Down North performs at Bumbershoot (courtesy <a href="http://www.allyceandrew.com">Allyce Andrew</a>
I returned recently from my first ever trip to Bumbershoot and it was beyond magical. I embraced Seattle and Seattle embraced me. In essence, that's what Bumbershoot's all about. A familial vibe runs deep throughout Bumbershoot. It seems as if all the residents of the Emerald City turn out for the event and they were ready to embrace some pilgrims from Boston looking for music, comedy and art.
We had come to the right place.
Have you ever gone to an open market? Bumbershoot is like the best open market you've ever gone to, multiplied by 1,000,000 plus the addition of all of your favorite musicians and comedians.
Bumbershoot is the kind of place where you can watch Death Cab For Cutie perform Transatlantacism in its entirety while sitting behind the writing staff of Parks & Recreation. I know this can happen, because it happened to me. It was as surreal and as amazing as you can possibly imagine.
On top of all of that great music and comedy, there's top notch art; grab your favorite band print at Flatstock or maybe a hand-crafted leather superhero mask in art alley.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, as you're enjoying all of this, you should be on the lookout for zombies. Yep, Seattle Center was occasionally under attack from zombies.
Amongst the zombies and art and music and comedy, I managed to put together a list of my favorite sets. Here they are.
Music:
- Kendrick Lamar
- Death Cab For Cutie
- Trampled By Turtles
- Charles Bradley & The Extraordinaires
- FIDLAR
Comedy:
- Doug Loves Movies
- Kyle Dunnigan
- Morgan Murphy
- Comedy Bang! Bang!: The Musical Episode
You think that's it? It's definitely not it. Four amazing Sonicbids artists were booked to play Bumbershoot. Check out some of their tunes by clicking on their name below.
Need your 70's vintage rock fix? Look no further than Seattle’s own Red Jacket Mine. Their pop-rock-blues-soul fusion hearkens back to the days when Elvis Costello and Squeeze ruled the charts. In an age where it seems like every musician is angry about something, Red Jacket Mine’s knack for writing a catchy, upbeat pop song is quite the welcome change of pace.
Who knew there was an awesome Afro-Funk band jamming out in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest? I didn't...until I started listening to Cascadia '10. Some have referred to their groovy music as the "flannel-beat" that resonates sounds of Africa, and, well, that's a pretty awesomely accurate description. Thanks to Cascadia '10, you can now dress like a lumberjack and dance to some pulsating beats!
A rock band that compares itself to legends like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Nirvana is definitely setting some pretty high expectations for it’s first-time listeners. After checking out Ayron Jones and The Way, I definitely understand and respect the comparison. Ayron Jones’ vocals (in my mind a mix of Johnny Lang and Tracy Chapman) offer the perfect balance of blues to the band’s soulful rock sound, which makes for an electrifying, and grooving sound.
I have a terrible sense of direction, so when I heard of Down North it was love at first sound. I clicked the play button and discovered an uplifting, punk, soul infusion roaring through my headphones. This is exactly what I needed to get my day started. Seattle has grown a new addiction, this four piece band. These guys have created a genre of their own and it's damn good. You'll hear the influences of Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendrix and Sam Cooke within 30 seconds of listening. I dare you to not fall in love with Down North, triple dog dare you.
