Bumbershoot Day 2: Sunday, September 5^th Seattle Center

Day two was a lot smoother than day one. I quickly learned our way around. We did manage to play a little Skee Ball, Matty beat me. Must be all of the practice he gets on the iPhone. Today we had main stage tickets, so it was cool to be able to go into that area as well. The floor is super cushy at the main stage and they have a burrito stand that is quite yummy.

Our day started with Converses on our feet and Horse Feathers at the Starbucks Stage. I felt it was only right to have a Pumpkin Spice latte from Starbucks since we were at their stage! The Starbucks Stage has a cool mural behind it; which makes a great backdrop especially since the space needle is to the left. While we were waiting for Horse Feathers we got to hear a little Fleet Foxes over the house sound. I love the soothing strings in Horse Feathers, the acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin, violin, and cello. I have never had a bad experience with Horse Feathers they are absolutely delightful live.

After Horse Feathers we went to catch Hey Marseilles. I was not expecting eight band members to walk out on stage. A lot to watch, a lot going on, yet not overwhelming and wild. Eight members complete with an accordion and two extra kick drums for two band members outside of the drummer to beat on. Half of the band plays multiple instruments.

On our walk into the EMP Sky Church to see The Redwood Plan we got sidetracked by the overflowing crowd into the Center Square Stage. Crash Kings were on stage saying “It’s so good to be back here in one of our favorite cities ever!” The band had just gigantic amounts of bursting energy. Plus it is so cool how they rock even without an electric guitar player – you hear a guitar sound but it is actually done on a keyboard with a handle ordeal.

The Redwood Plan had one sassy female leader; she had so much energy she never stood still. I am surprise she didn’t shake the pink highlights right out of her hair. They are a fun band to dance to and to watch just because she was a riot. After a few songs by the Redwood Plan we floated over to Broad Street to catch David Bazan who sounded fantastic and reminded us a lot of Built to Spill.

Bumbershoot has a strict rule of no mosh pits or crowd surfing. Yeah, I am 100% sure that rule was broken during The Bouncing Souls. I stood off to the side and watched security just freak out, kids being dragged out left and right. However, the Bouncing Souls sounded great and it was the perfect punk rock to get you through the afternoon! We even saw the singer from Rise Against walk by singing along.

We caught a few songs of Ra Ra Riot who was very quiet. I couldn’t hear the singer at all from the back of the stage which was a bummer so we moved over to the main stage to catch a few from Rise Against. It was a rowdy crowd and kids were loving every second of their set. I have seen them before and think they are one hell of a live band, it was cool to see them in a bigger venue.

While I was waiting in line at the EMP Sky Church to get in to see Fences I heard two songs from Motion City Soundtrack who was doing something right because the crowd was jumping all over the place. When the crowd screamed it sounded like all girls! Maybe the singer is cute, I dunno I couldn’t see him.

I have never seen or heard of Fences before and they were a surprise band. I loved their two foxes that they had on drums. Matt really dug the song writing and lyrics. We left after a few songs though to make sure I could see the one and only Hole.

I was nervous about Hole. I didn’t know if there was going to be booing, drunk Courtney, tears, bad words, and flashing body parts or if it was going to be brilliant. It was brilliant! She looked stunning and even had a nice diamond headband on. She did spread her legs while she was wearing a dress, but not too much. She looked like she was on top of the world and glad to be home. She came out on stage with an I’m Home and then sang a little bit from “Buddy Holly” and said oh wait I’m Not That Band.

Hole opened with the “Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones and went on to play “Skinny Little Bitch,” “Celebrity Skin,” “Violet,” “Miss World,” “Malibu,” and many more. She also decided to cover “Jeremy” by Pearl Jam in which she admitted she sucked at but she said it sounded charmingly awkward. It was different. It was odd to hear her make references to Seattle before a few songs like “206” and once she spit out her address. It was such a treat to see her in Seattle, definitely going to be a summer highlight for me. Plus I was able to snap photos with the G-10 Point N Shoot that I think are pretty damn good! I do truly adore Miss Love.

Another great opportunity was to be able to see Billy Bragg. Tonight he said he wasn’t going to let his age get in the way. He seemed to be really excited to be playing at Bumbershoot and there was a large crowd at the Starbucks Stage to see him. He was asking the crowd who else was playing this weekend and then said “you’ll have to excuse me, I from another country.” Billy Bragg sounded stellar, his accent, his singing, his guitar… it was just like the albums. It was funny to see him drink tea on the Starbucks Stage. He said his drinking tea is not part of a political movement. Matt was excited too because he played “Ingrid Bergman” off the Mermaid Avenue work; it was so cool to see him live, what an opportunity.

