popwreckoning

I sadly was not able to attend Sunday’s Musicfest Northwest shows at the Pioneer Courthouse Square, so Saturday was my final day in Portland running around from venue to venue. I can say that this year was on par with last year’s festival, of course with a few differences – the heat being one of them.

So this Saturday evening, I made my way to the Pioneer Courthouse Square for Typhoon, The Antlers, and Explosions in the Sky.

Since the show was supposed to start at 5 p.m., the crowd got perhaps the hottest weather we had all week. While Typhoon started a bit late (quite late actually), I was still mesmerized by the band’s sweeping chords and lovely melodies.

This band has so many people in it – seriously. This was a huge stage, and it was still filled to the brim with band members.

Typhoon’s performance was even better than when I saw them in May at the Sasquatch Festival. It almost made me forget about the overwhelmingly hot sun beating down on my head. Thank goodness I brought my fedora, or else I would have had a nasty sunburn.

After Typhoon finished their set, for some reason the stage was vacant for way too long, putting the rest of the set even more behind schedule, but based on what came next, I would have waited for hours.

The Antlers blew me away. I saw them for a short time back at the Sasquatch Festival, but I stayed for the whole set this time, and I literally was almost brought to tears during one song because this band is so good live.

Peter Silberman has the most beautiful voice, and it carried wonderfully through Pioneer Courthouse Square. The sonically immense dream pop was perhaps my favourite show of the whole weekend. I just sat and listened.

Seriously, the closing song “Putting the Dog to Sleep” basically made me cry. The Antlers’ album was the one I went out and bought when I got home from the festival. It was so good.

If it weren’t for this show, I would have never listened to their album Burst Apart in its entirety and realized how amazing it was. This one will certainly be near the top of my list of best albums of 2011.

Once the Antlers stepped off the stage, it was again vacant for much longer than one would expect when the schedule is so behind, but whatever.

Explosions in the Sky was one band I really had no idea how I was going to like, because I haven’t heard much of their stuff, and being instrumental post-rock, it’s very subjective. I liked them surprisingly more than I thought I would. It was as the sun was setting, so quite beautiful and majestic.

I didn’t stay for the whole set, as I still had plenty more to see that night, but I have a feeling I may have gotten bored if I’d stayed the whole time because I don’t know their music that well and when something doesn’t have lyrics, it’s harder to automatically get into it.

So instead I made my way over to the Crystal Ballroom for the final time this weekend to see Avi Buffalo, who disappointed me on so many levels.

The band seemed awkward on stage. It was like they felt it was too big to they shoved over onto one side. Avi himself seemed a bit flustered, although the heat may have been playing a role (seriously it was even more excruciatingly hot in there). His guitar kept cutting out and he did not play it off well. I’ve seen plenty of musicians that have equipment trouble, and I’m always impressed when they can either brush it off and go acoustic or laugh it off with the crowd. This was not either one of those instances.

I actually told myself – two songs and I’m leaving, which was sad, because I didn’t really have any more plans for that night.

Thankfully I was hanging around with the same friend I had been with all week, and we checked the schedule – and when she saw that Yacht was playing at this place called Branx, she instantly lit up and we went on our way.

I can tell you that there could have been no better way to end the festival. It was hot again at Branx, yes, but the heat was matched by the overwhelming energy from the crowd in this tiny warehouse club. Yacht blew me away, and it made me really regret not seeing their Bumbershoot set. Thankfully, I was able to right that wrong in Portland on this particular Saturday.

The band played lots of old and newer songs, which got the crowd even more riled up. And I didn’t even know the songs that well and I was dancing until my keep felt like they were going to fall off.

So as the evening came to an end, I rested my paining feet in my air-conditioned car and made my way to Denny’s for a late night meal at 1:30 a.m. I guarantee that there were still people out their partying and enjoying what was left of the festival, but I was beat.

Beat and satisfied.

For the rest of the photos from Saturday, visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/abbigshmail/sets/72157627643564566/

Pardon the horrendous pun there.

Friday was quite the evening, running from…well I guess there were only three venues, two of which were two doors down from each other. But regardless, it was definitely a night to remember.

It began at Backspace, where Drew Grow and the Pastor’s Wives started the lineup (which also included The Globes, P.S. I Love You and the Thermals). I would have stayed for the whole night at Backspace, but I’ve seen the Globes and the Thermals several times, and had no wish to see P.S. I Love You.

But Drew Grow and the Pastor’s Wives were perfect. This small venue (which is a cafe before anything else) filled comfortably while there was still some light in the sky. The stage was barely elevated, making the crowd literally face to face with the band, and much more intimate. I wish the set had been longer, because it felt like it was just getting to the really good part when they finished the set. But really, the whole set was the good part – the giant intense gospel-tinged folk rock. Don’t be fooled by the “gospel” and “folk” in that sentence though, Drew Grow and the Pastor’s Wives are still pretty darn heavy – so much so that you can feel it from your throat to the soles of your feet.

After their set, I looked at my schedule for the address to the next venue – the Someday Lounge. And lo and behold – I stepped out the door, looked to my left, and there it was two doors down from Backspace. I had to walk but maybe 50 feet. Maybe.

