Who doesn’t love Labor Day Weekend? One last three-day weekend to close out the summer months and music to see across the country: the inaugural North Coast Music Festival in Chicago, Jazz Aspen Snowmass in Aspen, FYF Fest in Los Angeles, plenty of East Coast stuff that I’m not even aware of, and last but not least, Bumbershoot Festival here in Seattle (which I’ll be covering all weekend here at LMB). If you’re in the Seattle area the forecast is 70° and not a cloud in the sky for most of the weekend, and last-minute day passes are about $50 and cheaper if you opt for the non-mainstage ticket option. Regardless, here’s 10 bands acts I’ll be checking out this weekend and be sure to stop here at in the next few days for some photo coverage of the festival. Also, I’ll be tweeting occasionally at @burning_oak so follow along there if you’re interested in following along…
1. The Dandy Warhols – Sunday 9:15 pm
They’re an absolute favorite of mine and I know Justin is a fan, so I’m psyched to see them on Sunday night. The band has a pretty diverse catalogue of music but “You Were The Last High” is a good one to share.
Dandy Warhols: You Were The Last High (Live @ Terminal 5) [YouTube]
2. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Saturday 7:30 pm
Formed just a few years ago by singer Alex Ebert of Ima Robot, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros are quite simply awesome. Their July 2009 debut album, Up From Below, is really addicting. If you haven’t heard the song “Home” before, you’ll probably end up whistling the hook from it for the next week straight. Here’s a live in-store performance from August 2009…
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros – Home (Rough Trade East, 21st Aug 2009) [YouTube]
3. Justin Townes Earle – Saturday 4:45 pm
I’ve never gotten into Justin Townes Earle much but only due to lack of hearing his music; what I have heard is pretty good. That’s what I love about Bumbershoot (and all festivals) – you always see a few favorites but you walk away even more excited by the new artists you get to see. Here’s the music video to his song “The Good Life”:
SXSW 2009 Music Video: Justin Townes Earle – The Good Life [YouTube]
4. The Budos Band – Saturday 5:30 pm
Casual fans of Sharon Jones & The Daptones might be surprised to hear that there is an entire Daptones record label full of fresh funk and soul bands ready to pick up where the Motown and the funk bands of the 70’s left off. The Budos Band is just one awesome example. They’re totally instrumental and have an ever-changing lineup of at least 10 people. Here’s the animated video to their “Volcano Song”:
Budos Band – Volcano Song [YouTube]
5. Trampled By Turtles – Monday 1:15 pm
I haven’t seen these guys since 10,000 Lakes Festival 2006, so I’m really excited to hear how the band has progressed in the last 4 years. They’re the type of bluegrass band that pulls in plenty of fans who don’t normally associate themselves with bluegrass, so even if that’s not your thing give them a listen. Here’s the official video for “Wait So Long”:
Trampled by Turtles-Wait So Long [YouTube]
6. The Moondoggies – Monday 5:00 pm
Local Seattle favorites the Moondoggies aren’t easy to describe in a couple sentences, but they’ve got a lot going on around town and a new album coming out this fall. Watch this video of “What Took So Long” and then catch them Monday evening at the Starbucks Stage.
The Moondoggies – What Took So Long (Live on KEXP) [YouTube]
Bonus Video of “The Undertaker”:
The Moondoggies – The Undertaker (Live on KEXP) [YouTube]
7. Jenny & Johnny – Saturday 6:45 pm
Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley joins with solo artist Johnathan Rice to form a him & her duet group that rivals the awesomeness of She & Him. Which is a winning situation for us all. They hit the Starbucks Stage at 6:45 Monday after the Moondoggies and I’m certain they’ll be playing “Scissor Runner” from their recent debut album:
Jenny and Johnny – Scissor Runner [YouTube]
8. Booker T – Monday 8:30 pm
You already know them, whether you’re aware of it or not. Here’s Booker T & The MGs with a great quality video from the 60’s of their classic “Green Onions”:
Booker T & the MG’s – green onions – mod classic 60s [YouTube]
9. Bob Freakin’ Dylan – Saturday 9:00 pm
There’s nothing I can say about this other than that I’m ecstatic to finally be able to see him. Here’s “Rollin’ and Tumblin’ ” live in June 2010 in Slovenia:
Bob Dylan: Rollin’ and Tumblin’ – Live from Ljubljana 13.06.2010 [YouTube]
10. Patton Oswalt – Sat/Sun/Mon 8:00 pm
He’s not exactly a band, but the beautiful part about Bumbershoot is that there’s way more than just music to see! Comedian Patton Oswalt and friends will be doing sets all three nights, here’s his take on KFC Famous Bowls:
