at Bumbershoot 2008

Bumbershoot on Labor Day was full of great performances, both from local bands and national acts. Check out some great words and photos from the big day!

Kate Tucker and the Sons of Sweden

You can usually gauge the quality of afternoon shows at Bumbershoot by following the crowds. If the crowd grows as the show progresses, there is something compelling about the show that is bringing in people; if people are leaving, they were probably there to just kill time until until the next item on their itinerary. Ballard's Kate Tucker and the Sons of Sweden's crowd kept growing exponentially every time I turned around. Playing just past noon on Monday afternoon, Tucker came on stage and was shocked by the attendance ("I only expected there to be about 3 people here"). She and her band entertained the growing crowd with her sincere and accessible Americana sound and her lovely, sincere voice and vulnerable lyrics. (ChrisB)

Kate Tucker and the Sons of Sweden. Photos by Andew Curtis.

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at Bumbershoot 2008

Sometimes a picture says a 1,000 words. If that's the case, then we've got a whole lot to say about the rock and roll goodness that was Day 2 of Bumbershoot 2008, as captured by photographers Chona Kasinger, Andrew Waits, Nathan Feder, and Kyle Johnson.

Our coverage includes reviews of Tapes N' Tapes, the Saturday Knights, Speaker Speaker, Sons and Daughters, Brother Ali, and loads more.

Have a look, won't you...?

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at Bumbershoot 2008

She asked, "Do I have a car?" I said, "Do I have a CAR!"

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at Bumbershoot 2008

"You're all here by invitation right? We usually can't get into places like this."

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at Bumbershoot 2008

The standing ovation Two Gallants received afterwards did not feel forced, and neither did the depths of this, probably my favorite performance of Bumbershoot 2008.

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at Bumbershoot 2008

Suddenly, waif-like and spry Saul Williams leapt from behind, like a futuristic Native American from a post-Apocalyptic time where he scavenged through torn down thrift stores for an ensemble. Ziggy Stardust advised him in the make-up department.

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It was a scary but so necessary release of energy.

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The band seemed genuinely happy to be playing at Bumbershoot (unlike Beck, whose set on Saturday night seemed to say "I'm only here because you're paying me - but not paying me enough to care").

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...and were expecting ambient music, you probably just got the living shit scared out of you by Black Eyes and Neckties.

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at Bumbershoot 2008

Bumbershoot is a musical extravaganza, spanning the three-day Labor Day weekend with more bands, arts, and elephant ears than anyone can possibly capture. We had a posse of imaginary writers (ChrisB, Chris Estey, imaginary elle, imaginary dana, and Cory), and photographers (Chona, Kyle, Nathan, and Andrew) all over Seattle Center, trying to capture the frenzy and mayhem of Bumbershoot 2008. Below you can see and read about our adventures during the first day, which kicked off with local electronic duo Beehive and ended with superstar Beck, and covered over 20 other bands in-between.

Enjoy!

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