It has become a question for the ages in Seattle: Does Bumbershoot happen every year because of Labor Day, or does Labor Day happen every year because of Bumbershoot. Or something like that. The arts and crafts festival brings people to Seattle Center for a weekend of music, food, music, arts, literature, Flatstock, music, and a lot more. Each year, more and more people will tell you that they remember when Bumbershoot was free (Back in 2006, the SunBreak’s Josh pointed out that people have been paying for Bumbershoot since 1980).
This year, Bumbershoot returns its mainstage to Memorial Stadium. I think they’ve done a solid job of booking a diverse group of artists to occupy that Mainstage: Wu Tang Clan, Panic! At the Disco, Foster the People. J. Cole, the Replacements, Capitol Cities, Elvis Costello, the Head and the Heart, and ScHoolboy Q. Elsewhere on the hollowed grounds of Seattle Center, you will find Mavis Staples, the Afghan Whigs, the current incarnation of Big Star, the Dismemberment Plan, Bootsy Collins, Luscious Jackson, and about 80% of the local bands you enjoy.
To make sense of it all, we’ve assembled a panel of Bumbershoot experts to make sense of it all. Chiming in will be SunBreak music editor Tony Kay, plus superstar photographers Tori Dickson, and Lori Paulson. All will be part of the SunBreak’s Bumbershoot coverage team.
Chris Burlingame: Panel, thanks for joining us here. It’s no secret that Bumbershoot can be daunting. They have roughly 750,000 different bands playing at one time or another. Who should we check out?
Tori Dickson: There are three bands I’m pretty excited about and they’re all on Saturday! First up, Donnie & Joe Emerson. Not only is their music great but the story behind their discovery/comeback is pretty unique. I’m also looking forward to Mac DeMarco. I like his music and I’ve heard he puts on a great show. Then there’s The Both. I was a big Ted Leo fan back in the day and I’m in love with this new project with Aimee Mann. I can’t wait to see both on stage together.
Lori Paulson: Oh, so many people to see! To name a few: Real Estate, Pickwick, Wu-Tang, Kishi Bashi, Big Freedia (what a show that will be!), Hurray for the Riff Raff, Shelby Earl, La Luz, Dude York, Iska Dhaaf, Moth Radio Hour, The Dismemberment Plan, so many more!
Tony Kay: We’ll be talking elsewhere about the local acts of note, so I’ll just confine myself to the out-of-towners worth catching. And there are some serious unmissables on the Bumber-roster.
Saturday, the non-locals I’m most stoked about are all thoroughly-established vets. Elvis Costello (who recently celebrated his 60th birthday) plays with the Imposters. Last time I saw him Bumbershooting was in the mid-90’s for a marathon 2.5 hour set, and he’s got a deeply-satisfying catalog to pull from. The reunited Wu-Tang Clan will surely blow the roof off of the Mainstage (if it had a roof), and grunge-era faves Afghan Whigs have been delivering their new material with undiminished force of late.The legendary Mavis Staples remains one of the pre-eminent soul singers of her generation (she delivered a sterling Bumber-set a couple of years ago).
Sunday, for my money, includes the most stacked lineup of national/international artists. Brooklyn outfit We Are Scientists’ sometimes-goofy but totally winning pop should be great live. ’80s psych-pop-new-wave band The Dream Syndicate dragged paisley pop into wiry post-punk turf back in the day, and their reunion’s got my ears buzzing in anticipation. Luscious Jackson offered a blast of funky/sexy/scrappy dance pop during the Clinton Years, so their recent reunion couldn’t be more welcome (plus singer Jill Cuniff’s still cute as a damn button). There’ll also be a rare appearance by avant-garde sonic terrorists Negativland, a band whose history of defying The Man makes them more relevant now than ever. Best of all, The Replacements–the closest thing to troubadours of 1980s punk–will play the Mainstage: Here’s hoping their set at least flirts with their beer-and-passion-spattered glory days. Bootzilla himself, AKA funk-bass mad hatter Bootsy Collins, will show everyone how to throw it down during his set. But Sunday’s most intriguing live show (for me, at least) belongs to Big Star’s Third. It’s a celebration of iconic cult band Big Star’s great fractured masterpiece of a third record with original Big Star drummer Jody Stephens, REM’s Mike Mills, and Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow of the Posies playing.
Monday brings a couple of international acts that should be a kick live: Casablanca raga-rock/dance band Hoba Hoba Spirit and the cheeky, wonderfully oddball-cool Mexican Institute of Sound. If you want to hear the roots of emo (and a lot of indie pop) minus the whining and with guileless humor, Jonathan Richman will be a must. I’m really looking to hearing Jacco Gardner’s glistening psychedelic pop in a live setting, and finally, you can expect some serious, rip-snorting good times from psychobilly rock evangelist Reverend Horton Heat.
Chris: I have it on my agenda to check out Wu Tang Clan, the reunited Replacements, Luscious Jackson, Negativland, Big Star’s Third, ScHoolboy Q, and a few others. I don’t plan to spend a lot of time watching music acts, but those are the ones that will be the most difficult to catch elsewhere, I think. I’m also going to take a break Sunday afternoon and get there late to catch the Seattle Reign FC play the NWSL championship game in Tukwila.
With a festival, there are always some conflicts, two bands you want to see at the same time. For me, I’m bothered that Smrt Talk with the Writers of the Simpsons and the first Fussy Cloud Puppet Slam start within fifteen minutes of each other, and that time is not on my side if I’m going to see Negativland, the return of hometown, umm, favorites Schoolyard Heroes, and the Replacements. What about y’all?
Tori: Donnie & Joe Emerson overlap with Mac DeMarco on Saturday. I haven’t figured out what I’m going to do about that yet…
Lori: So far, I haven’t run in to too many, but there inevitably ends up being at least one or two that I realize once that festival is in full swing.
Tony: The most face-palm-inducing cluster of acts (for me, at least) occurs at the end of Saturday night: Wu-Tang Clan’s 9:45 p.m. Mainstage set comes just 15 minutes before simultaneous 10:00 p.m. sets by Afghan Whigs (Fisher Green Stage) and soul legend Mavis Staples (Starbucks Stage). That’s assuming there’s someone out there besides me, who’s strange enough to actually enjoy sets by Wu-Tang, Afghan Whigs, and Mavis Staples equally.
Chris: I’m with you there, Tony. That one also gave me fits, with those three artists. I’m opting for Wu-Tang because I don’t know how much longer they’re going to go. It took enough pleading from RZA to just get Raekwon to contribute to their next album.
What should people steer clear of?
Tony: My ears tend to crave quirks (or at least some sort of distinction to a band’s sound), plus I’m over 18, so I’m not the audience for Panic! At the Disco. There’s no point elaborating about the unsalted-butter blandness of their generic alternative-arena sound: It’s like griping about the fact that a Nilla wafer’s not very exciting–no one who eats Nilla wafers wants or expects to get any surprises. Other than that, there really aren’t any acts that I’d get worked up enough about to avoid–even the much-maligned Foster the People raised their stock in my eyes with their recent single (a sleek and cunning new-wave-tinged dance track, “Best Friend”).
Tori: I’ve seen Cumulus play a couple times at different events. While their music is good, their show is a little underwhelming. You probably won’t miss much if you get hungry instead.
Lori: I say go see who you want to! That’s one of the best parts about music festivals, in my opinion. You could stumble across your new favorite band at any minute, but, if it’s not your thing, you have so many more options.
Chris: I’m going to be spending as much time away from the music crowds as I can, as a way to maximize my Bumbershoot experience. I find that I enjoy the panel discussions, lectures, and theatre, when I get the chance to sit down. What other non-music acts are you all going to check out?
Tori: Rory Scovel!! He is my comedic crush right now. His humor is dry and a little off-the-wall. I am definitely going to one if not all his shows.
Lori: I will always find my way to Flatstock. So much talent in one room! It is absolutely extraordinary. I will also try to find some time to make it to the Moth Radio Hour and an improv comedy show. Improv is very near and dear to my heart!
Tony: I’m hoping to squeeze into Tom Robbins’ lecture, but not counting on it thanks to the crowds. My sadness at photographer Lance Mercer’s exhibit being cancelled due to illness is tempered by joy at the replacement–an exhibit of Jini Delacchio’s pics of local and national rock bands. Blood Squad’s horror-comedy improv (as you can imagine) is right up my warped alley, and I’m always willing to give Janeane Garofalo’s caustically witty standup a look and listen, too.
Chris: Janeane Garafalo is great. When I was in Vancouver back in June, I got to take part in an interview with her, and she went off on this hilarious riff about the Canadian penny, that she tried to tie into her character’s motivation for the TV show she’s a part of.
There’s a lot of local talent that might get overshadowed with some of the bigger names. What are some Seattle-area bands we should make it a point of catching? I know you’re gonna have a lot to say, Tony.
