Bumbershoot 2007

The Vanguard is at the Bumbershoot 2007 music and arts festival in Seattle this weekend and will continuously update our website with the sights and sounds of the yearly event. Any suggestions on what shows to catch or who we should interview? Email [email protected]

Monday, September 3

1:15 p.m.

Today Andrew Bird performed in the KEXP music lounge, and, in keeping with his performance last night, was impressive.

Dude can whistle like no-other and puts that talent to use. His sound is composed of looped violin, wilting guitar and an endearingly sweet voice. Overall it’s fairly sparse, but he makes it work and his songs never feel like they’re missing anything.

That whistling though? It’s crazy. He uses it to great effect quite often, and its pitch-perfect quality is kind of awe inspiring. Potential whistle balladeers: keep practicing, because Andrew Bird is the fucking champ.
-Ed Johnson

1:45 p.m.

The Sneaky Thieves are an incredibly unimpressive and overzealous new wave pop band, that sounds like an uninspired version of the Killers.

2:00 p.m.

After spending years hoping to break big, The Blakes have done it (or at least will do it). The trio is at base a rock band and nothing more. They play catchy songs, with simple lyrics that will impress tweenies the most.

The Blakes work to sound like the bands they loved growing up (The Who, The Clash), and are relatively successful at it. It seems likely that the band will have a strong, but unimpressive, career. They’ll be in Portland on Sept. 8 as a part of Music Fest NW.

4:00 p.m.

With Viva Voce, you’ll always get a great show. The two-piece band is a blend of the best rock (mostly psychedelic) from the last few decades—at times Queen, at times the Rolling Stones and at times even a hint of Radiohead.

Now, the Portland band is putting out close to one album a year. And the only thing better than listening to their flawlessly constructed records is seeing them live. It’s like a Sunday at church without the fire and brimstone, or a mid-summer family reunion without the family.

Viva Voce is a success, which many ascribe to their strong relationship. Having been married for 10 years, Anita and Kevin Robinson seem to put everything they have into a common goal: making their band rock. And it does.
-David Holley

I agree wholeheartedly with David, Viva Voce are awesome. I won’t add anything more except to note that during their last song (“We Do Not Fuck Around,” with a chorus of the same phrase) Steve Pool of KOMO 4 news was giving a live weather report.

I like to think that not only a really awesome Portland band was broadcast out over Puget Sound, but that the word “fuck” was as well. Fuck the FCC and long live Viva Voce.
-Ed Johnson

Sunday, September 2

2:15 p.m.

Menomena played a radio set in the “music lounge” for KEXP in Seattle. They again put on an awesome (if short) performance. KEXP podcasts all of their live performances, including a number of sets from this year’s Bumbershoot. Check it out: Link

2:40 p.m.

We went to another radio set, this time by a young band called Iceage Cobra. They really like AC/DC—and it shows—because they sound almost exactly the same as the seminal hard-rock band.

This would be fine, but these dude’s average age is probably 18 years old. Claiming that you are a sex symbol (which lead singer Jordan West literally does) DOES NOT make you one. It isn’t ironic or funny either. That being said, Iceage Cobra have a lot of energy. Again, KEXP will be putting up a podcast of this at some point so head over if you’re interested.
-Ed Johnson

3:00 p.m.

Darrell Grant showed a side of Portland’s music scene today that’s often overlooked. Grant, a composer, a jazz pianist and a professor at Portland State, exemplifies Portland’s jazz underground, which is mostly overlooked by college students because of the indie-pop-punk bands that Portland is known for.

Grant released a CD this last April through Origin Records that he composed and performed himself. His music is crisp, like jazz from an era long gone. Grant relies on swells and crescendos that envelop the listener and make us think about nothing but the beautiful notes and cords he is playing.

It’s nice to see the talent in Portland State and its faculty. It makes us remember that we are learning something from professionals, even if all we get in the end is a piece of paper.

3:45 p.m.

At times like the Police, at times like U2 from the ’80s, Kings of Leon are, to say the least, entertaining. They rely on simple, but catchy rock riffs that are fun to see live, but may be a little tiresome when coming from your dashboard.

4:00 p.m.

What seperates Menomena from the Stars of Track and Field as a great Portland band? They don’t have to try as hard.

The Stars of Track and Field are a talented group of guys and are fun to listen to, but they’re too much like what a Portland band is supposed to be: psychedelic light rock with layered voices and lots of electronic sounds.

It works for them for the most part. They’ve got some catchy songs that are fun enough, but only really great for stoners.

But good for them that they’ve just finished a national tour and are getting recognition. Maybe it will help them gain a little maturity.
–David Holley

5:00 p.m.

Rose Hill Drive are the epitome of competence. They play straight-forward rock n’ roll in exactly the way it is suppose to sound. They have great energy, great hair (long) and above all, an obvious respect for the legacy of rock.

And I can respect that, but honestly, they’re never going to make their own history. They’re working in old formulas—and that isn’t enough. Rose Hill Drive are young yet though, so perhaps later, in some indeterminable future, they’ll make a statement with their music. Right now though? They’re treading water.
-Ed Johnson

6:00 p.m.

Although they’ve kept a strong fan base, the Bouncing Souls are only a fraction of what they once were. One way to tell a band is too old: when they can’t remember how to play their most famous songs because its been “too long since we last played it.”
–David Holley

6:30 p.m.

