Capitol Hill is one helluva a party on ANY given night. This weekend, however, the neighborhood takes it to another level for the Block Party. For starters, the people-watching / people-meeting potential makes it worth the trip alone. But, of course the main draw is the music. 3 stages rocked the hill all day long. There were plenty of genres to choose from and many rising stars gave it their best on Friday.
My favorite was Viva Voce. This was my 4th time seeing them and by far, the best performance yet. They played 3 songs for the 1st time at this show and they totally fired up crowd at the Neumos stage.
Seattle favorites the Blue Scholars lived up to their reputation as one of the best live hip-hop acts around. They delivered smart lyrics and groovy beats with some of the best sampling in the business.
Last, but certainly not least was the Silversun Pickups. Seemingly 95% of the enormous crowd was packed into the main stage area for what turned out to be an extended rollicking set. As a result of their skyrocketing popularity, I could not move once I got close enough to actually see the band on stage. When they got going, it was easy to see why this L.A. band is making waves throughout the music industry. They have often been compared to vintage Smashing Pumpkins, circa Siamese Dream. While I see some resemblance, they definitely have a unique sound that is truly their own and definitely very accessible. Their latest full-length release "Carnavas" is available on Barsuk Records.
Reviews
Ben Costa said on July 28, 2007:
Capitol Hill is one helluva a party on ANY given night. This weekend, however, the neighborhood takes it to another level for the Block Party. For starters, the people-watching / people-meeting potential makes it worth the trip alone. But, of course the main draw is the music. 3 stages rocked the hill all day long. There were plenty of genres to choose from and many rising stars gave it their best on Friday.
My favorite was Viva Voce. This was my 4th time seeing them and by far, the best performance yet. They played 3 songs for the 1st time at this show and they totally fired up crowd at the Neumos stage.
Seattle favorites the Blue Scholars lived up to their reputation as one of the best live hip-hop acts around. They delivered smart lyrics and groovy beats with some of the best sampling in the business.
Last, but certainly not least was the Silversun Pickups. Seemingly 95% of the enormous crowd was packed into the main stage area for what turned out to be an extended rollicking set. As a result of their skyrocketing popularity, I could not move once I got close enough to actually see the band on stage. When they got going, it was easy to see why this L.A. band is making waves throughout the music industry. They have often been compared to vintage Smashing Pumpkins, circa Siamese Dream. While I see some resemblance, they definitely have a unique sound that is truly their own and definitely very accessible. Their latest full-length release "Carnavas" is available on Barsuk Records.