Tony: I do! As always, Bumbershoot’s done a bang-up job of plumbing live acts for programming.
An early Saturday arrival is a must, as electro-dance duo Fly Moon Royalty holds court. If you haven’t seen ’em live yet, prepare to move and groove: If you have, you know where to be at 11:45am. Also Saturday: The winsome pop of Cumulus never fails to enchant me, and the pop-soul stylings of rural Washington comeback successes Donnie and Joe Emerson are definitely worth checking out. Naomi Wachira’s warm, Afro-informed folk can thaw chilled hearts at 50 paces.
Sunday, Hobosexual will rock. It is as inevitable as crummy traffic on Mercer Street. Golden Gardens have (rightfully) received a lot of love from this neck of the woods, but miraculously I’ve never heard their mesmerizing cabinet of atmospherics in a live setting–I’m really looking forward to correcting that oversight. More locally-based pulverizing will occur with the mighty Sandrider, whose twisty prog-inflected hard rock always thrives in the immediacy of a live venue, and Portland’s Red Fang. I feel like I’ve yabbered about Pickwick forever, but they’re so damned wonderful (and such a consistently great live act) I’m gonna keep on yabbering.
Monday, my local-music must list includes La Luz (the baddest, bravest, hookiest surf/garage act around right now), Campfire OK’s multi-hued Americana, Rose Windows’ melodic but toothy psych-rock, and the dense dance-pop brilliance of Shaprece. Tangerine’s unlikely but winning blend of Breeders-style indie pop and easy grooves intrigues me, too. But the local set I’m most excited about has gotta be Smokey Brights. Their assured but sweaty Timber set last month stands as my favorite of that festival, and they’ve honed a sure-footed blend of new wave and roots-rock that even mines elements of soul and prog brilliantly. At the risk of uber-hyperbole, their combination of sophistication and flat-out hookiness feels seriously Next-Big-Thing-worthy right now. Catch ’em while you can.
Tori: There are so many good local shows. Top of my list is definitely Pickwick. I’ve seen them live twice and both times, they totally brought it. They have a lot of energy and heart. They’re playing Sunday and are definitely a must see. La Luz is another band that never seems to disappoint. An all girl surf rock band, reminiscent of the ’60’s. What more can one ask for? I also might recommend Hobosexual. If you like crazy blues rock duos, they are definitely the band for you. I haven’t seen them live but my gut, and Tony’s recommendation, tells me I don’t want to miss it.
Lori: Some of these have already been mentioned, but you can’t go wrong with Shelby Earl, Pickwick, Iska Dhaaf, La Luz, Kishi Bashi, and Modern Kin.
Chris: Last question: What should the Bumberrookies know? A first Bumbershoot is an exhilarating experience, but can also leave a sour taste in your mouth if not done properly. Do you have any pro-tips to share?
Lori: Don’t be scared to venture away from the music! Do yourself a favor and go see some comedy, a talk, a radio show, Flatstock, what have you. Remember that Bumbershoot prides itself on being an art festival, not solely a music festival. Also, it’s not flattering on anyone to be in a large public setting while wasted. I know you know that, but just savor it and pass the word. Oh, and if you don’t get the chance to do it this year, make yourself aware of the KEXP Music Lounge. There are some life-changing shows that go on there. If you can’t get in, make sure you listen to the shows as there are some real gems.
Tori: This will be my first time back to Bumbershoot in 6 years. I feel like I’m the rookie now. I do remember Flatstock always being really cool and a bit of a hidden treasures. A bunch of designers and artists sell really cool band posters they made? Make sure to bring some extra cash for that because I’m sure you’ll find something you can’t live without.
Tony: TAKE BREAKS. Map out a schedule of the acts/presentations you really want to see, and take full advantage of your in-out privileges between acts. There’ll be plenty of tasty Bumber-food on-site, but venture outside of the Seattle Center campus for non-wallet-busting water, soft drinks, and meals if need be. I recommend the Safeway one block from the Center’s west side, Met Market on the north side, and a Slurpee at the 7-Eleven near the Space Needle. You can also bring a reusable water bottle and top it off at some of the fountains on campus. Will their be clean water stations at Bumbershoot? I don’t know.
Bring sunscreen AND a hoodie/sweater, as Seattle weather seems to be veering away from numbing heat and more towards its customary unpredictability of late. Ear plugs should be required equipment at nearly every music performance if you’re within 100 feet of a stage. And bring your patience pants for Mainstage line waits (though the change in venue from the Key to the Memorial Stadium should ease that up some).
