– Bonnaroo 2012 pre-sale begins Monday, November 28th at 12:00pm ET. Three-day passes are $224.50 (plus service fees) and  VIP pair passes are $1,399.50 (plus service fees). Click here for more information.

– Sasquatch! 2012 holiday pre-sale begins Friday, November 25th at 10:00am PT. Four-day passes are $290.00 (plus service fees). Click here for more information.

– Bumbershoot 2012 holiday pre-sale begins Friday, November 25th at 12:00pm PT. Three-day passes are $75.00 (with no service fees). Click here for more information.

– Hangout 2012 locals pre-sale begins Friday, November 25th at 12:00pm CT. 450 three-day passes will be raffled off to local residents for $50 each. Click here for more information.

– Summer Camp 2012 early bird sale now ongoing. Three-day passes are $130.00 (plus service fees), with the price increasing to $160.00 once quantities sell out. Click here for more information.

– Mountain Jam 2012 24-hour Black Friday pre-sale begins Friday, November 25th at 12:00am ET. Three-day passes are $140.00 and VIP passes are $420.00. Click here for more information.

This week brings a whole slew of lineup news, including Voodoo Experience, Ottawa Bluesfest, Bumbershoot, Hopscotch Music Festival, Hop Farm Fest, Life is Good Fest, Escape to New York and more. Below, you can find all the pertinent information.

And while we have your attention, please be sure to bookmark Festival Outlook and follow us on Twitter. That way, you’ll get more timely updates! And if you see something missing from one of the thousand pages listed on Festival Outlook, please drop us a line and we’ll fix it asap. Of course, tips are also welcome!

BUMBERSHOOT

When/Where: September 3-5 at the Seattle Center in Seattle, WA

What’s New: Big Boi, Eisley, Dom, Kendrick Lamar, Motopony, and Fly Moon Royalty

Who Else is Playing: Hall & Oates, Wiz Khalifa, Broken Social Scene, Ray LaMontagne, Mavis Staples, Leon Russell, The Kills, Warpaint, STRFKR, The Lonely Forest, Toro Y Moi, Urge Overkill, and Minus the Bear.

Tickets: $29 single-day tickets and $75 three-day tickets are available via the festival’s website.

ESCAPE TO NEW YORK

When/Where: August 5-7 at Shinnecock Reservation Land in Southampton, NY

What’s New: of Montreal, Mates of State, Reptar, The Jolly Boys, and Savoir Adore

Who Else is Playing: Patti Smith, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Best Coast, The Vaccines, and Au Revoir Simone

Tickets: $275 weekend passes and $100 single-day passes are available via seetickets.com.

HOP FARM FEST

When/Where: July 1-3 at Hop Farm Country Park in Kent, England

What’s New: Eliza Doolittle, The Go! Team, Hot Chip (DJ set), Fenech-Soler, and Aloe Blacc

Who Else is Playing: Prince, Morrissey, The Eagles, Lou Reed, Death Cab For Cutie, Brandon Flowers, Iggy & the Stooges, Patti Smith, Bryan Ferry, Gang of Four, The Duke Spirit, The Head and the Heart, and The Walkmen

Tickets: £141 weekend passes and £75.70 day tickets are available via seetickets.com

HOPSCOTCH MUSIC FESTIVAL

When/Where: September 8-10 in Raleigh, NC

What’s New: Titus Andronicus, Times New Viking, Vivian Girls, Bass Drum of Death, Pepper Rabbit, Xray Eyeballs, Diamond Rings, and Xray Eyeballs

Who Else is Playing: The Flaming Lips, Guided By Voices, Superchunk, Swans, The Dodos, Toro Y Moi, Twin Shadow, Yelawolf, Black Lips, Cold Cave, Japandroids, Liturgy, John Vanderslice, Ford & Lopatin, Lower Dens, Beach Fossils, and Beans.

Tickets: Multiple ticketing options are available via the festival’s website.

LIFE IS GOOD FESTIVAL

When/Where: September 24-25 at Prowse Farm in Canton, MA

Who’s Playing: The Avett Brothers, The Levon Helm Band, Ray LaMontagne, The Hold Steady, Ingrid Michaelson, Brandi Carlile, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Raphael Saadiq, and Zee Avi

Tickets: $120 two-day ticket and $65 single-day tickets are available via the festival’s website.

MUSICFEST NW

When/Where: September 8-11 in Portland, OR

What’s New: Marketa Irglova, OFF!, Sallie Ford & the Sound, Dan Mangan, Loch Lomond, Fool’s Gold, Emancipator, Young Buffalo, and Purity Ring

Who Else is Playing: Band of Horses, Iron & Wine, Explosions in the Sky, The Kills, Butthole Surfers, Archers of Loaf, Sebadoh, Handsome Furs, Tennis, Sharon Van Etten, YACHT, The Vaccines, The Thermals, Ted Leo, Phantogram, The Joy Formidale, Little Dragon, and Blitzen Trapper.

Tickets: $115 all-show wristbands, $70 GA wristbands, and $250 VIP wristbands are available via the festival’s website.

OTTAWA BLUESFEST

When/Where: July 5-17 at Lebreton Flats Park in Ottawa, Ontario

What’s New: Jane’s Addiction, Lupe Fiasco, Protest The Hero, Stephen Marley, and Classified.

Who Else is Playing: Soundgarden, The Flaming Lips, The Black Keys, My Morning Jacket, A Perfect Circle, Death Cab for Cutie, Girl Talk, Ben Harper, Erykah Badu, The Roots, The Tragically Hip, Death From Above 1979, Tegan and Sara, Ra Ra Riot, M. Ward, Cheap Trick, and Wanda Jackson

Tickets: $260 festival passports and $40-$55 single-day passes are available via the festival’s website.

ROCK THE BELLS

When/Where: San Bernardino, CA (8/20), Mountain View, CA (8/27), New York, NY (9/3), and Boston, MA (9/10)

What’s New: Erykah Badu performing Baduizm, Common performing Be, Killah Priest performing Heavy Metal, and DOOM

Who Else is Playing: Lauryn Hill performing The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Nas performing Illmatic, The GZA performing Liquid Swords, Cypress Hill performing Black Sunday, Immortal Technique, Mobb Deep performing The Infamous, and Slaughterhouse

Tickets: Ticketing options vary on location. Visit the festival’s website for more information.

SUNSET STRIP MUSIC FESTIVAL

When/Where: August 18-20 in Hollywood, CA

Who’s Playing: Mötley Crüe, Bush, Public Enemy, Matt & Him, dredg, and Felix Cartal

Tickets: Multiple packages are available via the festival’s website.

TREASURE ISLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL

When/Where: October 15-16 at Treasure Island in San Francisco, CA

Who’s Expected: Friendly Fires and Warpaint

Tickets: TBA

VOODOO EXPERIENCE

When/Where: October 28-30 at City Park in New Orleans, LA

What’s New: My Chemical Romance, Portugal. the Man, X, Ozomatli, Soul Rebel’s Brass Band, and City and Colour

Who Else is Playing: Soundgarden and Girl Talk, with more acts to be announced in the weeks ahead

Tickets: $150 GA and $450 VIP passes are available via the festival’s website.

Today brings a whole slew of lineup news, including Dave Matthews Caravan in Chicago, Pop Montreal, Electric Daisy Carnival, MidPoint Music Festival, ATP UK, Jersey Live, and more. Below, you can find all the pertinent information.

And while we have your attention, please be sure to bookmark Festival Outlook and follow us on Twitter. That way, you’ll get more timely updates! And if you see something missing from one of the thousand pages listed on Festival Outlook, please drop us a line and we’ll fix it asap. Of course, tips are also welcome!

ATP UK curated by Jeff Mangum

When/Where: December 2-4 at Butlins Holiday Center in Minehead, UK

What’s New: Boredoms, The Fall, Low, Micachu and the Shapes, Lost in the Trees, and Colin Stetson

Who Else is Playing: Jeff Mangum, Fleet Foxes, Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise, Robyn Hitchcock, Superchunk, The Raincoats, The Apples in Stereo, and Tinariwen.

Tickets: Multiple room packages are still available via See Tickets.

DAVE MATTHEWS CARAVAN IN CHICAGO

When/Where: July 8-10 at Lakeside in Chicago, IL

What’s New: moe., Umphrey’s McGee, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Cornmeal

Who Else is Playing: Dave Matthews Band, The Flaming Lips, David Gray, Ray LaMontagne, O.A.R., Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Drive-By Truckers, Kid Cudi, Ben Folds, Liz Phair, Emmylou Harris, and Gomez

Tickets: $195 three-day passes, along with $85 daily-tickets and VIP packages are available via the festival’s website.

ELECTRIC DAISY CARNIVAL

When/Where: June 24-26 at Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV

Who’s Playing: Tiesto, Swedish House Mafia, and David Guetta

Who’s Expected: Bassnectar,The Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77, Skream & Benga, Röyksopp, Steve Bug, DJ Marky, and Liquid Stranger

Tickets: $215 three-day passes, $100 Sunday passes, and VIP packages are available via the festival’s website.

JERSEY LIVE 2011

When/Where: September 3-4 in Jersey, Channel Islands

Who’s playing: Madness, The Ting Tings, The Streets, The Rapture, Plan B, Cage The Elephant, Katy B, Jamie Woon, Ed Sheeran, Annie Mac, Nero, Toddla T, and Maverick Sabre

Tickets: £88 weekend tickets and £56 day-passes are available via the festival’s website.

MIDPOINT MUSIC FESTIVAL

When/Where: September 22-24 in Cincinnati, OH

Who’s playing: Cut Copy, Gang Gang Dance, Deerhoof, Mates of State, The Dodos, Toro Y Moi, Xiu Xiu, Mansions on the Moon, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Ava Luna, Bear Hands, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and Washed Out, with more acts to be announced

Tickets: A limited quantity of three-day wristbands will be available June 3rd via the festival’s website.

POP MONTREAL 2011

When/Where: September 21-25 in Montreal, Quebec

Who’s Playing: Chromeo, Japandroids, The Raincoats, Redd Kross, Tune-Yards, Cave, Purity Ring, Marie-Jo Therio, Tahiti 80, Vockah Redu, The Socalled Musical, and The Velvelettes, with more acts to be announced

Tickets: $250 Early-bird passes go on sale June 2nd via the festival’s website.

QUEBEC CITY SUMMER FESTIVAL 2011

When/Where: July 7-17 in Quebec City, Quebec

What’s New: Coheed And Cambria, G. Love & Special Sauce, Wavves, Joseph Arthur, Martha Wainwright, Lee Fields And The Expressions, Stephen Marley, and Yelle

Who Else is Playing: Elton John, Metallica, The Black Keys, Girl Talk, Ben Harper, Death From Above 1979, Cut Copy, Cage The Elephant, Wanda Jackson, M. Ward, and Buddy Guy

Tickets: Hydro-Quebec passes are sold out, but $30 single-day tickets remain available via the festival’s website.

