Visqueen was set to start start at 12:45, requiring a quick run to the Broad Street Stage to catch the lovely Rachel Flotard. Visqueen has been around since 2001, but at their Bumbershoot performance had only release two albums, the last one being nearly five years ago. Luckily, their newest album, Message to Garcia, was to be released two days from their performance, so there was plenty of new material to be excited about.
While the music was great, especially the song “Hand Me Down,” something was missing from the performance of Visqueen. They seemed to be lacking the energy that should go with their songs. Rachel seemed somewhat subdued, and the crowd wasn’t helping. Some fans were having a blast, but most were concentrating on staying warm.
Message to Garcia is an amazing album, but Visqueen just wasn’t able to deliver this time. Hopefully when they are playing this October it is in more favorable circumstances.
As a major independent hip-hop staple, Swollen Members had a huge crowd and high expectations. Having performed at Bumbershoot a few years ago, SM had an idea of what to expect. Although they are Bumbershoot veterans, the crowd could tell that SM made it very clear that they were appreciative of the crowd’s attentiveness.
Playing on the Rockstar Stage, basically an auditorium that you would expect a school assembly to be held at, SM had a disadvantage with sound quality. Being in such an enormous room that was barely half full at about 600 people, SM didn’t seem to care; from the moment they walked on stage, they were all bouncing around.
The newest addition to the group, XXX, was the odd man out compared to original members who were bouncing around and jumping onto the floor to vibe with the crowd. Their older classic songs got the best response; the newest ones had some generic content and were not impressive.
For the entire three days of Bumbershoot, it seemed as though the Broad Street Stage was the place to be. The lineup all weekend was too good to miss. Sunday evening Vivian Girls performed in a style that was reminiscent of the grunge era of the 90’s.
Vivian Girls are new to the scene. The all-girl trio formed in 2007. They’ve worked hard to self promote their band. They began playing locally in Brooklyn and have now created a strong following. This has enabled them to tour around the world.
At times out of tune, Vivian Girls created harmonies that you would expect form an all-girl act. Their lo-fi sound is dreamy and imperfect creating a desirable raw quality. The girls added to their edgy persona by performing an on-stage drinking game. One bottle of white wine was the catalyst for an instrument swap as each girl took a swig and replaced the other without skipping a beat.
Many were surprised Vivian Girls put on a good set. Their vocals are hard to hear on record, but is that not the appeal of the underground movement? Their new album Everything Goes Wrong will be released this month. I suggest picking it up as soon as it hits record stores.
Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head (NPSH) played on the Broad Street Stage located right in front of the Space Needle Saturday afternoon. Comprised of 5 members, four male and one female, NPSH’s set was energy packed. Fueled by bouncy drums and driven by the undertone of the keyboards, NPSH’s synth-infused rock is a dance party waiting to happen. On display was NPSH’s versatile approach to vocals, just about every song had a different lead singer. This creates a refreshing experience as the audience never became jaded; every song sounded different than the one before it. NPSH is not only a thrilling audio experience, but visually they are constantly changing instruments and positions on stage.
Being a band from around the Seattle area, NPSH’s fans came out to support them. The crowd was littered throughout with people who were flailing their arms and kicking their feet in a motion that could be constituted as dancing. An air-inflated turtle balloon, provided by NPSH, got thrown into the crowd and random people were called upon to keep it afloat as it surfed above the crowd for the majority of their set. NPSH’s quick, witty, and dry sense of humor led to many moments of spontaneous laughter from the crowd.
We all knew the weekend had to end sometime. Those of us who spent three days of achy legs and sore backs gave it one last go Monday night. Not only were most of us sore and tired, but we also had a tough decision to make, Modest Mouse or Metric? One comment I heard from an unknowing patron, “Gee, is this everyone who didn’t get into the Main Stage show?” Well, not exactly. This was everyone who chose to give up on Modest Mouse and take a chance on Metric.
As the final act of Bumbershoot, Metric drew quite the crowd to the Broad Street Stage. Opening with “Combat Baby,” Emily Haines showed off her dynamic voice. At times, she sings with a voice that is soft and sweet but can quickly revert to a guttural, yet melodious howl. She rocked the synthesizer and guitar as she gyrates about the stage like a true rock star. Backed by amazingly talented musicians James Shaw, Josh Winstead, and Joulse Scott-Key, Metric is linked to other acts such as Broken Social Scene and Stars.
As Metric made a climactic crescendo throughout their set, songs like “Satellite Mind” and “Help I’m Alive” gave the audience a reason to cheer. Back in June, Metric sold out the Showbox. Last Monday at Bumbershoot, the entire lawn of the Broad Street Stage was completely filled. This was a great way to end Bumbershoot 09′.
