We'll take it for granted that you will get pleasantly buzzed on nutritious, delicious microbrews at this year's Fremont OktoberFest, which might as well be called BeerFest. Someone else will have to fill you in about all the different kinds of beer this weekend (we heard there would be something like thirty breweries serving up!) at another time, though, because we would prefer to discuss the excellent local music offerings at this event. Seattle's ramping up for fall, which will come sooner rather than later; this is the perfect time to find a couple new local bands to love this winter.

First, our at-a-glance recommendations for OktoberFest's Saturday music offerings:

• Sea Navy: 6 p.m., Carter Suburu Stage


• Moondoggies: 6:15 p.m., Adobe Stage


• Shane Tutmarc & The Traveling Mercies: 7:15 p.m., Adobe Stage


• Shim: 8:15 p.m., Adobe Stage


• Cancer Rising: 10:15 p.m., Adobe Stage

Seattlest's Valuable Insight (S.V.I.) about the bands awaits after the jump!

We would like to lodge a complaint to OktoberFest bookers about Saturday's conflict of scheduling between two local groups we've only just recently fallen for: Sea Navy and Moondoggies. One Moondoggies song in particular, "Make It Easy," has gotten us through this somewhat ridiculously difficult deadline week. It's a Grateful Dead-ish, solemn, soft, yearning song for the tough times: "Don't make it right. Make it easy." Who hasn't felt like that lately? And Sea Navy is uptempo and funny, with a spate of new material for your enjoyment--but we hope they play some old favorites, like "Arctic Advice."

Shane Tutmarc and the Traveling Mercies has announced that this OktoberFest show is their last as a family band. Shane, his brother Brandon, and their cousin Ryan have played their bluesy Americana all over Seattle for about two years now, and it's totally worth it to hang out at the Adobe Stage this weekend to catch their last show. One of the guys is off to college on the East Coast, where he will learn that many college grads wish they had been in a band instead of in college for those four years.

A word about Shim: we were recently at a party involving lots of guacamole and awkward conversation about theology (it was a going away party for a soon-to-be-seminarian) and got to talking about local bands for a break from all the God-words. One quiet, polite young man suddenly became animated. "You know local music?" he asked us, his eyes bright. "Well, do you know"--and here he ripped open his Requisite Northwest Guy pilled dark blue polar fleece jacket to reveal a powder blue Shim shirt--"SHIM?!!" This young man feels strongly positive about Shim, and you might too. You might just be one listen away from a new rock 'n roll passion.

Finally, Cancer Rising--a hard-partying, hard-rapping, just plain ridiculously HARD (but so lovable) hiphop group, wraps up Saturday night at the Adobe Stage. Please, don't miss Cancer Rising. They're in the same category as The Saturday Knights: damn good hiphop with a rock n roll sensibility, apt to make you feel like head-banging and guaranteed to make you laugh. CR has been playing mixed bills for awhile now, including a lineup with The Girls and The Valley at their album release party--which completely rocked, if it did perplex some of the hiphop heads. Trust Cancer Rising to break the mold, though. Listen for "Everyday Bidness" and "Wait A Minute," two of our faves off the most recent album. Maybe if you ask really nicely, Judas will do his verse from "10 Brovas Strong," a track off the unbelievably good Gigantics album Die Already, to be released on Friday.