Last but not least for the night was Weezer. We also didn’t know what to expect with Weezer but I can tell you this. They killed it for Seattle. It was an hour of hits with one new song. I mean so much energy, Rivers got into the crowd at one point and they threw out large beach balls for the crowd. A Weezer fan even brought in a huge Weezer flag and flew it above the crowd. It was a blast. Weezer opened with “Hash Pipe,” then played hits “Troublemaker,” “Undone – The Sweater Song,” “Surf Wax America,” “Memories” (off their new album Hurley out 9/14), “Perfect Situation,” “Dope Nose,” “Say It Aint So,” “Island In the Sun,” “El Scorcho,” “My Name Is Jonas,” and then “Beverly Hills.” We left during Beverly Hills, I think we heard all of the hits we wanted to minus Buddy Holly (Courtney covered that one for a few verses). The crowd was just loving every second of their set! It was a perfect way to end our second night of Bumbershoot 2010. When we were leaving I saw the World’s Largest Lite Bright. I must say, DAMN Bumbershoot you look good for 40! See ya tomorrow!

Bumbershoot Day 1: Saturday, September 4^th Seattle Center

Day one at Bumbershoot was a bit hectic for us. Matt drove over at six in the morning by himself to check in for Bumbershoot 2010. I had to work so I flew over to Seattle and arrived at Bumbershoot around 6pm.

Matt managed to catch some great music before I made it over including a few tunes by The Head & the Heart who will be performing at The Empyrean this month, Seattle MC Grynch, Star Anna & the Laughing Dogs, The Constellations, and the Maldives.

Meanwhile back in Spokane I was nervously awaiting my flight. For the first time I flew on a small plane, of course it had to be windy. It was a sky rollercoaster but I did get a complimentary glass of wine, which helped. Before I knew we had skated across the state over the clouds with plenty of beautiful scenes including Mt. Rainer! The airport was nuts… I had to ask someone how to get out of it once we landed. Matty came to the rescue picked me up and it was straight to the hotel, then to Bumbershoot just in time to see See Me River.

We found rock star parking for $8 right in front of the EMP and walking up to Bumbershoot I had no idea how big this event is. It was so overwhelming, I couldn’t wrap my head on it till about 9pm. Spent a lot of time looking at a map and note to kids who haven’t gone and plan on going in the future; wear tennis shoes.

Once we figured out how to get into the EMP Sky Church for See Me River we ran into one of our favorite people, Ashley Graham. The Sky Church reminded me of the jellyfish scene in Finding Nemo. See Me River sounded perfect and I got to hear my jam, “Heroine.”  We stayed for a few tunes and walking out of the Sky Church realized that part of the whole festival experience is getting to just sample bands by hearing a few songs. Which has its pros and cons. We left early to see Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros and walked into a train wreck when we arrived.

The Broad Street Stage is not meant to have a crowd as large as it was for Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros. There is one way in and one way out. Second time this summer where I have seen people running by the masses to see Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros; also the second time where there have been too many people at a stage to see Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros. Yikes. It was impossible to get in and see them, however I stood and listened to a few songs. Only to find out later that See Me River played a Pixie’s cover and that two guys from the Pharmacy came on stage with them a jammed for a bit. Kind of a disappoint to hear that because Edward Sharpe was 30minutes late and we could of totally stayed longer. Edward Sharpe opened with “40 Day Dream” and also played “Janglin.” We didn’t stay long enough to hear “Home” because I knew that these people were going to run to the main stage and it was going to be like the Pamplona Bull Run. We wanted to get as far away as possible. Then we ran into Ashley again and checked out Solomon Burke on the Starbucks Stage.

Solomon Burke sat in a royal king chair on stage. It was nuts, we only stayed for a quick minute but in that minute we learned he has 21 kids, 90 grandchildren, a Grammy, and is in the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame.

Our last artist of the night was The Raveonettes. It was hard to see them for the first few songs because they kept the lights low but then someone turned the lights up and it was a lot cooler. She looked glamorous with her Barbie blonde short hair and black dress. I like their heavy distorted sound that is still light and refreshing. Plus girls that can rock, well rock! It started to get cold therefore concluding Day 1 of Bumbershoot 2010. Definitely need to regroup for Day 2 and do some planning.

By the way Spokanites, the food at Bumbershoot is way better then Pig Out!

Photos courtesy of Matt Auclair.