This place had a completely different energy – it was darker and more quiet, and a bit smellier. I’d gone there to see the Music Tapes, a.k.a. Julian Koster, of the Elephant 6 Collective (also see Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia Tremor Control, the Apples in Stereo). I’d seen the Music Tapes as part of an Elephant 6 Collective show back in March at the Vera Project in Seattle, and he was by far the most memorable and more charismatic of the group (sadly Jeff Mangum didn’t show up to that). So I had to take advantage of the chance to see Julian Koster again.

I’ll just say this – he played a saw with a violin bow. And there was a 7-foot metronome. Enough said.

After the first half of the Music Tapes’ set, I had to skip out to make it across town to the Doug Fir, where I’d be spending the rest of my evening.

It’s not like it’s a long drive, but on Portland roads, if you get turned around or don’t find parking right away, it can take awhile.

I was hoping I’d make it for the last bit of Pickwick’s opening set, but I was too late, sad to say.

However, I did get a nice surprise.

I knew absolutely nothing about the next band to play, Lost Lander. So I used my trusty Google phone to dig up some dirt on this band. It turned out that it was a project of songwriter Matt Sheehy and none other than ex-Menomenaut Brent Knopf. So they had to be good.

I thought at first after reading about Lost Lander that Knopf was merely a producer and he worked on recording the album with Sheehy, but as I was standing up in front of the stage of the Doug Fir with some new friends, I look to my right and there is Brent Knopf. Naturally, I had a little bit of a fangirl moment. You see, I saw Menomena at last year’s Musicfest Northwest, and it was the greatest show of the festival – maybe of the year. When I found out that Knopf was leaving the band in January, I basically cried. So now that I was seeing Knopf again at Musicfest, I was overjoyed, even if it wasn’t with Menomena.

Lost Lander’s set was awesome, and not just because Knopf was in the back corner. It was one of my favorite shows of the whole festival.

After I was thoroughly pleased, AgesandAges took the stage for their exuberant set. Seriously, they were dancing all over the place, and I couldn’t help be dance and sing along, even though I didn’t really know any of their songs. The Portland natives certainly played to their hometown, because the whole crowd was rocking.

I enjoyed their set so much that I didn’t even care so much that they started 25 minutes late. But once they were done I realized that it was after midnight, when Givers were supposed to start at midnight. The time was starting to catch up with me.

But I didn’t care, because Givers was the band I’d been waiting to see all weekend, and the reason I’d stayed at the Doug Fir all night without switching venues. I wasn’t about to leave and come back, risking the venue filling up.

It was 12:40 by the time the Lafayette, Louisiana natives took the stage, and I loved every minute of it until 2 a.m. when guitarist Taylor Guarisco had to literally tell the crowd to shut up because the Doug Fir was kicking us all out.

I thought AgesandAges brought the energy. Pfft, they were good, but nothing compared to Givers. I don’t know where this band gets all their positive and joyful energy. It’s infectious, and with great songs like “Up Up Up” and “In My Eyes,” you can’t go wrong, even at 1 a.m.

Since I’d run into Guarisco at the Sasquatch Festival back in May, he recognized me at Musicfest as well, so we chatted a bit after the show, at 2:30 a.m., because sleep is overrated. It was nice making a reconnection with a band, and when it’s a band that charming, with that much talent, and that close to hitting it big, it made me feel that much better.

Well done guys, well done.

So I’d say Friday was a success, wouldn’t you? I mean, I don’t regret staying up until 3:00 a.m., and that says something.

For more photos from Friday, visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/abbigshmail/sets/72157627636436068/

This was perhaps the busiest Thursday night I’d ever experienced. I went to four different venues within Portland and saw six bands.

Let’s get this started, shall we?

I ventured to the Wonder Ballroom, which sits in the middle of a suburban neighborhood, for headliners Brand New. However, I’d completely forgotten that the Joy Formidable was opening for them, but I’m thankful I got there as early as I did, because the Joy Formidable rocked my socks off. I mean seriously. I’d only heard one of their songs before this show, and I was an instant fan. This was the afternoon that I realized that the girl rockers were back. By the end of the festival, I noticed that only three of the bands didn’t have girls playing with them.

Ritzy Bryan is a fierce front woman, even though she stands about 5’3” in heels. Rhydian Dafydd (and that’s a Welsh name, so I guarantee ‘Dafydd’ isn’t pronounced that way) sweat through his shirt by the middle of the set, but then again it was at least 90 degrees in there.

This is a band to watch. I’m sure of it.

To be honest, after the Joy Formidable’s set, Brand New wasn’t all that special for me. It was nice to see a band that I’ve liked (on and off) since I was 13, but after the first three or four songs I was satisfied. I’m not big on too much screaming anymore like I was when I was in junior high, but Brand New put on a show worthy of 90-degree weather, from what I caught.

Thankfully the next venue I went to had air conditioning – the Doug Fir. I can’t tell you how much I love that place. It is comfortable, roomy, the food is good, there is free water, the bathrooms are relatively clean, and that places gets some amazing bands. And as well as a music venue and restaurant upstairs – the Doug Fir is also connected to a hotel, the Jupiter. Oh and did I mention that there is free street parking? Yeah, I love this venue.

