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.
Choklate
She introduced herself as “your very own home-grown, soul singer chick”. Choklate, the local soul/R&B star was backed by an 11-piece funk band, was one of the highlights of my Bumbershoot. She has a big, booming voice and a ton of charisma. Her set, though, was as much about the other musicians behind her as it was about Choklate herself. She seemed sincere and genuine and that was evident when she promoted her band at nearly every opportunity and told us about their other projects. One more reason: when she played “Dedicated to Music” she said she wanted to write a love song at the time she wrote that song but wasn’t in love then. (ChrisB)
Blitzen Trapper
Blitzen Trapper. Photos by Kyle Johnson.
John Vanderslice (see full review)
Shane Tutmarc and the Traveling Mercies
I’ve been meaning to chat Shane and co. (the co refers to his brother and cousin in this case) for ages now, and good thing I did — this was the band’s second to last show. Drawing a moderate-sized crowd into the EMP Sky Church from the sunshine of the day, the band charmed us with their gospel-twinged roots pop. Frontman Shane Tutmarc moved from guitar to keys and back again, taking on topics of lust and God both, and keeping it all way twangier than his previous project, indie-pop band Dolour. (imaginary dana)
Shane Tutmarc. Photos by Andrew Curtis.
Two Gallants
Two Gallants. Photos by Andrew Curtis.
Feral Children
97s
Battles
Minus the Bear
Minus the Bear. Photo by Chona Kasinger.