I hardly know what to do with myself at a Bumbershoot with neither blazing sun nor pouring rain, but fortunately there are plenty of distractions on hand.

The Exhibition Hall (Rockstar Energy Drink Stage) continues to be one of the worst places ever to see a band, but Australia’s Sick Puppies made it worth suffering the less-than-stellar acoustics. Turn the amps up to 11 and it’s a party wherever you go.

Less loud but no less fun was the far-too-short acoustic set by the ridiculously adorable Whore Moans in preview of their evening spectacular set to hit the Sky Church stage in just a short click of time from now. It’s not often that you get to hear a chipper modern take on “Da Doo Run Run” followed by a peppy “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man”, but it really ought to be.

Off the stages there’s still plenty to see and enjoy. Every year I think that next year’s visual arts programming can’t possibly be any better and this year I am happy to be proven dead wrong. “Kerfuffle” is a fascinating exhibit of art about how human commerce affects the environment which presents powerful messages on sustainability that avoids the academic dryness that awareness art sometimes suffers.

Mimi Allen’s “A Silence More Irresistable Than” invites fest goers to take off their shoes, climb into one of her specially designed pods and ponder in silence, presenting their post-pod thoughts for her collection and further reflection.

“Dada Economics” is a dynamic installation of mixed media art that’s provocative and frequently LOL funny. Bumbershoot patrons gets a chance to be both fashion designer and model by creating ensembles from the eclectic wardrobe of clothing and accessories on hand. Performance artists protest performance art in a poster/sign and video combo. Found objects and items from the grocery store are repurposed in colorful new pieces. A city is built from paper.

The Gage Drawing Jam returns giving anyone the chance to draw from a live model with a wide variety of artistic media including charcoal, pencil, ink and chalk. Too intimidating or elaborate? Be sure to stop by the charming Snackbar, a booth offering popcorn or toffee in exchange for your drawing of anything you want.

The five minutes I spent watching Katy Perry shall never henceforth be mentioned again.

At the risk of jinxing my good luck, I have to point out that it hasn’t yet rained on me, and is in fact kind of humid. In case the weather at Seattle Center is behaving differently than elsewhere in town.

The crowd at Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head featured more neon sunglasses than I think I’ve ever seen in one place and nearly shook down the gates holding them out of the photo pit with all of their dancing. As expected, the band puts on the perfect early afternoon outdoor show, bounding all over the stage and throwing a big inflatable turtle named Bessie into the crowd.

Past Lives is made up of some former Blood Brothers, and they have left off with the screaming in favor of something more like wailing. (Also: a terrific beard.) Some bands on the EMP stage are overwhelmed by the light show or swallowed by the space, but these guys took over everything compellingly.

The visual arts are well-represented by Kerfuffle, which I can’t actually be objective about because my friends are behind it. But the show is wonderfully curated and interactive.

Grey and damp with periodic sun breaks makes for perfect Bumbershoot weather: there are enough people on hand to provide enthusiastic audiences for the early afternoon shows but it’s still easy to walk through the Center grounds while hopping from venue to venue. If you like to camp out on the lawn, you might want to bring something to sit on, unless you enjoy getting soaked.

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. This is one of the worst covers I have ever seen.

12:00 PM – Neil Low: Sign of the Dragon
Seattle Mystery Bookshop
“…a maelstrom of revenge, tested loyalties, corruption and violence” (SMB) set in Seattle during the ’40s.
[LINK]

12:00 PM – Tom Douglas & Kathleen Flynn: F is for Food
Bumbershoot
[LINK]

2:00 PM – Steve Gritton: The Trouble with Sisters and Robots
Barnes & Noble Pacific Place
“Meet and greet Steve Gritton, local author, teacher and professional goofball. Steve will be reading and signing his newest title The Trouble with Sisters and Robots in support of Harborview Pediatric Literacy Project!” –B&N
[LINK]

2:00 PM – Writers in the Schools: Youngheads vs. Oldheads
Bumbershoot
[LINK]

3:30 PM – The Great Northwest: Jess Walter, Kerry Cohen, Kevin Sampsell
Bumbershoot
[LINK]

5:15 PM – McSweeney’s New Fiction
Bumbershoot
[LINK]

7:30 PM – Speak, Poet! Tara hardy, Jack McCarthy, Danny Sherrard
Bumbershoot
[LINK]

photo by ecityblues [flickr] via our group pool [#].

