Three Imaginary Girls - Bumbershoot

Bumbershoot Preview: Head Like a Kite {Monday, 9/5}

Imaginary Amie — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:18:30 +0000

Sometimes I feel like Dave Einmo is the busiest musician in Seattle. I miss running into him on the hill, because in addition to being a kick-ass rocker, he's also a damn fine all-around nice guy. But I digress, Einmo has manned Head Like a Kite for more than a few years now (I'd tell you the exact number of years, but Stoli has clouded my memory and I'm too lazy to use the internet), putting out a variety of eclectic sounds and putting on some hella entertaining live shows. The last album, Dreams Suspend Night, is a mash-up of music genres, with some amazing vocals by Asya Smoosh, plus tracks with Tilson from The Saturday Knights (like "Director's Cut" in the video above)-- and one of my very favorites, Her Space Holiday!

Back to the "busiest musician" thing. A visit to the HLAK web site reveals some sweet cover tunes ("Gimme Shelter!" hellyes), and a free download of some tracks. Dave has teamed up with Asya to form Daydream Vacation, which (based on "The Girl Don't Sleep") is poised to put out some shiny poppy hand-clapping tunes.

I'm really interested to see what he does on the Fisher Green Stage, Monday Sept 5 at 2:15pm. Any guesses on possible special guests? :)

Bumbershoot Preview: Words & Ideas

Imaginary Amie — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 15:02:05 +0000

As always, us Imaginaries like to remind you that there's a lot more happening at Bumbershoot than just music! If you can pry yourself away from the rock for a few hours, explore some of the Words & Music programs. If I could put together a dream line-up of where to be, it would look like this:

SATURDAY, Sept 3:

Words & Ideas Stage
1:45-2:45pm
The 3 Most Beautiful People to Ever Win Stranger Genius Awards (and One Ugly One) - I'm sure the other 3 people are going to be awesome, but the reason I'd be sitting in this audience is to see filmmaker Lynn Shelton talk about her work, the award, etc. etc. etc. And clearly, she's not the ugly one.

Leo K Theatre
3:30pm-4:30pm
Christopher Rice, author and son of the infamous vampire goddess Anne Rice, talks about what's it like to be the son of Lestat's creator, and how it affected his family life and inspired his own novels (which I honestly haven't read, but I *am* kind of an Anne Rice nerd, and am FASCINATED to find out what he's gonna say about her!).

Bumbershoot Preview: 80s goodness - Hall & Oates {Monday, 9/5}

Imaginary Amie — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 18:06:57 +0000

OMFG. Seriously, you guys. DARYL HALL AND JOHN OATES ARE COMING TO BUMBERSHOOT!!! These two used to be a staple during my quad rollerskating days, so I feel like there's no way I can miss them. I heard on the internets (via Wil Wheaton) that Oates' legendary 'stash is missing, but I don't even care. I want to wedge my way up front and dance my ass off to their synthy-retro guitar rock.

Even if most of y'all are too young to remember "Rich Girl", "Kiss On My List", "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)", "Maneater", and my favorite, "You Make My Dreams" (in the video above), I urge you to swing by the Mainstage on Monday, Sept 5 at 9:15. If you don't start dancing almost immediately, track me down, and I will buy you a beer (ohmy. that's a dangerous bet to make in a city like Seattle!).

Bumbershoot Preview: Tennis {Sunday, 9/4}

Imaginary Amie — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:13:57 +0000

I've mentioned Tennis before -- and I can't help but mention them again. This adorable husband and wife duo crafted their album Marathon while they were sailing around on a boat, enjoying some q-time together. (can you say awwwwwww?)

Every tune has lovely harmonies, feel-good lyrics, and a bouncy, summertime feeling tinged with retro beats. I can't recommended highly ENOUGH that you head to the Fountain Lawn Stage on Sunday, Sept 4 at 5pm to watch them do their simply beautiful thing.

You are invited: Bumbershoot prefunk photo opening this Thursday at Solo! {8/25}

imaginary liz — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:54:50 +0000

Got plans Thursday night? No? Good! Get yourself over to Solo in Lower Queen Anne, because there's a Bumbershoot prefunk party going on -- and we're all invited.