On this particular evening, I went to the Doug Fir to see Portland’s own Brainstorm, whom I knew absolutely nothing about other than what the MFNW site said, and I was pleasantly surprised with the results. It’s an odd mixture – two well-coifed blonde guys, one on guitar and one on drums and both singing – doing catchy surf rock. Think Surfer Blood but switch out Florida for Portland, and that’s what you get with Brainstorm. Also, a few songs into their set, they brought out a female keyboardist. That’s one more on the list of bands with girls in them!

After Brainstorm was Purity Ring, kind of an inexplicable band. When they started playing I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it or not, but that’s mainly because the lighting was stressing my out trying to get photos. But they were surprisingly polished and unique. Purity Ring consisted of a female vocalist and percussionist and male instrumentalist – and I say instrumentalist because I don’t even know what he was playing. He was beating on a set of pipes that lit up at the end, making different toned with each strike, so I’m not sure what to call it, but I just know it was cool.

I debated staying the entire evening to see Phantogram later that night because the Doug Fir was at capacity, but I had a couple more places I wanted to go.

First was Holocene – a venue I’d never been to – for Twin Sister. I saw this band open for the Morning Benders last year and they were Fantastic with a capital F. I fell in love with their sultry sounds at Neumos, but I was so disappointed with their set at Holocene. I didn’t think my tastes had changed that much in a year, but I just was not feeling their vibe on Thursday. Singer Andrea Estella looked wide-eyed and confused and awkward on stage, and their chillwave melodies were almost too chillwave so the rest of the band was half awake.

So either their set at Musicfest was a fluke or I was on a different wavelength last year. It probably didn’t help my attitude that night that a guy spilled his green minty drink on me. I smelled like toothpaste for the rest of the night.

Since I skipped out on Twin Sister early, I headed over to the Bunk Bar  – another venue I was unfamiliar with – to see one of my hometown heroes Damian Jurado. This guy is one of those Seattle musicians that hovers around open mics and you’ll see him everywhere, and because he is so good you feel a bit starstruck but considering how close the Seattle music scene is, you feel sort of silly acting starstruck. The Bunk Bar is a small bar with absolutely no light, but a friendly vibe and a great view from the outside window. It was especially awesome when several members of Seattle’s Pickwick and Sharon Van Etten walked in. That’s one thing that I really love about Musicfest Northwest – you’ll see one band at a different band’s set, like it’s a completely normal thing. But I guess in a city like Portland, that is a normal thing.

Pardon the pun.

I couldn’t resist.

But seriously though, as the kick-off to this year’s Musicfest Northwest (or MFNW for future reference), The Kills at the Crystal Ballroom were awesome. I caught maybe five minutes of their set at Bumbershoot, but this venue was so much better for them, with the smoke machine and creepy paintings of cherubs on the walls. The only downside was the fact that it may have gotten to be over 100 degrees in there at some point.

For some ungodly reason Portland was in the low 90s all weekend, and you know what that means for music venues – they’re even hotter. But surprisingly, I didn’t see anyone pass out the whole time I was there.

But back to the music, shall we? Eleanor Friedberger, of the Fiery Furnaces, opened for the Kills, with an understated, but stellar performance. It was virtually just herself up on the stage, and she was very well-received by the possibly-dehydrated crowd, and it made for a lovely opening set.

I’m just amazing that she survived that stage wearing all that denim. It was refreshing to see her without her brother Matthew, though her style stayed true to the sound we all know from her – gritty garage blues, but solo Eleanor had a bit more sassy pop to her. I liked it.

After the temperature of the room went up like… at least ten degrees, more smoke machines were turned on and even more people crowded in. Thank god for the free water station at the back of the room.

I will start off by saying – Alison Mosshart is one of the best front…women? I’ve ever seen. No, one of the best frontpeople – because she can stand next to Anthony Kiedis any day. I’m serious. This chick can rock her ass off – and it doesn’t hurt that her hair on this particular occasion was flaming red.

She’s crazy. Crazy awesome that is. She and guitarist Jamie Hince have all the chemistry two people need on stage, but it was so unspoken and understated that you almost forgot that there were two separate people on stage.

The Kills’ live performance was much bluesier than one would expect from the bands’ earlier albums. I guess Mosshart’s time with the Dead Weather rubbed off a bit, because the new songs were much heavier than previous albums, but just as good and just as sexy. And the opening number with “No Wow” was definitely not ‘no wow.’

Oh come on, I couldn’t not do it.

By the end of the evening, I was thoroughly satisfied with the Kills’ live show, even if I was a bit sweaty. Alison Mosshart might be my new favourite person to photograph. The girl does not stop moving!

Monday was by far the longest of the three days gallivanting around the Seattle Center, as it started at 12 Noon sharp. I met up with some people over at the Fountain Lawn stage for Motopony, one of Seattle’s newer phenomenons. I saw them play live for the first time last summer and recently heard their song “King of Diamonds” on 103.7 The Mountain, which is pretty big actually.