Bumbershoot Bullseye

With over 100 bands; and visual arts, film, theater, comedy… downtown Seattle there is plenty to do at Bumbershoot. I have never been and Matt’s been a few times, together it’s exciting and a lot of planning!

With that many bands playing at Bumbershoot on top of all the other groovy stuff going on it’s handy to have a schedule of a least the bands you are going to try your hardest not to miss. It’s easy to lose track of time or get caught up with the festival. However sometime’s its best to be dangerous and just do as the day goes… just in case though… here is our Bumbershoot Bullseye of bands we think you shouldn’t miss!

The Maldives – Saturday – 3:30pm – Starbucks Stage

Every time we have seen the Maldives live in concert it is overwhelming and killer. It is such a large group of musicians but together they create this perfect folk country rock. “The Time Is Right Now,” sweeps us off our feet every time we hear it. I hope kids dance to their set. I love all of the build-ups, breakdowns, and fast plucking you get with this band. It is 100% entertaining and your jaw will probably drop once or twice. Check out our review of them from March at the Empyrean in Spokane Here.  Talented group of musicians and thanks to ElkFest we now know about their music and love it.

See Me River – Saturday – 6:45pm – EMP Sky Church

“The One That Got A Wake,” is one of the coolest albums I have heard this year. It always reminds me of mid-evil music; but it’s not even close to it, so don’t let that confuse you. There are these dark lyrics and songs that sometimes are bright like a sunflower. It’s brilliant beautiful music. Check out our haiku of the album here. Plus they are killer live and the nicest people! I haven’t seen them live since the album came out and let me tell you, we can’t wait to sing along to every song!

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros – Saturday – 7:30pm – Broad Street Stage

I think it is physically and mentally impossible to not clap your hands, stomp you feet, sway your hips, and sing along to Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros. Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros are a  “Magical, Mystery, Kind” of  hypnotizing, groovy, tunes that are fantastic live! Edward looked like Jesus at Sasquatch floating across a sea of hands in the front row. Read about our experience seeing them live at Sasquatch here. You will want to be anywhere but “Home” during this set.

Neko Case, The Decemberists, & Bob Dylan – Saturday – Bumbershoot Mainstage

I bought an economy ticket for Saturday, because I have seen all of these bands and I don’t make millions of dollars. I just saw Dylan last night in Post Falls with Mellencamp and was blown away. He can still put on a great show! Read about Dylan here. Neko Case- how can you not love this gorgeous singing ginger? She has amazing vocals, lyrics, and music. It’s cool to see her with the New Pornographers but to see her solo is like getting a free Ice Cream Sundae. The Decemberists I am sad to miss them, I saw them at Sasquatch and was in heaven. It’s cool that the main stage sold out on Saturday however a little sad I won’t be experiencing this glory. The Hazards of Love is one of my all time favorite albums, they will blow you away live.

School of Rock All Stars – Sunday – 12:30pm – EMP Sky Church

I have seen the School of Rock All Stars a few times and my mind gets blown every time. These kids just kill it and can perform as good or better than most of the bands that are years older than they are. If the show at bumbershoot is anything like the past School of Rock shows I’ve seen these kids will play everything from Led Zeppelin to Slayer.

Check out our review from their show at the Empyrean August of 2009 here:

Show up early and don’t miss the School of Rock All Stars.

Bouncing Souls – Sunday – 4:45pm – Center Square Stage

New Jersey’s finest punks were a great surprise to find when I went digging through the Bumbershoot lineup this year. With 20 years under their belts they don’t seem to be slowing down for anything. I cannot wait to hear them rock classics like “That Song” and “True Believers”. It will be great to get a little punk rock double punch with Bouncing Souls and Rise Against.

Hole – Bumbershoot Mainstage – Sunday – 7:30pm

Above my computer is a framed black and white photo a good friend of mine Richard took of a kid dressed like Kurt Cobain from the 1994 candle light vigil. Since I’ve heard that Hole was going to play Bumbershoot I can’t help to think that her appearance at that same vigil was probably her most famous in Seattle Center. I’m excited and curious to see Hole. I’m not sure how excited Seattle is to see Courtney Love but, I hope she rocks Bumbershoot and performs all the great Hole songs Violet, Malibu, Doll Part, Celebrity Skin. The albums “Live Through This” and “Celebrity Skin” bring back great memories of the 90’s.

