Well, I’m officially the last person to write a Bumbershoot recap/review post, but here it is! Better late than never, right? I had so much fun at this year’s 2011 Bumbershoot music festival at Seattle Center. After skipping it last year, I felt right at home returning to the music fest I  grew up loving. Thank you to everyone at One Reel for putting all of their hard work into making this year’s festival one great event.

Bands I saw:

Saturday:

• Campfire OK
• Craft Spells
• Champagne Champagne
• Natasha Kmeto
• Emancipator
• Pickwick
• Little Dragon
• STRFKR
• Minus the Bear

Sunday

• Mad Rad
• Broken Social Scene
• Tennis
• Warpaint
• Macklemore
• Toro y Moi
• The Kills

Monday

• Head Like a Kite
• Big Boi
• Lemolo
• Charles Bradley
• Sharon Van Etten
• Phantogram

Oh yes, it was a long and exhausting weekend, but I would do it all over again. While there were many incredible acts every day of the festival, I think my favorite would have to be Saturday. I was extremely proud of coffeehaus alums – Campfire OK and Champagne Champagne who just gave it their all on stage that day. Below are my reviews for my top six acts from last weekend:

Campfire OK

There was no better way to kick off my Bumbershoot weekend than with a set by local band Campfire OK. At noon, I found myself front row at the Fountain Lawn Stage bracing myself for the high-energy packed performance that the band is notorious for putting on. Campfire OK is a band with an immense amount of passion, talent and potential for growth. I don’t know about most people, but it is a rare sight to catch me dancing at noon. Only a band like Campfire OK can make me do something that crazy, but it turns out I wasn’t the only one this weekend, because everyone around me was groovin’ along to their songs. Campfire OK’s lasting impression on me came from the fact that the band enjoyed performing for us as much as I enjoyed watching them. If the crowd was dancing, the band members on stage were dancing much harder. Lead singer Mychal pounced on the keys of his piano in a manner of organized chaos while the lovely Melodie Knight engaged the crowd in hand claps. Anytime I heard a solo coming from the band’s magnificent trumpet player, I, along with everyone else, was instantly mesmerized. Believe me when I say that this is only the beginning for Campfire OK, because I am predicting great things for their future, including an upcoming album!

Lemolo

Both Meagan Grandall and Kendra Cox take home the award for giving the most mesmerizing performance at Bumbershoot. The lovely ladies are not only gorgeous in appearance, but both embody beauty, grace, and class within their sound. Like Pickwick, I later learned that the venue had reached capacity before Lemolo’s set had even begun, shutting out many attendees who were unable to catch this performance at the EMP Level 3 Stage. As I took my spot near the corner of the right side of the stage nestled in the cave underneath the stairs, I glanced out at the eager faces in the crowd. During the set, that eagerness transformed into joy and wonder. Though the dream pop genre may not pack the same power as Bumbershoot artists like Big Boi or Mad Rad might, make no mistake that there is a power deeply rooted within the duo. With Grandall doubling up on vocals and guitar and Cox taking on drums and keyboard, one might start to question if it would be easier to distribute the instruments on to more band members — but the lovely ladies proved that they can manage just fine on their own. Their humbleness, passion, talent and ability to support each other are what makes them such incredible women and musicians.

Pickwick

You know a band is about to throw down one hell of a performance when the line has already reached max capacity 30 minutes before a show. Had my brother and I showed up just one minute later, we would’ve missed out on Pickwick’s set. We were literally the last two people to be admitted into the venue, and we were able to witness an unforgettable performance by the up-and-coming band. I had been catching a lot of buzz about the band over the last few months, but I never take much of that to heart until I see a live performance. Pickwick was nothing short of amazing. In fact, I think I was so caught off guard by the performance that I had to do a double-take. The chemistry between all of the band members was light-hearted and intimate; I felt like I was watching a performance by a group of my own friends who were just having a grand ol’ time making music on the spot. Lead singer, Galen Disston, has a voice that has been stuck in my head ever since, and I’ve since decided that he is the one responsible for stirring up my recent soft spot for soul music. Pickwick are something else, and Seattle is extremely lucky to house a band like them.

I was introduced to Tennis when I heard their single, “Marathon” for the first time on the Urban Outfitters’ Music Mondays — a weekly post that showcases five songs from up-and-coming bands. I knew that it would be highly likely for me to enjoy the rest of their songs if I already had a history of having “Marathon” on repeat for days. Lead singer Alaina Moore is dreamy and absolutely sensational. My heart just about melted when my ears were greeted with her soft and delicate vocals. I couldn’t help but be reminded of a vintage romance vibe and envisioned the entire set as a soundtrack to a romantic comedy movie like (500) Days Of Summer. Tennis initially started as a husband and wife duo — adorable, right? Together, Moore and her husband, Patrick Riley, along with drummer James Barone, charmed Bumbershoot’s Fountain Lawn crowd Sunday afternoon and made everyone fall in love with them.

Head Like a Kite

Head Like A Kite frontman Dave Einmo and I are essentially peers at Seattle University. There are days when I will cross paths with him at the library and think to myself, “Whoa. How does this guy manage to hold it altogether?” Einmo is pulling a Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana, and he’s pretty damn good at it. On Monday afternoon, Dave Einmo and Trent Moorman graced us all with their presences by donning white bell-bottomed jumpsuits and taking the stage to the Star Wars theme song. Immediately after that, the duo launched into an entertaining performance that included Einmo singing to his mannequin head prop on stage and a guest appearance by a delightful-looking panda. Everyone that came to Head Like A Kite’s performance knew that they were getting a show that afternoon; Einmo and company certainly delivered just that.

