It is sheer madness that there are so many great live performers appearing at Bumbershoot 2010 this year. This is my personal schedule to see a cross-section of irascible indie-ness (be it indie pop-friendly Pac NW hip-hop, indie rock, Brooklyn funk, etc.) but mostly focusing on those TIG-sparking artists who either put out a great record recently (and may or may not have gotten the deserved acclaim) or have one coming right up.

So let's begin the plan, and bear in mind if you haven't heard the music that may already be available from these performers, we would recommend checking the releases hyped below out before you attend Bumbershoot 2010. This is not because you would be in any way disappointed with what you will see and hear when you hit the full-genre full-on phenomenon that is the festival this year; just the opposite, we want you to already have some of these songs down to sing/chant/rap along when they pop during the sets. All are recommended and approved.

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Pent-up, viciously provoked, ready to shred psycho killer line-up this Thursday night at the Crocodile (June 22) as The Purrs give an official release for their delectable collection of new songs, rare tracks, and covers, Tearing Down Paisley Garden.

The CD has been available for a few weeks now, and has been gaining new fans who hadn't the chance to fall deeply in love with thoughtful, caustic, clever previous long-players Amused, Confused & More Bad News, The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together, and The Dreams Are Stuff Are Made Of. But this is the official kick off party to begin celebrating new Purrs material, a feisty band about to spring out of nowhere on tour and clobber the world before it can defend itself. Bad ass, but charming as hell. Eat this up, as a new full-length isn't till next spring.

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The Tripwires' new (second) album House To House sounds jolting from joie de vivre even when crabbing about everything falling apart. The hale musical energy never weakens from drummer Mark Pickerel (Screaming Trees, Truly, Praying Hands), strummer and sizzling lead chef Johnny Sangster (Sharing Patrol and producer of Mark's other band, as well as Mudhoney, the Briefs, Steve Turner & His Bad ideas), elder brother Jim Sangster (Young Fresh Fellows, Thee Sgt. Major III) and John Ramberg (Minus 5, The Model Rockets). Wow, that's a whole lot of prestige between those parenthesis!

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