Billy Bragg – Sunday – 8:30pm – Starbucks Stage

“A New England”, “To Have and To Have Not” I could spend all day listing Billy Bragg songs I want to hear at bumbershoot. I’m truly excited to see this folk punk rock activist tell stories and tell even better stories with his well crafted songs. Hopefully we will even hear a few songs off of the two “Mermaid Avenue” albums he did with Wilco.

Weezer – Sunday – 9:15pm – Bumbershoot Mainstage

When I was in Middle School I could not put down the Weezer Blue Album. When I was in High School I could not put down Pinkerton. In college I could not put down the Green album for years. I’m 29 now and there are times I still want to listen to those albums on repeat. They will be loaded into my I-Phone for my road trip to Seattle Saturday morning.  While Weezer might not have put out an amazing album in years they still put out great songs outside of “Beverly Hills” yuck (But when they play it live I’m sure I will still sing along). With their catalog of hits this will be my sing along set at Bumbershoot.

The Meat Puppets – Monday – 4:00pm – Broad Street Stage

When I wrote about Hole I couldn’t help to think that The Meat Puppets biggest moment  was when Nirvana performed a few of their songs with them during the Nirvana MTV Unplugged. As I learned when I was a kid digging further into the Meat Puppets catalog they were so much more. “Meat Puppets II” is an alt-country blue print. From “Lake of Fire” to “Oh, Me” to “Backwater” to “Rotten Shame” off last year’s release “Sewn Together” I can’t wait to finally see The Meat Puppets.

Baroness – Monday – 4:45pm – Center Square Stage

Baroness is one of the LOUDEST Bands at Bumbershoot this year. When I saw them open up for Mastodon earlier this year I was so impressed that I picked up the Album “Blue Record” and it is the best metal album I’ve heard this year. A not miss for any metal fan or anyone looking for an hour of great music.

Japandroids – Monday – 5:45pm – Broad Street Stage

When I first heard “Young Hearts Spark Fire” I was blown away by how cool the song and the band were. They have so much sound and energy for only having two people. Then I got the chance to see them at live at Sasquatch this year and they tore the place to shreds and rocked so hard the barricades in front of the stage almost fell over with the security guards behind them; check out the review here. They have more energy than 99% of the bands on the Bumbershoot lineup and if you live in Spokane and cannot make it to Bumbershoot see them at the A-Club on September 9^th.

Booker T – Monday – 8:30pm – Starbucks Stage

“Time is Tight”, “Green Onions” the list goes on and on. The entire album Green Onions is chalked full of quintessential summer songs and there is no Better way to end the final weekend of the summer but to hear these classics live. If you are like Andrea and is like who is Booker T, Google “Green Onions” on YouTube you will have an “ooohhh” moment like she did in the first five seconds.

The Thermals  – Monday – 9:15pm – Broad Street Stage

Who doesn’t love to “whooaaa, oohhh” along to the Thermals?! I love this spicy three piece and their ultra catchy guitar riffs on top of their hook you in choruses! This Portland Gem is sure to have your Converses bee bopping across the floor. I saw them at the Capitol Hill Block Party last year and it was brilliant. “I Don’t Believe You” SHOULD MISS THEIR SET!

For more information and the full schedule of Bumbershoot 2010 – Click Here.

We don’t get to the Greyhound Park & Events Center much; I hadn’t been there in probably two or three years. It was kind of fun to drive out, even though I almost got into a fender bender. I guess when you have one exit, one lane, one road to get into a concert venue traffic comes to a halt on the freeway. Luckily the beetle has good breaks.

After paying $5 to park; which I thought was lame but, I was thinking you have to pay to park at the Arena. I just never pay to park at the Arena because I use the parking meters on the street. So, I guess I can’t complain about having to pay to park because there are no parking meters in the middle of Post Falls.

John Mellencamp took the stage and opened with “Pink Houses.” For the rest of the night we got to see Mellencamp with his band and sometimes even solo with an acoustic guitar. Mellencamp delighted our ear buds with “Paper Fire,” “Check It Out,” “Save Some Time to Dream,” “Rain On the Scarecrow,” “Small Town,” and many more. He ended with “Crumblin’ Down” and “Authority Song.” Jason and Matt, well actually all of us scratched our head as to why we didn’t get to hear “R.O.C.K. In the USA.” Also I am not sure if I missed this when I went to the bathroom or what but I didn’t hear “Jack & Diane.” Other than that he sounded great, and everyone was clapping their hands and dancing… even in our cool summer evening weather!

I must say looking around the venue there were ALL AGES and everyone was having a great time. It was one big chill; let’s dance a little, funfest out under the stunning stars and on top of the damp green grass.

