Recommended Bumbershoot Events

Okay, okay, we know that this year’s Bumbershoot lineup will leave you wondering what year it is, since we wouldn’t really call most of the acts especially current or relevant, but there are some things worth checking out.

Friday, M. Ward is sure to rock (if you can call someone who mainly plays acoustic rocking). He is one heck of a guitar player and, oh boy, does he do a great cover of David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’. Also, a friend of ours would like everyone to checkout the ‘metal’ Ruby Doe. Our friend is often drunk so take his opinions with a grain of salt (and/or a martini). Also, you should probably see the New York Dolls, if only because they are historic and because we really liked ‘Scrooged’.

Saturday, we will mainly be bookish in our appreciation of Sarah Vowell, Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket, yo!) and the Godfather of irony, Dave Eggers.

If you don’t like to read (or books in general), Minus the Bear are pretty awesome in an indie prog-rock kinda way. You might also want to see the newly reunited Digable Planets, who were pioneers in the hip-hop/jazz movement that took the nation by storm (oh wait, it really didn’t but they are still rad). Local band Visqueen is best described as wacky pop punk, so if you like wacky then have fun. Our highest recommendation goes to Sarah Lee Guthrie (actual relation to Woody) and Johnny Irion. If you like country/folk/alt-country you are missing out if you don’t see them. If you feel like getting annoyed by hippies and/or people dancing badly, Trey Anastasio is also playing.

Sunday, Elvis Costello is the main act and as long as he plays anything that he wrote prior to 1996, you are in for a good time. If he plays anything he wrote with Burt Bacharach take a bathroom break. If you like your hip-hop progressive and not about large cars and dirty, dirty sex then Common, Talib Kweli and Pharcyde will get you crunk’d with their crisp beats and clever wordplay. Son Volt will also show you why they are one of the godfathers of alt-country. We also recommend Damien Jurado, Pretty Girls Make Graves and some guy named Bo Diddley.

Monday, rock out to Carnival Cruise songwriter Iggy Pop. Also on Monday, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists and Okkervil River are recommended. If you want to pick up a sad emo kid (or if you alternately want to make fun of a sad emo kid) then head on over to Dashboard Confessional. If you want to marvel at a crowd full of kids with thick-rimmed glasses, then you might want to watch the oh-so clever Decemberists. Michael Franti & Spearhead are also performing, but if you want some progressive-style hip-hop you will do much better with Common or Talib Kweli, the night before.

Here is the complete lineup.