popwreckoning

As the finale for a week-long benefit for Seattle’s premiere all-ages venue The Vera Project, the newly-remonikered Brite Futures (formerly Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head) played their first show with the new name, not to mention their first show in Seattle in 9 months. As singer Shaun Libman said during their set, “We could have had a baby in the time we were gone.” Guitarist Luke Smith replied with, “Maybe we did. The baby’s name is Shaun.” But in all seriousness, it was nice to see them playing in Seattle again.

As I stood in line outside the venue, this man – who was obvious inebriated – shouted, “who’s playing tonight, the Jonas Brothers?” Seeing that this was a benefit for the all-ages movement in Seattle, a large majority of the people who came out to see Brite Futures was underage. It made me feel quite old, but the one really good part about all-ages shows is that they’re never short on energy. And it was good for me because the people standing in front of me were considerably shorter than I so I had a perfect view of the stage.

Now, Brite Futures weren’t the only band to play at this “A Drink for the Kids” benefit show. They were preceded by Motopony and Sap’N, both Seattle bands, and both of which I’d never heard before. So this was a nice treat. Both bands were awesome, but in quite different ways.

Motopony started off with the understated indie folk rock vibe, but singer and guitarist Daniel Blue had far more soul than I would have expected to match with the music. After a few songs, I turned to my sister and mentioned that his voice reminded me of Cold War Kids. She agreed. And along with the building energy from song to song, Blue eventually got up from his chair (he had to sit because his guitar strap broke) and started to dance. Not just shimmy and trip around the stage, but really dance. Like spin and salsa and even possibly moonwalk. It was refreshing. Motopony’s set was short, but the heavy and groovy “Seer” was my favorite song of theirs. I say groovy because while staying current, Motopony had a bid of a retro feel, with kicking guitar licks and organ tones. The fact that keyboardist Buddy Ross was a playing a clearly retro keyboard could have contributed to that too, as well as lead guitarist Brantley Cady’s Hendrix-esque Afro.

After Motopony finished their set around 9:45, we had a short interlude before Seattle’s own electro-soul performance duo Sap’N took their place. They’d just come off the release of their debut EP, produced by another Seattle artist P Smoov (of Fresh Espresso and Mad Rad). The singing boy/girl duo, Mitch and Regina stepped out on stage, accompanied by their DJ Joan Law, all sporting glittering face paint, just to up the energy ante. Even though the glitter should have been some sort of clue, I had no idea what to expect. And with how excited the young crowd was already, they were really fun. A couple of the stands out tracks were “Special Services” and “Girl’s Name.” Again, it felt retro – not 70s retro like Motopony, but 90s dance pop retro. Just to express that further – the last song Sap’N played was “Pump Up the Jam.” As in Technotronic. I’m serious. After being told that they had two minutes left to play, Mitch said to the crowd of 17-year-olds, “This song might be a bit old for some of you.”

If you ever get the chance to see them – do it. You’ll be really sweaty at the end of it all. Because at this point, I was already sweaty. But we were about to pump up the jam even more when Brite Futures came out on stage. However, not before the owners of the Vera Project gave a little information about the benefit, as well as sending a couple empty jugs around the crowd for people to donate. You see, the Vera Project is Seattle’s only non-profit all-ages venue run by donations and volunteers, and this was their 10-year anniversary.

But at 11 p.m. sharp, the stage was littered with handmade paper cones covered with glitter, and one even designed like an ice cream cone. Brite Futures took the stage one by one – keyboardist David Price first, then drummer Liam Downey, bass keyboardist and bassist – heck I’m not even going to say what they play because they all shift around instruments. Then Claire England, Luke Smith and Shaun Libman took the stage all in matching white ensembles to a trippy intro that they listed as “Sister” on the set list. There were a handful of new songs on that set list, so I had a hard time deciphering which song was which.

