Bumbershoot 2007

The Quick and Easy:

Line-up: Headlined by Beck, Stone Temple Pilots and Death Cab for Cutie
When: Aug. 30th – Sept. 1st
Where: Nineteen venues at Seattle Center
Why: Unbeatable variety at a reasonable price—and all at Seattle Center
Tickets:$80 3-day, $35 single prior to Aug. 16th; $100 3-day, $40 single after

It’s been a wild ride for Seattle’s oldest music and arts festival. From its humble beginning in the seventies as a free concert series to its present iteration as a non-profit—though far from free—three-day extravaganza of big-name talent and fledgling local acts, the festival, like Seattle’s weather, is in a constant state of flux. One Reel, Bumbershoot’s present promoter, has as a difficult task in recruiting bands, comedians, authors, and filmmakers for the festival. Some years result in a hodgepodge of talent and genres that has concertgoers scratching their heads (Jewel closing out the 2002 festival comes to mind), while in others years, everything clicks.  

Often, the most difficult thing about Bumbershoot and any large festival is that the glut of talented bands necessitates frustrating choices between seeing one band over another.

This year’s quandaries include: Will you see Beck, Nada Surf, !!!, or M. Ward (all closing out Friday)? Tapes ‘n Tapes or Stone Temple Pilots (Saturday night)? Del tha Funky Homosapien, Superchunk, or the Old 97’s (Monday evening)? And finally—and perhaps most difficult—Minus the Bear or Death Cab for Cutie (closing out the festival on Monday)? There are so many things to consider: do you want to see a prodigious hip-hop talent with an ambitious new solo album notorious for questionable live performances, or choose between two old standbys that always put on a good—though rarely transcendent—performance? Whether it’s decision-making by coin flip or magic eight ball, the dilemmas posed by the oft-confounding schedule at least pertain to a problem that everyone would like to have more often: too much of a good thing.  
Hopelessly conflicted?

Seattle.net recommends: 

Literary
Words and Music, Saturday, 6pm to 7:30pm, Boeing Performing Arts Stage

Sherman Alexie, the novelist, poet, screenwriter, and 2007 National Book Award winner, curated the talent for this year’s “Words and Music” performance. It’s a combination of music and literature that features Jim Boyd, Sean Nelson, Christopher Frizzelle, and the West Marginals. It’s difficult to predict what format the performance will take; possibilities range from aimless storytelling, a cappella renditions of Alexie’s poems by his musical companions, or an ambitious sing-along that flies high like a eagle feather or flops like a spawning salmon.

Film
Best of SIFF – 2008 Jury Awards, Saturday, 3:30pm to 4:30pm, SIFF Cinema

Want to see some cinema at Bumbershoot but not sure where to start? Check out the short films that the jury selected as this year’s finest. Atul Taishete’s “Rewind” is a thriller in the key of “Memento,” Rebecca Dreyfus examines a quirky, camera-shy photographer in “Self Portrait with Cows Going Home and Other Works: A portrait of Sylvia Plachy,” and Teemu Nikki presents the Finnish, homosexual version of a buddy picture in “A Mate.” There are five screenings in all, all of which are around the ten-minute mark, making it a non-committal way to dangle your toe in the waters of SIFF and decide if you’re ready to jump in. 
 

Music
Langhorne Slim, Monday, 3:15pm to 4:15pm, Starbucks Stage

Originally from Langhorne, Pennsylvania and currently residing in Brooklyn, New York, Langhorne Slim and the War Eagles are touring behind the release of their second, self-titled LP.  A folk artist with punk undertones, Langhorne and company never fail to put on an engaging performance.  The arrangements are a classic combination of stand-up bass, drums and acoustic guitar, but the pairing of Langhorne’s sometimes witty, sometimes plaintive and always genuine lyricism with the War Eagles’ inspired instrumentation elevate the ostensibly simple melodies.  

Theater/Performance
Sex in Seattle, Sunday, 2:30 PM - 3:15 PM, Theatre Puget Sound

Sex in Seattle is an episodic play about four contemporary Asian-American women: how they deal with life, love, relationships, and all the rest.  A new episode will soon be showing at the Richard Hugo House during the festival. The show will be both a preview of new scenes from the hit and a recap of previous episodes.  It’s a great way to catch up on what you missed of this big hit theatre production.

Music
Ravens & Chimes, Sunday, 5:00pm to 6:00pm, Sky Church

This New York City based 6-member band puts glee into the hearts of fans and critics alike.  Their fun, indie-rock style and cool use of instruments (think glockenspiel) make them an original and fun group to see at Bumbershoot this year.  Their debut album, 2007's Reichenbach Falls, is definitely worth checking out before the show.
 
Music
Black Eyes and Neckties (BENT), Monday, 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM, Sky Church

Black Eyes and Neckties merge horror-rock and garage punk to creating very a unique northwest sound.  This six-piece band from Bellingham, WA got started by playing at a Halloween party, combining theatrics (black eyes, blood and neckties) with a serious dose of rock and roll. Check out their song “Ghosts in Our Clothes.” 
 
Comedy
Making Strangers Laugh, Sunday, 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM, Vera Project

A majority of the performers in this comedy show are from the Seattle area, bringing a unique comedic style to the table.  Two Seattleites include, Derek Sheen, who has made a name for himself throughout the West coast with his rhetoric of truly unique and terrifying life experiences mixed with some harsh social commentary. 
Another local, Kevin Richards, blends societal observations with absurd creations of his own imagination. This year he auditioned for "Last Comic Standing" and performed in the Seattle International Comedy Competition.  Don’t miss your chance to see local comics doing what they do best: make you laugh.