Frontman Daniel Blue can really put on a show, I’ll tell ya. Their early (and I mean early) afternoon show made me wish they played more around the city.

My camera and I moved over to the Free Yr Radio stage for Lake’s acoustic set, since I knew I couldn’t make it to their main set later in the day because of such a full schedule. While I found several times that weekend the people doing the short impromptu interviews at the stage were quite awkward, Lake was so chill that it made the set that much more enjoyable. I’m sure it was easier for the girl doing the interview as well.

Curtains for You was next, and they were one of the main bands I was looking forward to on that Monday. They opened for the Head and the Heart back in January at Neumo’s, and the atmosphere at the EMP Level 3 stage on Monday was just as warm and inviting as the Neumo’s show. It felt so intimate and fun – almost like a living room show.

After that was a trifecta of local talent – starting with Grand Hallway, whose brand of indie pop can only be described as majestic, with the strong instrumental melodies and orchestral quality.

I then headed over to the Free Yr Radio stage again for Ravenna Woods, since I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make it to their set later. I’ve seen them several times, so I didn’t feel that bad. But their acoustic set was fantastic. Again, dealing with the awkward interview, frontman Chris Cunningham laughed it all off with a giant smile, after rocking out to my favourite of their songs “We Want It All.” Which reminds me, I need to see if I can get into that Nirvana Nevermind exhibition, because Ravenna Woods is playing at it.

Back to the EMP Level 3 stage I went, and this time for Lemolo, who had quite a long line waiting to get in to see them by the time I got there, and it was already at capacity. It warmed my heart to see so them – like so many local bands that weekend – get such a strong audience. The two girls put on a lovely show, like always. The best part was when it sounded like everyone in the room started singing along to their song “Open Air.” It was a bit surreal, even for me.

After my heart was thoroughly warmed, I ventured into the Exhibition Hall for the first time that weekend for Eisley’s set. To tell you the truth, I used to listen to Eisley about 4 years ago, but have since moved on with my musical tastes. Because I hadn’t listened to them in forever, I was expecting something completely different at their show. I was not expecting them to rock so much. Thankfully I did see their show, or else I would have gone on thinking that they still did breathy lite indie pop. These girls have come a long way since Room Noises in 2005.

Vendetta Red was also in the Exhibition Hall that afternoon, and even though it wasn’t much of my style of music – this classic Seattle alternative punk band rocked the house. It definitely was nice for those fans to get to see Vendetta Red play live after their four-year hiatus.

The final act I got to see in daylight was Sharon Van Etten, who I had never seen before and didn’t know what to expect. While for the first couple of songs, it was only Sharon and her guitar on stage, her charm commanded the audience for a fantastic, rather stripped-down set.

Then the next hour of my evening went like this – ran over to Phantogram, stayed for a few songs and they were amazing. I was surprised because last year when they played Musicfest Northwest it was a bit underwhelming. After that, a couple of my fellow photographers and I ran across the Seattle Center to see Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside at the EMP Level 3 stage, and she was adorable, even if she admitted to being a little hungover. Then literally as soon as we were done shooting, we skidaddled over to the Key Arena to find some seats for Hall & Oates. Yes, Hall & Oates.

The main reason I saw Hall & Oates was not because I had been dying to see “Maneater” live, but merely the fact that I could say that I’d seen Hall & Oates play. The audience inside the Key Arena was hilarious – the exact opposite of the teenagers the day before. It was a bunch of middle-aged women singing their middle-aged little hearts out, which was endearing to say the least.

So it was the end of Bumbershoot 2011. It was a wild ride, but my week was far from over, as I’d be driving to Portland two days later for Musicfest Northwest the rest of the week. Stay tuned for that coverage coming soon!

For more photos from Monday, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/abbigshmail/sets/72157627482031965/

I anticipated for Bumbershoot to be crowded on Sunday, since for some reason the days where hip-hop artists headline the place fills up like the community pool in 100-degree weather. Thankfully we didn’t have 100-degree weather on this particular Sunday, but oh lord was it crowded.

My first stop of the day – after getting an iced coffee to both cool and down and warm me up – was the Fisher Green stage for Mad Rad, whom I saw part of their set at Sasquatch, but didn’t get the full effect. This Seattle band is absolutely everywhere – Sasquatch, Capital Hill Block Party, Bumbershoot, Musicfest Northwest, City Arts Fest – it’s crazy. But it’s well-deserved, because even if their albums and EPs and singles are hard to come by, you don’t even need to know the songs for them to get you pumped. “Party Mountain” and “I Want Your Blood” were definitely the two most well-received songs of the set. The band was full of an exorbitant amount of energy and it was still early in the day!

After that I went to my new favourite stage the Fountain Lawn stage for San Francisco’s Thee Oh Sees. This was one of two bands that day that I had no prior knowledge of, and I was thoroughly impressed. Frontman John Dwyer jumped around the stage, licking his guitar and shouting out lyrics all while keeping the crowd engaged for this early afternoon punk show. An odd juxtaposition, I know.

Next was Portland’s AgesandAges at the EMP Level 3 stage, which was a perfect small venue for them since the crowd that day was overwhelmingly hip-hop fans. I couldn’t stay for too long for the Portland indie pop band, but what I saw I liked.

