Bumbershoot: Bob Dylan Wore Track Pants AND There Were Kittens
Here are some notables of Bumbershoot 2010. All in all- great energy, great music, and a great way to spend the lovely three-day weekend. We can't wait to hear who is playing next year!
Most Attractive Band Ra Ra Riot Photo Cred: http://www.last.fm/music/Ra+Ra+Riot/
Best Crowd:
Meat Puppets
As we nestled into a good spot pre-Meat Puppets, we had the divine pleasure of eavesdropping on an array on golden conversations, ranging from psychedelic drugs, to red heads’ fervent need to defend themselves, to what it was like to live on an Indian reservation, to genital herpes. With a vast array of fans ranging from 50+ somethings who knew every song, to middle kids with green hair wearing plaid and taking pictures with their camera phones, it was blatantly obvious that the Meat Puppets fan base were having an amazing time.
Most Impressive Band We've Already Mentioned:
Surfer Blood
Surfer Blood NAILED it, whether it was during the show they played at the KEXP lounge, their set at the Broad St stage, or at the Bumbershoot after party at the Hard Rock Cafe on Sunday night. Catchy, fuzzy, washed up surfer rock, with sweet melodies and a really fun stage presence, we're sincerely excited to see where this band goes- we have a hunch this is just the beginning for them. Don't miss an opportunity to see them live.
Least Impressive Band We've Already Mentioned:
Jenny & Johnny
It was difficult to distinguish the sound that Jenny & Johnny tried to create, because at times their live set sounded a lot like 13 b-side tracks that they didn’t want to abandon entirely, and decided to make an album out of them. It was no surprise that the best response from the crowd came when they played a song off of Lewis’ solo album- which, in all fairness, was co-written by Jonathan (“Johnny”) Rice. The backing band (consisting of Jason Boesel and Whispertown2000’s Colt Mahoney) seemed bored, and the sweet melodies of J & J’s songs were lost during most of their set. Overall: We’ll be excited to see them again once they’ve established themselves as a band for a bit longer. In the meantime, we do recommend checking out their album.
Most Impressive Band We Didn't Mention, But Probably Should Have
Horse Feathers
Although we must say their music doesn't quite fit the overall festival vibe, we were so impressed by their live set that we opted to see them again at the KEXP lounge later in the day. Haunting and sharp, Portland's Horse Feathers have the perfect blend of woodsy folk, daunting lyrics and stunning melodies to craft extremely well written and played songs. We hope to catch them live again, and in the meantime will listen to their latest release "Thistled Spring" as we fall asleep and pretend we're on a hammock on the front porch.
Most Attractive Band:
Ra Ra Riot
In all fairness, GQ did peg Justin Townes Earle as one of the top 25 best dressed men of the year (not to mention Bob Dylan sporting track pants during this performance- complete with light reflecting stripes on both sides) but after catching ourselves contemplating if attractiveness was one of the most important qualifications of being a band member in Ra Ra Riot more than once, we figure they deserved this title. Consisting of four gentlemen and two ladies, Ra Ra Riot basically look like they've been ripped out of the pages of an Urban Outfitters catalog and taught how to play their instruments really, really well.
Best Indie Mart Vendor:
Recession Clothing
Not only were the folks of Recession Clothing incredibly sweet, we pretty much couldn't get enough of their hand crafted and meticulously detailed supersoft hoodies, dresses and underthings.
Most Adorable Attendees (year two):
The Kittens of Bumbershoot
We’re sincerely hoping you didn’t miss this. Basically, tucked behind the starbucks stage amongst the overpriced festival food and the occasionally out-of-place tents (fine Russian art, anyone?) were some serious precious angel kittens. As in, they were cute enough that we missed the beginning of Japandroid's set because we had to snap these with our crappy camera phones.
Looking for more Bumbershoot coverage? Be sure to check out:
Bumbershoot: Photos of Favorite Local Bands from Day 3
Bumbershoot: 3 Awards to Some Early Favorites
Bumbershoot: Top 10 Local Acts You've Got to See
