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Ask Evan: "How do you pick the artists for Bumbershoot?"

Well first of all, I’m very flattered that you think I, Evan the Intern, am picking the artists for Bumbershoot. I wish I could take credit for getting Anti-Flag and Sondre Lerche on the same bill, but that’s just not the case.

It’s actually a great question, and one I’ve had for years. I kind of thought they just got someone to throw darts at a giant grid of names and picked whomever the darts hit, the same way they pick astronauts. But apparently that’s not how we do things here. You see, when I started here, I found out that Bumbershoot has a whole department dedicated to getting people to come perform at the Festival. They’re called the Programming Department, and they’re pretty cool (you’ll find out in their InternView this Friday, so stay tuned).

Now getting to the meat… Bumbershoot’s programming team scours the Earth for the best artists around, and lures them to Seattle to play/speak/be awesome. But that’s not the whole story. They also read tons of magazines and blogs, listen to thousands of songs, even go on research trips to get some first-hand experience of artists, putting them in the fans’ shoes. The Bumbershoot Programming Advisory Board, made up of some of the finest individuals on the Seattle music and arts scene, meet with the programming team throughout the year to weigh in on what’s hot and happening too.

In addition to that, artists who’ve somehow eluded our programming department can use our nifty online application to vie for a spot at next year’s Festival, and making the decision even more difficult for those Programming Department troopers. OR you can sign up for Ourstage.com and be one of the three bands chosen for a coveted slot on the Festival lineup (like this year’s winners Beehive, Ashleigh Flynn, and Kate Tucker & The Sons Of Sweden).

But after all this explanation, if you still think that I, personally, am in charge of recruiting talent for the Festival, then feel free to send me chocolates or money or… a combination of the two—Chocolate coins (No, you can’t really spend those). That’s how your favorite artists end up on the Bumbershoot bill. And now you know, and of course, knowing is half the battle.

Speaking of that… Battles made it on the bill this year!

Do you have a question related to Bumbershoot that you’d like me to answer in a semi-serious manner? Send it to estewart (at) onereel.org!

posted July 23 '08 at 04:21PM by Evan in battles, intern, ourstage

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