Other confirmed acts include Butthole Surfers, Leon Russell, The Kills, Sharon Van Etten, Minus the Bear, Mavis Staples, Little Dragon, Anti-Flag, and Seattle’s own The Presidents of the United States of America.  The Emerald City will also host a slew of indie staples like Warpaint, School of Seven Bells, PS I Love You, Astronautalis, Toro Y Moi, Das Racist , Vetiver, and YACHT.

But that’s not all. Decibel founder and organizer Sean Horton will curate the EMP Sky Church stage, which will feature a slew of acts, all working with high-end technology and multimedia via the venue’s state-of-the-art screen. Other late night shows, dubbed Bumbershoot After Dark, will take place at the EMP’s Exhibition Hall from 10 p.m. to five in the morning. More information, including lineups and ticketing, will surface June 15th.

Single day tickets ($35) and three-day passes ($75) are currently available for purchase here.

Today brings a whole slew of lineup news, including Outside Lands, Bumbershoot, Essence, Pukkelpop, North Coast Music Festival, DeLuna Fest, Decibel Festival, Saturday in the Park, Afro-Punk Festival, and more. Below, you can find all the pertinent information.

And while we have your attention, please be sure to bookmark Festival Outlook and follow us on Twitter. That way, you’ll get more timely updates! And if you see something missing from one of the thousand pages listed on Festival Outlook, please drop us a line and we’ll fix it asap. Of course, tips are also welcome!

AFRO-PUNK FESTIVAL

When/Where: August 27-28 at Commodore Barry Park in Brooklyn, NY

Who’s Playing: Cee-Lo, Janelle Monae, Toro Y Moi, Santogold, Res, Rocky Business, and Reggie Watts

Tickets: TBA

BUMBERSHOOT

When/Where: September 3-5 at the Seattle Center in Seattle, WA

What’s New: Dam-Funk, Little Dragon, Vetiver, Fitz and the Tantrums, Phantogram, The Reverend Horton Heat, and Grant Lee Buffalo

Who Else is Playing: Hall & Oates, Wiz Khalifa, Broken Social Scene, Ray LaMontagne, Mavis Staples, Leon Russell, The Kills, Warpaint, STRFKR, The Lonely Forest, Toro Y Moi, Urge Overkill, and  Minus the Bear, with many more acts still to be announced. One act is being revealed each day during the month of May.

Tickets: $29 single-day tickets and $75 three-day tickets are available via the festival’s website.

Decibel Festival

When/Where: September 28th – October 2nd in Seattle, WA

Who’s Playing: Holy Fuck, Hanseen, Green Velvet, Opiuo, Star Slinger, Ulrich Schnauss, Mountains, Jon McMillion, and Motor City Drum Ensemble

Tickets: 130.00 GA passes are available via the festival’s website.

DELUNA FEST

When/Where: October 13-16 in Pensacola Beach, FL

What’s New: Toubab Krewe and The Limousines

Who Else is Playing: The New Pornographers, Betty LaVette, Cut Copy, Matt & Kim, Mute Math, Manchester Orchestra, Ra Ra Riot, The Airborne Toxic Event, AWOLNATION, The Constellations, and wallpaper.

Tickets: $99.95 Early Bird three-day passes are available via the festival’s website.

DIA DE LOS TOADIES

When/Where: August 26-27 at Whitewater Amphitheater in New Braunfels, TX

Who’s Playing: Toadies, UME, Whiskey Folk Ramblers, The Sword, Quiet Company, The King Bucks, Tornahdo, and The Black Angels

Tickets: $32.33 Friday ticket, $27.71 Saturday GA ticket, and $36.95 preferred tickets are available via the festival’s website.

ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL

When/Where: July 1-3 at Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, LA

What’s New: Usher, Jennifer Hudson, Naughty By Nature, Doug E. Fresh, Chaka Khan, and Morris Day and the Time

Who Else is Playing: Kanye West, Jill Scott, Mary J. Blige, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Boyz II Men, Macy Gray, Trey Songz, New Edition, M.C. Lyte, Miguel, and more

Tickets: Multiple ticket packages are available via the festival’s website.

NORTH COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL

When/Where: September 2-4 at Union Park in Chicago, IL

What’s New: Van Ghost, Wolfgang Gartner, Rubblebucket, California Wives, Midnight Conspiracy, Team Bayside High Gemini Club, Loyal Divide, BBU, Zebo, The Coop, and more

Who Else is Playing: David Guetta, Fatboy Slim, Thievery Corporation, Bassnectar, Common, of Montreal, Wiz Khalifa, Gogol Bordello, Major Lazer, Lotus, Little Dragon, and Neon Indian

Tickets: $95 three-day festival passes are available via the festival’s website.

OUTSIDE LANDS FESTIVAL

When/Where: August 12-14 at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, CA

What’s New: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Ellie Goulding, tUnE-yArDs, Christina Perri, and Bob Schneider.

Who Else is Playing: Arcade Fire, Muse, Phish, The Black Keys, Deadmau5, The Shins, MGMT, Girl Talk, The Decemberists, John Fogerty, Erykah Badu, The Original Meters, The Roots, Beirut, STS9, Arctic Monkeys, Big Boi, Big Audio Dynamite, and more

Tickets: $199.50 three-day passes and $450 VIP passes are available via the festival’s website

PUKKELPOP

When/Where: August 18-20 in Kiewit, Belgium

Who’s Playing: Foo Fighters, Eminem, The Offspring, 30 Seconds to Mars, Rise Against, dEUS, The Ting Tings, Deftones, The Streets, James Blake, Crystal Castles, The Raveonettes, Duck Sauce, The Kills, Battles, Wiz Khalifa, Lykke Li, Blonde Redhead, Warpaint, Gomez, New Found Glory, Skunk Anansie, Paul Kalkbrenner, No Use For A Name Good Charlotte, Panic! At The Disco, and more

Tickets: €79 Friday and Saturday tickets are available via the festival’s website. Three-day and Thursday tickets are sold out.

SATURDAY IN THE PARK

When/Where: July 2nd at Grandview Park in Sioux Park, IA

Who’s Playing: Ben Harper, Cee-Lo Green, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, and Los Lonely Boys

Tickets: FREE!

Today brings a whole slew of lineup news, including Capitol Hill Block Party, Bumbershoot, Wicker Park Fest, DeLuna Fest, ATP’s Nightmare Before Christmas, Hop Farm Fest, Summerfest, Musicfest NW and more. Below, you can find all the pertinent information.

And while we have your attention, please be sure to bookmark Festival Outlook and follow us on Twitter. That way, you’ll get more timely updates! And if you see something missing from one of the thousand pages listed on Festival Outlook, please drop us a line and we’ll fix it asap. Of course, tips are also welcome!

ATP’S NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

When/Where: December 9-11 at the Butlins Holiday Centre in Minehead, England

What’s New: Toro Y Moi, Wild Flag, Surfer Blood, Underground Resistance Presents Interstellar Fugitives, and Four Tet

Who Else is Playing: Battles, Caribou, Les Savy Fav, Flying Lotus, The Dodos, Holy Fuck, Junior Boys, No Age, Washed Out, and Factory Floor

Tickets: Various packages including £340 Double Rooms, £535 Triple Rooms, and £1,323 Seven-People Rooms with self-catering now available via seetickets.

BUMBERSHOOT

When/Where: September 3-5 at the Seattle Center in Seattle, WA

What’s New: Atari Teenage Riot, Toro Y Moi, Over the Rhine, The Presidents of the USA, Mavis Staples, Minus the Bear, STRFKR, and Urge Overkill

Who Else is Playing: Hall & Oates, Wiz Khalifa, Broken Social Scene, Leon Russell, The Kills, and Ray LaMontagne, with many more acts still to be announced. One act is being revealed each day during the month of May.

Tickets: $29 single-day tickets and $75 three-day tickets are available via the festival’s website.

Capitol Hill Block Party

When/Where: July 22-24 in Seattle, WA

Who’s Playing: TV on the Radio, Battles, Explosions in the Sky, Ghostland Observatory, Thurston Moore, The Cave Singers, Ra Ra Riot, Les Savy Fav, Handsome Furs, Kurt Vile & the Violators, Fucked Up, Cults, Cold Cave, Yuck, and Papercuts

Tickets: Tickets on sale Friday, May 20 at 10:00am PDT

DELUNA FEST

When/Where: October 13-16 in Pensacola Beach, FL

What’s New: Ra Ra Riot, The Airborne Toxic Event, AWOLNATION, The Constellations, and Betty LaVette

Who Else is Playing: The New Pornographers, Cut Copy, Matt & Kim, Mute Math, Manchester Orchestra, and wallpaper.

Tickets: $99.95 Early Bird three-day passes are available via the festival’s website.

FYF FEST

When/Where: September 3rd in Los Angeles, CA

Who’s Expected: Death From Above 1979, Descendents, and Girls

Tickets: TBA

HOP FARM FEST

When/Where: July 1-3 at Hop Farm Country Park in Kent, England

What’s New: Prince and Manu Chao

Who Else is Playing: Morrissey, The Eagles, Lou Reed, Death Cab For Cutie, Brandon Flowers, Iggy & the Stooges, Patti Smith, Bryan Ferry, Gang of Four, The Duke Spirit, The Head and the Heart, and The Walkmen

Tickets: £141 Weekend Passes and £75.70 Day Tickets. Camping, disabled, and Campervan Tickets also available now, via seetickets.com

MUSICFEST NW

When/Where: September 8-11 in Portland, OR

Who’s Expected: Explosions in the Sky, Archers of Loaf, and Sebadoh

Tickets: TBA

North by Northeast

When/Where: July 13-19 in Toronto, ON

What’s New: Fucked Up, Handsome Furs, Superhumanoids, Grimes, and Diamond Rings

Who Else is Playing: Devo, Descendents, Stars, Deerhoof, The Pharcyde, Men Without Hats, Hot Water Music, Shad, The Dodos, OFF!, Twin Shadow, Art Brut, Cults, Bouncing Souls, PS I Love You, and Digable Planets

Tickets: $50 CA 5-day wristbands, $200 CA priority passes are now available via festival’s website.

SUMMERFEST

When/Where: June 29-July 10 at Henry Maier Festival Park in Milwaukee, WI

What’s New: Britney Spears, Makeshift Prodigy, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons, Funeral Party, Nicole Atkins, Walk The Moon, Gabby Young And Other Animals, UME,  and Chamberlin

Who Else is Playing: Kanye West, The Black Keys, Buddy Guy, Hall and Oates, Meat Loaf, Katy Perry, Matisyahu, Florence & the Machine, Peter Gabriel, O.A.R., Peter Frampton, Sheryl Crow, Styx, Sugarland, and Goo Goo Dolls, and 311

Tickets: GA passes and Marcus Amphitheater headlining tickets are available via Ticketmaster.