The rest of my evening was a bit of a blur, as I was running from stage to stage at a lightning pace (not really, but roll with me here). Tennis was at the Fountain Lawn stage, who were good, but I would have sadly forgotten had I not taken photos of them.

Then I ran over to Fisher Green, really looking forward to Das Racist’s set because they were so good at Sasquatch, but I was sorely disappointed. After what seemed like a ten-minute DJ intro, the trio took the stage, lackadaisical and possibly drunk, and they didn’t even seem like they wanted to be there. It saddened me because I knew a friend that came to Bumbershoot for the first time partly just to see Das Racist, and they let her down. I don’t know if it was because it was early in the day, if they hadn’t had much sleep, or just because the new songs suck, but I wish I hadn’t made time in my schedule to see them.

Thankfully my mood was uplifted when I caught the Lonely Forest’s acoustic set at the Free Yr Radio stage. I was too late that day to see their performance at the main stage, but I’ve seen them oh….at least 6 times so I figured it was okay. That band is seriously the warmest and most likeable band around. I can never say anything bad about the Lonely Forest, because they rock. Even in an acoustic setting when a borrowed guitar craps out.

As the afternoon sun started to take its toll and the line for the main stage grew and grew – wait, I’ll backtrack for a second. By the mid/late afternoon, the line for the Key Arena wrapped all the way around it and down the main walkway in the middle of the Seattle Center. I hadn’t realized that many people were there to see Macklemore (or Wiz Khalifa). I mean, Macklemore deserves all the attention that he gets, but wow.

Okay, back to the present. Warpaint was next on my list, and they blew my expectations out of the water. When you hear them on record it’s not music that you would think played out well in a live venue, but these girls – for the lack of a better term – shredded. I wish I’d seen them when they opened for The xx last year, and I’m hoping they’ll come back at some point this year. It’s always nice to see an all-girl group rocking harder than their male counterparts.

I made a quick pit stop to see my favourite new white soul singer in Seattle – Allen Stone at the EMP Level 3 stage. Seriously, this guy is amazing. He doesn’t even have a full-length album out and was already featured in USA Today. Completely unassuming in his appearance, Stone is like Ray Lamontagne on spicy steroids. This guy, I can tell you, is going places.

I wasn’t planning on venturing into the black hole of teenagers that was the main stage at this point, but I figured I’d try to see Macklemore, because his set at Sasquatch was so grand and he’s such a nice guy. Thankfullyy I did, because I have never seen the Key Arena this crowded, and this full of life. It was magical, seeing all these (mostly) teenagers so excited about this local artist who isn’t even on a label yet. I’m sure after this month though, Macklemore will have labels lining up at his door. I could tell that it was mostly teenagers when Macklemore started out his song “Crew Cuts,” which is all about the 80s. He shouted out to the crowd asking who was born in the 70s (like 10), who was born in the 80s (maybe about a third of the room), and who was born in the 90s (the entire place exploded with sound). It made me feel old, and I was born in 1989. My favourite moment of the night came when he did “My Oh My,” the love song to the Seattle and Dave Niehaus, and the whole room lit up with lighters. Like at Sasquatch but even more so, it made me tear up just a little. Later on Macklemore’s Twitter page, he proclaimed that the evening’s performance at the Key Arena was a “dream come true.” I can see why.

Apologies for the slow updates, but I will have Monday’s post up tomorrow. I’ve been running around Portland for two days for Musicfest Northwest – and you can look forward to those posts coming next week.

To see the full set of photos from Sunday, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/abbigshmail/sets/72157627594039780/

Somehow Seattle managed to make it through Bumbershoot without a drop of rain, so it just goes to show you that you shouldn’t assume something is going to happen. At that, I missed several of the acts I planned on seeing this weekend, but that’s okay. I saw plenty of small acts that blew my expectations away, and they were all local. Imagine that!

Literally, on Saturday I only saw one band (with the exception of STRFKR, who is from Portland) that wasn’t a Seattle band.

It began with Brite Futures at the main stage, which in my mind was ridiculous, since the first time I ever saw them they were still Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head and they played on the now dearly-departed Broad Street Stage (more of this later). Not that I didn’t enjoy their set. I really did. All the new songs they played made me that much more excited for the new album, but the main stage at 1:30 in the afternoon was just not the right venue for them.

Back to that whole venue thing. This year shall go down in my Bumbershoot history as a “building” year. A.) They moved the main stage from the awesome Memorial Stadium to the less-than-spectacular Key Arena. B.) The Fountain Lawn and Fisher Green stage were way too close together. And C.) the new EMP Level 3 stage was not nearly big enough for some of the bands that played there.

Which brings me to my next band – Kris Orlowski and the Passenger String Quartet. I love this band. I love Kris Orlowski’s music, and he’s a super cool guy. And it was great to see him in such an intimate venue. But even as relatively unknown as he is in the larger scheme of Bumbershoot, there was a line outside the EMP. Thankfully they were regulating the number of people going in and out of the venue, but it made it that much harder for people to see those local bands who were well worth a larger venue for a festival. Usually, the great thing about Bumbershoot is that there aren’t any lines for people to stand in. That changed this year.

