All posts in: The Small Stakes

11 Sep 2011

2011 Bumbershoot Recap

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!

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09 Sep 2010

The Small Stakes

Every year, Seattle music festival hosts a poster convention called Flat Stock. Since I wasn’t able to make it to Bumbershoot this year, I also had to miss out on Flat Stock. These famous concert posters are made from graphic artists all over the world featuring both local and mainstream artists and bands. They are also available for purchase at the festival. Someday I hope to own one myself, but for now I can just admire them online.

Today, I’m introducing you to Jason Munn, a graphic artist who showcases his work at Flat Stock every year. Many will know him as “The Small Stakes.” This past spring he also released a book published by Chronicle Books showing a collection of his posters.

Here are some of my favorites:

LCD Soundsystem

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