WICKER PARK FEST

When/Where: July 23- 24 on Milwaukee Ave (between North Avenue to Wood Street)

Who’s Playing: Wavves, Wild Flag, Murder By Death, Dead to Me, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons, Jesse Malin and the St Marks Special, Off With Their Heads!, Van Ghost Joe Pug, Ana Sia, and Netherfriends

Tickets: A $5 donation is suggested.

Today brings a whole slew of lineup news, including the Bumbershoot, Osheaga, DeLuna, Pygmalion, Soundwave Revolution, Bruise Cruise, Red Sky, HFStival, and Low Cost music festivals. Below, you can find all the pertinent information.

And while we have your attention, please be sure to bookmark Festival Outlook and follow us on Twitter. That way, you’ll get more timely updates! And if you see something missing from one of the thousand pages listed on Festival Outlook, please drop us a line and we’ll fix it asap. Of course, tips are also welcome!

BRUISE CRUISE 2012

When/Where: February 10-13, 2012, leaves from Miami, FL and makes a stop in Nassau, Bahamas

Who’s Playing: King Khan & The Shrines, The Soft Pack, The Dirtbombs, Quintron and Miss Pussycat, Thee Oh Sees, Neil Hamburger, and Jonathan Toubin

Tickets: Prices vary per cabin. Click here for more information.

BUMBERSHOOT

When/Where: September 3-5 at the Seattle Center in Seattle, WA

Who’s Playing: Wiz Khalifa, Hall and Oates, Ray LaMontagne, Broken Social Scene, Mavis Staples, The Kills, Fitz and the Tantrums, Minus the Bear, and The Lonely Forest, with many more acts still to be announced. One act is being revealed each day during the month of May.

Tickets: $29 single-day tickets and $75 three-day tickets are available via the festival’s website.

DELUNA FEST

When/Where: October 13-16 in Pensacola Beach, FL

Who’s Playing: The New Pornographers, Cut Copy, Matt & Kim, Mute Math Manchester Orchestra,and Wallpaper, with many more acts still to be announced.

Tickets: $99.95 Early Bird three-day passes are available via the festival’s website.

HFSTIVAL 2011

When/Where: September 17th at Merriweather Post Pavillion in Columbia, MD

Who’s Playing: The Avett Brothers, Flogging Molly, Dr. Dog, Clutch, Minus the Bear, Gin Blossoms, Lloyd Dobler Effect, Pasadena, and Middle Distance Runner

Tickets: $35 lawn seats and $50 reserved seats are available via the festival’s website.

LOW COST FESTIVAL

When/Where: July 21-23 at Ciudad Deportiva Guillermo Amor in Benidorm, Spain

Who’s Playing: Crystal Castles, Cut Copy, Klaxons, OK Go, Shout Out Louds, Steve Aoki, The Phantoms, Lori Meyers, The Bright, Dorian, The Excitement, and Cat People

Tickets: €60 general admission tickets, €80 general admission + camping tickets available at the festival’s website

OSHEAGA FESTIVAL

When/Where: July 27-31 at Parc Jean-Drapeau in Montreal, Quebec

What’s New: Lupe Fiasco, Ellie Goulding, Frightened Rabbit, Glass Candy, Timber Timbre, and Egyptrixx

Who Else is Playing: Eminem, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Death Cab For Cutie, Kid Cudi, Death From Above 1979, Cypress Hill, Janelle Monae, Broken Social Scene, Bright Eyes, and Bassnectar

Tickets: $217.50 CA three-day passes, $133.50 CA two-day passes, and single-day ticketing options are available via the festival’s website.

PYGMALION MUSIC FESTIVAL

When/Where: September 21-24 in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois

What’s New: Cut Copy, Washed Out, and The Dodos

Who Else is Playing: Explosions in the Sky, Braid, Toro y Moi, Deerhoof, Japandroids, Xiu Xiu, The Hood Internet, STRFKR, Asobi Seksu, and Owen

Tickets: $65.00 passes are available via Krannert Center Online.

RED SKY MUSIC FESTIVAL

When/Where: July 18-23 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, NE

Who’s Playing: Journey, 311, Sublime with Rome, George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic, Jason Aldean, Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers, Buddy Guy, Better Than Ezra, and Night Ranger, with many more acts still to be announced.

Tickets: $15 single-day passes, $30 three-day passes, and $60 six-day passes available via the festival’s website. Main stage ticketing options also available (Jason Aldean tickets on sale May 13th at 10am, and Journey tickets on sale May 14th and 10 am).

Soundwave Revolution

When/Where: September 24 – October 3 in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth, Australia

Who’s Playing: Van Halen, Hole, Alice Cooper, Bad Religion, Machine Head, Danzig, Alter Bridge, Panic! at the Disco, Versa Emerge, Sisters of Mercy, The Used, Sum 41, Dashboard Confessional, and The Pretty Reckless

Tickets: General public tickets will go on sale Thursday, June 2nd at 9am AEST via the festival’s website.

X-FEST 2011

When/Where: August 20th in Calgary, Alberta

Who’s Playing: Jane’s Addiction, Social Distortion, Weezer, The Rural Alberta Advantage, House of Pain, and Michael Bernard Fitzgerald

Tickets: $79.29 GA and $129.29 VIP passes are on sale this Friday, May 13th at 10am via Prime Box Office.

Today brings a whole slew of lineup news, including The Big Chill, Audiotistic, Rock on the Range Canada, Festival for Humanity, KROQ Weenie Roast, Make Music Pasadena, Reeding & Leeds and more. Below, you can find all the pertinent information.

And while we have your attention, please be sure to bookmark Festival Outlook and follow us on Twitter. That way, you’ll get more timely updates! And if you see something missing from one of the thousand pages listed on Festival Outlook, please drop us a line and we’ll fix it asap. Of course, tips are also welcome!

AUDIOTISTIC

When/Where: July 30th at Nos Events Center in San Bernardino, CA

Who’s Playing: Crystal Castles, Diplo, Zoo Brazil, Benga, Super 8 & Tab, Menno De Jong, and Flux Pavillion & Doctor P, with more to be announced

Tickets: TBA

THE BIG CHILL

Where/When: August 4-7 at Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire, England

What’s New: Empire Of The Sun, King Midas Sound, and Jay Electronica

Who Else is Playing: Kanye West, The Chemical Brothers, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Robert Plant and the Band of Joy, Janelle Monae, and Warpaint

Tickets: £172 weekend camping passes and £82 day passes are available via Ticketline.

BUMBERSHOOT

When/Where: September 3-5 at Seattle Center in Seattle, WA

Who’s Playing: Hall and Oates, Wiz Khalifa, and Minus the Bear. One band is being revealed each day during month of May.

Tickets: $75 Weekend Passes and $29 Any Day Tickets are available via festival’s website.

FESTIVAL FOR HUMANITY

When/Where: May 27-30 at Mountain Creek Resort in Vernon, NJ

Who’s Playing: The New Pornographers, Third Eye Blind, The Misfits, Good Charlotte, Soul Asylum, Sister Hazel, John Popper and the Duskray Troubadours, Subcomittee, Cooli Ranx, and CC Coletti

Tickets: Three-day packages start at $120 via the festival’s website. Other ticketing options also available, including single-day.

KROQ WEENIE ROAST

When/Where: June 4th at The Verizon Wireless Ampitheater in Irvine, CA

Who’s Playing: The Strokes, Cage The Elephant, Bad Religion, Rise Against, Neon Trees, Lykke Li, The Airborne Toxic Event, Foster the People, Young Giant, A Day To Remember, and Face to Face.

Tickets: Tickets range from $45-$75 and go on sale Thursday, May 5th at 12pm PT via the festival’s website.

MAKE MUSIC PASADENA

Where/When: June 18th on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, CA

Who’s Playing: Best Coast, Ra Ra Riot, The Morning Benders, Zola Jesus, Kisses, Hello Seahorse!, Ben L’Oncle Soul, and The B Side Players

Tickets: Free!

READING AND LEEDS FESTIVALS

Where/When: August 26-28 in Reading & Leeds, England

What’s New: Descendents, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Off!, Hot Water Music, Flogging Molly, Face To Face, and The King Blues

Who Else is Playing: Pulp, Muse, Jane’s Addiction, My Chemical Romance, The Strokes, The National, Beady Eye, 30 Seconds To Mars, The Offspring, Deftones, Elbow, Interpol, and Rise Against

Tickets: Weekend tickets from £192.50 are available via festival’s website.

ROCK ON THE RANGE CANADA

Where/When: August 20th at Canad Inns Stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Who’s Playing: Alice in Chains, Anberlin, Sum 41, Evanescence, Hinder, The Reason, Volbeat, The Sheepdogs, Crash Kings, Art of Dying, Drive A, Five Finger Death Punch, and Duff McKagan’s Loaded

Tickets: CA $93.50 via Ticketmaster.

SONISPHERE UK

When/Where: July 8-10 at Knebworth House in Hertfordshire, England

What’s New: Sonic Boom Six, Rival Sons, The Defiled, Turbowolf, Innerpartysystem, Anberlin, Black Spiders, Hammer of the Gods, and Blood Red Shoes

Who Else is Playing: Metallica, Biffy Clyro, Slayer, Slipknot, Limp Bizkit, Weezer, Megadeth, Anthrax, You Me At Six, Motorhead, Mastadon, and Bad Religion

Tickets: £190 four-day tickets are available via festival’s website.

SUMMERFEST

When/Where: June 29-July 10 at Henry Maier Festival Park in Milwaukee, WI

What’s New: The Flaming Lips, Ben Harper, Wiz Khalifa, Dropkick Murphys, Stephen Marley, and Old 97′s

Who Else is Playing: Kanye West, The Black Keys, Buddy Guy, Hall and Oates, Meat Loaf, Katy Perry, Matisyahu, Florence & the Machine, Peter Gabriel, O.A.R., Peter Frampton, Sheryl Crow, Styx, Sugarland, and Goo Goo Dolls, and 311

Tickets: GA passes and Marcus Amphitheater headlining tickets are available via Ticketmaster.

And while we have your attention, please be sure to bookmark Festival Outlook and follow us on Twitter. That way, you’ll get more timely updates! And if you see something missing from one of the thousand pages listed on Festival Outlook, please drop us a line and we’ll fix it asap. Of course, tips are also welcome!

Bumbershoot

The Basics: Featuring indie, rock and alternative acts, the three-day festival runs September 3-5 at Seattle Center in Seattle, Washington.

2011 Line-up: TBA

Tickets: Any day and 3-day passes are priced at $25.00 and $75.00, respectively, and are now available via Stranger Tickets.

Are you attending?

Meltdown Festival

The Basics: Curated by Ray Davies, the music, art, performance and film festival runs June 10-19 in London, England.

2011 Line-up: Ray Davies, Nick Lowe, Madness, Yo La Tengo, Wire, and more

Tickets: Tickets go on sale Thursday, March 31st.

Are you attending?

Nocturnal Festival: Texas

The Basics: Presented by Insomniac Events, the electronic-oriented festival runs April 29-30 at Apache Pass in Rockdale, Texas.

2011 Line-up: STS9, Crystal Castles, Bassnectar, Ghostland Observatory, Above & Beyond, and more

Tickets: 99.00 for 2-day pass, $55,00 for 1-day pass, $179.00 for VIP 2-day pass via Fla.vor.us.

Are you attending?

Optimus Alive! Festival

The Basics: The three-day rock and alternative festival runs July 7-9 in Oeiras, Portugal.

2011 Line-up: Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Grinderman, Iggy & the Stooges, Chemical Brothers, TV on the Radio, Fleet Foxes, and more

Tickets: £116 for four-day pass via Ticketline.co.

Are you attending?

Osheaga Festival

The Basics: The independent music festival runs from July 27-31 in Montreal, Quebec, with a concert series proceeding the weekend stand-alone festival in Parc Jean-Drapeau.

2011 Line-up: TBA, though Death From Above 1979 and Smith Westerns are among the rumored acts

Tickets: TBA

Are you attending?

Sled Island Festival

The Basics: The independent music festival runs from July 22-25 in Calgary, Alberta.

2011 Line-up: of Montreal, Sleep, Blonde Redhead, The Greenhornes, The Raveonettes, Buzzcocks, The Dandy Warhols, and more

Tickets: CA $159.99 for general admission passes, CA $349.99 for VIP passes via TicketBreak.

Are you attending?

Summer Camp

The Basics: The three-day jam festival runs May 27-29 at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, Illinois.

2011 Line-up: moe., Umphrey’s McGee, Widespread Panic, STS9, The Avett Brothers, Bassnecatar, Girl Talk, Wiz Khalifa, and more

Tickets: $165 for three-day pass via eTix.com. VIP packages and a layaway payment plan are also available.

Are you attending?

The Great Escape

The Basics: UK’s version of South by Southwest runs May 12-14 in Brighton.

2011 Line-up: Sufjan Stevens, DJ Shadow, Warpaint, The Naked and Famous, The Vaccines, Cults, Little Dragon, Yuck, and more

Tickets: Various configurations available; £45 for a three-day pass, £51 for a three-day pass plus one of Sufjan/DJ Shadow/Friendly Fires.

Are you attending?

Van’s Warped Tour

The Basics: Annual traveling festival featuring emo, punk, and screamo bands.

2011 Line-up: Against Me!, Yelawolf, Less Than Jake, Lucero, Unwritten Law, A Day To Remember, and more

Tickets: $20 for single day pass via Music Today.

Are you attending?

Winnipeg Folk Festival

The Basics: The five-day folk festival runs July 6-10 at Birds Hill Provincial Park in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

2011 Line-up: M. Ward, Tegan & Sara, Omar Souleyman, The Jayhawks, Mountain Man, Little Feat, and more

Tickets: $210.00 for full festival pass, $51.00 for one-day pass via Ticketmaster.ca.

Are you attending?

Since we have yet to invent time travel, the best we can do is keep you updated. Consequence of Sound has news of the latest adds, dates, and rumors in our Festivals In Brief. Be excited, Bonnaroo’s Tenth Anniversary is going to be huge! Better yet, the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California will be host to an intense roster of bands this October. So perhaps festivals never phase out, you just have to find what’s in season.

News

– See what CoS staff writer Karina Hall thought of this year’s edition of the Bumbershoot Music Festival

– Check out some wonderful shots from Hopscotch Music Festival!

– Pearl Jam and a reunited Buffalo Springfield are set to headline Neil Young’s Bridge School Benefit.

– Bonnaroo is piling up the headliners for 2011.

– Hear streams of New York’s All Tomorrow’s Parties festival now playing on NPR.

Lineup Additions

– MoogFest: Cee-Lo, Mutemath, Neon Indian, Omar Souleyman, Sleigh Bells

– Bridge School Benefit: Buffalo Springfield, Pearl Jam, T-Bone Burnett’s Speaking Clock Revue featuring Elton John, Leon Russell, Elvis Costello, Ralph Stanley, Neko Case and Jeff Bridges, Elvis Costello (solo), Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson, Modest Mouse, Grizzly Bear, Jackson Browne and David Lindley, Lucinda Williams, Billy Idol.

– ATP’s In Between Days: Added Holy Fuck, Autolux, Connan Mockasin.

– Constellations Festival: Added Liars, Chickenhawk, Gold Panda, Honour Before Glory.

– Isle of Wight: Dates announced and British Pink Floyd Show appearing.

– Good Vibrations Festival: Dates, lineup, and prices!

– Eagle Rock Music Festival: Lineup and dates announced!

Quite honestly, we don’t blame you. A lot can happen in a given week that consumes the better part of your attention.

We’re back once again to fill you in on all things music. Think of it as a temporary break from the daily grind. Or at least a fabulous procrastination tool if you’re an overworked college student. So enjoy the following recap, no matter who you are or what you’ve got on your plate.

– Remember when we told you that Panda Bear would release Tomboy this month? Well, we were lying.

– We might have lied about Daft Punk‘s massive tour next year, too.

But everything else that follows is totally true. Honest!

– Amy Winehouse is still alive and making music. Find out more here.

– The Rolling Stones are retiring.

– Harvest of Hope got axed.

– Freebass broke up.

– Bonnaroo is already shaping up to be epic.

– Amazon purchased the digital music site Amie Street.

– A track from Kings on Leon‘s forthcoming LP surfaced.

– There’s plenty of other new material to hear as well. Sufjan Stevens put a new song. And The Decemberists put out three.

– As if The xx couldn’t get any bigger, they won the 2010 Mercury Prize.

– The Dresden Dolls announced a brief reunion tour.

– M. Ward and Chris Walla, among others, will participate in a Led Zeppelin tribute.

– Massive Attack have a new EP in the works. So does Metallica.

– Squarepusher detailed his forthcoming LP.

– Soundgarden shed some light their upcoming plans.

– N.E.R.D. and a bunch of other special guests will join Gorillaz on tour.

– Michael Roffman dissected the new Weezer album.

– Adam Kivel shared his thoughts on The Thermals‘ latest effort.

– Chris Coplan reviewed Body Talk Pt. 2, the second of Robyn‘s three planned albums for this year.

– Drew Litowitz told us about Cotton Jones‘ new gem.

– We posted our report on the inaugural North Coast Music Fest

– Philip Cosores covered FYF  ’10.

– And as if we don’t post enough festival-related material on this site, Karina Halle took on Bumbershoot.

The video tip came to us from our (new) friend at the blog Brooklyn Goes to Sea, who shot the videos for his own coverage of the Seattle festival. Track No. 1, reportedly titled “I’m Not Ready”, is much in the vain of their previously released stuff, although a bit more mid-tempo and less frantic. The untitled track No. 2, on the other hand, is a lot more dreamy, like the song played at the luau after a long day of psychedelic surfing.

Enjoy both songs below. Want your chance to maybe hear these live? Check the band out on tour with The Drums. As always, stay tuned for more official news regarding track titles and potential release dates as they’re announced.

By the way, what is with bands debuting new songs and Bumbershoot…

“I’m Not Ready”

“Untitled”

The recording of “Rise to Me” comes courtesy of monkeydogpoz. For more chances of hearing new material, check out The Decemberists at Musicfest NW this weekend.

Luckily, Bumbershoot ended up being one of the most efficient and organized festivals I’d ever been to, which made my job a hell of a lot easier. The festival is located at Seattle Center, a large inner city area consisting of Key Arena, Experience Music Project, Memorial Stadium and the Space Needle, which made it easy to use the festival’s gracious in-and-out privileges to take the Monorail back into the CBD, get outside food or ride the Duck Bus. That said, you really didn’t have any reason to leave the festival site.

The portable toilets (affectionately called “Honey Buckets”) were well spread out, usually quite clean and never had too long of a line. The grounds were free of garbage with an ingenious recycling program, there were various vendors hawking everything from bamboo clothing to wines, and the food was tasty and reasonably priced (halibut fish tacos FTW). There seemed to be beer gardens at every stage and if Shock Top wasn’t your cup of tea, there were several Starbucks’ scattered throughout (it’s Seattle, what did you expect?).

The crowd was an eclectic mix of city punks, teenagers letting loose on the last weekend before school, families with apple-cheeked children, young thugs, grunge hipsters and hip grungesters. Those last two were responsible for the most flannel I have ever seen in my life. It was like a Magic Eye painting; once you spotted plaid or flannel, that’s all you ever saw. But considering all of the above accounted for 150,000 people over the weekend, it was amazing that the place never felt too crowded. Aside from the will call line on the first day, you could just breeze right in.

I never saw anyone get too drunk or stupid either, even though security was quite lax and it was more than easy to smuggle a six-pack inside (but I feel sorry for the Wisconsin man who had his Pabst poured out by the police… “I’m from Wisconsin, this is sacrilegious.” ). Maybe the lack of douchebaggery at Bumbershoot was because there was so much to do. Aside from the music, there were comedy shows (The Nerdist, Patton Oswalt), actual art exhibitions, film screenings and theater shows, not to mention entertainment such as Cyclecide’s bike rodeo and Circus Una’s gravity-defying, burlesque babes on a tightrope show.

But with all that awesomeness filling out the sides, I was there for the music. So let’s get on with it!

Saturday, Sept 4th: Lots of folk from fun folks

The Constellations
State Farm Stage, 2:00 p.m.

The first band I started off with was Atlanta’s own, The Constellations, whose rave reviews from Spin Magazine caught my attention. The self-proclaimed supergroup was indeed funky and fresh and a groovy way to ease into the festival. Vocalist Elijah Jones has that 70’s funk swagger down to tee and the backing singers (and hipster eye candy) were a sweet throwback to a bygone era. But the sound wasn’t all harmonies and tambourines. The Constellations have got some serious beats to move to and an eclectic mix of sounds, bringing forth comparisons to the Gorillaz (one of their influences) – albeit if the Gorillaz moved to the South and spent lazy afternoons on the porch. Despite the early afternoon set-time, the sizable crowd at the State Farm Stage was into it and began to bop as a collective whole when Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” was covered with spunk.

Atlas Sound
Broad Street Stage, 4:00 p.m.

Talk about going from one extreme to the other. After I left the upbeat Constellations I ran over to the Broad Street Stage to see Atlas Sound. All I knew about it was that it was “that dude from Deerhunter’s solo project” so I wasn’t sure what to expect. For fans of that “dude,” Bradford Cox, I’m sure they knew what they were getting into: sleepily enthralling music. Cox has a shy stage presence but the fact that he was able to layer sounds and build up the illusion of a full band when it was just him up there with a guitar was mesmerizing. The Space Needle provided an equally hypnotic backdrop to this intricate set.

Civil Twilight
Center Square Stage, 4:45 p.m.

Next up on my list was the South African band Civil Twilight. Now based in the USA, the band has been compared to Radiohead and Coldplay and after seeing them play the Center Square Stage (aka The Loud Stage) I can definitely see how Coldplay fits into their sound. Radiohead, though? They wish. I didn’t find Civil Twilight to be anything special, but they were a harmless, unmemorable listen. There is obviously some talent there and they had a good way of artfully building their songs, but as a live act they were a bit of a snooze, even with the speakers blaring at deafening levels. They must be doing something right though, as there was a large crowd full of enthusiastic youngsters hanging on to their every note.

Jamie Lidell
Broad Street Stage, 5:45 p.m.

Fun. That’s a simple way to describe the melodic, soul-tinged, beat-boxing singer that is Jamie Lidell. The talented Brit had an energetic and engaging way about him, whether accomplishing vocal trickery by layering tracks and sounds or being supported by his talented and enthusiastic band. He was all about audience interaction, making charming chit chat or checking in with the crowd. Highlights included “I Wanna Be Your Telephone” which had people dancing on the spot to the electronic Motown mix and “Another Day” a happy, soulful number that coincided delightfully with the sun coming out to play.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Broad Street Stage, 7:30 p.m.

Everyone at Consequence of Sound has always waxed on about this band and how darn great they are live, so I finally had to check them out to see what the fuss was about. Walking through the backstage area to get to the photo pit I saw a homeless Jesus kicking about at imaginary things in the air. Oh wait, that was just singer Alex Ebert, who brings “Hobo Chic” to a whole new level. But hey, if it works for him and his “hippie commune in the 70’s” type band, then it works for all of us.

Edward Sharpe actually lived up to all the glorious hype that their debut album Up From Below has garnered since its release last year. Ebert climbed off the stage and said hi to the massive, uncontainable crowd more than a few times, making everyone in the twilight set feel like they were part of his eclectic entourage.

“Janglin” brought about ecstatic crowd surfers and a euphoric sing along with their messiah, but it wasn’t until “Home” was played that I saw the Broad Street Stage explode and the audience reach an epic frenzy. The adjacent beer garden was literally shut down for an hour as it was filled to capacity. Whether you like hype or not, this is a band to see live… just to see it for yourself.

Bob Dylan
Bumbershoot Mainstage, 9:00 p.m.

And then Edward Sharpe finished up and the same crowd made a mass exodus to Bumbershoot’s Main Stage (Memorial Stadium) to see the one and only Bob Dylan. Oh man, where do I begin here? First of all, I must point out that I’m not a big Dylan fan. I appreciate him for what he is and what he has done, but his music has always been a bit too folksy for me. Or maybe it’s his voice. But I’m not alone – as it was, his voice was an issue for everyone at Bumbershoot. It was like we were all watching Adam Sandler do a Bob Dylan impression (“shaba daba da”). To say he mumbled was an understatement. Occasionally you might hear an actual word like “stoned” or “woman” thrown in there, but everything else was incoherent mumbo jumbo. If you looked around at the crowd, everyone’s faces were scrunched up in pure concentration trying to decipher just what the hell he was saying and what damn song was playing. You see, Dylan didn’t just slur onwards, he made tweaks to each and every song, almost changing the melody at times so that you didn’t actually realize what song you were listening to until half-way through.

This isn’t me ripping him apart, though. This was just the truth and what you get when you see Bob Dylan. But as confused and frustrated as it was to listen to, it was exciting – even enthralling – at the same time. Because it was Bob Dylan, man. The man who first plugged in that guitar. He’s still around, up there, doing his thing. Ignoring the lack of pronunciation (by the way I’m sure the American Sign Language interpreter they had was having a great time – what’s ASL for “question mark?”), Dylan seemed to be having a great time and played his guitar and keyboards (and, of course, that harmonica) with enthusiasm. His band too, was fast, tight, and cohesive – the drummer was really something, taking “Highway 61” to a whole new level. And though his classics like “Tangled Up in Blue” and “Just Like a Woman” almost became different songs in his hands, they were still a wonder to listen to, the genius is still there. I actually preferred these new versions to the old ones, it was like they were evolving before your eyes (and ears). I guess the moral here is, he’s Bob Dylan and he can do whatever the fuck he wants to do, but he did it with a smile on his face, which in turn, kept the packed to the rafters stadium crowd smiling too.

Gallery by Karina Halle

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Sunday, Sept 5th: Reliving my teenage 90′s years

Crash Kings
Center Square Stage, 3:00 p.m.

Unlike Saturday, which twittered between ominous clouds and teasing peeks of sunshine, Sunday was warm, sunny and full-on fabulous. What better way to harness that energy of the festival’s most rock-centric day, then to start with a crash course on the Crash Kings? I hadn’t heard much about the band aside from their single, but was told they might be worth checking out. And yeah, totally worth it. Composed of just a drummer, bassist, and lead singer on keyboards (with whammy bar), this LA trio put on an extremely high-energy and flawless show.

Sometimes it’s hard to really connect with a singer who spends most of his time behind a keyboard, but vocalist Tony Beliveau was a moving, crooning machine who got their young crowd in high spirits. And by high, I mean literally up there. The first crowd surfer appeared and then was quickly escorted by security out of the Center Square Stage area. But you can’t keep the kids down – soon surfer after surfer was being carried towards the stage, giving this Crash King set an infectious vibe that spread throughout out the grounds and caused people to wonder just which band was playing. As a fellow writer said to me, the show made him want to buy their record and that rarely happens.

The Redwood Plan
EMP Sky Church, 3:30 p.m.

A homegrown favourite, the poppy, punky Redwood Plan has been gathering a strong following in the Seattle area for their raucous live shows and danceable, rock pop beats. This was the first band I’d seen in the EMP Sky Church, a dark, trippy stage located in the Experience Music Project (right next to the gift shop, actually) and was the perfect venue for this band that had a bit of darkness to its lively riffs.

The riveting singer Lesli Wood played guitar, keyboards, and high-kicked her gym-shorts clad booty to the eventually-riled up crowd, whipping her shock of neon red hair around to the energetic swirl. The band’s moto is “We’re a party and you’re invited” – I suggest you all RVSP.

The Bouncing Souls
Center Square Stage, 4:45 p.m.

Wasn’t sure what to expect from these Jersey boys in 2010. In the 90′s I had some of their CDs in my wannabe punk collection and I know I must have seen a few of their shows, but that all kind of goes out the window when it’s been so long. At least that’s what I thought until I heard their opening song “Here We Go” when it all came back to me with poppy punk nostalgia. Yes, the guys are a lot older, but just as the tireless punk of Bad Religion carries on decades later, The Bouncing Souls do too. Singer Greg Attonito looked relaxed and affable as he jumped off the stage to greet fans in the crowd, a gentlemanly contrast to his fellow bandmates with their East Coast swagger, shredding riffs and decades worth of tattoos. The band played a lot of their classics, which the crowd seemed to know by heart, as well as a few new ones like the Rock Band featured “Gasoline,” which showcased a more pop-based Souls for the new decade.

Jay Electronica
State Farm Stage, 5:45 p.m.

After I was punked out from The Bouncing Souls, I checked out Jay Electronica at the State Farm Stage. I’m not big into hip-hop, especially live, but I figured I should try and add a little variety into my musical weekend. I probably could have picked a better hip hop artist to see. While Jay Electronica is a stunning wordsmith with personable delivery, his frequent excursions into a capella territory left me feeling all out of sorts. Where was the beat? Where was the rhythm? The rhyme was in his microphone but it wasn’t enough to keep the energy moving. And then there was the fact that he cut his performance short by 20 minutes. To tell you the truth, I stopped listening long before then. That said, it was highly entertaining to see him thwart the security guards by inviting half the crowd on stage with him. Maybe I need more than just clever rapping to keep me engaged but he sure as hell won over the audience with that move, not to mention the outstandingly talented kid Jahyaire he ended up freestyling with.

Hole
Bumbershoot Main Stage, 7:30 p.m.

Last time Courtney Love was in the Seattle Center, it was two days after Kurt Cobain’s death and she read his suicide note to the candlelit fans who had gathered there. Fast forward 16 years and she’s just as controversial as before. Love her or hate her, everyone in Seattle was talking about Courtney Love – she even made the cover of Seattle Weekly where her illustrated face had her injecting Botox into her lips using the Space Needle. A lot of Hole fans were there, judging by their 90′s era babydoll shirts, but most people wanted to see Love in order to witness the trainwreck first hand. I must admit, I was one of the latter.

Yet, that trainwreck didn’t happen. She took to the Main Stage at Memorial Stadium looking rather good, with a tiara on her head and a sleek black dress. She wasn’t as deathly skinny as she has been in recent years and her face looked pretty normal (then again, I wasn’t that up close). Of course, she was as loopy as ever (one only needs to hear about her unplugged media pre-show) but she performed surprisingly well. Hole is no longer the band it used to be – all of the original lineup is gone – but that didn’t stop Love from playing a rather tight set that spanned the spectrum of Hole’s career. “Violet” and “Malibu” sounded on-par and Love showed she could still scream and screech like a banshee, but at least it was in-tune, and at times sounded better than it had back in the day. Even if you didn’t think you knew a song, you’d find yourself screaming along to it anyway.

And she was personable, funny too. She put a lot of effort in getting the crowd to sing along, even during parts where there were no words (yeah, I’m not sure how that worked). During “Skinny Bitch”, Love ad-libbed “But I’m not (a Skinny Bitch). OK, well kind of. But I’m not the worst!”

There were some downfalls… I don’t have to go into the details of why her cover of Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” was terrible. But Love did warn us “We suck at it. It’s awkward, charming at best.” Well, it was shoddy, brave at best – taking on a hometown hero probably didn’t put her in Seattle’s good books. On that note, the fact that she kept on referring to Seattle as “my hometown” did not go down well either with the audience. Every time the LA-based Love mentioned it, it prompted a flurry of “Oh, shut up. This ain’t your hometown. This is MY hometown” from people around me.