On August 25th (this Thursday) from 5-8p, a handful of local photographers (along with the fine folks over at One Reel) will be combining forces to present a happy hour of festival-sized proportions. We will bask in the glory of the amazing work of James Bailey, Laura Musselman, Christopher Nelson, Jim Bennett, Erin Lodi, Nate Watters, and our very own Victoria VanBruinisse while snacking on tasty food and drink specials as a handcrafted playlist plays on the Solo soundsystem.

What a way to kick off the weekend (because we all know that weekend's *actually* start on Thursday night): happy hour specials and getting our Bumbershoot frenzy on! After we peruse the art on the walls, let's chat about our Bumbershoot schedules and figure out a strategy to fit in all the must-sees.

Admission is free and the show will be hanging for a few weeks in case you can't join us for the fab opening night festivities.

Hope to see you there!

{Free / 21+ / 5-8p. More information on the Facebook event page here. Photo of Mark Pickerel and the Tripwires from Bumbershoot 2010 by Victoria VanBruinisse.}

Bumbershoot 2010: Photo highlights

Steve Louie — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 16:06:23 +0000

4 Sep 2010

Weezer at the Bumbershoot Main Stage.The band sounded great and played what we needed to hear from the Blue album, but what kept everyone in the stadium excited was the "where is Rivers" game as he danced and ran through the crowd, climbing on top of portable buildings andup and down the stadium bleachers, with security and a bright spotlight trying to keep with him.

Boat at the EMP Sky Church. Boat's first appearance at Bumbershoot featured a plaque by the drummer that read "A Journey Of A Thousand Miles Starts With The First Step, Gang."

Scott Porad, CTO of the I Can Has Cheezburger Network speaks on why our society is fascinated with cats and failure at the Why Cuteness, Why Failure, Why Now? panel hosted by the Vis-Vis Society. We love our our LOL cats.

Delorean (Spain) on Sunday delivered one the happiest, liveliest dance sets on the at the Broad Street Stage.

Jackie from Ice Cream Man handing out cool treats while waiting in line to see Hole performing an informal acoustic set presented by 107.7 FM The End as part of End Sessions.

Flatstock 27 poster exhibit. The daily thought of the day at the Seattle Show Posters booth. This day's message: "I love you because you tell me every single day." A walk through the Fisher Pavilion in each row treated you with a indulgent display of rock postering and design.

More photos on flickr.

Bumbershoot 2010: My Imaginary Bumbershoot Schedule

Imaginary Amie — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:35:41 +0000

{The Submarines}

Usually when we say “imaginary” around TIG, we mean stuff that we’re super-psyched for! And in this case, it’s true –but it’s also literal, as I won’t be at Bumbershoot this year. So imagine (ha) if you will, that I am going. Here’s what you’d see if you followed me around:

ALL THREE DAYS
Flatsock 27 (Festival Grounds)
No matter how many other things I see, I always make it a point to get over to the Flatstock poster show. Amazing artists, cool collector’s pieces, and the chance to hang something nice on your wall. Last year I saw these awesome prints by Jeff Kliensmith, and now they’re framed in our media room.

Patton Oswalt (Comedy Stage South)
My favorite French mouse, loveable United States of Tara sidekick, Dollhouse guest star, and generally hilarious guy is going be at Bumbershoot ALL weekend. Contrary to most stand-up I see, I always, always, always laugh at Oswalt’s riffs, and love that he’s a versatile character actor too. Check him out – but get in line EARLY, as he tends to attract huge crowds.

SATURDAY
The Submarines: 12:30pm (Broad Street Stage)
This adorable LA duo has become one of my favorite bands, so I’m crying a little that I can’t see them this weekend. Seriously – just take a listen. I’m betting you’ll love them too.

Bumbershoot 40th Birthday Hat Fashion Show at Teatro ZinZanni {Wednesday, September 1}

Chris Estey — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:50:17 +0000

Bumbershoot is choosing a very elegant yet fun way to throw itself a 40th birthday party (!) this Wednesday, September 1.

Kurt B. Reighley, KEXP DJ and author of the just-released extensive tome on all things roots-rowdy, United States of Americana, is hosting this party and ice cream social at Teatro ZinZanni. It's all about crafting up your own noggin-cover, and bringing it down to be judged by Evening Magazine, the hosts of The Marty Reimer Show, and Mr. Reighley himself (who gives a lot of coverage to crafting and homemade creativity in his new book too).

