Tag Archives: KEXP

Bumbershoot 2016, Day Two: Three places at one time?

I already felt bad enough that I was going to have to split my time between two of the acts I really wanted to see in Day Two action at The ’Shoot, hitting the first half of Lemolo‘s show on the KEXP Stage and then catching the last half hour of the triumphant return of Reggie Watts to Fisher Green.

It wasn’t until day’s end, as the Hyak nursed its way back to Bremertron on one engine, that I realized there was yet another band I should’ve been seeing. I’d been curious about the alt-country edge of Escondido, but they were on the Starbucks Stage at the same time as both Lemolo and Watts.

Curse Bumbershoot. Curse KEXP and AEG. Curse them all, for not consulting … me, I guess. I would’ve told them to space those three acts out a little. And I would’ve been right.

At least I got to see two out of three, if half-sets count. Lemolo — Meagan Grandall, with drummer Adrian Centoni, predictably filled the little coffee-house cubby-hole over which those hipsters from KEXP preside, and were doing their usual mesmerizing job, leaning heavily on tunes from “Red Right Return.” And Reggie, well, he just manages to be the best bandleader, soul singer, beat-boxer and comedian on the grounds, all at the same time. He makes you laugh and dance at the same time.

I couldn’t help but watch, while Lemolo was limbering up and then breaking into their set, the seemingly endless stream of people being herded through the maze of walkways that, eventually, funneled them into KeyArena. (At least I hope they did. Come to think of it, I don’t remember seeing any of those kids again later.)

I know, once they got in, they got what they wanted in the Key; the musical equivalent of car chases and explosions. But I still felt sorry for all that time they waited in line, while I was experiencing two different kinds of music that invited me to listen, and think, and interpret, and didn’t simply appeal to me on a visceral level.

On the plus side, I guess, with all the kids waiting in line and crammed into the Key, it leaves a little elbow room outside for the rest of us.

A few notes on Saturday’s BumberDay:

  • I really wanted to dislike Joywave, 10926338_767676469953333_6782854157808700237_othe Rochester, N.Y. band that preceded Watts at Fisher Green. But their music was smart, catchy and had a sense of humor, and they won me over
  • The Starbucks Stage was a much hotter place to be than on Friday, with several strong acts. I can’t vouch for Escondido (see above), but enjoyed retro R&B crooner Desi Valentine, fun and sultry crooner Donna Missal and — especially — the charming pop-punk of the all-female Spanish four-piece Hinds (pictured). The problem with the Starbucks Stage this year is that it’s used as much for a conduit for people coming in from the Broad Street gate, who in past years were able to fan out in several directions. The grassy amphitheater, for many, is merely a place to be walked through, and the bands on stage often don’t get the attention they merit. I saw that happen a few years ago when they tried a stage outside of EMP, on the pavement where a lot of the Fun Forest used to be. I was shocked that people came in through the entrance and blew right past a fine little band called Lake Street Dive. Spectators were on their way somewhere else, ignoring a band that was on its way to big things.
  • Speaking of problems with stages … While I guess I enjoy the hipster aesthetic of KEXP’s venue, it’s not very conducive to discovery of bands by casual fans. Some of my favorite memories from Bumbershoots past are of idling around and happening upon a performance that became a highlight. The old Flag Plaza Pavilion, now the cheap seats for Fisher Green, was one of those places you could be walking past and hear somebody (Peter Himmelman and Phat Sidy Smokehouse come to mind, if that gives you any idea how long ago this must’ve been) that stopped you in your tracks. The KEXP Stage is the opposite. You have to very specifically be going there, and you have to go a ways away from much of anything else (except those long, serpentine lines into KeyArena) to get there.
  • I was surprised how much I liked the evening Fisher Green set by JoJo (Levesque), who was a pop princess in the early 2000s, but has been pretty quiet. She and her band delivered a set filled with hooks and energy, and she does have some vocal chops. She seems like she’s ready to elbow her way back onto the scene.