Next up was Champagne Champagne on the Fisher Green Stage – one of my favourite hip-hop acts of Seattle. The duo is incredibly fun, down to earth, and not the least bit cocky, which is something that I’ve found with Seattle artists. They rocked the lawn with the huge group of teenagers and 20-somethings alike, and it made for a great afternoon set.

KEXP, Seattle’s local independent radio station had a couple stages up for grabs this year – the Music Lounge and the Toyota Free Yr Radio Stage housed some of Seattle’s brightest up-and-comers. At the Free Yr Radio stage I finally got to see Campfire OK, who released their first album Strange Like We Are last year, and they were just as amazing live (even better) than they were on record. Plus they made some great jokes about their band name. Frontman Mychal Goodweather said, “We’ve come up with Bonfire So-So,” and the crowd snickered.

Finally branching outside of the Emerald City, San Francisco’s Vetiver hit the new Fountain Lawn Stage (which was perhaps my favourite stage all weekend). As much as they had a jam band vibe, they still had a very tight sound, and it made me glad that I listened to several recommendations to see them this weekend.

After Vetiver’s set, I made my way to the Words and Ideas stage to sit in at a panel with Colin Meloy and his wife Carson Ellis. This panel was all about the new book the two of them collaborated on – “Wildwood” – an illustrated novel about Portland, Or. But not only was it about Portland, it was about if Forest Park was a secret civilization where coyotes walked around in Napoleon-era military outfits, and badgers walked around with rickshaws. The panel was led by former Harvey Danger frontman and current music writer Shawn Nelson, and discussed everything from the beginnings of Meloy’s collaboration with Ellis to the extent of the mythical map of Forest Park. I walked into this not knowing that Ellis and Meloy were married, but it slowly occurred to me as they kept getting more and more adorable. I almost wanted to stand in line to get a book, but I figured I’d be in Portland the next weekend and I can just pick it up at Powell’s when I’m there.

As the sun set, I was back at the Fountain Lawn stage for STRFKR, who went on quite late, and it made all the rowdy teenagers behind me incredibly anxious, and thus, more annoying. I hadn’t seen STRFKR before, and had no idea what to expect, but they were as they are on record – very loud and very fun. The vocals were virtually indistinguishable, which I’m not sure if it was intentional, but that’s just about the only bad thing I can say about their performance.

To finish out the night, I did as I planned, and checked out Minus the Bear at the Fisher Green stage. And oh boy am I glad I did. The band was celebrating ten years together, and it showed with how seasoned the guys were on stage. Playing to a hometown crowd probably didn’t hurt much either, but the pioneers of math rock hit it hard that night, with me, and with the energetic crowd that stood behind me.

Since I was completely satisfied with my Saturday, I headed home shortly after that to get some rest for Sunday. Little did I know what was to come. Stay tuned!

For more pictures from Saturday at Bumbershoot, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/abbigshmail/sets/72157627592015416/

Believe it or not, I decided to do Bumbershoot and Musicfest Northwest back-to-back for the second year in a row. This year’s lineup is full of amazing Portlanders, spectacular Seattleites, and some fantastic foreigners (pardon the alliteration; I couldn’t help myself).

If you don’t know much about Musicfest Northwest, you aren’t alone. The Willamette Weekly-sponsored festival takes place within the city at all the venues throughout North, South, East, and West Portland. The setup is similar to South by Southwest, but not quite as big. This year’s festival takes place starting today, September 7, to Sunday, September 11.

Here I’ve compiled my complete list of bands you should definitely not miss (or at least try and see).

Wednesday (TODAY):

9:00: Eleanor Friedberger at the Crystal Ballroom. Separated from the Fiery Furnaces, Friedberger’s debut album did not disappoint. Here’s hoping her live show doesn’t either.

10:00: The Kills at the Crystal Ballroom. I barely got to see any of their set at Bumbershoot, so I’ve giving it a second go.

11:00: The Corin Tucker Band at Mississippi Studios. The last time I heard about the Corin Tucker Band was when Eddie Vedder showed up to the Showbox in Seattle and jammed on stage. Heck, who knows? It might happen again.

Thursday:

6:00: The Joy Formidable at the Wonder Ballroom. The last album garnered a huge radio hit with “Whirring,” and I’m waiting anxiously to see if it lives up to the hype live. It is a really catchy song, so I’m sure I’ll enjoy myself.

7:30: Brand New at the Wonder Ballroom. I’ve been waiting to see this band for so long, and I finally get my wish. It’s an odd venue for them, but I don’t care where I see them.

9:00: Brainstorm at the Doug Fir. One of the few bands I don’t know much about at this year’s festival, I’m intrigued by everything I read about them. From the Musicfest Northwest website: “Crushing riffs, explosive percussion, old world chanting, casio disco, and jaunty tuba lines make Brainstorm one of the most exhilarating and unique bands around.” Heck yes!

10:00: Unknown Mortal Orchestra at the Hawthorne Theater. Again, another band I know absolutely nothing about, but I might as well broaden my horizons while I’m in my favourite city. From the Musicfest Northwest website: “like Captain Beefheart, Sly Stone and RZA jamming on a creepy, never released kid’s show.”

