Fresh Bumbershoot

08.21.2008 Bumbershoot's Production Department: Seriously Hardcore

Here at Bumbershoot, we’re in high gear preparing for the Festival. It’s a bustling hive of activity as we cross our t’s to put on one of the biggest music and arts festivals around. And one of the busiest teams around is made of Bumbershoot’s industrious production department. I was recently able to sit in on one of their meetings, and dear holiness they are some busy folks. Their meeting agenda alone was longer than one of Battles’ guitar solos. These people are no joke.

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07.25.2008 InternView: Programming Department

Just in case you have no idea how the artists are picked for Bumbershoot, or how they end up getting to the Festival, and finding lodging, I’ve done a little investigation for you. It led me into a den of mystery, where the illustrious Programming Department is hard at work.

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06.12.2008 InternView: Bumbershoot's Marketing Department

This week, for my InternView feature (following my wildly popular interview with myself) I decided to interview the department of which I am an integral part, this being, of course, the marketing department. This way I could interject with answers to all the questions, and give myself the chance to talk to myself in public settings.

This isn’t just any marketing department, mind you. Our department consists of: a former Miss America contestant, a man that can play Tetris with his feet, an intern that has never broken a bone in her life, a guy with 9 years of tap dancing classes under his belt, a former laser technician, a one-time dancing hot dog mascot, the undefeated feather-weight champion of gin rummy, and someone begrudgingly featured in a recurring role on a national reality television series. Yes, the marketing department is shrouded in enigma, and my excitement to interview them (us) was palpable, to say the least.

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05.23.2008 InternView: Evan the Intern

So, for my first installment of “InternView”, when Evan the Intern interviews people (what a clever name, right? I wish I actually came up with it myself)… I’m going to interview myself. I thought it might be nice for people to get a little bit of insight into me and my delicate psyche, especially if they’re going to be reading my blog for the next few months. In the future, I’ll be interviewing people around the office, bands, comedians, and whoever will return my phone calls and emails.

InternView
Subject: Evan Stewart

So Evan, what do you do at Bumbershoot?
E: Sometimes I write about Bumbershoot, our office, the bands playing, or about whatever I’m up to. It’s a sweet gig. I also help manage Bumbershoot’s networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, etc, so if you ever send a friend request or message to one of those, it goes through me. Other than that, just little online odds and ends, that kind of thing.

What has been your previous experience with Bumbershoot?
E: I went for the first time in 2006. Before then, I had no idea how big and awesome it was; I thought it was a little festival with a few bands, almost like a street fair. When I got there it was HUGE and really fun. I saw a bunch of music and comedy, and I spent the whole day running between stages and buildings and food (which was freaking incredible). It was like an entertainment marathon!

What was your favorite part of Bumbershoot 2006?
E: The comedy. There is no better place to steal jokes for online columns than from professional comedians making jokes at a festival. They’ll probably never know.

What are you looking forward to the most about this year’s Bumbershoot?
E: Getting in for free since I work here now. And also Neko Case, she’s amazing. And !!!. And Beck. And Anti-Flag. So many. Don’t make me choose.

You know, Evan, Bumbershoot has more than just music, it has a wide variety of arts as well. If you were going to engage in some performance art-ing, what would it be?
E: I would stand on a stage and put on dozens of t-shirts, one over the other. Racks and racks of t-shirts. Probably about two hundred when I was done. Then, I would have someone roll me offstage. It would be amazing. Otherwise, I’m about as artistic as a sack of potatoes. So I’ll probably stick to writing.

If you had the opportunity to interview anyone else, aside from yourself, who would it be?
E: Well, obviously my first choice was myself since it involves the least talking and leaving my desk. But, if given the option, I would probably interview Beck, since it would be less like an interview and more like some kind of crazy religious experience where I would roam the land thereafter preaching the word of funk. But I do that, to some degree, with nearly every celebrity I come into contact with (but I feel like with Beck it would be even more so).

Well, thanks for taking the time to talk with me, Evan. It was no small feat tracking you down.
E: It was my pleasure, Evan. I’ll see you later at our apartment.

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