So, in a way Hole was disappointing in that you didn’t really get your trainwreck. On the plus side, it made for a fun and enjoyable set. I’m gonna steal a line from Ms. Love herself and say Hole was awkward, charming at best.

Weezer
Bumbershoot Main Stage, 9:15 p.m.

With Hole done, the Main Stage crowd that had amassed for her suddenly multiplied and pushed on forward. I was carried all the way to the rail, a prime spot for Weezer. I had heard from various people that Weezer didn’t put on the best live shows, but that didn’t really matter to me. I’d never seen them live before, despite being a big fan in high school, and they were probably the only band at Bumbershoot that were a “must see” in my eyes. So I didn’t really care if they sucked live or not, I figured it would be a good time anyway.

And a good time it was. Actually, it was a great time. In fact, it was the most fun I had at a concert in a very long time. Let’s first start with the crowd, shall we? There were a lot of folks there who, like me, had been into Weezer in the 90′s but to my surprise, the majority of the crowd were teenagers. Enthusiastic, hardcore teenage Weezer fans. If Rivers Cuomo was the MC, these kids definitely made the show a party. They were jumping up and down, singing along to every single word in every single song, they were crowd surfing like crazy – just waves and waves of them plopping over the barrier, then running past the stage with a huge smile on their face (and usually with just one shoe in hand). There was even a crowd surfer who couldn’t have been more than 11-years old – he got major props and high-faves from the security guards who plucked him out of the crowd. This audience gave me hope for today’s young people – they weren’t going to watch the band with crossed arms, talking on their phones or gazing at their shoes. They knew that concerts were supposed to be FUN.

Naturally, it helped that it was a Weezer concert, and contrary to all things I had been told, they did not suck live whatsoever. Cuomo was an energetic, tireless nerd machine who set the tone of the evening from the rocking energy of the first song “Hashpipe” all the way to the encore of “Buddy Holly”, which had the entire band joining Josh Freese on a drum solo. In the middle, they played just about every song I knew… “Pork and Beans”, “Beverly Hills”, “My Name is Jonas”, “Undone”, “Island in the Sun”, “Say it ain’t so”, “El Scorcho”, “Dope Nose”, “Troublemaker” and their new song “Memories” (well-received, by the way). Let’s not forget a surreal cover of MGMT’s “Kids” complete with an interjection of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face”, which brought out the best sight of the evening: Rivers Cuomo in a blond wig.

And when he wasn’t dressed in drag, Cuomo could be found scaling the stage scaffolding, playing hide and seek with the giant banners, leaping into the crowd to shake people’s hands, climbing on top of a portable toilet and giving fans high fives, bringing a child on stage to sing, hugging his various bandmates (bassist Scott Shriner and guitarist/drummer Patrick Wilson got most of the bro love) and dodging the rolls of toilet paper, giant beach balls and rubber chickens (yes, rubber chickens) that were thrown on stage. All while sounding on top of his game and looking like he was having the time of his life.

I don’t know if these means a new direction for Weezer’s live shows or not since I only have this to base it on, but whatever they are doing, it’s working. It’s been a few days now and I’m still smiling while I type this.

Gallery by Karina Halle

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Monday, Sept 6th: Soggy and Subdued

The Whigs
Center Square Stage, 3:00 p.m.

Monday brought cold temperatures, wind and rain to the Seattle area, something that is usually expected but never welcomed. It definitely gave the last day of Bumbershoot a subdued, sad kind of feeling, though that probably had to do more with the fact that it was back to school for most kids the next day and that the onslaught of rain seemed to signal the official end of summer.

That said, there were still quite a few brave folks out there who weren’t going to miss out on their music and for me, I started with the Georgia band, The Whigs. They had been described as scrappy, Southern rock with an electrifying live show. I wouldn’t go as far as that, but they were fun to watch. The trio kept the soaked crowd moving and grooving, and they showed off their musical prowess by including a lot of piano-based songs like “Half the World Away”. There was nothing about them that stuck out in my mind, a lot of the guitar work was reminiscent of Better Then Ezra-era fuzz, but they were talented enough to garner your attention for the whole set, even in the rain.

Baroness
Center Square Stage, 4:45 p.m.

Swampy. Sludgy. Shoegazing. Aside from genre alliteration, Baroness are all these things and more. To put it simply, they rock. As a fan, I knew this going into their soggy set and as usual, they didn’t disappoint. There were some sound problems thanks to the rain shorting out a lot of the system, but they powered through with their tireless, raging mix of flying locks, intricate guitar riffs, madcap drumming and booming vocals.

The crowd wasn’t moving so much due to the weather and the fact that a lot of the time with Baroness, you just want to listen to the complex patterns and soaring crescendos. But by the end of their set, a sizable audience had gathered, many of them just passerbys who were intrigued by their progressive metal sound. Yes, I am probably biased with my admiration for this band but a lot of the journalists I had talked to about Baroness, ended up thanking me for my recommendation. These boys are going far.

Japandroids
Broad Street Stage, 5:45 p.m.

Japandroids are Vancouver’s hometown heroes, even though the band doesn’t actually get that much play in our fair city. Whatever the reasons though, they are getting more than enough hype elsewhere and the hype is pretty much all warranted.

They had been described to me as “a two-piece Sonic Youth” but I would beg to differ. Sure there was noise, but Japandroids had bounce and melody splashed all over the distorted angst and fuzz. These unassuming guys, singer/guitarist Brian King and drummer David Prowse, were stereotypically Canadian in their apparent humbleness and shy banter (“We’re from Vancouver. We’re really sorry we brought this weather with us”), but still rocked out the wet crowd with an interesting and varied set. They weren’t boring, they weren’t typical (though “Here’s Your Money Back” had the catchiest, pop-type tune) – they were welcome addition to Bumbershoot.

Plus, they were the only set I saw that had people flinging spinning tortillas into the crowd onto the stage.

Jenny & Johnny (ft. Jenny Lewis and Jonathan Rice)
Starbucks Stage, 6:45 p.m.

I caught a bit of Jenny & Johnny as I made my way out of Flatstock 2010 (the music poster expo that had tons of artists with their original work) and joined them at the Starbucks Stage. I hadn’t caught an act at this stage before and as you can tell by the name, this is the stage that sounds like you’re sitting in a coffee house, listening to soft cooing, warm vibes and a touch of spice.

Jenny & Johnny is compromised of real life couple Jenny Lewis (of Rilo Kiley) and Jonathan Rice . The duo’s collaboration is called I’m Having Fun Now and while I don’t know if anyone was having that much fun in the constant drizzle, it was pleasing set that attracted a variety of people from dance circle hippies to a guy dressed as a faded copper statue (I actually thought he was until I leaned against him). Lewis was a coy, charming personality that spread a little bit of light and joy across the huddled, pensive crowd.

Surfer Blood
Broad Street Stage, 7:30 p.m.

I had heard a lot about Surfer Blood. I was not expecting to see a bunch of 12-year olds on stage. I was also not expecting to be impressed by this band, and yet it happened. Now, I know they aren’t twelve but they do have that naive, youthful look about them that helps sell their Weezer-esque rock songs. They’ve said that the name Surfer Blood isn’t to be taken too literally in terms of their sound but at this show, I found it to be quite fitting. They had that happy, surf rock feel with a touch dark (and at times, wise) lyrics. Sounds like blood on a surfboard to me.

Wild Orchid Children
EMP Sky Church, 7:45 p.m.

As had been happening with a lot of bands this weekend, I was running again on recommendations. Someone told me to check out Wild Orchid Children, a Seattle-based band who apparently sounded  a lot like the Mars Volta. Now, maybe I could see that in the various percussionists the band seemed to posses, but that’s where all comparisons end. And I know it’s lazy to make comparisons to other bands, but for this band I can’t help it. During the whole set, I couldn’t help but think this was Rage Against the Machine meets Portugal The Man or something akin to that. The Rage bit comes from vocalist Kirk Huffman with an artfully draped American Flag on his stand, and biting vocals a la Zach de la Rocha. The Portugal bit comes from the psychedelic rock flavorings that the eight-piece band brought forth with a mix of funk and thump.

I think the show might have been more enjoyable had the crowd inside the EMP Sky Church not been so thin (it was raining outside, so you would have thought there would have been more people inside the only indoor venue) and so dead. But it was Monday night and though the Children tried their best to be Wild, the audience could only handle so much. I’d like to see this band in another setting, on another day and see how my perspective changes.

The Thermals
Broad Street Stage, 9:15 p.m.

The piece de resistance for Bumbershoot was Portland indie band, The Thermals. Their name sounds warm and fuzzy but this trio knows how to rock. No-fi, neo-grunge, post-power-pop, alternative punk – whatever you want to call it, it probably falls into The Thermals repertoire. You would have thought that being one of the last bands to close out Bumbershoot, or at least the Broad Street Stage, in the rain would have equaled a sparse crowd, but people were here to see them and say goodbye to the festival in style. The band was cynical, catchy and smart. There was a dance party in the crowd, an encore of “My Name is Jonas” and a feeling of never wanting the set to end.

But like all festivals, Bumbershoot did have to come to an end. And even though it ended on a soggy note, the relaxed, friendly festival brought a bit sunshine to everyone’s ears.

Gallery by Karina Halle

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You’ll also find lots of other things, some intriguing and others just plain ridiculous.

Need I say more?

– Let’s begin with the obligatory festival updates: Bumbershoot, Musicfest NW, Outside Lands , and Capitol Hill Block Party unveiled their lineups this week. The North Coast Music Festival debuts in Chicago this September. The economy put an end to the 2010 Canadian Virgin Festivals.

– And now the obligatory Arcade Fire news item: the group will play the first non-festival show of its upcoming tour in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Sorry, Toronto.

– Finally, the obligatory tour announcements: Paul McCartney, Arcade Fire, Belle & Sebastian, Pixies, The National, Smashing Pumpkins, Aerosmith, Robyn, Dirty Projectors, Yeasayer will all be hitting the road in the weeks and months ahead.

Moving on…

– M.I.A. blasted New York Times writer Lynn Hirschberg with a single entitled “Haters”.

– Ali-Ollie Woodson of the quintessential Motown group The Temptations passed away at the age of 58.

– Antoine Fuqua (of Training Day fame) is set to direct the Tupac Shakur biopic.

– Wilco and Coldplay are supporting youth sports teams.

– They might be on hiatus, but look for new material from Stereolab this fall.

– Radiohead‘s Phil Selway will make his  solo debut in late August.

– Nick Freed reviewed Expo 86, the hotly anticipated new album by Wolf Parade.

– Much has been made of the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St. reissue. Here’s what Stephen Foster had to say.

– Elias Newman chatted up Chad Elliot of Funeral Party.