11:00: Twin Sister at Holocene. I saw this band open for the Morning Benders last fall and they blew me away. Sexy subtle indie pop will be a good way to spend my Thursday night.

12 AM: EITHER Damian Jurado at Bunk Bar OR Phantogram at the Doug Fir. I can’t decide. After seeing Phantogram this weekend at Bumbershoot I want to see more and more of them, but I also really want to see one of Seattle’s finest – Damian Jurado. Who knows. Whichever venue I’m closest to will probably be the deciding factor.

Friday:

5:00: Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside at Pioneer Courthouse Square. I won’t be able to see this show, since I saw her, oh, two days ago, but I highly recommend her classic blues rock with a twang.

6:00: Marketa Irglova at Pioneer Courthouse Square. One half of the Swell Season, how could you not resist?

7:30: Iron and Wine at Pioneer Courthouse Square. If it was any later in the evening, I’d opt out of this one because Iron and Wine is so low-key, but this will be perfect for just around sunset. Purely beautiful.

8:00: Drew Grow and the Pastor’s Wives at Backspace. This band is amazing. After going through a rough beginning of the year, Drew Grow overcame a rather tragic bus accident to come back swinging. I’m pretty sure one of my next couple Fantastically Local features will be about Drew Grow and the Pastor’s Wives. Be sure of it.

9:00: EITHER The Globes at Backspace OR Pickwick at the Doug Fir OR the Music Tapes at the Someday Lounge. Again, I can’t decide. I love Julian Koster (i.e. the Music Tapes), and I love the Globes, and I have a newfound love for Pickwick. Seriously, you’re going to make me decide?

10:00: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis at the Roseland Theater. I probably won’t be able to make it out to this one because of my busy schedule, but if you like hip-hop (hell and even if you don’t) at least consider checking out Macklemore. He filled the Key Arena to capacity last weekend. That’s saying something.

11:00: Dan Mangan at Mississippi Studios OR Blitzen Trapper at the Crystal Ballroom. In my circle, Dan Mangan is known as Vancouver’s most adorable, but he has all the songwriting chops and charisma to back up his charming smile. And Blitzen Trapper’s new album Destroyer of the Void is so effing fantastic. How am I supposed to decide?

12 AM: GIVERS at the Doug Fir. No matter what I’m not missing this band. I will stand out in line for an hour beforehand if that’s what it takes. After seeing their set at Sasquatch back in May, I can’t get enough of them. And since they’re finally headliners, I can’t wait to see what’s to come of their deep south psychedelic pop.

Saturday:

5:00: Typhoon at Pioneer Courthouse Square. This band built up of an almost unnecessary number of members can really rock out. My first experience with them was at Sasquatch, and I’m excited to see the Portland natives again.

6:00: The Antlers at Pioneer Courthouse Square. This band is amazingly underrated. With an unassuming facade, The Antlers was one of the best bands I’ve seen at the last two festivals I’ve been to.

7:30: Explosions in the Sky at Pioneer Courthouse Square. I’m still not entirely sure how instrumental post-rock is going to go down in the Pioneer Courthouse Square, but EITS albums are some of the most interesting I’ve heard in recent years.

Also, this would be a good point for some Voodoo Doughnuts.

9:00: Kelli Schaefer at Bunk Bar. Kelli Schaefer not only is one of Portland’s newest shining stars, her latest album is truly splendid. She recorded it with label mate (and fellow festival act) Drew Grow, so I’m sure you’ll be anything by disappointed.

10:00: Avi Buffalo at the Crystal Ballroom. Seeing the Long Beach indie-pop band Avi Buffalo is a long time coming for me, and I’m not about to give it up.

11:00: Jared Mees and the Grown Children at Rontoms. Here’s another one of those bands that saying their almost takes longer than it does to fall in love with their music (see Drew Grow and the Pastor’s Wives). Plus, playing to a hometown crowd will be even sweeter.

12 AM: The Moondoggies at Bunk Bar. The Moondoggies are another band that is completely unassuming at first glance, but once you hear them, you forgot everything you thought to begin with. Their last album Tidelands took the full and beautiful harmonies and added several dynamics for a more well-rounded sound.

Sunday:

4:00-9:00: Bobby Bare Jr, Morning Teleportation, Cass McCombs Band, Band of Horses at Pioneer Courthouse Square. If you’ve got tickets to this, it’s really your only option for the day, so live it up!

Last.fm is a website I’ve used extensively in building my music collection. I’ve discovered some of my favourite bands there. And based on my general music tastes and most played artists, The Drums is on my list of recommended bands. Seriously, they always pop up. So because this website I so dearly trust told me that I’d like this band, I wanted to love their newest album Portamento so much. I really did.

I gave it several listens to see if I’d like it even more the second time, the third time. But every time, it was as forgettable as the last. Not that I wanted to turn it off. That’s definitely not the case. The album isn’t bad. But it’s not good. It’s just there. It’s stale. Sadly it fades into the background of all the Bloc Partys, Two Door Cinema Clubs, Mystery Jets, Maccabees and all those who came before them in the endless sea of surfy, synthy dance rock.

