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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at Capitol Hill Block Party 2008

I knew the Vera Stage was going to be the scene of some sweet home-brew hip-hop as I passed the tent where people were paying five dollars to hit ex-Stranger writer Ari Spool in the face with pies as Ol' Dirty Bastard and Kelis rapped and sang "Baby, I Got Your Money" on the sound system pre-show. The weather was somehow both cool and humid (?) and the vibe reminded me of when I saw The Saturday Knights for one the first times at the Block Party on the same stage two years previous. The rap music that ensued did not disappoint.

Thig Life, "Justo" D'Amato, and Monk Wordsmith have been partners since teenagers, growing up in the South end of Seattle and living on a steady diet of quality hip-hop. Their fandom comes out in their rhymes and music, as they show their influences proudly but also honestly discuss the daily thrills and spills of being marginalized by society even when you're smarter than most of it.

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at King Cobra

They have gotten so busy, so unifying, so captivating as a four-piece...

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What a weird line-up, but you can't want for variety...

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