Book of Black Earth is sweet. They’re a death metal band that understands the humor inherent to the genre. The band played a very complete form of thrash-y death metal.

They last words uttered by Book of Black Earth (in the appropriate death-growl) were “Satan. Is. Awesome.” And all I have to say to that is: yes he is.
-Ed Johnson

7:00 p.m.

Ian Ball, vocalist of indie-rock band Gomez, took to the stage and played his own brand of quiet country-tinged rock. While Ball isn’t exactly re-inventing the proverbial wheel, his music is pleasant enough. He also queried the crowd with the question, “Who wants to hear a song about pre-mature ejaculation?”

Unsurprisingly, there weren’t many takers (except one dude in front who was really into the idea). I guess that was funny?
-Ed Johnson

8:00 p.m.

What would a group of hobbits, who wanted to start a death metal band, but instead of singing about Satan, sang about science fiction authors, call themselves? Bloodhag. The reference? We have no idea.

Even so, Bloodhag puts on one hell of a show. Every nerd who was on the fringe of becoming a metal fan should check out this band. After listening to this group of hobbits (It’s great! The dudes in the band actually do look like hobbits!), they’ll be hooked.
-David Holley

I like em’, but mainly because I got a free book out of it (Serpent’s Reach by C.J. Cherryh). Of course, that book was thrown at my head, which isn’t good, but it was thrown by  a death metal band. Which is great!
So, overall, Bloodhag equals radness.
-Ed Johnson

9:30 p.m.

Seaweed was the last band we saw today. They were a Tacoma, Washington band that was around in the ’90s and they had quite a local following.

Bumbershoot 2007 represented one of their first shows after reuniting, so the long-time fans of the band were out in full force. I can’t say I understand why. The band basically plays straight ahead pop-punk (with a hard-rock edge). Yeah, it’s catchy. But it’s also boring.
-Ed Johnson

Saturday, September 1

1:30 p.m.
We’re here! Bumbershoot is in full swing and there is a shitload of people at Seattle Center. A little history: for 37 years Seattle puts on its annual arts and music festival, called Bumbershoot (another word for umbrella).
Over the years, the festival has increasingly become a draw for large national acts as well as smaller touring bands from around the world. It’s a fun festival, but is a little inconsistent in terms of programming. We’re going to do our best bring you the highlights of this year, especially bands from Portland.
-Ed Johnson

1:45 p.m.
Low-key folk, The Cave Singers are consistent, to say the least. Their repetitive melodies blend into the background—sweet sounds that aren’t much to notice and really don’t impact your train of thought. Although they have a sort of beautiful melancholy sound, The Cave Singers rely too much on the belief that any folk music will be good—just because it’s folk music. They lack the extra spark that separates them from your local café band.
-David Holley

2:15 p.m.
I’m checking out the Seattle hip-hop showcase and local crew Dyme Def are up on stage doing the thing. It’s pretty much hip-hop by the numbers, but definitely competently performed and fun. They pause to thank their fans, commenting on their start playing high-school talent shows in the not so distant past. It’s a nice touch—being down to earth isn’t exactly a common trait in the hip-hop world.
-Ed Johnson

2:30 p.m.
There’s one thing to notice about the Shins: they’re getting old. And whether it’s just the sound system at this festival or their aging bodies and listless sound, they aren’t as great as they once were. This could be a good thing, if it made them sound less like a rickety copy of their CD and more like a rock band. But the Shins shtick seems to be to always sound the same, from song to song, from album to album.
The now local to Portland band is a crowd pleaser, playing their radio classics close to flawlessly. That’s the unfortunate thing about the Shins live: you’ll always get what you expect. And at this festival, that’s what happened: an obviously quirky indie-pop sound, with a staged presence.
-David Holley

4:14 p.m.
Touted as “what Outkast and the Beastie Boys might sound like if they combined forces,” The Saturday Knights have a fucking ridiculous name—but they do sound like the aforementioned bands. And that’s good, because the Knights make killer party music. Their songs shake, shimmy and get down. I could easily see them breaking into pop -stardom.
-Ed Johnson

5:38 p.m.
Some lady smokes meth* and does interpretive dance

*I’m assuming.

6:00 p.m.
Portland’s own indie-rock rulers, Menomena, take the stage. Like their record release show for their most recent album, Friend and Foe, they’re playing with a full choir.
And they’re ruling.
If you haven’t seen these guys play Portland yet, get to it. Not only are they one of the best bands playing Bumbershoot, they’re also one of the best bands in Portland’s over-fertile rock scene. Their music is catchy, creative and beautiful.
-Ed Johnson

7:45 p.m.
Aqueduct hit the music scene 10 years too late. Reminiscent of bad late ‘90s alternative rock (think Jimmy Eat World, Dishwalla), Aqueduct was nothing more than catchy.

8:00 p.m.
It was difficult to tell whether Tiny Vipers was actually trying to play music or just tuning her guitar. Although the group’s vocalist Jesy Fortino was hyped as an intelligent minimalist, it seemed she was only a minimalist because she never learned to play the guitar. Her intelligence was based on being depressing—way too (and needlessly) depressing. There are far better female artists out there.
-David Holley