The last time I saw Brite Futures…well they weren’t called Brite Futures, but they weren’t the headliners, so I’d never seen a truly loving crowd. All I have to say is: oh my god. I already loved this band so much, but being in a crowd of ridiculously excited and energetic teenagers made it all the more fun. The band started with their relatively mellow “Bedroom Costume” and “Slow Motion Tag Team” (and I stress ‘relatively,’ because in any other context, it wouldn’t be mellow). But after that, the dancing was full-throttle. “Holding Hands in the Shower” and “Me + Yr Daughter” came next, and since were two of my favorites I was overjoyed. I’m sure anyone walking down Pike would have been able to feel the heat radiating off the windows in Neumo’s, because it got sweaty in there. Like to the point where an the breeze from an open door never felt so good. I don’t know how they do it, but Brite Futures manages to bring sexiness to their music while still remaining youthful. And I love it. The band then led us all into a few of their new songs, including “My Funk” and “Dog Eared Summer” off the recently re-released Glistening Pleasure 2.0 (which they actually just released last Tuesday). England took the mic for “My Funk,” which she proclaimed was about ice cream. It had a bit more soul and polish than the older songs, so it was different, as was “Dog Eared Summer.” Actually when they started playing “Dog Eared Summer,” Smith grabbed an acoustic guitar for the first time.

“You guys are probably wondering, ‘what is this wooden instrument I’m holding?’ And if you checked our website recently, you know what’s coming.” He was referring to when they released “Dog Eared Summer” for free on their website back when they first changed their name. Even though it was considerably light and beachy, the crowd still danced their little behinds off, and we all swayed our hands back and forth to the beat.

In fact, all the new songs that night showed that along with the name change, the band has grown up a bit. It’s always nice to see progression without too much change.

After this point, I’m sure we’d all made Neumo’s into a sauna, and my camera battery had also died, so I put it away so I wouldn’t risk damaging it. My industrial camera bag protected it pretty well while I was constantly jumping for the next twenty minutes or so. My knees are still sore. The fast-paced “Hush Hush” was by far the craziest part of the night, besides the latter half of the encore, which included the heavy and sexy “Malibu Highlife.” But that’s probably because it crescendos into a much quicker speed and the repeated line “I’m not in love with you! I’m in love with what we do!” So naturally, we all sang along.

And as it was just after midnight, there was one song their set was clearly missing at this point – “Beard Lust,” possibly the only song ever written about facial hair grooming. Multiple people from the crowd shouted “Beard Lust” before they started their final song, and I’m not gonna lie – I was one of them. As soon as Price started the opening notes, everyone went nuts and just as Libman instructed people to throw their hands up and give – essentially – spirit fingers, we all obliged. Libman took all the handmade paper cones off the stage and threw them into the crowd and balloons and confetti filled the air while we all had a super sweaty fun dance party.

Afterwards, walking away from Neumo’s with my friends and the paper cone I managed to wrangle from the stage, it was just nice to be in the fresh air away from the body heat sauna. But as uncomfortable as I was by 12:30, I had an inexplicable amount of fun seeing Brite Futures for the first time in nine months.

Welcome back, guys. Welcome back.

Set list:

1. Sister
2. Bedroom Costume
3. Slow Motion Tag Team
4. Holding hands in the Shower
5. Me + Yr Daughter
6. My Funk
7. Dog Eared Summer
8. Pig Bag
9. Hush Hush
10. Sophisticated Side Ponytail
11. Baby Rain
12. Iceage Babeland

Encore

1. Tell It To Me
2. Malibu Highlife
3. Beard Lust

Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head is no more. Instead, the Seattle pop act will now be known as Brite Futures.

That’s right. After a mysterious countdown appeared a few days ago on this website, NPSH teased it all over Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. And technically the countdown ended at noon today, but since the information leaked, the band updated site prior to the end of the countdown.

If you go to any of their sites, you can download Brite Futures’ new single “Dog Eared Summer,” a breezy electro pop song laced with acoustic guitars and hand claps. When I heard it for the first time I thought of the beach. Dancing on the beach at sundown with s’mores. Not sure why, but it’s an aptly-named song great for the start of the summer.

