Day sixteen in our countdown is set during Capitol Hill Block Party in Neumos. The Lumineers were one of Morgen's big favorite unknown finds for 2011. They're don't even have a full-length album (soon to come) but continue to blow away audiences at every show. more ›

Are you tired yet? We are, but ready for more music. Let's get this thing going! Saturday was fantastic: the weather, the music, the free Vitamin Water... We caught a ton of shows and took a little me time too. Did the fest meet your expectations so far? We're holding judgement to the end, but it's been crazy so far. more ›

Let’s hope you’re feeling decisive because we’ve got quite a weekend coming up. With over 60 bands set to take four stages over the next three days, music fans who will be in the city this weekend will be faced with some of the toughest decisions of the year. more ›

Leaving Belltown early in the afternoon, heading for CHBP, Seattlest was surprised to find that Fourth Avenue had been transformed into a sort of military corridor, complete with traffic cones, bleachers and hundreds of those canvas armchairs with cup-holders. Right, the Torchlight Parade! That's tonight, isn't it? But what were all those poor shlubs doing, sitting in those chairs, soft drink in hand, waiting, with the infinite patience of the out-of-towner, for the first float, the first drill team and the first convertible (topped by an oversize princess), not to materialize for five, six, seven hours? more ›

Fans of thoughtful, melodic and occasionally melodramatic rock, fear not. There is a place for you at Capitol Hill Block Party as well! With the third and final part of our "Better Know a CHBP Band" series, we present Hey Marseilles, Fences, and The Lonely Forest. The last three bands of our local spotlight are among some of your best bets for heartfelt tunes that may or may not tug at your heartstrings. Regardless of what musical choices you make on the ground, with 45 acts to choose from, you’re bound to find something that will please your ears. more ›

If we've learned one thing about our past experiences at Capitol Hill Block Parties, it is that the bands that endear themselves to the gathered masses the most are ones that get the Partyers to move. (Flashback to Girl Talk's 2008 CHBP performance.) Next up in our "Better Know a CHBP Band" series, we present New Faces and The Pica Beats. Though there are major differences between the tempos these bands employ, expect dominant rhythms, and considerable movement around both sets. more ›

While we are no doubt excited for the biggest draws of the CHBP, we’re most excited to see some of our local favorites. Over the coming day and a half, we’ll post some words we’ve exchanged with the bands to ensure you get to know them all just a little bit better before you are faced with making choices about the three stages when you’re on the ground. First up, we present Seattlest’s favorite purveyors of rich Americana melodies, The Maldives and The Moondoggies. more ›

Today, the I Saw U and Missed Connections sections are chockablock with the requisite ads from Capitol Hill Block Party attendees looking for that one girl they saw that one time at that band's set. So if you have bleached blonde hair, a cute tattoo, or were wearing a pretty dress this weekend, your suitor awaits. On the other hand, if you are Heather Tanner, somebody found your wallet and would like to return it to you---and y'all know that we are decidedly pro-wallet-returnage. more ›

It'd be easy to bitch and complain about certain aspects of the Capitol Hill Block Party. Sure, it attracts a bevy of tools who by the end of the night are barely-standing drunken douchebags. And yes, you have to put up with the poorly-scripted political pablum in between acts. Plus, in the aftermath, there's all that garbage. But in the midst of the typical festival chaos, there are plenty of things to praise about this year's block party. Here's our list: more ›

Head Like a Kite: By the time we got into Neumos, we'd unfortunately missed most of their set. Whatever they were playing when we walked in, it was awesome and everyone was into it. It wasn't long, however, before they went into show-closing mode with more ethereal, experimental jam stuff. We dig Head Like a Kite, but they also bore us sometimes. more ›

Ahh, Saturday! A chronologically arranged discussion of the Block Party, Day Zwei (Day Eins here): more ›

Friday: Catch Common Market (4:30) and U.S.E. (5:30) at the main stage, then skip over to King Cobra for the second half of Truckasaurus (6:00). Take a dinner break (may we suggest eating something protein-heavy?), then get yerself to Neumo's for Thee Emergency at 7:45. After that, we suggest Das Llamas (it's their last set...THEIR LAST ONE!) at 9:45 at the Cha Cha. To round out the night, buy yourself a fancy rum drink at Havana and party until the wee hours with DJ Curtis. more ›