On the eve of Bumbershoot weekend, Pearl Dragon gave the admonition, “Show up at the Sky Church at 4 o’clock, and wait for us! It will be well worth your while.” Hopefully you listened to Pearl and went early. The EMP|SFM Sky Church filled to capacity, and there were many that were shut out! What was all the fuss about? People were getting so buckwild, it was animalistic!
Right before the set started, Thomas Gray and Pearl Dragon danced circles around each other getting hyped for the show. As soon as they took the stage the audience started to chant “Champagne Champagne … Champagne Champagne!!!” Being intoxicated with their own greatness, they started the set.
This band has a pretty cool set up. Mark Gajadhar, the musical mastermind, creates thick sexy beats. Combine those beats with Thomas Gray and Pearl Dragon’s thick sexy voices, and you have a thick … sexy band. Thomas and Pearl didn’t have to do anything but stand on stage and everyone was sweating. Even the people backstage inched closer and closer to the restricted area in front of the stage to get a better look. This wasn’t a show where anyone wanted to be on the sidelines. Having nothing but confidence, Champagne Champagne rocked the show like the wildcats they are.
Closing out the set,Champagne Champagnewelcomed Thee Satisfaction to the stage. All together, they hit us with their new black power cut “Magnetic Blackness.” At this point the energy in the room was so high, Pearl Dragon went into the audience and walked upright on the people’s palms. It was a pretty ferocious way to end the show.
These cats will be around for a while. Be sure to check them out as soon as you get the opportunity.
With new a side project on the horizon for RA Scion, Bumbershoot marked the beginning of a new era. Common Market will continue, and RA Scion will be investing a great deal of effort into his new project with producer MTK called Victor Shade. Wanting to make this performance memorable, CM pulled all the stops at the Fisher Green Stage on Sunday afternoon.
Having a full supporting cast of dancers, RA Scion orchestrated a story telling feature that was above and beyond anything else seen at Bumbershoot this year. It was an idealism forged with deep symbolic undertones while being reminiscent of “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” RA Scion and company were completely decked out in depression era/Othello slave garb. Complete with matching face paint, they told a tale of trying to break free from an undescribed form of slavery. With a backing band, each song transitioned into the next as RA Scion sang in a bluegrass vaudeville style that was soulful yet creepy and desolate. At the shows conclusion, it is interpreted that RA Scion is taken out by a devil character. Then, he was resurrected by an angel that danced her way around stage.
While very creative, the show never had the energy that is typical from Common Market. The audience seemed like they were in a trance from sensory overload; there were so many things happening on stage that focusing on the music was difficult. While the crowd was trying to figure out how to make sense of it all, the story reached it’s climax, RA Scion’s death, and they weren’t interested. It lacked urgency and excitement. Most of the music never hit that roaring pace that most CM shows thrive off of. It was an intricate, emotional display that came off weird and awkward.
Everyone involved did a wonderful job of keeping in character and committing to their respective roles. CM can be commended for taking a risk, but it just didn’t hit as hard as it could have. The problem wasn’t poor execution, it appeared to be a bit too much for the bumbershoot audience to chew on.
Update: This post previously indicated that Common Market was breaking up. That was a false fact. Please accept this public apology from me personally, Nikki Benson, to Ra Scion and Mariangela Abeo for not fact checking this post before I allowed it to be published.
No offense to Nikki, but seeing Department of Energy was the perfect start to Bumbershoot day #3, and not just because it was nice and dry inside the EMP|SFM Sky Church while other festival goers were getting soaked.
Dept of Energy played to a relatively small crowd, but the entire audience was held captive by Robb Benson’s voice. Ty Bailie does an amazing job at the organ. It is very hard to compare Dept of Energy to any other band. It is like Benson’s previous group, Dear John Letters, but with a bit harder edge.
I am glad I started Bumbershoot Monday off with Dept of Energy. It is a band that many people could shuffle around and miss out on. If you are into Seattle’s indie rock scene, then you should make time to hear Robb Benson sing at least once, and there were few better times his most recent performance at Bumbershoot.
Seattle Show Gal is in hot pursuit of undiscovered talent! How many great bands are out there that are slipping through the cracks? Seattle is saturated with so much music, it would be nearly impossible to sift through it all to find the good stuff. The Seattle Show Gal staff is not so proud to think that we can bring you all of it, but we are actively pursuing all different types of acts to give you a pulse on what is going on--right here in Seattle! (See more in "About")
