{Bumbershoot photo: Erik Clineschmidt Photography}

One Reel, the talented folks behind putting on Bumbershoot, is reminding festival goers this year that the deadline for the extra-special Any Day Pass is coming up soon: May 31st. The neat idea is that if you buy this $29 ticket before then, you can pick any one of the three days to go on, so as the artists are announced (day by day) till then and you can put together the best bill for yourself any time before Labor Day Weekend. (Also, earlier in the week before, if you figure out which of those days it's going to pour on, as it seems to do at least one day every year, you can choose an alternate day.) This is a reward for old school Bumbershoot fans (like me) who attend at least one of the days, and like the wiggle room up to the splendiferous event. The only catch being snatching up one of those tickets before the new month. May 31st! And then the Any Day Passes are all gone!

Just shouted-out for Bumbershoot 2011 today is Grant Lee Buffalo, who is joining these already-confirmed artists:

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at The Showbox at the Market

An all-ages show to support and remember the legendary Seattle musician John Spalding.

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Minus the Bear’s EP They Make Beer Commercials Like This, originally released way back in 2004, is newly remastered, expanded, and re-releasing on label Suicide Squeeze.

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We gathered our imaginary staff to determine our collective Northwest favorites for 2007. It was hard work. Imaginary battles were fought, alliances formed, and finally, winners emerged.

You should have seen the way that imaginary Liz can arm wrestle, and how Erik Gonzalez can duke it out for his favorite bands. It was fierce and fun, and we think our final list was well worth the effort.

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It’s always odd to revisit what you’ve reviewed over the course of a year. Sometimes, much can change – as after subsequent listenings, you realize that record you thought was pretty decent just blows (see The Killers’ Sam’s Town) or you come to love an album that you’d previously dismissed as mediocre (see “Into the Wild” soundtrack). The true test of a “best release of the year” is its stability, so I’ve tried to pick “long-haul” contenders—albums I’ll go to for months (or even years) to come, with no requirement for a set amount of finalists. Here’s what made the cut...

TOP ALBUMS:

• LCD Soundsystem: Sound of Silver (this one sits significantly higher than the rest)
• Interpol: Our Love to Admire
• The Shins: Wincing the Night Away
• Eddie Vedder: "Into the Wild" soundtrack
• Minus the Bear: Planet of Ice
• Aqueduct: Or Give Me Death

And, topping the list of what sadly wasn’t as good as I expected:
Modest Mouse: We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

I’ll leave it at that. I can hardly fathom how disappointed I was by that output (mixing the quirky fire of Modest Mouse with legendary jangler Johnny Marr? How did it fall so flat?).

TOP NORTHWEST ALBUMS:

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This was ridiculously hard to do! Without further ado, I present my top ten picks for 2007 releases (in no particular order)...

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at The Showbox at the Market

Minus the Bear’s headlining homecoming show was a true testament to this band’s growth over the past couple months.

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With a threesome like Grand Archives, Helio Sequence, and Minus the Bear, there must be loads of amazing stories to share...

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Burn to Shine's forthcoming Emerald City edition is quintessentially us. Like the other houses featured in the previous three Burn to Shine installments, this house was destined to be destroyed... but not before some stunning musical performances by great local performers like Tiny Vipers, Eddie Vedder, and Burn to Shine curator Benjamin Gibbard.

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at Quest Field

Page two of our photographic review of Endfest 2007, featuring Against Me!, Hot Hot Heat, Minus the Bear, and the Bravery.

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