Not that there are any hard feelings between the band and Ms. Portman, as she will still remain on their guest list +1 at every show. But as said in a statement released by the band on their Myspace page, “We chose our band name on a whim when we were still in high school, and ‘Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head’ has seen us through an unexpectedly amazing four years. Our love affair with Natalie’s name was like a summer fling that lasted… and lasted… and lasted. But now it is summer once again, and time for a change.” The band released a touching farewell video to Natalie Portman this morning on their YouTube account, which can be viewed below.

To catch Brite Futures in their first show as Brite Futures, they’ll be playing at Neumo’s in Seattle on July 17th for a benefit show for the volunteer-run all-ages venue The Vera Project.

As much of a twat Perez Hilton is, he puts together a rad tour. Yes, I just said rad.

Rad is common slang of the 80s, and last night made me feel like I’d jumped back into the 80s, with the tweaky intros Perez put together and the synth-heavy music all night.

Well, Semi-Precious Weapons weren’t synth-heavy, based on lead singer Justin Tranter’s outfits, one could see why I felt like I was in 1986. I hadn’t heard much of them before last night, and I was pleasantly surprised how much fun I had. They were great openers, bringing the room’s energy up to the highest degree at most points during their set, especially during Tranter’s banter between songs. He swore profusely, and at one point, he shouted “c*nt!” multiple times, because he said he “couldn’t give up saying it.” And of course when he changed his clothes on stage. From one pair of tights and crazy heels to another pair of tights and crazy heels. As my friend Laura said, “His junk was everywhere,” when he was changing the tights.

It was quite an eyeful. But the music wasn’t bad. It was like heavy 80s glam rock with hints of Chris Crocker (you know, the “leave Britney alone!” guy? That’s what he kinda looked like). My favorite track was “Magnetic Baby,” and it was one of the best received, with Tranter almost throwing himself into the crowd to get people to shout into the mic. The guitarist was pretty wicked, and the bassist was ridiculously spazmatic, scraping his bass against most of the hard surfaces on stage to get a intense sound. He also held out the neck of the bass to the crowd for fans to play the bass for a bit. The mixture of their energy – from the hardcore punky bassist and the glamtastic Tranter – made for an interesting live show. I didn’t know any of the music beforehand, and most of the crowd wasn’t there to see Semi-Precious Weapons, so it wasn’t nearly as energetic had they been the headliners. But it was a good way to get the crowd going though, as a majority of the people at the show was there to see Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head.

They are Seattleites, after all.

And they were technically the reason I drove down to Seattle last night to stand in line, not knowing if I would get in. Ida Maria was originally on the tour, but she canceled last week due to an illness. So Perez, being the master of connections that he is – hit up one of his favorite new bands Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head to fill in for the remainder of the tour starting in Chicago. Before they joined the tour, I contemplated going to the show because of Ladyhawke, but at that point, she was the only reason I would go. But after NPSH joined the tour, I was all over that.

But I will say right now, a friend of mine told me after Bumbershoot that NPSH was way better in smaller venues and that they sucked at Bumbershoot. Now, I don’t agree with the latter statement, but I will verify the first statement. They are SO much better in small clubs. But then again, most bands are. Intimate stages always make everything better. They started out “Slow Motion Tag Team,” one of my favorites, and after that, they kept the dance party going.

I don’t know what it would be like to see NPSH in another state, but at this point I’m glad I’m from Seattle, because undoubtedly NPSH has some of the best fans around – especially in their hometown. They even referenced some classic Seattle figures. “We see a Mariners hat, a Seahawks hat, a Nirvana shirt… but there’s another Seattle fashion staple,” and Claire England started to put her hair in a side ponytail and we all know where that was going – next song, “Sophisticated Side Ponytail.”

There was this guy standing behind us – I’ll call him Plaid Guy – but he was hilarious. When NPSH were setting up their instruments, he kept shouting at Luke, “Shaun [Libman]! Shaun!” I tapped him and was like, “I’m pretty sure that’s Luke [Smith].” Then he felt all stupid and said, “that’s why he’s not listening to us!” Apparently, Plaid Guy REALLY wanted them to play “Bedroom Costume,” which wasn’t on the setlist that had already been taped to the floor. So when Claire came out to set up her synth, Plaid Guy yelled, “put a synth here!” And when Claire put her synth right in front of us, he thanked her profusely and was all “I love you!” And almost demanded they play “Bedroom Costume.” And lo and behold, the third song in, Shaun prefaces the song with, “we’re gonna play this one for those guys over there.” And Plaid Guy went apeshit crazy.