Sunday, we’ll see if I’m still around for Death Cab for Cutie‘s 9:10 set in Memorial Stadium, or if I’m worn out by Billy Idol (8:30, Fisher Green). There’s another three-places-at-one-time conflict (Thunderpussy plays at KEXP at 4:10, and The Flavr Blue starts at Fisher Green at 4:30) to be resolved, leaving Maiah Manser (4:20, Starbucks Stage) as the odd act out.

If you go, say hi …

— MM

Bumbershoot’s KEXP stage has a Kitsap feel

Bumbershoot released the final schedule for the 2016 renewal of Seattle’s music and art fair, with Olympic High School graduate Ben Gibbard‘s band, Death Cab for Cutie, tying a bow on things with a 9:30-10:50 p.m. Memorial Stadium performance Sept. 4, closing night.

But Gibbard won’t be the only thing Kitsap about this year’s Labor Day weekend celebration (which, curiously this year, doesn’t include the actual Labor Day, as this year’s renewal will be a Friday-Saturday-Sunday affair), thanks to the stage sponsored by KEXP, which apparently moves back this year to the lawn adjacent to Broad Street on the Seattle Center campus.

Lemolo, the dream-pop brain child of North Kitsap singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Meagan Grandall (pictured below), plays at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 3 . Day 2 usually is the busiest of the Bumber1023_KSFE_Lemolo1Days, and this year looks no different — Lemolo, for instance, is scheduled in exactly the same time slot as festival favorite Reggie Watts, who’ll be on the Fisher Green stage, a13909191_1823425694545724_2048973451823129016_ond the evening headliners are Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, fresh off their “Camping Trip” tour of small Washington venues that included an Aug. 31 gig at the Admiral Theatre.

Sept. 4, fast-tracked Seattle band Thunderpussy — who include Bainbridge Island expatriate Leah Julius on bass (at right in the photo at left) — will be on the KEXP stage. The all-female quartet recently won the distinction of being the first band invited to play the main stage at Sasquatch without yet having a record release on their resume. The Sept. 4 lineup also includes Bumbershoot’s annual unearthing of some excellent dinosaur-rock act, this year’s being Billy Idol (8:30 p.m., Fisher Green).

The schedule and ticket information are at bumbershoot.org

— MM

Spacecraft lands on KEXP’s radar

From our friends at Spacecraft, who’ve been bringing a succession of interesting regional artists to Rolling Bay Hall on Bainbridge Island in recent months. (As much as I’d like to take credit for the above headline, it’s straight off their release. Full disclosure.)

“Spacecraft, the new Bainbridge Island arts non-profit, has gotten the attention of Seattle’s premiere alternative music outlet, KEXP. Two upcoming Spacecraft shows at Rolling Bay Hall have been designated as “recommended,” and will be presented by Audioasis, KEXP’s long running Northwest music program, hosted by DJ Sharlese.

1106_KSFE_BrothersThe first show is Seattle-based hip-hop trio Brothers From Another (pictured at left) on Saturday, November 7 (7:30 p.m., doors open at 7). Travis Thompson, spoken-word poet and rapper, opens. Next up in the series on Friday, November 13, is Gifted Gab (8 p.m. show, 7:30 p.m. doors). “Gabby” Kadushin has been compared to Queen Latifah, and deserves comparison to Missy Elliot as well.

Morgan Terry, Spacecraft co-founder and artistic director, said, “KEXP plays many of the artists who have performed for Spacecraft audiences. It’s an honor to have KEXP checking us out and wanting to be involved in our shows. We’re stoked to have them representing.”
Both shows are presented by Spacecraft at Rolling Bay Hall, 10598 Valley Road NE.

Advance tickets are available for $10, and $12 at the door.

Information: 206-818-5646, spacecraftpresents.org; Brown Paper Tickets — 800-838-3006, brownpapertickets.com

— MM