Harvey Danger played the Lake Union Summer Fest tonight.

If you haven’t seen the band live you are missing out on something pretty amazing. The experience is real. Like your best friend sitting you down and telling you like it is.

The LUFest crew hasn’t quite figured out production time management so we ended up listening to a few lukewarm-up bands for what seemed like an eternity leaving only half an hour for what most folks came to see. But frontman Sean “silver-lining-greener-grass-bright-side” Nelson kept us feeling grateful. The encore piece was inspired by Nelson’s experience working at Seattle Weekly. It’s a fantastic song called Ballad of the Tragic Hero (pity and fear). Lyrics include: “Did you ever know you’re my tragic hero?”

Brilliant.

Watch it here.

You can catch Harvey Danger live again in mid-September before they hibernate for a while at:

Lounge Acts 2008

Lounge Acts is an annual Kurt Cobain memorial concert at the 7th Street Theatre near Aberdeen, WA.

One of the most fun summer events this weekend will be held downtown. The Seattle Sandfest. is a benefit for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Puget Sound that features giant sand sculptures in Westlake Park built by local community sponsors. Help out the Big Brothers and Big Sisters by buying vote tokens for a dollar to vote for your favorite sculptures, all of which are certain to be amazing. Last year I stumbled across the festival and was blown away by the huge, well-crafted sculptures. Stick around for live music by the Sonando, Pacific Island Band, and the Islanders and if you’ve got kids, be sure to dress them in play clothes so they can spend some quality time in the kids’ sandbox. Local merchants are joining in the fun by offering samples and discounts–check out the Sandfest site or pick up a brochure at the event for more details.

A few picks for the weekend that should be fun for parents and kids alike:

Snakes: Friend or Foe?

Like snakes? “Learn all about snakes in this program led by professional snake handler, Nick Sutton. See cool snake artifacts, learn how to identify both local and tropical species, and even touch a real snake! For ages 7 and up.”

Seattle Public Library - Douglass-Truth Branch

2300 E. Yesler Way

08/16 at 3 p.m.

Snow White and the 7: Each One, Teach One

See a new interpretation of the classic fairy tale at the Moore Theatre. “As Snow White discovers her roots, her self-confidence and capability to share this rich culture is enhanced by her trusty companions, The 7, inspired by the 7 principles of Kwanzaa. An original piece written and directed by Isiah Anderson, Jr., Snow White and the 7 , is filled with original music, contemporary story lines and traditional rhythms.”

Performed by 60 youth ages 8-18 from the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center.

The Moore Theatre

1932 Second Avenue

8/15 and 8/16 at 7 p.m.; 8/17 at 3 p.m.

Restoration Project at Carkeek Park

Get a little muddy and help keep one of Seattle’s nicest parks looking good by adding native plants and removing invasive ones. When you’re done, take a trip over to the playground for a ride down the giant salmon slide.

8/16 from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Carkeek Park

BrasilFest
Celebrate the music, dance and culture of Brazil at Seattle Center’s BrasilFest.

“Featured artists are Brazilian singer Rose Max and Ramatis Moraes, one of the most celebrated Bossa Nova guitarists in the United States. Participate in Brazilian martial arts demonstrations and workshops for all ages, Samba workshops, mask-making, Brazilian instrument demonstrations, arts and crafts, photo exhibits and films. You’re encouraged to bring a drum and join in the march at 7pm from Mural Amphitheatre to the roof of Fisher Pavilion.”

8/17 from noon – 8pm
Seattle Center House, Fisher Pavilion and Mural Amphitheatre

Rainier Valley Heritage Parade and Festival
Celebrate Rainier Valley with a family fun run at 10, a parade at 11, and a street festival from noon - 3. Live music, kids and arts activities and the “bite of the valley” with $3 sample tastings from Tutta Bella, the Columbia City Bakery and eight other valley restaurants.

8/16/08 from 10am-3pm

In Columbia City on Ferdinand and 37th

Know of any other kid-friendly activities this weekend? Put ‘em in the comments!

* Let’s go fly a kite: Seattle’s Steampunks are stepping out on Saturday, August 16th at Gasworks Park for a day of fun in the sun. There will be kite flying, bocce ball, and other pleasant pastimes. Pack a picnic basket, put up your parasol, and make a day of it!

* For a different definition of outdoor fun, this weekend, head down to Myrtle Edwards Park for Seattle’s annual Hempfest. This year’s theme is Industrial Hemp. The event runs 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM Saturday and Sunday.

* Happy Birthday to the Market: Sunday, August 17th is Pike Place Market’s 101st Birthday celebration. There will be music all afternoon in Steinbrueck Park, and at 1:30 PM a ceremony on the north end of the market will include Mayor Nickels and cake! I can’t vouch for the quality of the cake, but what could be bad about free pastry? The market schedule also promises three (instead of the usual two) Sunday chef demonstrations for the birthday bash, and Japanese Gourmet Restaurant (82 Stewart Street) is hosting a sushi demo and sampling.

* We be jammin’: Pack your lunch box and put on your dancing shoes; the 29th Annual Downtown Seattle Out-To-Lunch Summer Concert Series is in full swing and the weather promises to cooperate. Check the OTL website for locations and bands, including Seattle’s own beat-boxing American Idol contestant, Blake Lewis, on Tuesday, August 19th in Westlake Plaza.

