popwreckoning

Art of Dying is currently on the Uproar Rockstar Energy Tour. After performing, they invited their fans to spend some time with them at the artist’s tent.

At 4 p.m. on Saturday, September 24, Art of Dying took to the Best Buy stage in Bonner Springs, Kan.  They welcomed the crowd to the tour, then began to rock the area.  Around the stage were a sea of bodies throwing up rock fingers. As the band played chart topping songs such as “Get Through This” and “Die Trying” the crowd began to jump and sing along.  Hearing the voices of the crowd singing in harmony with the band was an amazing experience, the vibes flowing through the crowd seemed to connect everyone to the music. After the set was finished, lead vocalist Jonny Hetherington invited everyone to meet them at the Art of Dying tent, saying that they would die trying to meet everyone.

Shortly after the meet and greet, Hetherington and  Tavis Stanley hosted the Ms. Uproar contest while I got the opportunity to sit down one-on-one with the band. Cale Gontier was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions.

Elicia Nichols, PopWreckoning: How did you and the boys meet and end up getting together as Art of Dying?

Cale, Art of Dying:  Everyone was involved in different projects.  Jonny and Jeff brought everyone together and we all clicked and we eventually started to play music together.  That was about five years ago. When we first got together we were all really cool with one another.  It was a special connection we had from the beginning and it has stayed that way.  We don’t like violence we just like to be cool and have a good time.

PW: Where did the name Art of Dying come from?

Cale: The Art of Dying comes from a longer statement.  It is the art of dying is my live to live, meaning we must spend our time wisely.

PW:  You guys have been signed to Disturbed’s label Intoxication, how did that happen for you guys?

Cale: We put demos out everywhere and somehow Dan got a hold of it and he liked it.  Dan began following us on MySpace and saw our hard work.  One day Dan called and talked with Jonny for about an hour and we did not hear anything until one year later when he called again.  When he called back he asked us to open for Disturbed.  That tour was pretty much a showcase for us we had no idea at that time that Disturbed had a record label.  After the tour was finished they signed us and since then we have been on a few major tours.

PW:  How many records have you released?

Cale:  We have released one with Intoxication, Vices & Virtues in 2011.   In 2007 we released an independent record called Die Trying.

PW:  So your song “Get Through This” is featured on the Transformers 3 soundtrack, can you tell me a little about how that opportunity came your way?

Cale: Yeah, it is on the soundtrack.  The soundtrack is completely different from the songs in the movie.  We were just contacted and asked if we would like to have the song on the soundtrack and of course we said yes.

PW:  When you are on stage how would you describe the vibes the crowd gives you and how does it feel?

Cale: It’s a special thing to be on stage and see the crowd get into the music with you.  It’s nice to watch the crowd grow and it is fun to watch them sing and get into it.

PW:  For those who don’t know your sound what kind of genres would you say the Art of Dying fits into?

Cale:  We are into grunge, some hard rock mixed with a more modern rock sound.

PW: What is your favorite thing about being on tour?

Cale: I love waking up in a different city with my boys.  We spend most of our time on the bus with each other, and when we have some time off we stay in hotels.

PW: So Jeff what is the key around your neck for?

Jeff, Art of Dying:  The key unlocks the rhythm inside me.

Written by Elicia Nichols

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!

As previously announced, Popwreckoning will be hosting a Kansas City and Lawrence music showcase at Aggiefest 2011 in Manhattan, Kansas. This year’s festival has morphed into the 6th Annual Multi-Genre Live Music and 1st Ever Visual Arts Festival. In this post you will find details regarding the Popwreckoning line-up and the festival in general.

Have a look at the bands we picked!

Friday September 23rd:
Auntie Mae’s Parlor • 614 N. 12th St. • Manhattan KS • 785.539.8508

6:00pm to 6:45pm Lucky Graves
7:00pm to 7:45pm Not A Planet
8:00pm to 8:45pm Quiet Corral
9:00pm to 9:45pm Dead Girls
10:00pm to 10:45pm Janet the Planet
11:00pm to 11:45pm Spirit is the Spirit
12:00am to 12:45am Parts of Speech
1:00am to 1:45am YAM

Saturday September 24th:
Outside Stage at Triangle Park, Manhattan Kansas

4:00pm to 4:45pm Various Blonde
5:00pm to 5:45pm Sage n Sour
6:00pm to 6:45pm The Phantom
7:00pm to 7:45pm Vi Tran
8:00pm to 8:45pm BROKENMAST
9:00pm to 9:45pm Jillian Riscoe and the 21st Century
10:00pm to 10:45pm Bravefellow

Auntie Mae’s Parlor • 614 N. 12th St. • Manhattan KS • 785.539.8508
9:00pm to 9:45pm Jenny Carr
10:00pm to 10:45pm Sour Babies
11:00pm to 11:45pm Everyday/Everynight

Now, let’s get to the details.

