More information has been coming in about who from the Emerald City is making their way to the Lone Star State to perform at SXSW. The festival has been hot spot for the music industry with labels, producers, and distributors from around the world hoping to find the next big artist. For six days, the city of Austin, TX will be inundated with bands hailing from every corner of the globeand Seattle has great representation among the showcases. Among the heavy hitters, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis and Allen Stone will be sharing the stage with the likes of 50 cent and Iggy Pop. Though big name artists come to perform, the festival is geared toward giving up-and-coming bands an opportunity to get picked up by a label. Seattle takes pride in its musical heritage and the list of local independent bands at the festival is impressive. Neumos and Chop Suey held send-off shows earlier this week for groups like Lemolo, The Pharmacy, and Spac3man. Fin Records is even hosting a Seattle showcase at the festival with Seacats, Rose Windows, and Lychee on the bill. Our city boasts such amazing talent and it’s great to see it being represented at one of the world’s largest and most prestigious festivals. Below is a compiled list of artists on their way to rock Texas Seattle style!
GET READY FOR BUMBERSHOOT WITH PREVIEWS FROM LOCAL MEDIA
The weather promises to be gorgeous, which is fortunate for those heading out to Seattle Center for the annual Bumbershoot Music & Arts Festival. For three days, attendees will immerse themselves in music, theater, comedy, dance, visual art and literature. With such a wide scope of acts on the schedule, it’s helpful to turn to our local media for pointers on what not to miss at Bumbershoot this year. The Stranger has an exhaustive guide to the festival with great features on headliners Hall & Oates, metal-influenced rockers Red Fang, soul legend Dennis Coffey and more. Local blog Sound on the Sound picked out the must-see sets by Seattle artists, plus the top five acts editor Abbey Simmons won’t be missing. The culture mavens at Seattle Met Magazine give their top recommendations in each category for all three days at Bumbershoot, as does the savvy staff over at Seattle Weekly. If you’re tired of reading, Q13 FOX has an interview with SSG Music founder Nikki Benson on her Bumbershoot favorites. Whatever you choose to see this weekend, don’t forget to check out the wealth of local talent present in all areas of Bumbershoot this year.
TOYOTA’S FREE YR RADIO SPOTLIGHTS LOCAL MUSIC AT BUMBERSHOOT
Toyota Free Yr Radio
Many local bands playing Bumbershoot are getting some extra attention thanks to Toyota’s Free Yr Radio, which is partnering with KEXP and The Vera Project to host a special stage near the International Fountain at Seattle Center. The performances scheduled include three bands who won’t be playing anywhere else during Bumbershoot. To bolster its mission to keep independent radio thriving, Free Yr Radio will also be donating funds to KEXP and The Vera Project. Below is the full lineup for the Free Yr Radio stage.
Saturday, September 3
Seapony (Free Yr Radio exclusive performance) — 11:45 a.m.
Grand Hallway – 1:05 p.m.
Pickwick – 2:35 p.m.
Yuni in Taxco – 4:20 p.m.
Campfire OK – 6:05 p.m.
Scribes – 7:50 p.m.
Sunday, September 4
Massy Ferguson – 11:45 a.m.
Kaylee Cole – 1:05 p.m.
Allen Stone – 2:35 p.m.
SOL – 4:20 p.m.
The Lonely Forest – 6:05 p.m.
The Pharmacy (Free Yr Radio exclusive performance) – 7:50 p.m.
Monday, September 5
Lemolo – 11:45 a.m.
Lake – 1:05 p.m.
Ravenna Woods – 2:35 p.m.
Motopony – 4:20 p.m.
Quadron – 6:05 p.m.
TBD (Free Yr Radio exclusive performance) – 7:50 p.m.
SOUTH LAKE UNION BLOCK PARTY IS TOMORROW
South Lake Union Block Party
The 7th annual South Lake Union Block Party takes place tomorrow with the promise of free admission, Cinema on the Lawn, and mouth-watering food and drink from local eateries like 13 Coins, Lunchbox Laboratory, and some of the city’s most popular food trucks. An outdoor screening of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World starts at dusk. An estimated 7,500 people are expected to attend the neighborhood celebration, and all proceeds will go to benefit YouthCare and FareStart.