– For those of you who missed LCD Soundsystem at Chicago’s Metro last Friday, Meghan Brosnan was there.

– On that note, Ted Maider, Winston Robbins, Kacie McKinney provided an extensive recap of Sasquatch! 2010.

– Oh, and we’re continuing our plot to take over the world.

Among the tickets on sale Friday include Arcade Fire, Belle and Sebastian, Kiss, The National, Robyn, and the Bumbershoot Music Festival.

Aerosmith:

What: North American tour

When: July – September

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM Local Time

Arcade Fire w/ Spoon:

What: Tour dates for Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Nashville

When: August

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM Local Time

Belle and Sebastian:

What: North American tour

When: September – October

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM Local Time

Bumbershoot:

What: Three-day festival featuring Bob Dylan, Weezer, Hole, Mary J. Blige, and more

When: September 4-6

Tixs: Single day passes range from $24 – $40

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM Local Time

Dirty Projectors:

What: Tour dates for Boston

When: September 13th

Tixs: $22.00

Buy: Ticketmaster at 12:00 PM EST

Jamie Lidell:

What: North American tour

When: June – October

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM Local Time

Kiss:

What: North American tour

When: July – September

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster and Live Nation at 10:00 AM Local Time

The National w/ Owen Pallett:

What: North American tour

When: September – October

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM Local Time

Outside Lands Music Festival:

What: Two day festival featuring The Strokes, Kings of Leon, My Morning Jacket, Furthur, and more

When: August 14-15

Tixs: $125 for two-day; $75 for one-day

Buy: Available now via Ticketmaster

Robyn w/ Kelis:

What: North American tour

When: July – August

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM Local Time

Did we miss anything? Let us know below!

As expected, legendary singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, hip-hop superstar Mary J. Blige, the recently reunited grunge band Hole, and alternative staple Weezer will headline this year’s festivities, set to run from September 4-6 at the Seattle Center.

Other scheduled acts include The Decemberists, Rise Against, Billy Bragg, Neko Case, Ozomatli, Jenny Lewis and boyfriend Jonathan Rice, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes, The English Beat, The Thermals, Ra Ra Riot, Atlas Sound, HEALTH, Japandroids, Surfer Blood, The Dandy Warhols, The Bouncing Souls, The Clientele, Baroness, Meat Puppets, The Moondoggies, Jeff the Brotherhood, Balkan Beat Box, Booker T., and Justin Townes Earle. For a full list of confirmed bands, click here.

Economy and standard tickets (priced at $22 and $40 respectively) go on sale starting today. VIP and Platium packages are also available. For additional information, click here.

But what would be the point of that? Let’s face it: these are given facts.

So before you head out for the holidays, feel free to catch up on this “mixed bag” of a week. Below you’ll find a listing of the most pivotal as well inane news items in music. Think of it as a source of ice breakers for all of those barbecues and beach parties that you’ll be attending within the next few days.

– U2 canceled its North American tour due to Bono’s recent back surgery, but dates will be rescheduled for 2011. The group also cancelled its appearance at the Glastonbury Music Festival next month. Organizers enlisted Gorillaz as a replacement.

– The Sasquatch! Music Festival in George, WA begins this weekend. Never been anywhere near the  festival grounds? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

– In other festival news, Rock the Bells dropped its initial 2010 lineup this week. And four headliners for Bumbershoot leaked. Look for an official announcement in early June.

– David Byrne filed a $1 million dollar suit against Florida governor and senate hopeful Charlie Crist after he used the Talking Heads single “Road to Nowhere” in a campaign advertisement.

– Paul McCartney is to receive the Library Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The televised awards ceremony will feature performances by many special guests, including Jack White and Dave Grohl.

– New York state legislators are reinstating an anti-scalping law in the wake of the Live Nation Entertainment-Ticketmaster merger.

– Apple’s selling practices became the subject of an antitrust inquiry.

– Rage Against the Machine’s Zack de la Rocha unveiled The Sound Strike, a boycott against Arizona’s controversial immigration bill.

– Ra Ra Riot, Röyksopp, and Grinderman promised new albums in the coming months.

– As if Arcade Fire hasn’t been getting enough press lately, two new songs are available for listening. The group also said something about an album release this summer.

– Did I mention the Arcade Fire-inspired high school musical?

– A new Kanye West song leaked.

– Slipknot bassist Paul Dedrick Gray passed away at age 38.

– Nick Freed reviewed The ArchAndroid,  Janelle Monáe’s audacious, genre-bending effort. He also shared his thoughts about Jamie Lidell’s Compass.

– The Dead Weather released its followup to last year’s Horehound. See what Chris Coplan had to say about it.

– Luke Steele, frontman for Australian dance outfit Empire of the Sun, confessed his love for hi-fi in an interview with Cap Blackard.

– What better way to end than with a shameless plug: CoS seeks online sales associates.

As our friend Travis Hay at Ear Candy points out, someone over at Rolling Stone intentionally (or unintentionally) published the four headliners for this year’s Bumbershoot in the latest print edition of the magazine. So what do we got? How does legendary singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, hip-hop superstar Mary J. Blige, the recently reunited grunge band Hole, and alternative staple Weezer sound? Though an official confirmation is still forthcoming (and given Bumbershoot’s history of false leaks, that’s probably a bit important), if these four are indeed accurate, they’d be donning Seattle Center’s main stage between September 4th and 6th.

Other rumored acts (via leaks on Pollstar.com) include The English Beat, The Whigs, Balkan Beat Box, Neon Indian, and James Cotton. The official lineup for Bumbershoot 2010 is expected to be released on June 1st. Economy and standard tickets (priced at $22 and $40 respectively) will also be available starting that day.

In the meantime, keep track of all the latest lineup rumors here.

Starting out as the Matirns, the band started out as a group of high school friends who broke up when they headed to college. The summers brought them back together with the desire to build a fresh sound from scratch, so the alt-country Great Waves came to be.

With influences such as 2006 Sound Off winner Lonely Forest, Soundgarden, and Death Cab for Cutie, you wonder where the band’s alt-country genre comes into play. But the folksy, somber voice of lead singer Ashley Bullock (think Regina Spektor gone  country) added to the depressing fiddle and melodic mandolin make it a folk lover’s dream. The Soundgarden influence becomes apparent and brings the most unique sound of Great Waves with the mix of Will Holmes’ Chris-Cornell-inspired vocals and guitar mixed with the melancholy Bullock’s voice. The title track of its first EP, “Blue Blood” is the perfect example of the mish-mash of Holmes and Bullock and a sample of the mix of distorted guitar mixed with mandolin and violin that make their sound stand out.

After Blue Blood, Great Waves is planning a second EP in April. The band may soon release a full album, but it is still searching for that niche sound. While Bullock’s melancholy voice is more suited for depressing tracks such as “Untitled,” Great Waves gets more attention from its more upbeat songs like The “Moon and the Gutter”.

The tour was scheduled to run until late September and included an appearance at this year’s Bumbershoot Music Festival in Seattle. No word on the band will reschedule the canceled dates.

The band’s previously scheduled European shows remain a go.

Maxïmo Park 2009 Tour Dates:
08/28 – Leeds, UK @ Leeds Festival
08/29 – Reading, UK @ Reading Festival
09/06 – Seattle, WA @ Bumbershoot Music Festival
09/07 – Vancouver, BC @ Richard’s on Richards
09/08 – Portland, OR @ Berbati’s Pan
09/10 – San Francisco, CA @ Grand Ballroom
09/11 – Los Angeles, CA @ Avalon
09/12 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
09/14 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
09/16 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe
09/17 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
09/18 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Place
09/20 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
09/21 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
09/24 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
09/25 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
10/07 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland
10/08 – Manchester, UK @ Apollo
10/09 – London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall
10/15 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
10/16 – Tilburg, NL @ 013
10/17 – Brussels, BE @ AB
10/19 – Luxembourg @ Den Atelier
10/20 – St. Gallen, CH @ Grabenhalle
10/22 – Dusseldorf, DE @ Philipshalle
10/23 – Bremen, DE @ Pier 2
10/24 – Berlin, DE @ Berlin Arena
10/26 – Stuttgart, DE @ Liederhalle-Beethovensaal
10/27 – Munich, DE @ Zenith
10/28 – Frankfurt, DE @ Jahrhunderthalle

All in all, the list of names announced for Bumbershoot 2009 looks like this:

3 Inches of Blood, Adrian Xavier, Akimbo, Akron/Family, The All-American Rejects, Anomie Belle, Audrye Sessions, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, Black Whales, Brett Dennen, Carrie Rodriguez, The Cave Singers, Central Services’ Board of Education, Champagne Champagne, Common Market, Cordero, D.Black, Dave Alvin and The Guilty Women, De La Soul, Dead Confederate, Delhi 2 Dublin, Dept. of Energy, The Devil Makes Three, The Dusty 45s, Dyme Def, Dyno Jamz, Eleni Mandell, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, Eric Hutchinson, Eugene Mirman, Everest, Extra Golden, Forgive Durden, Franz Ferdinand, Gang Gang Dance, Grand Hallway, Handful of Luvin’, Head Like a Kite, Hey Marseilles, Holy Fuck, The Honey Brothers, Hotels, Iglu & Hartly, Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan, Janelle Monae, Jason Mraz, Kasabian, Katy Perry, Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground, Keller Williams, Kim Field & The Mighty Titans of Tone, The Kindness Kind, The Knux, Kore Ionz, Kristen Ward, Lenka, The Lonely Forest, The Long Winters, Low vs Diamond, Macklemore, Mark Taylor Quartet, Massy Ferguson, Matt & Kim, Maximo Park, Mayer Hawthorne & The County, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Michael Shrieve’s Spellbinder, The Minus 5, Mirah, Modest Mouse, MSTRKRFT, Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head, The New Mastersounds, No Age, The Not-Its!, Olympic Sound Collective, Oren Lavie, Os Mutantes, OTEP, Parenthetical Girls, Past Lives, Paul Oscher “Alone with the Blues”, Point Juncture, WA, Raphael Saadiq, Recess Monkey, Romance, Roy Ayers, Say Hi, Sera Cahoone, Sheryl Crow, Sleepy Eyes of Death, Sly & Robbie & the Taxi Gang, Spaceman, DJ Spooky, Steve Griggs Quintet, Swollen Members, Telekinesis, Todd Snider, Truckasauras, U.S.E, UH HUH HER, Vieux Farka Touré, Visqueen, Vivian Girls, Wale (w/ UCB), Wallpaper, We Are Golden, The Whore Moans Present: The Black Atom!, World Party

Comedy: Charlyne Yi, David Cross, Doug Benson’s “The Benson Interruption”, Jon Glaser, Matt Braunger, Reggie Watts, Todd Barry, Tommy Johnagin

Head to bumbershoot.com for the both day-by-day lineup and tickets, the latter of which is available in multiple varieties, including super cheap – like $25.00 super cheap – single day tickets.