But the best part was during “Beard Lust,” Shaun said something like “are you guys ready to dance? This guy looks ready!” And they asked people to jump up on stage for a dance off. Or just a big fat dance party. I didn’t feel like tripping over things, and my feet were slightly achey, plus, this way I could get pictures of the dance party.

Yeah, it was pretty sweet.

After they finished “Iceage Babeland,” I was beat. My feet hurt, I was hungry, I was thirsty. I would have been satisfied going home right then with what we’d already seen, but WAIT! We had yet to see Ladyhawke, the headliner to Perez’s synthtastic tour.

The mood overall was totally different for Ladyhawke’s set. Her band was all decked out in black, and her microphone stand was decorated with a string of Christmas lights, and there was a lack of banter or interaction with the crowd, at least at the beginning. It didn’t mean it was any less awesome. That way, we just got to witness an amazing artist at work. People were more just listening to the music and grooving to Ladyhawke’s smooth beats rather dancing their ass off. It was a great vibe, even though I knew people were tired.

The songs sounded awesome, and Ladyhawke’s crazy eyes helped. She does make some crazy eyes. Nobody really danced until she played her last two songs, “Paris is Burning” and “My Delirium.” Those were fun songs. Justin Tranter even made an effort to crowd surf during “Paris in Burning.” It didn’t work so well, him being like 6’4” and the crowd quite tiny, but he still did get in an “I love you!” to Ladyhawke before the crowd lowered him and his 6-inch heels down. Ladyhawke came around the stage to sing right to people on the left and right ends of the crowd.

She’s just so cool.

Plaid Guy grabbed the setlist that was taped to the floor in front of us too quickly for me to grab it. Oh well. She was still awesome. The crowd was quite a bit smaller for Ladyhawke, mostly because a lot of the NPSH fans had to leave because they had homeroom in the morning. It was an all ages show, after all.

But it was amazing, just the same.

Semi-Precious Weapons: website | myspace
Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head: website | myspace
Ladyhawke: website | myspace

Monday of Bumbershoot: I would have been completely happy with two days, but no – Seattle handed me a third to enjoy. All the music, the rain, the moshing, and everything else that came with the biggest gathering of music in Seattle over Labor Day weekend could not have been the same without the thousands of people there to enjoy it all.

Monday started quite differently than the previous two days. I couldn’t find parking anywhere, but determined as I was, I drove around a 12-block radius for 20 minutes searching for parking before I found a lot for $15 at 2:15. Just in time to make it to Say Hi.

Say Hi (formerly Say Hi To Your Mom), was one of the main bands I put on my checklist when the lineup was first released months ago only after hearing all of 2009’s “Oohs and Aahs.” Soon after arriving home from Bumbershoot, I searched for all of their music. Eric Elbogen, the brainchild of all that is Say Hi, made it clear at one point that he wasn’t used to touring with the current lineup, but it didn’t show nearly as much as I would have guessed. At one point he asked the bassist, I think his name was Andy, to ask him something.

“Why did you change your name?” Andy asked.

“A question that doesn’t put me on the spot?”

“Oh, well now you’re kind of putting me on the spot.”

“Two gigs with you and you’ve already screwed up.”

They were very musically in tune, playing off each other’s vibe, with the help of the energetic drummer. They weren’t nearly as united as say, Cold War Kids from Sunday, but individually, they all supplied their own energy for the crowd to feed off of. I especially liked the short comments between songs briefly explaining what the songs were about.

“This one’s about vampires,” Elbogen said, prefacing “Sweet Sweet Heartkiller” from 2006’s Impeccable Blahs. That’s the best part about Say Hi’s live performance, deciphering the great lyrics, while keeping a low-key danceable beat underneath. It’s just the right about of energy for 2:30 p.m. in the afternoon.

