![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Today my friend Mary called to tell me that she was going to Bumbershoot as well, and we made plans to meet up. I didn't have a scheduled shift in the KEXP tent, but I headed straight there when I arrived about 2:15, and met Mary there shortly after. Aterciopelados was about to do their on-air performance in the "secret" KEXP Bumbershoot Music Lounge; I didn't know anything about the band, but there were still tickets available, so I figured Mary and I might as well take advantage of them. As I expected from the name, the band turned out to be a worldbeat group from South America—specifically Colombia. I did think of them as "typical hippie world beatniks" and rather cynically wondered if there were any worldbeat bands that aren't all about love and peace, but I realized that I know nothing of the violence and troubles they have in Colombia or elsewhere, for which I should be very grateful, and I shouldn't disparage their hopeful attitude and positive message. In any case, their music was pretty good, and they deserved the standing ovation they got at the end of their set.
After that we went to see The Redwood Plan play a killer set in the EMP Sky Church, with barely a pause in their take-no-prisoners rock. I seriously do not understand why they are not one of the biggest things in the Seattle rock scene right now—maybe I'm just not in touch with the general opinion—and I'd think they'd have a strong national presence as well. Clearly all they need is just to connect, to paraphrase "Push". I also expect a generation or two of girls to someday cite Lesli Wood as the reason they became rock musicians.
Mary took off for a while to meet some other friends for dinner; just at that time I bumped into another friend, Tilly, and we went to see another KEXP "secret show", this one being Surfer Blood. I recognized a couple of their indie pop-rock songs, including "Floating Vibes" and "Harmonix", and they were pretty good. I'm not fully enthralled by them, but I definitely think they're worth following.
After some chill-out time with more friends, we went to see Billy Bragg—or at least hear him, as we were way in the back at the Mural Amphitheater and it was hard to catch a glimpse of him. Bragg rambled a lot between songs, talking at least as much as actually performing, but that was okay because he's an entertaining rambler. He also seemed to be playing more songs by other people than his own, and I'm not familiar enough with his work to know how typical that is, but that was also okay. I got to hear most of the set, and then got a call that it was time to close the KEXP booth for the night, so I had to miss the end of the set.
Mary had met up with me again during Bragg's set, and after we took care of the KEXP booth, we headed over to the Broad Street Stage to catch the rest of The Dandy Warhols' set. We arrived just in time for two songs I know well, "We Used to Be Friends" and "Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth"—and regarding the latter song, you have to love its refrain, "I never thought you'd be a junkie, because heroin is so passé." I was a bit surprised later when they played "Horse Pills" as I didn't remember that was one of their songs and it doesn't sound much like the others I'm familiar with. I recognized at least another couple songs, and wonder now if I'd have recognized a few more in the first half of the set which I missed. In between the rather straightforward pop-rock songs, they tended to play dark jams blending psychedelia and shoegaze, which occasionally sounded a bit drawn out and meandering, but still were pretty good. I enjoyed the set quite a lot overall; as with The Raveonettes last night, it was a good way to close out the day.
Tomorrow I'm working in the KEXP booth from 3:45 to 6:45, which means I won't be able to check out the Meat Puppets or see Japandroids again (4 pm and 5:45 pm, both on the Broad Street Stage), but I'd recommend them if you're going to be there. I will however probably go see Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames at 8 on the Northwest Court Stage, and I'll definitely be at the Fisher Green Stage at 9:30 as The English Beat close out Bumbershoot 2010.
Read about Saturday at Bumbershoot 2010.
Read about Monday at Bumbershoot 2010.
After that we went to see The Redwood Plan play a killer set in the EMP Sky Church, with barely a pause in their take-no-prisoners rock. I seriously do not understand why they are not one of the biggest things in the Seattle rock scene right now—maybe I'm just not in touch with the general opinion—and I'd think they'd have a strong national presence as well. Clearly all they need is just to connect, to paraphrase "Push". I also expect a generation or two of girls to someday cite Lesli Wood as the reason they became rock musicians.
Mary took off for a while to meet some other friends for dinner; just at that time I bumped into another friend, Tilly, and we went to see another KEXP "secret show", this one being Surfer Blood. I recognized a couple of their indie pop-rock songs, including "Floating Vibes" and "Harmonix", and they were pretty good. I'm not fully enthralled by them, but I definitely think they're worth following.
After some chill-out time with more friends, we went to see Billy Bragg—or at least hear him, as we were way in the back at the Mural Amphitheater and it was hard to catch a glimpse of him. Bragg rambled a lot between songs, talking at least as much as actually performing, but that was okay because he's an entertaining rambler. He also seemed to be playing more songs by other people than his own, and I'm not familiar enough with his work to know how typical that is, but that was also okay. I got to hear most of the set, and then got a call that it was time to close the KEXP booth for the night, so I had to miss the end of the set.
Mary had met up with me again during Bragg's set, and after we took care of the KEXP booth, we headed over to the Broad Street Stage to catch the rest of The Dandy Warhols' set. We arrived just in time for two songs I know well, "We Used to Be Friends" and "Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth"—and regarding the latter song, you have to love its refrain, "I never thought you'd be a junkie, because heroin is so passé." I was a bit surprised later when they played "Horse Pills" as I didn't remember that was one of their songs and it doesn't sound much like the others I'm familiar with. I recognized at least another couple songs, and wonder now if I'd have recognized a few more in the first half of the set which I missed. In between the rather straightforward pop-rock songs, they tended to play dark jams blending psychedelia and shoegaze, which occasionally sounded a bit drawn out and meandering, but still were pretty good. I enjoyed the set quite a lot overall; as with The Raveonettes last night, it was a good way to close out the day.
Tomorrow I'm working in the KEXP booth from 3:45 to 6:45, which means I won't be able to check out the Meat Puppets or see Japandroids again (4 pm and 5:45 pm, both on the Broad Street Stage), but I'd recommend them if you're going to be there. I will however probably go see Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames at 8 on the Northwest Court Stage, and I'll definitely be at the Fisher Green Stage at 9:30 as The English Beat close out Bumbershoot 2010.
Read about Saturday at Bumbershoot 2010.
Read about Monday at Bumbershoot 2010.
◾ Tags:
