Bumbershoot 2011

Friends, the links to the MySpace pages of the bands mentioned below are in my Bumbershoot Preview column.
The Dog couldn't go to Bumbershoot.
Saturday
First up, Vetiver in the Bumbershoot Music Lounge (intimate, unplugged, 40 minute sets in a 100 seat theater). Unfortunately I had no tickets for Music Lounge show, there was a huge line to get into the festival and the food court (excellent idea One Reel) near the entrance compelled B to peruse because he was feeling puckish, truth be known, so was I. Once we’d knocked back the first of many gyros from St. Demetrios (a slice of heaven on a pita for $6) we proceeded to the KEXP booth to join the queue for the tickets. Our prospects looked bleak, but we got in. Vetiver played a mixture of new songs from their latest, The Errant Charm, and some from their previous four releases. It was the first performance of their new tour. I had hoped to hear More of This, but was denied that pleasure. I spoke to the lead guitarist after the Music Lounge set and he assured me that they’d play it during their performance at the Fountain Stage. They didn’t. In spite of that hollow promise Vetiver was great.
Next up, Kris Orlowski at Level 3, one of the two EMP stages. Unfortunately it was full. Note to EMP and One Reel, the Sky Church performances had room all weekend even after moving the barriers at the back of the room closer to the stage (WTF, four security guys need 25% of the floor space?) However, every Level 3 show was filled long before performers took the stage and huge lines continued to build outside. I’m just saying…
B and I made our way back the Mural Stage and proceeded to consume the first of many, many free Starbucks beverages. Howard, your plea to corporations to refuse to contribute to campaigns until Congress gets its collective head out of its collective ass, sponsoring one of the best stages at Bumbershoot and sharing free drinks with Bumbershooters are improving my opinion of you. Just get an NBA team to return or even better an NHL team to come to Seattle and we’re good.
We rendezvoused with J, D and R for Wagons, an Aussie C&W band with a great sense of humor. Good music and the front man’s between song banter reminded me of Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords.
While at Wagons my buddy T sent a text asking if we wanted in for the Bumbershoot Music Lounge show for Trombone Shorty. Since Shorty was on my list of must sees, I quickly replied ‘yes’. We sat three rows back, center stage. T and I got to catch up a bit during the sound check. Trombone Shorty came out with his band, none of whom looked to be over 30, and proceeded to melt our faces off with one of the tightest, sharpest sounding Jazz-Funk-R&B/Soul performances I’ve ever seen. The man channeled James Brown, Marvin Gaye and Dizzy Gillespie at various times throughout the show. They were fabulous!!!!! I bought their CD Backatown.
We walked the grounds a bit. T showed us the (hopefully) new home for KEXP. We grabbed a Starbucks, listened to a bit of Nortec Collective at Fisher Green and PS I Love You at The Fountain where two nice ladies gave us passes to the VIP beer garden where we enjoyed a tasty beverage and watched Shabazz Palaces. We couldn’t get in to see Pickwick or Jayme Stone, the previously mentioned Level 3 factor nixed those opportunities, but did see Trombone Shorty a second time and got another gyro from St. Demetrios. Our last act was Ray LaMontagne in Key arena. The Music was great, but I dislike the venue. It’s inside, the seats are not comfortable and the sound is sub-par. I appreciate the need to “weather-proof” the festival and understand that Memorial Stadium costs more, but the Key sucks for music. Once again I’m just saying…
We left Ray after four songs and made our way to Mavis Staples. Mavis did not disappoint. We arrived just as she was getting into The Weight. Mavis has a great voice, greater stage presence and always has a tight band. We missed her last couple of songs as we hustled to the ferry.

Sunday
I was lucky to have my Brother and my life-partner along for the day. Once through the gates we went straight to get comedy stage passes. We opted for The Improvised Shakespeare Company in Bagley Wright later that day. The comedy shows are so popular that you have to get passes to guarantee a seat and they “sell out” early. On the way back we caught a bit of Kore Ionz at Fisher then got another gyro from St. Demetrios and on to the Mural for the remainder of Kasey Anderson and the first of our many, many free Starbucks beverages of the day. Massey Ferguson, a good old Southern Rock band from Snohomish, was next at the Mural where we were joined by my old shipmate J.
The Improvised Shakespeare Company (at Bagley Wright) is a five man improvisation troop from Western Washington in Bellingham. They ask the audience shout out topics, they select one and create a one act play on the spot in Shakespearean tradition. The Unintended Mustache was brilliant to say the least!
I should mention that due to various construction projects on the Seattle Center grounds Bumbershoot was forced to move some stages and eliminate others. In addition the art installations, some of B’s (B the life-partner not B the brother) and my highlights, were smaller this year, but worth seeing nonetheless. And we always enjoy Flatstock, the poster art show next to the Fisher stage. This year was no exception. We made our way across the campus to EMP for Kaylee Cole, alas, the Level 3 factor was in play once again so we were denied. We returned to Starbucks and listened to Jessica Lea Mayfield at the Mural. She has a great voice, but her songs sound the same and she really didn’t talk much.
Let me be perfectly clear on something. I don’t expect a musician to perform like a wind-up monkey with an organ grinder. However, a little bit of between song banter, an effort to connect with the people who bought tickets (and maybe a CD) would be appreciated. If you’re Van Morrison, you can get away without talking to the crowd, but most of the performers at B-shoot aren’t Van. I’m just saying…
I got another gyro from St. Demetrios then back to the Mural Stage for several more tasty Starbucks drinks and Leon Russell. Leon played all his hits and then some. Most of the hits were reworked, for example Back to the Island was done a bit more up-tempo, so much so that I didn’t recognize it until the chorus. He’s a great showman with excellent musicians and the show rocked.
After Leon we tried to get into see Macklemore at the Key. As we spoke to security at the entrance we could see people coming out of the exit, but due to a lack of communication between the entrance and the exit, security was convinced that the building was at capacity. My only disappointment of the day, I didn’t get to see Pickwick in the Music Lounge.

Monday
Very tired. We didn’t get to sleep until 3:30 AM and rose at 5:45 AM to drive J to the airport. I met B, A and my old friend A at the ticket booth. We bee-lined it for the KEXP booth where we met R and queued up for Music Lounge tickets to see Charles Bradley. While in line for Charles, B went to get comedy passes, but they were “sold out”. We got in to the Music Lounge show. Wow! Charles Bradley has been around a long time and is one of the hardest working men in music, ‘nuff said! Denied for Fitz and the Tantrums show in the Music Lounge as the line we so long, but R got in.
Got another gyro from St. Demetrios, saw a bit of Quadron at the Fountain, Head Like a Kite at Fisher, and Grand Hallway at the mural. All good, Quadron was the best of the three, in fact I bought their CD and have been playing it a lot.
Dennis Coffey at Fisher was very good and he wasn’t even on my list. You Am I, a marginally talented, extremely profane gang from Aussie was at the Fountain. I left for more Starbucks and Ian Moore at the Mural.
Greensky Bluegrass followed Ian. The five man Bluegrass band from Michigan opened with Traffic’s Light Up or Leave Me Alone and proceeded to jam away like they’d been playing together since birth. Great stage presence, excellent musicianship and for Bluegrass, the tunes Rocked! No Ravenna Woods, once again the Level 3 factor, aka no room and long lines at EMP. I finished with Fitz and the Tantrums at the Key. By the time they took the stage I was running on fumes. I caught the first half of the set and boogied with Stu to the ferry.

Highlights:
Vetiver, Trombone Shorty, Massey Ferguson, Greensky Bluegrass, Improvised Shakespeare Company, free iced mochas and $6 gyros from St. Demetrio.

By the way, Dave Matthews still sucks a fat baby's ass for playing the Gorge opposite Bumbershoot.