Aggiefest 2011 will offer a plethora of shops, pubs & eateries which will feature art pieces from various local & regional artists.  Here you’ll have the opportunity to hob knob with the rich and famous (i.e. starving artists and Aggies) and pay them for their goods and services.

Let’s see how this shindig works.

Get a ticket from On the Wildside or Sisters of Sound in Aggieville.
$20 adults
$15 minors
$10 to bands to sell for a profit *stop by Sisters of Sound

Alright, just a few more steps for you to follow. Take your tushie to the festival, exchange your ticket for the appropriate wristband and partake in the lovely music and merch! You’ll find there are several all-ages venues for those of you who haven’t yet fermented to the ripe ol’ age of 21 (or 18)! The all ages venues include the Dusty Bookshelf, Bluestem Bistro, Radina’s, Triangle Park and Pat’s BBQ’s Backroom until 10pm. Campus Tavern and Ale House accomodates those who are 18 and over. O’Malley’s will be 18 and over until 8pm then go 21 and up only; Auntie Mae’s allows entry to those who are 21 and up. Check out this Map of Aggieville for your convenience.

But wait, there’s more! Enter the RAFFLE to win a quality quilt made from Aggiefest T-shirts of yore. The raffle proceeds will benefit Morning Star Inc., a company with a mission to provide consumers of mental health services with the resources needed to break through the barriers of stigma & isolation. Also, maps/schedules will be provided for both the music and the art fair, and will include the Aggiefest 2011 sponsors.

Finally, without question is the most important step of them all. Rock your ass off for 2 straight days with live, local music and art and show your support in Aggieville. We can’t wait to see you there!

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/

While Saturday is my designated FOLK day, Sunday is going to be non-stop energy. I can’t wait.

1:00: Wayne Federman and the Gregory Brothers at the Intiman Theatre. I don’t really know anything about this Wayne Federman guy, but the Gregory Brothers (otherwise known as Auto-Tune the News on YouTube if you didn’t already know) are sure to be a spectacle. They played at the 2^nd Annual Vidcon in Los Angeles in July. And from what I heard, it was awesome.

1:30: The Lonely Forest on the Mainstage. I may have seen this band way too many times, but I don’t care, because they’re that good. It might be kind of weird seeing them on the mainstage, because they moved the mainstage to the Key Arena this year instead of Memorial Stadium (yeah, that happened).

2:15: Mad Rad at the Fisher Green Stage. This band is an anomaly – I think they call themselves hipster-hop. I don’t even know how to describe them. Their live show is not for the faint of heart, but definitely not one to miss.

3:00: Broken Social Scene at the Mainstage. I missed their performance at Sasquatch 2010 and I smacked myself so many times for missing them, and I’m not going to do it again.

5:45: Das Racist at the Fisher Green Stage. Whether or not this group’s stage antics is alcohol-induced (most likely is), they have so much hilarious charisma that you’ll be laughing through singing along.

6:45: Warpaint at the Fountain Lawn Stage. You don’t see a lot of all-girl groups anymore. Also, I have not been able to stop listening to Warpaint all summer, so I will be getting my fix this weekend.

7:30: Allen Stone at the EMP Level 3 Stage Sponsored by Mission Foods Artisan. Allen Stone hasn’t even recorded a full-length album and he’s already been featured in USA Today. Seriously? How can you not see his live show? I can vouch – he’s awesome live.

8:00: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis on the Mainstage. I was already in awe of his performance at Sasquatch, and I cannot wait to get back into that crowd full of energy once more. Plus, hearing “My Oh My” actually IN Seattle will be even more moving than before.

9:15: The Kills on the Fisher Green Stage. Alison Mosshart is fantastic, and anything she is apart of – I want to see. Plus, their last album released in April is a winner in my book. And since this will be my last show of the night, I wanna go out dancing.

Oh, but that’s not all! Tomorrow the festival starts, but it’s my final preview for Monday. So keep on the lookout for Bumbershoot coverage all weekend!

Sunday started in the same place it would end, at the Vera stage, with a fantastic local band. As I entered the ground, I could hear Land of Pines soundchecking and immediately got excited. Land of Pines are one of the most promising bands I’ve seen lately, and their set was eagerly anticipated. They closed their set with a couple new songs that were especially enticing. These songs were noisier, and less pop orientated than older stuff and sounded excellent.