Minus the Bear

Minus the Bear was one band that I had been looking forward to all weekend long. It had been a little over a year since I last saw them briefly perform last minute at The Vera Project for the Pepsi Refresh Project commercial, but my love for the band stemmed several years before that. This year, the band celebrates their 10-year anniversary and they made sure to include all of their hits and my favorites throughout their set. As the set went on, every few songs, bassist Cory Murchy would throw up double-thumbs up to the crowd to which we all responded with cheers in a mutual agreement that we were pleased with their performance. I was thrilled to hear that this year’s Bumbershoot lineup was reaching back into their Seattle roots by highlighting some of Seattle’s best musicians and bands and even more ecstatic when I heard that Minus the Bear was on the bill. The band may have spent the last ten years in the music industry together, but they’ve still got it, and they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

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PROS

Key Arena as the Main Stage

Review writing aside, there are a few factors from the festival that I would like to discuss. Every year, Bumbershoot does things a little bit differently. That’s pretty standard for festivals as they take in feedback and make adjustments to what works and what didn’t work based on the last year. This year, the festival moved the Spin-sponsored main stage to the Key Arena. I had my doubts at first because I have always loved the outdoor main stage at the stadium since the rest of the festival was outdoors. I do, however, think that the move allowed for a larger capacity which was needed for acts like Macklemore and Wiz Khalifa. The festival organizers also made things a little bit easier for themselves by not selling certain tickets that were for every stage except the main stage and not requiring attendees to obtain a second pass earlier in the afternoon in order to be allowed into the main stage. That was something in previous years that always made me a little nervous. Instead, everyone was able to enjoy the main stage. One thing that I didn’t understand was why anyone would purchase cotton candy or regular boxed candy to watch the main stage acts. The $9 cup of beer was also just ridiculous.

Starbucks Bumbershoot Lounge

Apparently, the Starbucks sponsored Insider Lounge is there every year, but I never noticed until now. Up until Bumbershoot actually happens, I would get emails from the organizers weekly and in one of those emails was an invitation to rsvp to the lounge. Best decision I made that weekend. In the lounge, you can charge your phone, access private bathrooms (porter potty’s of course), stay out of the sun, use their selection of sunscreen, have wi-fi, and best of all…receive complimentary drinks! At the front of the lounge was a menu of what you could order and it featured many of their popular drinks including the pumpkin spice latte, which hadn’t been released in all stores yet.

Local Acts

This year, One Reel highlighted some incredible up-and-comers in the Seattle area! Right now, the music scene here is the best I have ever seen and I was thrilled to catch acts like Campfire OK, Champagne Champagne, Craft Spells, Lemolo, Pickwick and veteran band – Minus the Bear. In years past, Bumbershoot has always been about the big names, but it was refreshing to see others shine in the spotlight.

Flatstock 

What I love about Bumbershoot is that it is more than just a music festival. It is a music festival that hosts comedy shows, film screenings, and visual presentations like Flatstock. Every year, I am continually impressed by the design and work of artists that come from all over the world to present their pieces. This year, I had the opportunity to meet designer Jason Munn, one of my favorite poster designers and creator of the poster above, and I became so flustered that I couldn’t even remember the website that I first saw this poster on when I pointed it out to him. It was The Small Stakes.

Cons

Big Acts – Small Stages

I recently read an article that mentioned how one of One Reel’s coordinators had placed certain bands at stages that were not well-suited for them meaning that they had under-predicted the popularity of the act and as a result, many attendees were not allowed to catch the performance. My brother and I were the last two people to be admitted into Pickwick’s set at the Level 3 EMP stage and we were in line 30 minutes before the set. I felt awful for the 40 some people behind us that weren’t able to make it in. Lemolo had also reached capacity right before their set had started as well and were forced to turn people away.

Pre-teen like mannerisms

I get that Bumbershoot is a family-friendly music festival and that every one is welcome. I don’t want to stand in the way of that at all, but what I can’t handle sometimes is the behavior at music festivals. This is probably one of the reasons why I enjoy Capitol Hill Block Party more. CHBP attendees know how to act and that might have something to do with the type of crowd the festival attracts. On the other hand, the kids at Bumbershoot this year went absolutely nuts especially Sunday. First off, you do not need to smoke at every set. This is not Hempfest. People like me don’t enjoy inhaling second hand smoke and we’re too passive to tell you to put it out. Also stoner kids smell like barn and hay. All of them. Secondly, children, no one really likes a crowd surfer. A girl that looked no older than 13 crowd surfed during Phantogram this year and kicked me in the head before she fell on top of me and we both fell to the ground. Then she got up and scampered back to her friends while everyone around me just shook our heads in disbelief. WHERE ARE YOUR PARENTS SMALL CHILD? Drinking rules: At a family music festival at Bumbershoot, you should not be throwing up from intoxication. It is unclassy. It is gross and I hate having to hear it in the bathroom and then have to watch you clean yourself up as I wash my hands.

Words of Wisdom

If you ever get selected to be on stage and dance with an artist like Big Boi, Yacht or Girl Talk, then you better have your ish together. I’m serious. You can’t be up there flailing your arms looking all disoriented and you can’t rely on just shaking your ass. This isn’t a Mystikal music video. NO ONE wants to see that. Being on stage is a privilege and you were chosen to be in the forefront and to set an example so throw out your best game. During Big Boi’s set, I watched one girl who looked exactly like Chachi Gonzalez from 35 yards away, but I was impressed nonetheless. She didn’t have the biggest moves, but she was the most coordinated and looked better than everyone else on stage. Dancing like a ho ho doesn’t make you a good dancer.

Regrets

– wearing the wrong shoes every day except the last day

– not making it to the KEXP exclusive music lounge any of the days

– not spending enough time in the press room

– not taking any street style photos

– not trying the Frandy Bar Food Truck

Picture Sources – – > 1 2 3