For being born in 1941 Dylan can still rock a stage, maybe not like he did in 60’s or 70’s but he still is a great performer. I thought that he sounded great, his band was top notch, he was having a good time, and it was grand. Loved his hat and his nice blazer, he looked sharp. We did think his vocals were a little rough but its Dylan it’s not like I can pick apart the guy – he is a music legend. Dylan even mixed it up on stage playing the guitar and keyboard. I know he is playing Bumbershoot this weekend but Greyhound Park was perfect, the crowd was perfect, and it was all I hoped it would be. I even ran into my best friend Sarah’s parents dancing to his set under the stars. It was just smooth like that people were truly enjoying themselves. Dylan’s set list included:

“Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat”

“It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”

“Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues”

“Just Like a Woman”

“Beyond Here Lies Nothin’”

“Tangled Up in Blue”

“The Levee’s Gonna Break”

“Simple Twist of Fate”

“Highway 61 Revisited”

“Workingman’s Blues #2”

“Thunder on the Mountain”

“Ballad of a Thin Man”

“Jolene”

“Like a Rolling Stone”

I am thankful I had the opportunity to see both of these timeless musicians tonight, and thankful that I got to spend it with fun people. I still can’t believe that I get to say “I’ve seen Dylan in concert.”

Photos courtesy of Matt Auclair.

And much more!

Welcome to Jurassic Park!

Goodbye Summer

Bob Dylan and John Melloncamp Perform at Greyhound Park in Post Falls

Guess Who’s Guitar Was Stolen

A Bulgarian man is going so gaga for Lady Gaga that he wants to become her.

Rockers THE POGUES are to split again after one final festive tour.

Yoko One Talk!

15 ‘Wait, THEY Sang Together?!’ Duets from Entertainment Weekly

Slang of the day!

On today’s show we recap the fun we had at the John Mayer and Keith Urban show at The Gorge.

Joey Jordison is the best drummer ever!

James Murphy of LCD Sound System doesn’t give a shit about Axl Rose

Justin Bieber’s mystery illnes?

Lady Gaga did drugs that made her camel toe HUGE!

A Beatles toilet? Yeah I’d probably pee on the seat too!

Album Haiku: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse by Various Artists

Various Artists: Metric – Muse – The Bravery – Florence & the Machine – Sia – Fanfarlo – The Black Keys – The Dead Weather – Beck & Bat For Lashes – Vampire Weekend – UNKLE feat. The Black Angels – Eastern Conference Champions – Band of Horses – Cee Lo Green – Howard Shore

Hip artists grandly

Captures dark, sexy, romance

Of Fang, Wolf drama.

5 out of 5

Songs we can’t take off repeat;  “Let’s Get Lost” by Beck & Bat for Lashes, “Atlas” by Fanfarlo, “Life On Earth” by Band of Horses, “With You In My Head” by UNKLE feat. The Black Angels, and “Chop and Change” by the Black Keys.

I always look forward to the Twilight Saga soundtracks just as much as I do the movies! Each movie has had such killer music including some of my all time favorite bands like Radiohead, Thom Yorke, Death Cab for Cutie, The Killers, Iron & Wine, and of course on all three soundtracks – Muse. I was sad there wasn’t a Radiohead/Yorke song on this soundtrack but I guess it’s not the END of the world. They do a great job picking the artists and the artists do wonderful jobs with the music, sometimes even writing a song specifically for the movie. I really love finding artists like Fanfarlo which I didn’t really know much about them before the soundtrack where now I want to buy more of their music! The soundtrack goes perfectly with the storyline in the film, my only request… Radiohead on the Breaking Dawn Soundtrack! GO TEAM EDWARD! XO.

- Andrea

Album Haiku: The Suburbs by Arcade Fire

Elegant Rich Jams

FAR from the boring “Suburbs.”

EPIC Message, Grand.

5 out of 5

Songs we can’t take off repeat; “Sprawl II,” “Month of May,” “Ready to Start,” “Rococo,” “The Suburbs,” and “Empty Room.”

Arcade Fire at its best. At first I was like wow this is a mellow album, but after I am sure at least 100 full listens I now can’t stop repeating the lyrics and beats in my head. It is complex, poignant, a look into the past, current, and present lives. It flows together like you driving on an intersection free road, paced perfectly. It’s such a work of musical art, each song has its own musical taste some extremely different from others. Sure it’s different then their first two albums, but I still love it and the message. I can’t wait to hear it live in Seattle at the end of September! I am sure this is going to be the best album of 2010!

- Andrea