After a 45 minute search for a few friends I wasn’t aware were going to show up, I trotted back to the Broad Street Stage, past the Purrrfect Pals booth with their adorable kittens, to see Mirah. She – again – was on my original checklist of performers to see. I know I said in previous articles that I dig concerts where I can dance. Mirah is one of those exceptions. The way you’re supposed to listen to her music is the exact opposite of someone like Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head. You’re just supposed to experience it, organically, with the violin, the clarinet, the sitar-looking thing, and Mirah’s beautiful vocal instrument. It’s almost magical how someone with such a seemingly small voice can captivate such a large and muddy lawn. I missed maybe the first ten minutes of her set, so I don’t know if she played “La Familia,” which is kind of disappointing, but for the most part, Mirah’s set was really low-key. The one exception was her last song, “The Garden,” which she explained as the song the Portland High School drill team used in one of their  competitions.

“Because they wanted to win!” And everyone cheered.

Mirah and her band of strings and woodwinds were a very nice change from the energy-draining past two days, and a good chill session before Franz Ferdinand on the main stage that night.

Speaking of Franz Ferdinand, my sister and I got in line pretty early for the main stage, listening to Janelle Monae on the Fisher Green while we waited. From what I heard, she was pretty wicked, and according to multiple recommendations from different people, apparently I missed out not catching her full set. But I was waiting for Franz Ferdinand.

I’ll admit it – I tend to be a fangirl when it comes to my favorite bands – Franz Ferdinand being one of them. I saw them almost five years ago at the “Deck the Hall Ball” put on by Seattle’s Original Alternative radio station 107.7 The End. They were a part of a great lineup all those years ago – including Keane, the Shins, Snow Patrol, The Killers, and Modest Mouse, ironically, since Modest Mouse was playing on the main stage right after Franz. But when I left there, Franz Ferdinand was the band that blew we away. And five years later, I was ready to be blown away yet again.

I was, quite literally.

After waiting in the mosh pit for 15 minutes or so, Alex, Nick, Bob and Paul walked on stage and the entire stadium squealed with delight. They started off the night with “No You Girls,” their current hit, then going directly into an older song, “Dark of the Matinee” (which just so happens to be my favorite of theirs). It was a perfect mix of the old and new stuff. Alex introduced the rest of the band for us to cheer for individually, and they matched the energy with their musicianship. Not only did they pump us up, they sounded great. As the set went on, the crowd got closer and closer together, to the point where the security guards all sprayed us with hoses to get people to chill out. It didn’t work very well, because halfway through the set, after mega hits “Take Me Out” and “Ulysses,” Alex and the gang broke out into “This Fire,” another of their hits from the first record. This got the crowd jumping all together; I couldn’t even get a good photo of anything. I was too into it. Then as people got tired of jumping, I felt a sharp thwack on the back of my head and then could barely make out a floating body above my head as I grabbed my throbbing skull, and tried to dodge the rest of the crowd surfers making their way towards the stage. Immediately, I wanted to get out of the mosh pit, but this was Franz Ferdinand – the one band I had come to see. So I toughed it out for awhile. I shunned the pain and danced along with everyone else, but then it got too crazy for my head to take. I had to get out of there.

And let me tell you – I was heartbroken that I had to leave the mosh pit. I wanted to stay there for the rest of the set, as Alex traipsed around the stage, singing the undeniably infectious lyrics with his seductive Scottish drawl. But I found my way out of the sweaty mosh pit and cooled down for a bit and had some water, and found my friends, as I’d been the only one to venture into the mosh pit. But even far away from the stage, Franz Ferdinand shined across the entire stadium. It was mesmerizing. Especially in the finale, when they played a drawn out version of “Lucid Dreams,” which already includes a long, electronic outro, but this live version made the wide-open area I was dancing in feel like a rave – and I’ve never even been to a rave.

But, it also could have been the contact high.

Whether you were in the line of fire in the mosh pit or secluded out in the middle of the stadium, away from the mayhem, Franz Ferdinand lived up to my expectations, then surpassed them. They were so good, I didn’t even care that I couldn’t stay for Modest Mouse (my sister’s 17, and she still had school in the morning, and I was driving her home).