Now, where’s Pearl Jam?

So far, names like Sheryl Crow, Modest Mouse, and Katy Perry top the list, but fear not, the event’s official site promises that this is only a “teeny portion” of the actual line up (and we still have those Pearl Jam rumors floating about):

Sheryl Crow * Modest Mouse * Katy Perry * Michael Franti & Spearhead * De La Soul * Raphael Saadiq * Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan * The Long Winters * Sly & Robbie & the Taxi Gang * World Party * MSTRKRFT * Roy Ayers * Common Market * UH HUH HER * Dave Alvin and The Guilty Women * Eric Hutchinson * No Age * Matt & Kim * Dead Confederate * The Cave Singers * Swollen Members * Vieux Farka Touré * Lenka * Gang Gang Dance * Todd Snider * Holy F**k * DJ Spooky * Iglu & Hartly * Low vs Diamond * Sera Cahoone * Eleni Mandell * Carrie Rodriguez * The Honey Brothers * Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head * Extra Golden * Cordero * Forgive Durden * Hey Marseilles * Adrian Xavier

Outside of music, the festival will also sport some exciting and introspective events that should cheer up any green savvy go-getter. What’s more, they’re really focusing on the Northwest this year around, with some highlighted “extracurricular” activities to boot:

A host of visual arts exhibits including an exploration of waste, regrowth and sustainability featuring work from Paul Miller (a/k/a DJ Spooky), among others; “Dada Economics” from Vital 5 Productions; The Seattle-Moscow Poster Show; and an expanded Gage Drawing Jam. In addition to visual arts, the Festival will include a performance by the celebrated Pacific Northwest Ballet; the merge of high-energy tap dance and Japanese Taiko drumming from NYC’s COBU; “like a magician, but cooler,” the magic stylings of Justin Kredible; a rare appearance by renowned Young Adult author S.E. Hinton; a poetry reading curated by Spencer Moody of the Murder City Devils; a theatrical extravaganza by Jason Webley; a literary food program hosted by acclaimed Seattle chef and restaurateur, Tom Douglas and much more. The Festival’s complete arts lineup and much anticipated comedy program will be announced in the coming months.

For those already sold, the music and arts festival takes place September 5-7th at the Seattle Center. Tickets are currently available for the low, low price of $80 bucks, which, as the official site points out, comes out to just $26.67 a day, or around $2.67 a show. Damn, those Pacific Northwesterners really know how to “kick” it.

Thanks to Phil and Colin for the tip off.

Saturday, August 30th

At first arrival, Bumbershoot can sometimes be a bit overwhelming, as it’s spread over 74 acres and has an attendance of roughly 50,000 each day. But once you settle in and realize that it will take time to get to the various stages and events, you’ll relax and have an amazing time.

Opening up Saturday’s events, Rock-a-Billy artist Nick Vigarino added a jazz twist to his country sound by having a tenor saxaphone. As if to keep the sound consistent, Neko Case and Lucinda Williams maintained the alt-country sound. Unfortunately, many missed Case’s first song or two because security had yet to let people in for the performance. Not sure what was the problem, but the line moved quickly once it started. Case was fantastic as always playing mostly songs from her past album, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood; however, she managed to pull out a few new songs that will be on a future release. Whereas Case was very soothing, Williams was more rockin’ in her country-tinged, blues rock.  She played some new songs, which at times were corny (e.g. “Real Love”), but you can’t help but love her voice and instrumentation, especially for a woman of 55. Both Case and Williams’ new albums will be something to look forward to in the near future.

Local, listener-funded, radio station KEXP puts on several intimate shows each day in a secret location, with no more than 200 people admitted. The first was with Nada Surf. Unfortunately, bassist Daniel Lorca was injured, so he was replaced by Ozma bassist Jose Galvez, who did a fine job in Lorca’s absence. They played seven songs, all acoustic with Ira Elliot on the Cajon, a box-like drum that the musician sits on and hits with his palms. The highlight of the show was the boys playing “Amateur” from The Proximity Effect, a song that rarely shows up on their setlists. If you enjoy indie rock, this is a band you need to know.

As mentioned above, Bumbershoot is not all about the music. One of the few other events that took place at the festival was a comedy show, simply titled, “The MySpace Show.” This side show consisted of six comedians doing improv comedy on two real MySpace pages from random audience members. It was fun once things started rolling, though it did take awhile to find a few audience members who had their pages not set to private.

After the comedy show, and over at the KEXP Lounge, !!! (Chk, Chk, Chk) were billed to let us dance our asses off. Unfortunately, it was in a seated venue, so it was mostly head bobbing, but in any other setting it would have been a great dance party.  Despite this, the show was unreal, and !!! sounded great with some fantastic stage presence. If you’re into bands like Ghostland Observatory and The Ting Tings, you should check out !!!.

Finally, it was time for the best one-two punch of the festival: Band of Horses followed by Beck. Although some may disagree, Band of Horses is one of the best, if not the best, live indie rock act out today. Not only did they perform well, but most of the set list was culled from their first two releases, plus two new songs to boot, one of which featured the harmonica and the other a melodica, best described as a woodwind keyboard.

Beck closed out the day with a killer “greatest hits” set. He started with “Loser” and continued through his catalogue. The only album they didn’t play from was Mutations, which was a bummer because it’s such a great album. However, the band did play “Nicotine and Gravy” off of Midnight Vultures, which was awesome. When he played “Hell Yes” and “Black Tambourine”, all five members of his band played 808 drum machines. Despite the amazing set list, the show did sound and feel a bit different. On the Guero/The Information tour, the slinky frontman kept himself busy with an elaborate puppet show, complete with dancers. Only this time, there was just a backing band, some large spot lights and a big screen made up of hundreds of bulbs. It was very minimalist, which is why it was so surprising that his sound was much less polished. It was almost grunge, actually. Nevertheless, you have to appreciate Beck for changing it up all the time. The guy is definitely a genius and should never be missed when he appears at a venue near you.

Sunday, August 31st

For some reason, Sunday was not nearly as jam packed with bands as Saturday or Sunday. Nonetheless, there were some great acts. Kicking off the proverbial sabbath, Lushy brought somewhat of a surf rock sound, only there were some undertones of jazz, too. Even with such a unique sound, it’s hard to hold the concertgoer’s attention when there’s also a vert ramp at the show. Yes, a vert ramp. With a combination of skaters and BMX bikers, the sight was pretty awe inspiring.

Following the vert ramp, there was a “Post-it Note Reading.” This was interesting, to say the least. At the reading, animation was drawn on Post-it notes, using a Sharpie, while a corresponding story was read. These light-hearted, humorous stories were a pleasant surprise. Following this, Dale Watson played his own unique style of Rock-a-billy, comparable to Johnny Cash. The only problem? The Whigs were starting up. The Whigs is a band with a fun, garage rock sound. Fun show aside, they’re a band you like, but not one that’s particularly memorable.

If Band of Horses and Beck were the best one-two punch of the festival, The Black Keys and Stone Temple Pilots (above, center) were a close second.  With crunch and huge riffs, The Black Keys’ bluesy rock is amazing, and it’s hard to believe that so much sound comes from only two guys on drums and guitar. Given Scott Weiland’s tumultuous past, you never know what to expect from 90′s rock outfit, Stone Temple Pilots; however, it turned out to be a rocking show. Thirty minutes past their scheduled set time, a tour bus drove right up to the stage and within minutes they were in front of thousands, blowing away any doubt that they could still rock. Hit after hit they rocked through a set which included a jazzy cover of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” on the outro of “Creep” and a plugged-in version of “Sour Girl.” It was one of the best arena rock shows in recent memory… and it wasn’t even in an arena.

Monday, September 1st

The last day was the weakest of the three days, but still a great time. Local teen sensation Vince Mira started off the work week. Mira’s only claim to fame stems from a sound that’s uncannily like Johnny Cash. Saturday’s Dale Watson sounded like Johnny Cash too, but Vince Mira is Johnny Cash. It’s a bit eerie. This 15 year old, backed by The Roy Kay Trio, played mostly Cash’s hits, but also squeezed in a few of his own that were actually not bad. He may never be able to move beyond great impersonator, but there is no doubt he will always have an audience.

Keeping the local band theme going, Head Like a Kite, an electronic/new wave/rock group, were up next. Fronted by a guy who looked like a Jonas Brother, the band held a lil’ Flaming Lips flare, with some creatures dancing on the stage that looked all too much like the sugary candy, Nerds. It will be interesting to see how these young guys fare in the Seattle music market. Following shortly after was the much anticipated Israeli band, Monotonix. These guys put on a show similar to Gogol Bordello and they did not disappoint, even despite a very short set. It was very crowd heavy too, as you could not see them because they were not on the stage, but instead playing on the floor with the crowd surrounding them. All the while, lead singer Yomtov was continually crowd surfing both with and without a garbage can. Yes, he got inside a garbage can and was hoisted on top of the crowd. The guitar player then got in on the action and crowd surfed, too. Mind you, he was still playing all the while. After two, dirty garage rock songs an announcer came on stage and said that the show was being shut down. No explanation, but a reasonable guess would be due to safety. The crowd was not happy and began booing and flipping the poor guy off. Luckily, singer Yomtov came to his rescue and talked the crowd down. One can only imagine a full set by these guys, if it ever happens.

Bumbershoot this year, if you had not noticed, was full of 90′s acts and The Offspring were no exception. Like Stone Temple Pilots and Beck, they played a hits with a smattering of songs off of their new album Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace. As always, the band was fun to see and sounded great. The same can’t be said for the next act, X Levitation Cult, which was essentially a singer-songwriter who could neither sing nor write songs very well. 

Bumbershoot is known for its diverse acts, but also for its diversity, and Cheb I Sabbah & 1002 Nights featuring Riffat Sultana is a great example of that. They consisted of a DJ, two percussionists, a singer (Riffat Sultana), a belly dancer and occasionally a Middle Eastern guitar. It was an interesting mix that was a entertaining, especially if one managed to snag a cold beer. Del tha Funky Homosapien sounded good, but Superchunk sounded excellent. Superchunk was probably one of the best surprises at the festival. They rocked hard with their brand of early 90′s indie rock, which still sounds contemporary. It was a good choice as Death Cab for Cutie came next, closing out the festival with a solid set. Now that they are a successful veteran band, it would be great to see them venture out a little and be more playful. Not much, just if they could add a cover or two, or play a song deep from its catalogue. You know, one that no one has heard live in years. Preferences aside, the Seattle indie group played well, predictable, but well. With a weekend like this was, it’s hard to complain.