CITY ARTS FESTIVAL WRISTBANDS ON SALE TODAY
City Arts Festival
Last week, City Arts Festival released the lineup for its second annual celebration of music, dance, theater, literature and the Seattle art community. Wristbands for the event, which takes place October 20-22, are on sale today. Headliners include Ryan Adams, Robyn, Built to Spill, Ozomatli, and Crystal Castles. A slew of local artists make up the rest of the impressive lineup, including Mudhoney, Fastbacks, The Long Winters, Fences, Campfire OK, USF, Allen Stone, Yuni in Taxco, Seapony, Grand Hallway, Fly Moon Royalty, and many more. Also expect dance workshops, poetry readings, film screenings, a tribute to The Replacements, visual art exhibits, comedy, and some other unconventional performances taking place at 20 different venues around Seattle.
UMOJA FEST BRINGS MUSIC, ART, FOOD TO CENTRAL SEATTLE THIS WEEKEND
Umoja Fest
The Umoja Family Fest African Heritage Festival & Parade is Seattle’s African-American heritage celebration that aims to entertain, educate and unite our community. “Umoja” is a Swahili word which means “unity”. Judkins Park in Central Seattle will be booming with live performances this weekend. Headliners include Phoenix-based soul artist Nik West and Seattle native RyanChristian. The Soul of The City Stage features two days of live R&B, soul, jazz, blues, poetry and spoken word, fashion, dance and more. Join in on one of the most unifying celebrations in the community!
KEXP’S CONCERTS AT THE MURAL START TOMORROW
KEXP
Summer has arrived just in time for KEXP’s Concerts at the Mural outdoor music series, taking place at the Mural Amphitheatre in Seattle Center. See free performances by local artists each Friday throughout the month of August. Tomorrow you can catch performances by The Maldives, Hey Marseille and Black Whales. Saturday is also the 9th annual KEXP BBQ, which will be hosted by some of KEXP’s favorite DJs and feature performances by Fool’s Gold, Rainbow Arabia, Capsula, School of Rock, Virgin Island, and Mad Rad. If you’re feeling extra lucky, consider entering to win VIP passes through Seattle Center which guarantees prime seating plus food and drink vouchers.
DECIBEL FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES FULL LINEUP
Decibel Festival
Seattle’s own Decibel Festival, which takes place at the end of September, has grown over the last several years to become one of the biggest electronic music events in the world. With performances, workshops, multimedia art, and parties galore, it’s a prime opportunity for music industry folk and fans alike to mix and mingle. The Decibel folks have even partnered with Bumbershoot this year to curate an electronic stage. Decibel celebrates its 8th anniversary with headlining appearances by Moby, Amon Tobin (who is bringing his visually stunning ISAM multimedia installation), plus various showcases rife with local talent. Shows will take place at seven different venues around the city, including an outdoor event at Volunteer Park. Seattle artists and DJs performing at Decibel are:
Jon McMillion 214 Kid Hops Grym Demo John Glist DJAO Truckasaurus Introcut Ctr_Alt_Dlt CyanWave Beat Connection Eddie Hanssen Suntzu Sound Ill Cosby Sean Majors Flat Black Brian Lyons
LOCAL MEDIA RECAP: CAPITOL HILL BLOCK PARTY
The weather gods smiled upon Capitol Hill Block Party (CHBP) this past weekend, as evident from the CHBP Flickr photostream and other photos from local media outlets. For CHBP neophytes, check out the Seattle Met retrospective about the growth of the festival over the years. The Stranger covered CHBP with a hard focus on local and national acts, festival fashion, and often-hilarious observations of the weekend’s crowd. Seattle Weekly gave some short and sweet recaps of the top performances on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of CHBP. The Seattle Times devoted some quality blog time to CHBP, capturing some great band photos and giving lots of attention to local artists. Sound on the Sound posted a lengthy and humorously critical review of Saturday’s CHBP, and Seattlest has some great photos from the festival.
SEATTLE TIMES PICKS TOP 11 ACTS AT CAPITOL HILL BLOCK PARTY
The Seattle Times
In case you didn’t know (at this point, we find that unlikely), the 15th annual Capitol Hill Block Party kicks off tomorrow. A weekend of music, sun, and parties galore, The Seattle Times‘ Andrew Matson presents his top picks for the anticipated festival. In addition to visiting bands like Battles, Handsome Furs and Best Coast, Matson highlights some under-the-radar Northwest artists like dance pop act Craft Spells, atmospheric rock outfit Witch Gardens, and playful punk group TacocaT.