And I know my synthy dance rock. I’ve seen We Are Scientists seven times in four different states.

The problem with the Drums’ newest effort is that it’s trying too hard to be safe, to fit in with those types of albums. In this day and age, to stand out is to be avante garde, progressive. It’s one thing to be refreshing and reminiscent of prior decades, but to make retro work for you, you have to either do something different with it, or do it really really well.

The Drums started the album off with a rather hollow introductory song. “Book of Revelations” features a monotonous melody, rather nasally vocals, and a guitar line that sounds like an electric guitar that’s unplugged.

Sadly, after that most of the songs flow together in one forgettable indie movie soundtrack. Probably the worst of them is “Please Don’t Leave,” which like the title, sounds whiney and a bit annoying. I seriously can’t get over the sound of the empty electric guitar. Maybe it will sound different live. I was planning on seeing them on their upcoming tour because I know the drummer they’re touring with, but now I’m not so sure about that.

The album’s one saving grace is the charming harmonies from the multiple vocalists. Especially on the fast-paced and quite catchy “Money,” the harmonies exemplify the 80s-esque New Wave feel of the album.

Portamento is minimalist, and a tad sad in some places, but while droning – it makes sense within The Drums career. Hopefully it’s one of those sophomore slump things, because I want to believe in this band. I want them to push through, especially since earlier in the summer they almost broke up. And it could be that Portamento was what came of that – but not in the best way.

Track listing

1. “Book of Revelation”
2. “Days”
3. “What You Were”
4. “Money”
5. “Hard to Love”
6. “I Don’t Know How to Love”
7. “Searching for Heaven”
8. “Please Don’t Leave”
9. “If He Likes It Let Him Do It”
10. “I Need a Doctor”
11. “In the Cold”
12. “How It Ended”

Visit http://thedrums.com/

Is it terrible that like…basically the only acts I want to see on Monday are local bands? I feel like at a festival I should be broadening my horizons, which I will anyway, but I can’t help myself. I love my city, and the music that comes from it.

12:00: Motopony at the Fountain Lawn Stage. This band is finally getting some radio play in Seattle on stations other than KEXP, which is well-deserved, because lead singer Daniel Blue’s jazzy voice with the catchy indie rock makes for great songs live and on record. I haven’t seen them in over a year, so I’m excited.

1:30: Curtains for You at the EMP Level 3 Stage. Another group of locals – Curtains for You is the epitome of adorable, but not to an annoying extent. Hopefully this new stage has lots of dancing room.

2:15: Grand Hallway at the Starbucks Stage. Orchestral chamber pop. That’s all I have to say.

3:15: Yacht at the Fountain Lawn Stage. I loved. LOVED. Yacht’s last album, and I’m ready for their electropop awesomeness.

4:30: Lemolo at the EMP Level 3 Stage. These girls are awesome. I’ve seen them twice now, and it’s quite amazing what they can do between the two of them. It’s almost like it’s one magical musical mind in two different people.

5:30: Eisley at the Exhibition Hall Stage. More girls! I need more female artists in my musical repertoire. And Eisley is just perfect for that with their ethereal melodic voices that I just can’t get enough of.

6:00: Lake at the EMP Level 3 Stage. More adorable! But in all seriousness, we need more bands from Olympia in this world. We’ve got Sleater Kinney and Gossip. Olympia has a great music scene too, Seattle shouldn’t get all the credit.

6:45: Sharon Van Etten at the Fountain Lawn Stage. Since I am hitting up two festivals this week (you’ll be seeing my Musicfest Northwest previews pretty soon too!) I’m seeing Sharon Van Etten with her gorgeous compositions and earnest songwriting here at Bumbershoot before I miss the chance in Portland.

7:30: Ravenna Woods at the EMP Level 3 Stage. I cannot say enough about this band to make you want to see them. They’re so amazing that they’ll be a part of the Nevermind Showcase at the EMP later this month on the 10^th Anniversary of the release of Nirvana’s iconic album. Yeah, you wanna see them now before they get too big, or else you won’t get another chance like this one.

7:45: Fitz and the Tantrums at the Mainstage. This is the only band that I seriously and in all honesty WANT to see at the Mainstage on Monday. I saw a tiny bit of their set back in May at Sasquatch and I wasn’t nearly satisfied with that little bit. I want more!

9:00: Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside at the EMP Level 3 Stage (wow, looks like I’ll be hanging out at this stage basically all day). Here’s another band that will be at both festivals I’m attending this week, and I’ll need my dose of roots and blues rock for the day.

9:15: Hall & Oates (why they list them as Daryl Hall and John Oates, I don’t know. It’s just Hall & Oates) at the Mainstage. Not that I don’t want to see Hall and Oates. I do. But I feel like their appearance at Bumbershoot is nothing more than a gimmick. Like, shouldn’t they be playing at the Puyallup Fair? Last year Bob Dylan played. This year we get Hall and Oates. Something just doesn’t feel quite fair.

So here’s you pre-dose of Bumbershoot. Now go enjoy the sun, sounds, and smells of the festival before the namesake becomes too literal.