Here are the instructions:

Bumbershoot 2010: Love swanky posters and t-shirts and a {TIG exclusive!} giveaway?

three imaginary girls — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 00:39:11 +0000

If you're headed to Bumbershoot, be sure to swing by Flatstock, where our friends at Seattle Show Posters will be running a special deal exclusively for TIG readers.

Simply download THIS COUPON and present it at the Seattle Show Posters booth, and you will receive their popular "Scream" print FREE with any purchase over $10.00!

That's a whole lot of awesome for your hard-earned dollars. Be sure to stop in early, as this giveaway is limited to stock on hand.

Download your coupon HERE.

Bumbershoot unveils more artists

ChrisB — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:06:22 +0000

The lineup for Bumbershoot is starting to fill out and they just unveiled about 60 artists yesterday. The additions are:

Jason Mraz / Kasabian / Audrye Sessions / The Knux / Akron/Family / Vivian Girls / The Devil Makes Three / Elvis Perkins in Dearland / Maximo Park / Wale w/ UCB / OTEP / Mirah / Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears / 3 Inches of Blood / U.S.E / Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground / Say Hi / Mayer Hawthorne & The County / The Minus 5 / Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band / Telekinesis / Everest / Oren Lavie / The New Mastersounds / Dyme Def / Delhi 2 Dublin / The Dusty 45s / Visqueen / Truckasauras / Head Like a Kite / Akimbo / Paul Oscher “Alone with the Blues” / Parenthetical Girls / Massy Ferguson / The Lonely Forest / Sleepy Eyes of Death / Past Lives / Macklemore / The Whore Moans Present: The Black Atom! / Michael Shrieve’s Spellbinder / Wallpaper / Point Juncture, WA / D.Black / Spaceman / Kim Field & The Mighty Titans of Tone / Handful of Luvin’ / Champagne Champagne / Romance / Kristen Ward / Dept. of Energy / Hotels / The Kindness Kind / Mark Taylor Quartet / Black Whales / Kore Ionz / Grand Hallway / Anomie Belle / Steve Griggs Quintet / We Are Golden / Olympic Sound Collective / The Not-Its! / Central Services’ Board of Education / Recess Monkey

Adding to the already announced names:

First acts confirmed for Bumbershoot

ChrisB — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 01:37:30 +0000

I doubt this is an April Fool's joke so I'll put it out there, Bumbershoot announced the first list of acts to play this year. There are certainly some that I'm really excited to see (some again) and others I'll pass on.

I know there'll be a lot of people bitching about Katy Perry but remember that booking her sells tickets that pay for other acts and you can choose to do something else while she plays.

Here's the roster so far:

Sheryl Crow / Modest Mouse / Katy Perry / Michael Franti & Spearhead / De La Soul / Raphael Saadiq / Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan / The Long Winters / Sly & Robbie & the Taxi Gang / World Party / MSTRKRFT / Roy Ayers / Common Market / UH HUH HER / Dave Alvin and The Guilty Women / Eric Hutchinson / No Age / Matt & Kim / Dead Confederate / The Cave Singers / Swollen Members / Vieux Farka Touré / Lenka / Gang Gang Dance / Todd Snider / Holy F**k / DJ Spooky / Iglu & Hartly / Low vs Diamond / Sera Cahoone / Eleni Mandell / Carrie Rodriguez / The Honey Brothers / Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head / Extra Golden / Cordero / Forgive Durden / Hey Marseilles / Adrian Xavier, and much, much more to be announced.

Bumbershoot 2008: Day 3

imaginary dana — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:48:36 +0000

1 Sep 2008

Bumbershoot on Labor Day was full of great performances, both from local bands and national acts. Check out some great words and photos from the big day!

Kate Tucker and the Sons of Sweden

You can usually gauge the quality of afternoon shows at Bumbershoot by following the crowds. If the crowd grows as the show progresses, there is something compelling about the show that is bringing in people; if people are leaving, they were probably there to just kill time until until the next item on their itinerary. Ballard's Kate Tucker and the Sons of Sweden's crowd kept growing exponentially every time I turned around. Playing just past noon on Monday afternoon, Tucker came on stage and was shocked by the attendance ("I only expected there to be about 3 people here"). She and her band entertained the growing crowd with her sincere and accessible Americana sound and her lovely, sincere voice and vulnerable lyrics. (ChrisB)

Kate Tucker and the Sons of Sweden. Photos by Andew Curtis.