Now that was the way to end Bumbershoot.

Bumbershoot: website | day 1 | day 2

Arriving in the Seattle Center on Sunday proved that people don’t give a shit about the weather when good music is involved. It reminded me of a movie I recently saw – “Taking Woodstock,” where the famous Woodstock festival was almost put to a halt because of a terrible rainstorm.

We’re Seattle, it doesn’t affect us much.

But in defiance of the sky’s will, the rain did stop and start during various times during the day – the most ironic one actually was during the Cold War Kids set on the main stage when they started playing their hit “Hang Me Up To Dry.” Seriously. Everyone had just put on their hooded raincoats, and the sun came out all of sudden. It was magical. Even the front man Nathan Willett noticed it – “clothes are just coming off all over the place.” For being the first set on the main stage, the Cold War Kids rocked Memorial Stadium. Guitarist Jonnie Russell brought a lot of the charisma to the stage, switching instruments, and beating a cymbal with a maraca. It took a little while for the crowd to build up their energy, seeing that it was early in the day, and wet, but the Cold War Kids didn’t really give a crap about the rain. They played some old songs and some new songs, but since I was pretty close to the stage, I noticed that the crowd sucked compared to Saturday. But it was early yet, so I didn’t mind.

And they were great warm up for Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who were next on the main stage.

Holy crap, I’m so glad I had a second chance to see them. They came to the Sasquatch Festival back in May, and I missed them because Bon Iver played at the exact same time, and when I saw that they were playing at Bumbershoot too, I jumped to joy.

Let me tell you – that is one live show you can’t afford to miss. Karen O came bounding on stage in this multi-colored stringy, almost harness-like get up, with a equally colorful cape, and Nick came out with his ridiculously awesome hair and dark pair of wayfarers, and they killed it. The rain had started again by then, but I couldn’t count how many people crowd surfed in that hour-and-a-half. A few people around me actually were dropped because people weren’t paying attention to them enough to remember to hold them up. Karen said over and over how awesome the crowd was – and I couldn’t argue with her. We were singing along to slower hits like “Runaway” from It’s Blitz! and frantically jumping and dancing to older heavy hits like “Date With A Night.” Karen O is the epitome of a front-woman, with her melodic singing, fantastic shrieking, and something that sounds almost like an orgasm, especially during “Date With A Night” as she shouts “I’ll set you, I’ll set it off!” At this point, I was thinking to myself, “why are they playing at 2:30 p.m. in the afternoon?” The scheduling for Sunday didn’t make much sense, having Yeah Yeah Yeahs in the early afternoon and Jason Mraz being the headliner at 9:30 p.m. But that’s a testament to how great a show Yeah Yeah Yeahs put on.

During the last half of “Skeletons,” where Karen O wasn’t singing, and it was just a powerful keyboard solo, a huge gust of wind blew in and tossed the tarps lining the stage around like sails on a boat. I might have been the only one who thought it was cool, but it fit perfectly into the song. But the best part of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ set came when Nick switched to an acoustic guitar and we all knew “Maps” was coming.

“This is a song about love. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Seattle – Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Seattle – love.” And Karen O put her hand on her heart. Her stage presence reminds of Freddie Mercury – with her wild outfits and insurmountable amount of energy. It’s amazing. And on this day, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs could feel the love from Seattle, and Seattle – for sure – could feel the love from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

After my sister and I left the main stage, trotting through puddles and slowly ascending the wet stairs, we took a breather to have some lunch and shop around to give my sister’s back a rest. At 6 p.m., we headed over to the Broad Street Stage to catch the Vivian Girls. The audience was quite a bit smaller than Matt & Kim or Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head from the previous day, but the crowd they did have were really into it. But I think the Vivian Girls music is more fit for smaller clubs than large festivals. I haven’t heard much of their music, but oddly enough, they were very reminiscent of late 90s indie chick rock, but with a little more grungy edge. I’d like to think that Kurt Cobain would enjoy their music. That’s basically how I can describe it, with everything from their vocal stylings, fashion, and stage presence. My sister made some odd comparison as, “the less poppy Donnas.” I personally wouldn’t go see them again live, as I like my live shows to be slightly more energetic, but I listen to their self-titled record a lot. I’m a 90s kid, so the Vivian Girls are my kinda nostalgia.

