Gotta Love those umbrella festivals

So i finally got around to putting up some stuff about Bumbershoot.

For those who don't know Bumbershoot is more than just a funny word for an umbrella. It is one of the biggest musical and arts festivals in the Northwest and I went! My sister wanted to see a concert so I bought tickets for the two of us to go on saturday. The best thing about this festival is that it has everything from big acts to local groups, from hip hop to rock to country you name it. So we went early (10amish) and basically spent the day bouncing around from stage to stage absorbing as much of the performances as possible.

We started out getting a taste of the excitement by going down to the EMP, Experience Music Project (interactive music museum thing, famous bit of architecture that is basically a big blob of multi-color shiny surfaces in sweeping curves and waves -- I personally love it). Anyway we went into the Sky Church, this big performance space inside the museum with a huge screen and a rocking band called Romance in the middle (see pic). They were older, and apparently from the area, but they definitely sounded good.

After that set we ran over to see the New Pornographers, who are very good and I have enjoyed for a while - check them out sometime, they have a chill sort of folksy vibe to their rock - I think it may be because they are from canada (don't get me wrong i love canada but its different up there).

After they finished up we decided to find some other stage since we didn't want to wait half an hour for a group to set up at that stage. So we strolled over to the other side of the seattle center and dropped in on a group called the Like. My first pleasant surprise of the day, they played with much more skill and depth than I would have expected from a young girls group. Apparently they are from LA and had just gotten back last night from a tour in the UK. But with the soaring vocals and thumping bass line it was a sweet set. It was also a chance to hang out in the shade and just absorb some music while chatting with my sister.

then we had a little time before the next show we wanted to see started so we went down to this poster exhibition down at the pavillion. I wish i had some photos of them, this guys were awesome. I was expecting some simple designs and a real formal setup. Boy was I wrong, this people had all sorts of posters for bands, promos for shows and tours and these wicked designs. Most of the stuff was silk screen but that didn't really limit anybody's creativity. There were some psychadelic swirling colorful designs that you just get lost looking at and then there were some that were much more basic shapes and often playing off of the band's name or their logo. This was all part of Flatstock 10 (http://www.flatstock.com), a big convention for this industry. very cool stuff.

The next group we saw was this group from Senegal that called themselves Gohk-Bi System. They were singing and dancing like crazy around the stage. People in the crowd took a while to get into it but after a few songs they were swaying to the music or shaking to the beats. I wish i had photos of the more "interesting characters" that surrounded us. Lets just say that this is Seattle, this was a music and arts festival, and let just say that certain other perculiar and unusual things also come along with this (hence me grinning right now at the thought of the whole sight). Anyway they were cool and the one drummer was insanely good and another guy played something similar to a sitar but i can't remember what he said it was. Regardless the music was moving and the message was equally impressive. If you want to hear some I got an album of their stuff.

After they finished we went over to see this guy named Matt Costa. He was okay but nothing more. We decided to leave after hearing one song, it was that bad. So we walked around for a bit and then ended up heading back to the other stage to see a local act i had heard about, Common Market. Its a local hip hop act that is supposed to be on the rise to national attention (based on what I hear the hip hop scene is blossoming and I've heard a few people talk about how it is gonna be the next big music era out of here like grunge was. He definitely caught my ear, he flow was solid and the lyrics were certainly more intelligent than the average show, but if you have heard commercial hip hop/rap lately that is no big feat. Lots of hometown supporters showed their love and he lay down a couple of bumpbing songs but we decided to find something else for a while.

Next we went to see a group called Fall of Troy. Hadn't heard of them before but they had quite a following since when we showed up the line was several hundred feet out the door, wrapped around the building and into the adjacent courtyard. They wouldn't let more people in because of the fire code. We decided to hang there and see what the group was like - you could hear muffled music through the vents but not enough to really tell what was being played. We finally got down there. These guys are in a basement sort of area, with a handful of blazing bright lights aimed at them and literally screaming their heads off. I wasn't exactly up for the heavy stuff we found. Most of the time I'm not big on the angry loud, screw you all sort of music --- alhough if you know me at all i doubt this would surprise you. Regardless I basically wasn't in the mood for it so we pretty much turned around, pushed through the mob and left.

We went back to the international fountain and becasue there was this big contraption/sculpture thing
we had seen while we were eating lunch that was supposed to do a show. This thing called the Firepod was made for the burning man (if you haven't experienced the people that go to this you might not be ready for it -- i not sure who all knows but I once was part of the staff for a party to raise money for this -- lets just say revealing and eccentric costumes, firedancers and a drag show were only a few of the many special moments of that evening). Anyway this big metal tentacle like thing spouted fire and shot huge fireballs into the air and it was so cool. Any pyromaniac would love to play with something like this. See photos for a glimps of what I mean (the best part waswhen the center ball of flame went out and literally overflowed the whole thing and consumed the entire center area.

Then we went to listen to a group called the Rishi Rich Project cause lately I have gotten into some Indian music and some of the many blends of traditional indian music with stuff from the pop/techno/hiphop scenes. Anyway i think it was probably my favorite set of the night. They were a lot of fun just because of the way they talked to the audience and fed off of crowds energy as much as we were getting pumped up by their music. All the different contributors and the range of talent (DJ, keyboards/drum/synth, and singers) made the music exciting with a unique flavor and solid beats. Their improv was sick and they were able to mix a variety of stuff into the songs. I was jumping up and down or dancing for almost the entire set - which is weird for me. Regardless it was really great stuff, i just wish i could have had a recording of it.

After that we made our way to the main stage to see Kanye West perform. Unfortunately we weren't in the best spot and the combination of weird acoustics and an overemphasis on the beat kinda drown out the voices too much for my liking. But it was good stuff. He took some jabs at George Bush (no surprise there based on his past record) and also pulled out some stuff from his future album. He brought up Lupe Fiasco for touch the sky and then also let Lupe sing his single Kick Push. Personally that was the best part of the set. Lupe is ridiculous and I think he has the kind of potential that could change the hiphop world (which is saying a lot but based on what i've heard he definitely has the chops, his wordplay is phenomenal and he has the variety and breadth to make songs that aren't just bland and repetitive).

So it was a great night and I had an amazing time.



Oh and by the way this is a pic my sister took of me that day - she says that it a classic david expression, anyone care to comment on that for me?