Bumbershoot 2008 Preview

Editor’s note: Kane Jamison is going to start laying down some more blog posts here at Live Music Blog and we couldn’t be more thrilled to finally get him back into the blogging game after Burning Oak went largely dark. He’s moving to the Pacific Northwest and managed to make it up there in time for the Bumbershoot Festival going on this weekend, so he’s going to report in from the festivities.

This upcoming Saturday Seattle’s annual Bumbershoot festival kicks off and I’ll be on hand to cover the festivities. While the festival has some notable headliners – Beck, !!!, Stone Temple Pilots, Death Cab For Cutie, and Lee “Scratch” Perry to name a few – I have a feeling the highlights of my weekend will be the smaller acts I stumble upon in my daily wandering. That said, here’s a few sets I can’t imagine I’ll miss, but surely will.

Saturday

Day One gets going right away with Neko Case at 1pm, quickly followed by Lucinda Williams at 2:45. One afternoon wild card I’ve long been interested in will be the 4pm Thao with the Get Down Stay Down. An open spot for wandering and making the difficult decision to catch Man Man at 7:30 or the equally respected Band of Horses at the same time. As if that decision wasn’t enough, Beck and !!! both go on at 9:15, and M. Ward hits the stage at 9:30. I imagine I’ll be running around a lot on Saturday night.

Sunday

Day Two starts off a little slower than the previous day, and prior to the Jakob Dylan set at 7pm and the Black Keys set at 7:45 that night, I imagine I’ll be discovering plenty of new-to-me acts to share with you, and hopefully seeing how things are going in the comedy tent. Sunday night offers a full array of possibilities, however, with Stone Temple Pilots, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Tapes ‘n Tapes, and Final Fantasy all competing for my late-night attention.

Monday

Labor Day finishes up the Bumbershoot weekend with what appears to be a slower paced day. After a nostalgic visit to the 3:15 set by The Offspring and a quick jog to the simultaneous Langhorne Slim & The War Eagles set, Two Gallants will take the stage at 4:15. A few veggie burritos later you’ll most definitely find me at the Old 97’s set at 6:45, after which I’ll do my best to catch some songs with Del Tha Funky Homosapien and Battles. The night ends with simultaneous sets from Death Cab for Cutie, Xavier Rudd, and Minus the Bear.

Any must-see acts I missed? Any late-night parties I’ll forever regret missing? Leave some comments below or let me know at kanejamison ( at ) burningoak ( dot ) com.