April 16, 2008
Sub Pop's 20th Birthday Bash Set For July

We clued you in to this last October, but now it's official: Sub Pop Records is celebrating its 20-year existence with a three-day comedy and music festival July 11-13. And the (initial) lineup, though weighted more heavily in the hipster-ish now, features a few super acts from the label's big then.
Per yesterday's press release:
The SP20 activities will commence with a comedy show on July 11 at The Moore Theatre. Among the performing comedians are Sub Pop artists Eugene Mirman and Patton Oswalt, label friend and fan Todd Barry, and special guests.The SP20 Festival is happening July 12 & 13 at Marymoor Park....In addition to reunited bands, acts currently on the label's roster, and everything in between, the festival will also host a half-pipe featuring both Nike and Girl + Chocolate sponsored skaters. While the full day-by-day line-up will be announced in the coming months, the festival will include:
Beachwood Sparks / Comets on Fire / Fleet Foxes / Flight of the Conchords / The Fluid / Foals / Grand Archives / Green River / The Helio Sequence / Iron & Wine / Kinski / Low / Mudhoney / No Age / Pissed Jeans / Red Red Meat / The Ruby Suns / Seaweed / Wolf Parade, and more to be announced.
Might the not-yet-"announced" acts include old-school SP artists Pigeonhed, Mark Lanegan, or Sleater-Kinney? Or—less likely—Soundgarden, The Fastbacks, Love Battery? As for more recent fare, certainly Death Cab dude Ben Gibbard will be involved. And conspicuously missing: The Shins, Band of Horses, Blitzen Trapper...
Actually, even counting the TBAs, Sub Pop's "unabashedly conspicuous" two-day celebration doesn't seem as glam and grand as it could be. As the festival draws nearer, we bet that'll change.
As for tickets, they'll be available—$20 for the comedy event, $30 for one music fest day or $50 for both days—at SubPop.com and Ticketmaster on April 26. And to prove this isn't a singularly self-congratulatory shebang, the label's sharing the wealth; "proceeds....will go to support beneficiaries of each participating act's choosing." If you're a charitable type, get your tickets after May 10, when the prices jump.


