having trouble planning your weekend? let’s fire up the recommend-o-tron for some assistance!

Friday

• From the exceptionally good lineup, you’d never guess that the Capitol Hill Block Party is such a small-scale event. A few stages spread over a few blocks and far more bands than you’ll ever be able to see no matter how hard you try. As an illustration, take a look at exactly why you’ll you’re rushing in an insane frenzy to make the most of the action: enthusiastic drumming and accessible shoegaze from the Helio Sequence (5:45, main); infectiously danceable rock complete with the possibility of racquet smashing Tennis Pro (6:15, neumo’s); up-and-coming in a huge way tweepop wonderkids BOAT (6:30, vera); three guys who used to be in other bands have now joined forces to create the Sea Navy (8:00 vera); this weblog has already showered so much affection on Band of Horses (8:15, main) that you’d think we were getting royalties, but they’re just that good; thrash about energetically to Pretty Girls Make Graves (9:45, main) or go see poplicious Visqueen (9:45, vera), a band that I once played a show in a windstorm that nearly threw them from the stage while hardly missing a beat. An embarrassment of riches.
• Office Space plays at Cinema on the Lawn. Everyone there will know every line from every scene. Start drinking early.
• Don’t like music or going outside? The Seattle Art Museum hosts a David Lynch festival at the Museum of History and Industry. They’ll be screening Lost Highway, along with some television clips and informed panels to discuss just how fucked up the movie is. Or maybe I’m biased by having watched it when I was irredeemably hungover on a bright Sunday afternoon. [sam]

Saturday

• If you haven’t purchased tickets, get up early for the remaining day-of-show tickets because it’s time for more Block Party than you can shake a stick at, even if that stick is holding a stack of chocolate covered fruit: “horror/punk” Schoolyard Heroes (2:00, main), teen sensations Smoosh (3:15, main); if any band sounds like a direct sunlight on pavement it’s Silversun Pickups (4:30, main); former Carissa’s Wierd drummer Sera Cahoone (5:15, neumo’s) in hopes of a hoedown from her new band; Minus the Bear (5:15, main); big shots Speaker Speaker (5:15, vera); high energy fun from the Saturday Knights, cleverly enough, playing on a Saturday night (6:30, vera); Six Organs of Admittance (8:00, neumo’s) out of curiousity; hip-hop from Common Market (8:30, main), a dose of mellow melancholy from Magnolia Electric Company (9:15, neumo’s); and, of course, the legendary reunion of Murder City Devils (9:30, main). [Ed: this could be simplified to "just camp at the mainstage all day" --yes, but what fun would that be? we're all about the scurrying.]
• Alternately, how funny would it be to go to Redmond to see “Maddox” read from the Alphabet of Manliness just because you couldn’t get a ticket for the block party? [upcoming]

Sunday: take a nap already!

Be sure to stay tuned to this channel over the weekend. If When something crazy exciting happens at the block party, we’ll post low resolution camphone pictures to keep you updated. If you see us there, say hi — maybe we’ll put your picture on the internet!