* You make me feel like dancing: Thursday Dancing til Dusk at Freeway Park and Tuesday Dancing for Joy at Westlake Park continue until August 28th. Swing, waltz, zydeco… learn new steps or practice familiar favorites every Tuesday and Thursday until sunset. What could be more romantic than the Cupid Shuffle?

Do you know of other free (or real darn cheap) activities in Seattle? Drop us a comment!

Now this sounds like a good time to me! Free cake, music, and spending time with those who serve our country. It’s win-win all around.

The Army Reserve’s citizen-soldiers are celebrating a century of service this year, and the regional headquarters in Seattle invites the public to help celebrate with festivities at the Hiram Chittenden Locks in Ballard this Saturday.

The 70th Army Band and the 104th Division Band will team up for an afternoon of music from noon to 5 p.m., weaving historical music from the last century of the Reserve’s existence with jazz, dance, concert and rock and roll.

Via Seattle Times

Bainbridge Island is just about one of the nicest places to be outdoors during the summer and this weekend it is made even nicer by Farmstock, a festival of art and music to raise awareness of historic farmland on Bainbridge Island. Hop on the ferry and head on over to the island on Saturday or Sunday for the free art and music expo that opens at 10 am and closes at 5 pm. There will be live music, art demonstrations and workshops, and a special invitational art exhibit with works by several talent artists. Also there will be excellent food from breakfast through dinner. In the evening time, there are a series of special concerts with ticket prices from $12 to $28 that includes Experience Music Sound Off Competition winners Army Corp of Architects and well known local jazz act Pearl Django. Tickets are available at the gate or online in advance. A weekend pass will cost you only $40.00 [tickets]

Stay on this side of the water and make your way to Judkins Park in Seattle for the Umojafest, the Northwest’s largest and oldest black community festival which runs from August 1st through the 3rd featuring a children’s day with over twenty fun activities for kids, a Hip Hop Youth Empowerment Rally and Talent Showcase, an African American day Parade, a basketball tourney, a gospel fest, all sorts of vendors and booths, an extremely excellent food court and much more. The festival has been happening for over 50 years and is always high quality fun.

Magnolia gets in on the action with their Magnolia Summerfest and Art Show. Neighborhood celebrations are always special because they’re inevitably a little quirky, tied to the unique qualities of their neighborhood. People in Magnolia apparently really love their art because the Magnolia Art Show is the main focus of their summer festival. If you head down the Magnolia Playfield this weekend, you’ll get a chance to check out the entrants and winners in the Adult and Youth Juried Art competitions as well as their poster contest.

Last year’s Capitol Hill Block Party made for one of the best weekends of music I’ve ever had (Daft Punk’s Sunday night finale at WaMu Theater definitely helped). This year’s Block Party had a lot to live up to – probably too much. But you know what? I enjoyed it nearly as much as I did last year. The Block Party moniker is apt – it really feels like a big neighborhood party. I bumped into old friends at almost every stage and by the end of Saturday night had made up my mind that I’d take a Capitol Hill Block Party over a Bumbershoot or Sasquatch any day.

After the jump, some thoughts on a couple of the weekend’s sets and my favorite photos from Josh’s Flickr collection.

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craig finn of the hold steady at the capitol hill block party on saturday. more in the photoset [flickr].

The Capitol Hill Block Party is over and I’m rethinking my complaint that it was Friday–Saturday instead of Saturday–Sunday. After yesterday, I’m glad for the day to recover. Depending on the criteria, I keep shifting on my favorite set of the day. Stay tuned for more write-ups, but for now, flip through a slideshow of faces in the crowd, people in trees, Kimya Dawson, Man Plus, Fleet Foxes, Chromeo, Steed Lord, the Hold Steady, DeVotchKa, and super secret show-stealing guests the Saturday Knights. [flickr]

photo by joshc [flickr]

OK. just one more picture from me. I hope that some of you braved the thick crowds to check out Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head last night between Les Savy Fav and Vampire Weekend. Did someone forget to tell these guys that they’re teenagers? I thought that all teen bands were supposed to be a little bit embarrassing, but these kids sounded like well-polished professionals, with exceptional stage presence, great lyrics, and killer songs.

“Block Party” is more than a slight misnomer for the thing that’s starting on Capitol Hill in just about four hours. Don’t expect to find your neighbors grilling hot dogs in the street. Instead, inside the walled-off two block section of Pike Street between 12th and Broadway you’ll find a rare commodity in this era of overwhelming summer music events: a relatively inexpensive small scale music festival with outstanding talent on multiple stages. From mainstage headliners to opening acts in satellite venues to afterparties, there’s far too much to keep you occupied during the one and a half days. It’s more like a month of shows you’d like to see crammed into a single weekend.

Honestly, even if you used a random number table to plot your course it would be hard to go wrong. As far as I’m concerned, the only critical mistakes would be (1) not going and (2) not seeing Girl Talk while you’re there. In a infinitesimal section of Feed the Animals running from Cheap Trick into Jimi Hendrix over Yael Naim and through Eminem, Gillis has given us one of the best and most entertaining minutes of knowing cultural commentary we’re likely to hear all year. And that is just one among dozens and dozens. Set loose among and outdoor crowd, it has the potential to be the smartest sweating you’ll experience all summer.

Here’s the whole schedule [stranger]. But because we can’t resist telling you how to spend your time, a few recommendations from your pals at Metblogs. Start ginning up excuses to get out of the office early because there are highlights from start-to-finish. See you there!

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