If Bumbershoot [sat :: sun :: mon] proper isn’t enough or you’re skipping the festival itself (perhaps you’re otherwise occupied with a fair, PAX, or a football kickoff?) and just want a taste or spot to meet up with your dampened exhausted Bumbershoot pals, there’s no shortage of pre-, after-, and during-parties. Here’s a brief list, I’ll add more as information surfaces.

• Friday: Kick off Bumbershoot weekend with the pre-party at the High Dive. Victor Shade, Born Anchors, Grynch, and the Redwood Plan get you in the spirit, plus raffles for kids. $10, 9pm. [highdive]
• Saturday-Sunday: After a day of beer gardening, Queen Anne’s Solo hits the sweet spot between dive and meatmarket within just a couple blocks from the Seattle Center campus. On top of that, stars of some of the festival’s bands will be chilling out there for DJ sets. Monday’s usually Twin Peaks night, but that might get postponed due to last gasps of long weekend revelry. [solo-bar]
• Sunday: A reminder that the official afterparty is at Neumo’s. In addition to DJs, the headliner is a big name already performing at Bumbershoot, who, if the event is written up by more conservative media outlets, might have a few letters of their name replaced with asterisks. $free, with RSVP. [uptheantics]
• Sunday: Another afterparty, starring U.S.E. and the premiere of their brand new music video and digital album. See you on the red carpet. [havanasocial]
• Sunday: We skimped on the comedy recommendations in our preview, mostly because those are the shows that are often the toughest to get into and they’re mainly all worthwhile (particularly if you need a laugh in the rain). The comedy crew afterparties with almost certain hilarity. People’s Republic of Komedy hosts, Mary Lynn Rajskub (the original 24 terror-fighting awkwardly awesome computer genius) headlines. Just kidding. MLR had to cancel due to filming sone terror fighting, but other funny people will be there and the event will be FREE. 10 pm. [chopsuey]

pic by seattle daily photo [flickr] via our group pool [#].

We’ve already told you what to see [sat :: sun :: mon]; so now it’s time to haul out the advice that we post every year . We like to think of it as a classic, just revised with slightly-new content and under the assumption that surely we must have picked up a few new readers and Bumbershoot must have enticed a few first-time visitors since last time. But not a lot changes about Bumbershoot from year to year; so why not re-recycle? It’s good for the environment and for preserving our fingers for typing fresh stuff later. So, in the spirit of eco-friendliness and with thanks to everyone who ever contributed, here’s the revised and updated guide for 2009.

After the jump, our hints. Any of your own to add?

(more…)

In addition to the fifteen official Bumbershoot venues packed full of music, theater, literature, and other spectacle, there are a couple of other stages on the Seattle Center grounds. In general, they feature acts performing in more prominent settings during the festival, but have the advantage of being more intimate and possibly resolving some of your thorniest scheduling conflicts.

The one to watch for is curated by Toyota’s Free YR Radio, located somewhere on the Broad Street lawn that isn’t the Broad Street Stage (confusing! right?). Throughout the weekend, they’ll have interviews, live performances, contests, and supplies to make your own SHRINKY-DINK art (magical!) [bumbershoot]. The tentative list of microsets is listed below.

The second stage, squirreled away in a secret location and broadcast live to rest of the world via the radio and internet waves is hosted by KEXP. For a few fleeting seconds, listeners had a chance to RSVP for a spot to see them [kexp]. Now, though, they’re predictably booked. However, they’ll be running contests at the aforementioned Free YR Radio tent for last-minute chances to get inside (a huge perk, given the forecast); so drop by and cross your fingers. Otherwise, load up the Public Radio app on your iphone and listen live while you’re waiting for another set to start.