Following that set was another Main Stage act, My Goodness. They were one of two local bands playing that day I had been meaning to see for a while, but had somehow missed. This duo played bluesy rock reminiscent of The White Stripes, but with much bigger balls. They tore through their songs in a manner that ignited the crowd. It was all very exciting.

After that set I wandered around for a while enjoying the glories of Block Party, before heading to Neumo’s for the other local band I had been meaning to see, Campfire OK. http://campfireok.com/ They play a mix of folk and indie pop that is instantly intriguing. It’s a little dark, very orchestral and incredibly well played. Their new album Strange Like We Are is going to be in heavy rotation for a while. It’s kind of epic.

Headed back into the sun it was time for beloved  instrumental act Battles on the main stage. Battles were furious and noisy, with an electronic precision that the crowd responded well to. This was obviously a day to hear stuff I had ignored. The most recent Battles record Gloss Drop has been talked about quite a bit, and it was good to see why.

Over to the Vera Stage it was time for Lake. Lake sound very precious on their new album Giving and Receiving, and it was hard to gauge how they would sound live. They sound a bit like a less electronic Stereolab, if you need a reference. Luckily, they played well, and I’m convinced that I’ll be listening to their music for a long time.

Closing things out for me, were Grand Hallway, again on the Vera stage. I can’t get enough of this band, and see them every chance. They play fantastic orchestral pop that seems to get better every time I see they play. The hometown crowd was very receptive, and was definitely there for this band.

I walked away with their songs still echoing in my head, sad to see the weekend gone. I was totally exhausted, but filled with joy. I’m already anticipating Block Party next year. It’s only once a year I get to see my neighborhood taken over in such a magnificent way.

Saturday started with a KEXP set, this time by Handsome Furs, who would later headline the main stage. Even though it was much shorter, I enjoyed them much more in the Bean Room than I did on the Main Stage. The room was empty, less than fifty people, which meant they connected better.

Handsome Furs are an incredible live band. Dan Boeckner and his wife Alexi Perry have incredible chemistry which was fantastic to watch. Boeckner got into the crowd near the end of the set, and it was obvious that he was completely energized. The four songs they played were off their recent album Sound Kapital. Read my review of it here, and then go out And buy it.

After that set, a tip at a bar led me to Neumos to see local band Lovesick Empire. http://www.myspace.com/lovesickempire It was to be a weekend of local bands. This was great because Seattle has an amazing scene, and Block Party was set up to showcase a good number of them.

Lovesick Empire play bluesy stuff with something of a dirgey edge. They were spectacularly loud, and fun to watch. Their song “Something In My Blood” is a new favorite, and they are one of many local acts I look forward to seeing again. Pure blooded rock n roll at it’s finest.

Next up was another local band, Fences. I love their debut self-titled album like water, and was looking forward to seeing them again after a year and half of blown opportunities. The one time I had seen Christopher Mansfield and gang was November 2009, opening for Vic Chestnutt.  The band seems to have matured since then, and each song they played hit the speakers like a massive pop hit. The crowd seemed ecstatic, and it was a great set. Singing along to the song “Sadie” with the “it’s really getting old, kid” refrain was a highlight of the weekend.

Then it was back to Neumos, and out of the heat for The Fiery Furnaces’ Eleanor Friedberger’s solo set. Supporting her debut solo album Last Summer it was interesting to see her play alone. Most of the songs came from the solo album, which is great. It’s worth hearing, especially for Fiery Furnaces fans. Most FF albums are hard to get a grip on, and this one is no different. It’s strange, and cathartic, and full of great stories, some of which Freidberger told that afternoon.

Leaving Neumos, and walking to the Vera stage was an experience in itself.  It was wonderful to wade through the crowds. Block Party is hot and sticky, but there is joy to be found in every corner.

When I got to the Vera stage it was time for one of my most anticipated acts of the weekend, Portland’s Lovers, and they did not disappoint. They played blissed out electro-pop, songs about love and sadness. The guy standing next to me danced like a maniac, which encouraged me to do the same. Love poured through the crowd, and it filled me for the rest of the night.

Cold Cave’s set at Neumos later was dark and ambient in all the right ways. The band have an intense following that packed the room, and crowded the stage. Their mix of gothic electronic well fit well with the fog machines, and it seemed as if every single person in the crowd was dressed in black.

From Neumos, it was to the Main Stage for the show that everyone at Block Party seemed to be talking about, TV on the Radio. They owned the festival that night. The crowd packed the grounds, and TVOTR expressed the feeling of greatness is what Block Party is all about. Great people, great music. It was a fantastic, and I headed to the gates, I was sad to see the day go but I was also ecstatic for the next day.