At that point, the batteries in my camera died, so I had to run down the street to OfficeMax and pick up some more AAs before we got in line for Patton Oswalt at the Charlotte Martin Theater. I’ll just say this – I haven’t laughed that hard in…well I don’t remember the last time I laughed that hard. And I’m so glad I got to see him Sunday, because his set on Monday is during Franz Ferdinand – which is the one band I’m not missing for anything.

The last act of the night – Jason Mraz, I went merely to appease the wishes of my sister. I own one Jason Mraz album from when I was 14, and since then, my musical taste had changed a bit, so I wasn’t nearly as excited to see him as the thousands of girls and frat boys packed inside Memorial Stadium. It’s almost insane how much ladies go crazy for Jason Mraz. He has the appeal of a younger Dave Matthews, certainly with the instruments he works into his live performance. Even though it took me awhile to warm up to him, he’s awesome live. He’s way better than on his record, without a doubt. But it took him a long time to get to the more upbeat, crowd-pleasing songs. At the beginning, I was almost bored, as the songs didn’t fit the enthusiasm of the crowd and the greatness of the venue. This is where I questioned the scheduling again.

His beachy, surfer-dude, chill persona didn’t fit at 9:30 p.m. Chill music doesn’t work well with people who are already tired. But once he got to the second half of the show, and busted out with some Lionel Richie, everyone sang along to “party, karamu, fiesta, forever!” It didn’t make much sense to me, but I sang along as well. He played some more upbeat songs, “The Remedy” and “Coyotes,” which kept the energy up. By then, I was having fun, but what made me and the rest of the people around me extremely frustrated were the constant stream of people leaving. Now, we were towards the front of the crowd, and people who were much closer than we were left 20 minutes in. And they kept leaving throughout the show. I ask you – why squeeze your way to the most crowded area of the venue if you’re just going to leave halfway through? I don’t get it. The father with his 3-year-old standing right in front of me stayed all the way through. And it was adorable, especially during “I’m Yours,” when the 3-year-old sang all the words. That’s how big a spectrum Jason Mraz appeals to. You’ve got middle-aged women, frat boys, boy-crazy teenage girls, and fathers and their young sons.

By the end of Jason Mraz’s set and he played a wicked version of “Butterfly,” I was dancing along like the uber fangirl standing right next to me. From starting slow, to picking up the tempo and getting the crowd more involved, and ending with a bang – Mraz did not disappoint me. At that point, the scheduling made more sense having him as the headliner – because his fans love him.

I’ve still got one more day of this. Yes.

Bumbershoot: website | day 1

Written by: Abby Williamson

Seattle was asking for it when they named the music and arts festival “Bumbershoot.” I mean, it means umbrella, so it’s almost inevitable that there will be at least one drop of rain at one point during the weekend.

Thankfully today, Saturday, it only rained for about 15 minutes. But even the rain could not stop the upbeat feel of Bumbershoot on this day.

Saturday’s main stage lineup included Katy Perry, the All-American Rejects and Sheryl Crow, probably the three most popular artists of the festival. So naturally, the Seattle Center was loaded with everyone from tweeny boppers with their parents coming to see Katy Perry or the All-American Rejects to middle-aged moms there to see Sheryl Crow. Quite the wide spectrum for one day.

I only caught Katy Perry on the main stage, mainly because my sister wanted to see her, but surprisingly, I was much more entertained than I thought I would be. Perry rocked a one-piece with a butt tutu, even in the seemingly gloomy weather, and jumped around the stage just about as much as the huge crowd of teenage girls right in front. But what stood out most to me was how good her voice sounded today. I’ve only seen her sing live on MTV award shows and other such things, and her voice has always been a little off, not quite powerful enough to carry a huge venue, but today was totally different. Even with the jumping around the stage, Perry sang her ass off. At one point, Perry mentioned her music idols – Queen, and broke out into a fun cover of “Don’t Stop Me Now.” I’m pretty sure none of the 13-year-olds knew any words to the song, but it made me smile, and oddly enough, made me think of the scene at the end of “Shaun of the Dead” when Shaun and the other survivors smack a zombie into submission to the beat of the jukebox with pool cues. That song, in itself, was worth missing seeing Maria Bamford’s kooky comedy stylings at Comedy Stage North at the exact same time.