Choklate
She introduced herself as "your very own home-grown, soul singer chick". Choklate, the local soul/R&B star was backed by an 11-piece funk band, was one of the highlights of my Bumbershoot. She has a big, booming voice and a ton of charisma. Her set, though, was as much about the other musicians behind her as it was about Choklate herself. She seemed sincere and genuine and that was evident when she promoted her band at nearly every opportunity and told us about their other projects. One more reason: when she played "Dedicated to Music" she said she wanted to write a love song at the time she wrote that song but wasn't in love then. (ChrisB)

Blitzen Trapper

Blitzen Trapper. Photos by Kyle Johnson.

John Vanderslice (see full review)

Shane Tutmarc and the Traveling Mercies

I've been meaning to chat Shane and co. (the co refers to his brother and cousin in this case) for ages now, and good thing I did -- this was the band's second to last show. Drawing a moderate-sized crowd into the EMP Sky Church from the sunshine of the day, the band charmed us with their gospel-twinged roots pop. Frontman Shane Tutmarc moved from guitar to keys and back again, taking on topics of lust and God both, and keeping it all way twangier than his previous project, indie-pop band Dolour. (imaginary dana)

Shane Tutmarc. Photos by Andrew Curtis.

Two Gallants

Two Gallants. Photos by Andrew Curtis.

Feral Children

97s

Battles

(See the full review.)

Minus the Bear

Minus the Bear. Photo by Chona Kasinger.

Bumbershoot on Labor Day was full of great performances, both from local bands and national acts. Check out some great words and photos from the big day!

Kate Tucker and the Sons of Sweden

Kate Tucker and the Sons of Sweden. Photos by Andew Curtis.

Bumbershoot 2008: Day 2

three imaginary girls — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 05:33:55 +0000

31 Aug 2008

bumbershoot_lonelyh2.jpg

Sometimes a picture says a 1,000 words. If that's the case, then we've got a whole lot to say about the rock and roll goodness that was Day 2 of Bumbershoot 2008, as captured by photographers Chona Kasinger, Andrew Waits, Nathan Feder, and Kyle Johnson.

Our coverage includes reviews of Tapes N' Tapes, the Saturday Knights, Speaker Speaker, Sons and Daughters, Brother Ali, and loads more.

Have a look, won't you...?

The Lonely H, EMP Sky Church

The Lonely H. Photo by Andrew Waits.

Shim, EMP Sky Church

Shim. Photos by Chona Kasinger.

The Shackletons, Rockstar Stage

The Shackletons. Photos by Andrew Waits.

Sons and Daughters, KEXP Lounge

Sons and Daughters. Photos by Andrew Waits.

These Arms Are Snakes, Exhibition Hall

Using the fact they haven't shown their faces as a band for a few months as an excuse in case they forgot how to perform, These Arms Are Snakes took the stage. But soon, Steve Snere was commending the crowd for making the show funner than the band had expected, and he laid the asshole stage swagger on thick. He crawled under the stage for half a song, threw his belt into the crowd but then asked for it back minutes later, sat on guardrail huggers, flipped off the crowd, and nearly had the microphone cord wrap dangerously around him during one of many crowd surfing adventures. "Does the End even play your music?" someone cried out, referring to stage sponsor 107.7 FM. "Does the End ever play music you listen to?" Steve retorted. They pulled out several of their new songs from their impending release, of which confirmed the local boys are still going strong. Despite many real assholes in the audience, who were very obviously not real TAAS fans, and technical difficulties involving pedal cords, which provoked lame jokes to be told, and considering the general shittiness of the Exhibition Hall, the band brought out an entertaining set. (imaginary elle)

These Arms Are Snakes. Photos by Andrew Waits.

Speaker Speaker, EMP Sky Church

Speaker Speaker. Photos by Andrew Waits.

The Saturday Knights, Fisher Green

Sons and Daughters, Rockstar Stage

Sons and Daughters. Photos by Andrew Waits.

The Hands, EMP Sky Church

The Hands. Photos by Andrew Waits.

Brother Ali, Exhibition Hall

Brother Ali. Photos by Kyle Johnson.

Tapes N Tapes, Rockstar Stage

Tapes N Tapes. Photos by Kyle Johnson.