Since these aren’t on the official program, if you see something you like you’ll need to pencil them into the already crowded margins of your schedules.
And while we’re reminding you of things not explicitly listed on the printed schedule, don’t forget to bring a stack of cash and make room on your walls for some new poster art. The always amazing and bank account draining FLATSTOCK returns for another tour in the Fisher Pavilion.

Celebrate Northwest film with Grand Illusion‘s Washington Grown festival, three whole weeks of shorts and features all created by Washington filmmakers. Week one offers up two separate line-ups playing daily: “Local Laughs” is a collection of comedy shorts from local independents and “Fringe Favorites” features the best of Seattle’s avant garde comedy.

Late night at the Grand Illusion on the 4th and 5th see the Seattle and World Premiere of Effing Brutal, the illustrated feature-length sequel to Brian Lebrecque’s short film Far Too Gone, telling the story of Josh Lowell, a crazed Tori Amos fan who thinks he is Amos. After Josh and his sidekick accidentally join a transvestite cult, Josh is kidnapped by their rivals in a skateboarding cult.

Milestones, at NWFF is a 1975 documentary about a group of idealistic American political activists struggling to express their beliefs in a stifling political environment.

Sunday, September 6, at NWFF seevacuum, local filmmaker Brent Robert’s latest work, about a vacuum cleaner salesman who gets sent on a call to a drug dealer’s house. The film is preceded by two B&W Super 8 shorts and followed by live musical performances by Maggie Brown, Aham Ohuo, Micheal Bradley & Donald Hagenlock, Via Murder and The Curious Mystery. As an added inducement, beer and wine will be available at the concession stand to go with the free cake.

Midnight at the Egyptian: Big budget dino spectacular Jurassic Park.

If you’re going to Bumbershoot this weekend, be sure to check out the One Reel Film Festival with short film programs playing all weekend.

Nothing is scheduled today, probably in anticipation of Bumbershoot, so have a little local history, instead.

Tyree Scott (1940-2003) led the CCAs fight for equal opportunity in 1969. Photo courtesy of HistoryLink.

On this day …in 1946, Group Health Cooperative held its first formal membership meeting in Seattle. The membership set forth the principles and bylaws that still guide Group Health. Group Health remains one of the longest-running and most successful Health Cooperatives in the United States. Group Health’s commitment to quality care, preventive medicine, community outreach, consumer protection, physician autonomy, workers’ rights, health education, and public health advocacy is a model for quality care in the current Health Care debate. In an oversight, the bylaws omit nondiscrimination—that was added a few weeks later. This is not an advertisement!

…in 1969, the Associated General Contractors negotiated a settlement with the Central Contractor Association to expand construction contracting and subcontracting in Seattle to include more people of color. The CCA used direct action to bring “every major, federally funded construction site in the city of Seattle to a halt in late August and September of 1969. They did this — as other activists were doing in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Chicago at roughly the same time — by disabling equipment, blocking workers from their jobs, and demanding that federal civil rights law be used to force unions to hire more black workers” (Trevor Griffey).

…in 2001, Boeing relocated its world HQ to Chicago, putting about 1,000 workers (including my father) out of work. Boeing had been based in Seattle since the company’s founding in 1916.

photo by ankneyd [flickr] via our group pool [#]

If the real weekend of festivaling hasn’t ground you into a tired heap, there’s a reason they call it a three-day weekend. Day three has plenty of appeal even if you haven’t dreamed about kissing a girl to stoke the publicity engines.