After I left the main stage, my sister and I took a little hiatus before heading over to the Broad Street Stage to see Seattle electro dance-punk band Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head. And I must say, it’s pretty much the greatest band name I’ve heard in a very long time. My sister had never listened to any of their stuff, but it didn’t matter. The five young Seattle natives and their ridiculously infectious songs turned the entire lawn into a dance party. Since they’ve only released one album, the crowd easily knew the words to all the songs – especially the short ditty “Sophisticated Side Ponytail,” a minute-and-a-half cheer of constant – “do you like my ponytail? I do, I do! My sideways ponytail? It’s true, it’s true!” It’s so eighties, yet not outdated in the slightest – with references to Shamu, tilt-a-whirls, the use of the word “bomb,” and steel drums. The eighties have had their second coming – and Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head are the leaders of that revolution. Another of their songs centered around sexy hair – “Beard Lust,” which vocalist and various percussionist Shaun Libman declared the first song they ever wrote, right around the corner, while attending The Center School in their teens. Departing from the harmonies of the other songs, “Beard Lust” featured lots of rapping.

Shaun, Luke, David, Claire and Liam were by far the most at home at Bumbershoot, which carried into their performance – causing the entire crowd to dance like maniacs. From any other band – “Iceage Babeland” and “Confections” would cause people to stand with their mouths ajar with confusion, but the campyness of the songs fit perfectly with the youthful vibe of Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head. I loved it. And to top it all off, during their final song, Shaun busted out a wine bottle filled with glitter to pour all over the crowd. The whole set was so much glittery deliciousness that it made you forget that you haven’t eaten in 10 hours.

Hey, who needs food when you’ve got a sweaty dance party to enjoy?

Speaking of food – apparently everyone during Matt & Kim’s set was starving, since the crowd kept throwing tortillas up on stage.

“I don’t know who told you guys, but tacos are my favorite food. So this is perfect,” keyboardist Matt said in some fashion or another. “Really, all sandwiches.”

So naturally, someone threw a wrapped sandwich up on stage by the time they were finished.

There is only one word to describe Matt & Kim – well, an adjective and a noun – relentlessly happy. I assure you, if you ever see them play, you will never see another band smile more. Kim didn’t stop grinning, I don’t think once. Someone was always making her laugh as she ferociously beat on her small drum kit while her husband Matt rocked out on his keyboard as if he were playing a double-necked axe. Their joy was contagious, even with just the two of them alone in the middle of the Broad Street Stage. And one could not find a more humble band. Numerous times, Matt spouted off thank you and “you guys rock” and other terms of gratitude that I can’t seem to remember. About halfway through their set – that’s when the rain slowly started. As the rain reached a pour, Matt started the opening riffs of one of their biggest hits “Daylight” to give the weather a little hint of what was yet to come. Five minutes later, they did the same thing again, and lo and behold, the rain stopped. The power of Matt & Kim’s music and the crowd’s equal enthusiasm stopped Seattle rain. Now that takes some strength.

The fact that we were on a huge lawn didn’t make any difference in the intimacy of the performance. Afterward, I felt like I could walk up to Matt or Kim and start up a conversation with them. They made the crowd feel like we were all friends, which Kim took even further when she jumped onto the lawn to crowd surf with the rest of us. I haven’t had that much fun at a show since…well, 3 hours earlier when I saw Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head, but that’s a testament to how Bumbershoot, along with other festivals, work. They bring people together to have fun and enjoy music that they love.

I got all of that out of one day at Bumbershoot, and I still have two days left. Goodness, I’m excited for what’s to come.

Bumbershoot: website | day 2

Written by: Abby Williamson