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Recommended If You Like: The Emerald City
You’ve already read about Bumbershoot’s international acts, flying in from all over the universe to play this year, that’s a given. But what about our distinctive hometown heroes? (Yeah, when I said The Emerald City I was talking about Seattle, not The Wizard of Oz. Sorry.) The much-lauded Seattle sound will be at Bumbershoot in force, and with a little guidance, you can be in the front row for every fresh local act.
I’ll start with some local punk. We’ve got the pop-punk upstarts Speaker Speaker this year, embodying what one critic called a “nosebleed on overdrive” as best they know how. They’ll be alongside Bellinghamsters Black Eyes and Neckties (yeah, they’re from Bellingham, but I’m claiming them local, okay?), who are known not only for their kinetic live shows and spoooooky subject matter (like ghosts and werewolves and whatnot), but also for their black eye makeup (oh – and neckties). Perhaps there’s a connection… but I’m no Miss Marple, so I won’t worry about it too much. I’ll just file that under C for coincidence.
We’ve also got local indie kids Throw Me The Statue playing this year. They play just that perfect brand of fresh-faced pop to take home and introduce to your family. You know, some music that’ll treat you right for a change and make you happy. You deserve it! Check out this video of them playing “Lolita” on a Washington State Ferry while apparently completely freezing (can you blame them, seriously?).
Okay, so you knew I was going to have to get to this band, obviously if I’m talking about awesome local things… 4 words: Death Cab For Cutie (OMG!). That was my basic reaction when I heard they were added to our lineup. Not just added, but they are closing the entire festival on the Samsung Mobile Mainstage. Man, their bass player Nick has come a long way from being a garbage man in Tacoma (that’s right, I did research). Fun fact: I personally believe that somewhere around 60% of college students have a copy of Transatlanticism, and that is a conservative estimate. They mail it out with your acceptance letter. It is also the perfect album to listen to on the bus while you pretend to be in a music video. Not that I’ve ever done that.
So if you’re going for Seattle flavor, you can’t go wrong with Seattle School (it has Seattle right in the name). And to sweeten the pot, they are performing their show RECESSION! about a J-pop band trying to rescue America from our “macroeconomic frownzies” so we start spending money again. Seattle School also won The Stranger’s Genius award, ensuring a show that is not only awesome, but actually genius.
So now Seattle gets to share its sweet arts with the rest of the world, through Bumbershoot, in exchange for the world giving us their best acts for the Festival (you know I’m looking at you, Sondre Lerche. Answer my letters!). I say it’s a fair trade.
posted August 01 '08 at 09:00AM by Evan in black eyes and neckties, blog, death cab for cutie, music, seattle school, sondre lerche, speaker speaker, throw me the statue
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