MONDAY (EXHAUSTION)

Vampires and Robots: Kevin Emerson, Daniel Wilson (12:00 – 1:15, Leo K. Theatre) – Wilson wrote The Mad Scientist Hall of Fame and How To Survive a Robot Uprising. ‘Nuff said. [stan]

Visqueen (12:45 – 1:45, Broad Street): I would follow Rachel Flotard anywhere. She’s all swagger and voice and an hour long set is only going to feel like 12 minutes. Visqueen has some crazy magic. [samantha]

Reel Grrls (2:00 – 3:00, SIFF Cinema): Young female filmmakers from the Seattle area offer up fresh new perspectives on the world around us. [zee]

Black Eyed Peas (3:00 – 4:15, Memorial Stadium) : if you’re at Bumbershoot on Monday afternoon it would be really weird not to at least take a gawky peek inside during this show, am I right? [josh]

Jeff Jensen & the writers of LOST (3:30 – 4:45, Leo K Theatre) : Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Jeff “Doc” Jensen recaps, videoblogs, and spins inspired interpretations and finds obscure connections in the most minute threads from each week’s episode of the time-hopping fractured narrative of the hit ABC drama. Here, he sits down with the writers and producers of the show — to do what, I’m not sure — but fanboys and girls looking for breadcrumbs as the series approaches its [I can only hope] epic conclusion are sure to turn out in force to parse any pieces of the puzzle spilled on stage. [josh]

The Devil Makes Three (5:00 – 6:00, Starbucks Stage): I’m just going to go ahead and say that any band with ragtime inspiration is going to be a lot of fun. [samantha]

Made in Seattle (5:30 – 6:30, SIFF Cinema): Four unique visions of hipster parents, interconnectivity, pollution and a very special meal, from four unique Seattle filmmakers. [zee]

Dead Confederate (5:45 to 6:45, Exhibition Hall): This is some dark and dirty Southern rock, and last year’s Wrecking Ball had a lot of people getting the vapors. [samantha]

Jason Webley (5:45pm – 6:45pm, Bagley Wright) is a master of crowd participation, the accordion, and songs about drinking. Another local artist, Jason’s shows are rarely missed by those in the know. [shawn]

The Cave Singers (6:45 to 7:45, Mural): The Cave Singers have never yet done a House of the Rising Sun cover that I have seen, but I appreciate that they always sound like they’re just about to. [samantha]

Franz Ferdinand (7:45 – 9:00, Memorial Stage) : Big and danceable, lean angluar tempo switching rock from Glasgow keeps the memory of an assassinated archduke alive. [josh]

Soulsavers featuring Mark Lanegan (7:45 – 8:45, Broad Street): Rock, gospel, soul and country flavored electronica blended with one of the NW’s best voices to produce darkly beautiful songs of reflection. [zee]

Youth Speaks Seattle w/Staceyann Chin and Prometheus Brown (7:45 – 9:00, Leo K. Theatre) – If you’re not exhausted and completely sick of Bumbershoot by then, check out what the kids are doing: “Finalists and winners of the 2009 Seattle Youth Poetry Slam Series will join Staceyann Chin and Prometheus Brown (aka Geologic of Blue Scholars) to form a terrifically lyrical, relevant and thought-provoking poetry/hip-hop lineup.” After all, the children are our future and stuff… [stan]

Truckasauras (7:45 – 8:45, EMP) These local kings of lo-fi create their sound with old Commodore 64 mods, a Roland TR-808, Gameboy beats, and a distorted megaphone. [Shawn]

Metric (9:30 – 10:45, Broad Street): You know you can’t resist Metric. Just thinking about catching them live has your heart beating like a hammer… [Shawn]

3 Inches of Blood (9:30 – 10:30, Exhibition Hall): It’s too bad that 3 Inches of Blood is still living in the sound hole of the Exhibition Hall–I bet they’d be so much easier to understand outside. Still, if you’re going to get kicked in the head in a mosh pit at Bumbershoot, this is the one I recommend. [samantha]

Modest Mouse (9:30 – 10:45, Memorial Stadium): Home(ish) town heroes have cleaned up their grimy indie rock and somewhat improbably floated on to mainstream success, picking up a certain Smiths guitarist along the way. Don’t hold a minivan commercial against them as they close out the festival and the mainstage tonight. [josh]