Our coverage includes reviews of Tapes N' Tapes, the Saturday Knights, Speaker Speaker, Sons and Daughters, Brother Ali, and loads more.

Have a look, won't you...?

Bumbershoot 2008: Day 1

three imaginary girls — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 20:36:21 +0000

30 Aug 2008

bumbershootday1.jpg

Bumbershoot is a musical extravaganza, spanning the three-day Labor Day weekend with more bands, arts, and elephant ears than anyone can possibly capture. We had a posse of imaginary writers (ChrisB, Chris Estey, imaginary elle, imaginary dana, and Cory), and photographers (Chona, Kyle, Nathan, and Andrew) all over Seattle Center, trying to capture the frenzy and mayhem of Bumbershoot 2008. Below you can see and read about our adventures during the first day, which kicked off with local electronic duo Beehive and ended with superstar Beck, and covered over 20 other bands in-between.

Enjoy!

Beehive, Wells Fargo Stage

Beehive must be one of the most hard-luck bands in Seattle. The local electronic duo had gotten a difficult timeslot - Saturday at noon but tried to make the most of it. They played an energetic rock set that lasted about 35 minutes, simulating a rock band with electronic instruments. To get the crowd on their side early started off with two covers known by everyone in the fairly large crowd - "We Will Rock You" and "Helter Skelter." Overcoming a scratchy microphone, they got a lot of the crowd to stand and even a few danced. They found their groove early and singer/programmer Alethea, or "Butterfly Beats," delighted the crowd with her soulful voice. (ChrisB)

Beehive photos by Andrew Waits.

New Faces, EMP Sky Church

I've seen this band a bajillion times -- I practically stalk them -- and this was a very good show. They had a great dynamic with a pretty big turnout. They owned that huge stage. (Chona Kasinger)

New Faces. Photos by Chona Kasinger.

Throw Me the Statue, Rockstar Stage

An important aspect to booking festivals is kicking things off with a band to set the right mood. Throw Me The Statue was just such a band, with their undemanding pop tinged with elements such as a backing horn section. Their crowd was comfortable enough to stand or sit, a few head bobbers sprinkled here and there. (imaginary elle)

Throw Me the Statue. Photo by Chona Kasinger.

Throw Me the Statue. Photo by Kyle Johnson.

Neko Case, Samsung Mobile Mainstage

It makes sense to put former Washingtonian Neko Case on the mainstage at Bumbershoot because it was the first time I've seen her in a venue big enough to contain her voice. She played for about 75 minutes and was funny and likeable throughout, making note of playing depressing country songs in the middle of the day. "Deep Red Bells" and "That Teenage Feeling," played back to back sounded enormous and expansive - especially with three different guitar parts (Jon Rahouse on petal steel, Paul Rigby on electric guitar and Case herself playing acoustic guitar). She and longtime collaborator Kelly Hogan joked midway through the set that it was too early in the day for them to get wasted. Their humor was hilarious and provided a necessary balance for the emotional content of her set. {see the setlist} (ChrisB)

Neko Case and Kelly Hogan. Photo by Nathan Feder.

Neko crowd. Photo by Kyle Johnson.

Das Vibenbass, Wells Fargo Stage

The aptly titled quartet Das Vibenbass bring the jazz vibe and bass to the 21st Century music listener, bringing the genre to a more accessible level. Hell, as their set progressed, I started to realize I wished we were listening to the local band--an upright bass, saxophone, drums, and vibraphone--in an exclusive, smokey hidden jazz club with a gin, rather than out in the sunshine on fold able chairs. Wait a minute… are they playing a jazz rendition of "Black Hole Sun" not in a cheesy Kenny G covers Top 40 sort of way, but a very slick, enjoyable way? Never mind, they do know how to bring jazz to the modern ear. Their entire set was brilliant, definitely fetching all the praise they have received, such as being nominated in the Seattle Weekly for Best Jazz act. Doesn't hurt that their saxophone player was a good looking, well-dressed fellow as well. (imaginary elle)

Das Vibenbass photos by Kyle Johnson.

Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, KEXP Lounge

Thao and the Get Down Stay Down photos by Andrew Waits.

