All posts in: One Reel

17 Sep 2013

City of Music Career Day

Readers, I am currently trying to make the transition from posting news about Seattle to the Bay, but this event is so dear and near to my heart that I couldn’t not write something about it. One Reel – who puts on Bumbershoot every year – is hosting a career day for high school and college students interested in working within the music industry. When I was a young high schooler, I would have loved for this event to exist. Now that it does, I want to make sure that everyone who wants to make their dreams happen knows about this opportunity. Not only is this the second year that it is being put on, but it is also FREE. At this event you will learn about the industry from a panel of speakers including Hollis Wong-Wear (Yeah, we write about her a lot!) have a meet-and-greet lunch and hear live performances all day long. I can’t think of a better way to spend my Tuesday. Registration is now open and space is limited so sign up quick!

And for full details, click here.

02 Apr 2013

How Will We Celebrate The 4th Of July In Seattle?

The 4th of July fireworks show  in Seattle has officially been cancelled and it is a sad day for all. I was out of town last year for the 4th, but nearly every year, I’ve always sat on top of the hill in Kirkland to watch the show. I’m direction impaired though so I wouldn’t be able to tell you if I was watching the Seattle or Bellevue show from where I was. Regardless, many locals celebrate with this event every year and it saddens me to hear that it just won’t be happening because of lack of funding. This year, the $500,000 show came up short in corporate sponsors and that is the reason why it has been cancelled.

One Reel has spent the past nine months trying to raise money for the 4th of July tradition. Despite a major fundraising campaign in March, the group only received $55,000 in donations.  Stone said everyone who made a contribution will get a refund.

[Source]

27 Nov 2012

American Hipster

Created by three Seattle natives, American Hipster is a web series that tells the story of how hipsters are living in this nation in the most hipster cities including (hi. home.) Seattle, Philly, San Francisco, New York and several others. Each episode focuses on a different aspect of the hipster culture and the ones on Seattle could not speak more truly about this wonderful city.

I went to a private school that just happened to be in a very hipster neighborhood so, over the last four years, I heard some backlash naturally. Let me just tell you that I’ve never loved a city more. I’ve never enjoyed living in a neighborhood more than I did in this one. The neighborhood didn’t help me figure out what my passions were. I did that back in high school bro. This neighborhood helped my passions explode – in everything that I did, all over the sidewalks, in every club and event that I participated in, and most definitely on Yow Yow! If you are starting on your journey to a private school (no matter your age) and you’ve checked out things like this Schoolguide’s blog post on private schools, as well as researched the neighborhood it’s going to be in, then you are certainly going to be going on a journey of self-discovery like I was. It just takes some getting used to. No matter what anyone says, a private school is not just for posh and well-off people, there are multiple positives to attending one.

Watching former One Reel employee Kayte Olsufka invite viewers into her Bumbershoot experience was tough. After all, that was the career that I always wanted for myself. It is the best reflection of what Bumbershoot means to me though and what it means to the attendees that continue to show up to the music and arts festival year after year. My favorite segments are below:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UtNlWh8VNVs]

Bumbershoot Attendee since 2006

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0CVWeactgcY]

Linda’s and Oddfellows are two of my favorite Capitol Hill spots.

To watch the entire American Hipster series, click here.

[Source]

23 Jun 2012

Help Bumbershoot Complete Their Lineup

For the most part, this year’s 2012 Bumbershoot lineup has already been secured, but it seems like they are looking for a few more acts to fill some extra slots. Microsoft, Starbucks, and One Reel have joined forces for a new contest called, “Opportunity Rocks,” which will give one Northwest band the chance to play at this year’s music festival. They will perform at not only Bumbershoot’s Starbucks Stage, but also at this year’s 4th of July festivities at the Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival on the Microsoft Stage.

I was thrilled when I learned that Whitney Ballen, a girl that I used to book for at a venue five years ago was a semi finalist. Please vote for her band Whitney Ballen and the Intimates. They are absolutely wonderful and she is quite a doll herself. I wish her nothing, but the best of luck for this opportunity. You have two more days to vote (including today) and it is super easy! Just click here.

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/26985122]

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!

Read more “2011 Bumbershoot Recap”

14 Apr 2010

Bumbershoot Re-evaluates their festival

…Is that a word? Hah

I have been a devoted Bumbershoot attendee for the past three years. I love the music and especially the local acts, which tend to be musicians and bands who are friends of mine or who I have worked with before. The festival is also… in my backyard – the wonderful and beautiful city of Seattle.

Last year, I lost my car in the parking garage for a good 15 minutes, but honestly, that was the only downfall.  Other than that, I have never run into any problems with the festival, and the situation I described above was my fault, not Bumbershoot’s.

For this year’s 2010 festival, the creators of Bumbershoot, One Reel, have gathered the results of their surveys from other attendees and have developed a new and more efficient way of selling their tickets. This year they will be offering something called the “Economy Ticket.” The economy ticket will be sold at $22 advance / $30 gate. Before you get excited about the pricing, the economy ticket only allows you to view all stages including music, film, comedy, etc etc EXCEPT the main stage in Memorial Stadium.. That means no Death Cab for Cutie, Jason Mraz and Black Eyed Peas for you! If you’re a hipster or a music buff who can’t stand mainstream, this might be the right ticket for you.

Another change is being made to the “Standard Ticket.” In the past the standard ticket was your access into the Seattle Center grounds for the festival, but did not guarantee you definite access into the Main Stage show in the evenings. This year, it will! Attendees would have to arrive early to snag a main stage pass at one of their Bumbershoot booth posts and stay the whole day even if they did not care for any other acts. Inconvenience avoided. Nice job One Reel.

For more details on what other changes have been affected, read the article here at Line Out