something new?
Honestly, after years of outdoing themselves with some strange combinations of headliners–Jason Mraz, folks, never forget–it’s kind of refreshing that One Reel scaled way way back. I have no idea what this will save the festival or starve the beast, but it does give me a lot of time to check in on a whole crop of local bands that have been garnering high praise. As An Old who goes to a couple shows per month instead of a few shows per week, I’ve completely missed way too many of the likes of Campfire OK and Beat Connection. My Saturday pick is STRFKR on the Fountain Lawn Stage (formerly known as and located at Broad Street, 8:30 p.m.). It should be fun to witness the mass migration of nordic electro-soul fans slowly migrating across Seattle Center from Little Dragon (7:30 p.m., Fisher Green Stage) to find what’s sure to be an electrorock rave for STRFKR.
Tony: Champagne Champagne tore the metaphoric roof off the sucka at Doe Bay Fest a couple of weeks back. Expect a party cool enough for the hipsters but sweaty enough for anyone with an ass to shake (2:15 p.m., Fisher Green Stage). In the first of many clusters of Bumbershoot counter-programming, three of Saturday’s must-see acts play within fifteen minutes of each other. I’ll probably end up hitting Shabazz Palaces, as I have yet to see Seattle’s most innovative hip-hop collective onstage, and I’m looking forward to it (5:45 p.m., Fisher Green Stage).
Get thee the hell to Pickwick‘s Saturday set If you’re jonesing for blue-eyed soul and can’t wait ’til Monday for Hall and Oates. Pickwick’s warmly familiar sound comes off tasty and fresh thanks to the band’s spare grooves and lead singer Galen Disston’s Stax/Volt-class pipes (6:00 p.m., EMP Level 3 Stage). In a metal mood? Check out Virginia doom metal granddaddies Pentagram. You may hear louder and faster acts at Bumbershoot 2011, but no one’s got these guys beat for longevity: they’ve been bringing the hammer down in one form or another since 1971 (6:15 p.m., Exhibition Hall Stage). One of the living-legend highlights of Bumbershoot 2011, meantime, should be gospel/soul legend Mavis Staples, who can still elicit chills with that storm of a voice (9:30 p.m., Starbucks Stage).
Shawn: I will just plug The Magic Show at the Seattle Center Pavilion, which runs all day long. Because it is art.
MvB: Away from the music stages on Saturday, there are two dance performances by Idaho’s Trey McIntyre Project (12:15 p.m., Bagley Wright Theatre) and Seattle’s Spectrum Dance Theater (2:30 p.m., Bagley Wright Theatre). McIntyre is on the cover of August’s Dance magazine, so you know, there’s that. In theater, if you go see just one, it probably has to be Marya Sea Kaminski‘s Bonnie and the Robberie (5 p.m., Center House Theatre). But Book-It is there, too, and I hope to report back on Gesamtkunstwerk!’s Bit(e), tear, gnaw, GULP! (6:30 p.m., Center House Theatre). That sounds marvelous. Decemberists fans who pore over the lyrics may want to stop in at the book reading featuring Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis (7 p.m., Leo K. Theatre).