The Girls, EMP Sky Church

In the dark crowded Sky Church at the Bumbershoot Festival yesterday afternoon there was briefly the flavor of a late 70s small club show, with the one "wavo" band in town that "got it." The transgressive energy of sleazy humor ("Fixing The Chairs"), light-hearted Futurism, clipped robot rhythms, weird stop-starts ("TV Glow"), and shuffle beats from Shannon Brown (vocals), Elie Goral (drums), Derek Mason (keyboards), Vas Kumar (guitar), and (bassist) Griff happily entranced the hometown Seattle mob. The crowd wasn't frenzied but it was very cheerful. Just like the shared similar aesthetic Figurines and Futureheads, The Girls is even better live than their recordings, wishing they would add more of that spontaneity and rawness next time out to their songwriting. It would be great if this city had its next Screamers, and this band maybe could be a contender for that role. (Chris Estey)

The Girls. Photos by Chona Kasinger

Grynch, Fisher Green Stage

Grynch photos by Kyle Johnson.

Mono in VCF, KEXP Lounge

Nada Surf, KEXP Lounge

The KEXP Lounge is such an amazing refuge from the hurried, elephant-eared pace of Bumbershoot. There a few hundred lucky fans can see bands in a intimate dark (air-conditioned) setting. Catching Nada Surf acoustic style was definitely a highlight of my Bumbershoot experience; Matthew and Ira's spot-on harmonies positively sent chills down my spine. Also of note: the bassist for Osma did an admirable job filling in for an injured Daniel Lorca. Watch a video of the band performing "Weightless." (imaginary dana)

Nada Surf photos by Chona Kasinger.

Fall of Troy, Exhibition Hall

Fall of Troy photos by Kyle Johnson.

PWRFL Power, EMP Sky Church

The Walkmen, Rockstar Stage

The Walkmen. Photos by Chona Kasinger.

Estelle, Fisher Green Stage

Estelle, the British R&B/soul star, delivered what will be one of my favorite sets of the weekend. Playing before a huge crowd on the Fisher Green stage, she more than lived up to the buzz surrounding her new <em>Shine</em> album. On stage she reminded me of a cross between Sharon Jones and Lily Allen - two of my absolute favorite performers. Her band was tight and funky - although I wish they would have been funkier; their obvious influences are Parliament/Funkadelic, The Famous Flames and The Dap Kings and only on a few songs ("Pretty Please" and "American Boy") did they seem to break out. "American Boy", the #1 UK single that also features a cameo from Kanye West, closed the set and the enormous crowd sang along and danced - it was one of those great moments where a huge and diverse crowd shares a fantastic performance of a song that is the soundtrack to a whole lot of summers. (ChrisB)

Estelle. Photos by Nathan Feder.

Saul Williams, Fisher Green Stage

Saul Williams. Photos by Kyle Johnson.

Man Man, Rockstar Stage

Man Man. Photos by Chona Kasinger.

Man Man. Photos by Andrew Waits.

Nada Surf, Starbucks Stage

Nada Surf. Photos by Chona Kasinger.

West Indian Girl, EMP Sky Church

West Indian Girl. Photo by Andrew Waits.

West Indian Girl. Photo by Chona Kasinger.

West Indian Girl. Photo by Kyle Johnson.

Kinski, EMP Sky Church

Kinski. Photos by Kyle Johnson.

!!!, KEXP Lounge

I really enjoy !!!, the Sacramento-based, punk/funk/jam band but writing about them gives me fits with MS Word's grammar check; using Google isn't any easier. Still, their 30+ minute set in KEXP's music lounge was great fun. Playing mostly newer songs (singer Nic Offer even said that they would give us "a hit and a half"), they still delivered the same dance punk they are known for. Offer might have forgotten a few times that this performance was being broadcast on the radio because he dropped the f-word a few times. The funniest time was when he said that he thought the room was full because we were all "the fucks who are going to see Beck tonight" (!!! and Beck is the most unfortunate scheduling conflict of the weekend) and threatened to give a crappy performance for the last song. They didn't; in spite of their threats, they still rocked. (ChrisB)

M Ward, Rockstar Stage

M. Ward. Photo by Andrew Waits.

Beck, Samsung Mobile Mainstage

Did you think Beck was watching a legend in action, as Imaginary Kiku did? Or did you think he was, in a word, bullshit, as ChrisB did? Our imaginary coverage has a little something for everyone.

Beck. Photo by Kyle Johnson.

Enjoy!

Bumbershoot '08 goes green, adds bands

imaginary stella — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:42:55 +0000

Not to lose any momentum from last Saturday's fantastic Old 97's show, the band has just been added to the 2008 Bumbershoot roster. Can I get a woot, y'all?

Also joining the 97's at the fest are Nada Surf, Flobots, and, yes it's true, the Offspring.

Bumbershoot is also going green, and no, I don't mean they're serving up weed (that's Folklife, people). The festival is taking strides to save the planet, encouraging patrons to bring their own non-disposable water bottles, reducing the number of printed programs and brochures, reusing signage from previous festivals, and powering the festival with net-zero energy (via Seattle City Light) and biodiesel generators, and more. You can even purchase carbon credits to offset your travels to the festival at bumbershoot.org.

Current lineup is as follows, and the Bumbershoot peeps claim even more will be announced in about a month:

Nada Surf tour West Coast and Europe, including Bumbershoot

imaginary dana — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:10:50 +0000

Great news for all you Nada Surf fans out there (and I proudly include myself among you): Nada Surf just announced a slew of West Coast and European tour dates, including a Seattle stop at Bumbershoot!

Here are all the dates, straight from the Barsuk press release:

20-Jun Germany, Southside Festival
22-Jun Germany, Hurricane Festival
27-Jun Germany, Darmstadt, Central Station (part of Sommerperlen)
28-Jun Germany, Jena
2-Jul France, Orleans, Campo Santo Festival
5-Jul France, St. Dewis de Gastines
13-Jul Belgium, Liege Festival Les Ardentes
17-Jul Spain, Benicassim Festival
18-Jul France, Angouleme, Garden Party
20-Jul UK, Latitude festival
7-Aug Salt Lake City, UT, Gallivan Center
15-Aug Spain, Aranda de duero-Burgos, Sonorama Festival
22-Aug Spain, Galicia, Villagarcia de Arousa
23-Aug France, La Ferme du Rock
28-Aug Costa Mesa, CA, PAC-Samueli Theatre
30-Aug Seattle, WA, Bumbershoot
2-Sep San Francisco, CA, Great American Music Hall
3-Sep San Francisco, CA, Great American Music Hall
4-Sep Portland, OR, MusicFest NW
5-Sep Los Angeles, CA, Troubadour
6-Sep Los Angeles, CA, Troubadour

Bumbershoot announces even more lineup additions, including some NW bands

imaginary dana — Thu, 29 May 2008 17:31:07 +0000

Just as you catch your breath from Sasquatch, Bumbershoot goes and announces the next round of bands playing this Labor Day. This round includes some of the Northwest acts, bolded in the list below...

The latest additions:

T.I. / Keyshia Cole / Adele / Minus the Bear / Battles / Aiden / Unearth / Sondre Lerche / The Whigs / Thao with The Get Down Stay Down / Langhorne Slim & The War Eagles / These Arms Are Snakes / The Blakes / Mark Pickerel & His Praying Hands / Barcelona / Kinski / Throw Me The Statue / J-Boogie's Dubtronic Science / Tyrone Wells / Howlin Rain / Monotonix / The Shackeltons / Star Anna / West Indian Girl / Ravens & Chimes / Hadley Caliman Quintet featuring Thomas Marriott / Grynch / The Hands / Joshua Morrison / Matt Jorgensen +451 / Chester French / PWRFL Power / The Girls /

Bands on the lineup who were previously announced:

Bumbershoot 2008: Paramore, Sons and Daughters, Band of Horses, IN. Ludacris, OUT.

imaginary dana — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:45:27 +0000

Bumbershoot just sent out some additional booking information, and as you can see in the headline, they've got a few more bands on the bill plus one cancellation.

More Bumbershoot Additions? (rumor-mongering)

imaginary stella — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:24:37 +0000

According to the World Wide Web, rumors are flying of both Rage Against the Machine and Prince (!!) appearances at this year's Bumbershoot. If this is true, my brain might just explode in anticipation!

What Northwest bands are playing Bumbershoot 2008? Let the rumors begin...

imaginary dana — Thu, 01 May 2008 20:13:31 +0000

But I know they usually wait till closer to the date to annouce the lucky local acts. So -- to that end, I propose a good ole fashioned imaginary rumor machine. Friends... Who have you heard is playing? Or who do you hope is playing?