KDViationS--Spring 2002 Issue

Bumbershoot:
Seattle’s Summer-Ending Music Festival
And Why You Should Care About It

By DUNCAN STRAUSS

OK, Spring quarter is often an immensely important time for making crucial decisions and plans--not the least of which, of course, is planning a first-rate vacation adventure for this Summer.

I recognize there are people who may rank that as a somewhat lower priority than finishing their degree, preparing for grad school, lining up a summer internship, officially launching their career, and other so-called “major transition issues” that some deem important this time of year.

Hey, that’s up to them.

Me? Hell, I’m just weighing in with a pretty solid suggestion of a little getaway that I’m virtually guaranteeing will be a huge highlight of the summer for any music lover. And one of the best parts of this notion is that it shouldn’t be seen at all as mutually exclusive with the activities of the more academic or employment-minded geeks alluded to above.

’Cause we’re talking Labor Day Weekend here, and specifically we’re talking Bumbershoot, the singularly stellar and absolutely amazing music and arts festival held annually in Seattle on that weekend.

Yeah, yeah--I know: There are plenty of music festivals around. But it’s not like I’m saying, Hey go check out some event you’ve never heard of in, like, New Hampshire. It’s in Seattle, for Christ’s sake. A measly 750 miles from Davis.

And more importantly, if not persuasively, lemme put it this way: What KDVS is to radio stations, Bumbershoot is to music festivals. I’m not exactly sure what I mean by that, but I'm pretty sure it’s an apt comparison. So just go with me on this. And having attended my first Bumbershoot over a decade ago, I do I think you’ll find areas of overlap in parts of the following guide, which carrys the unimaginative working title “17 Things You Oughta Know About Bumbershoot.”

(1) The first festival was held in 1971. So, like KDVS, it’s been around 30- plus years. But both the station in Davis and the event in Seattle remain similarly
peppy, progressive forces. Indeed, reflecting a widely-held view, Seattle alternative weekly The Rocket assured its readers “Bumbershoot may be over 30, but it’s okay to trust it.”

(2) “Bumbershoot” is an informal term for umbrella, an indispensable item for all those residing in an area where the annual rainfall is measured in craploads. Now that may not be the precise meteorological term, but it does rain an awful lot in Seattle. Less obviously--so much less obviously that I wouldn’t know this if Bumbershoot propaganda didn’t spell it out--as the event has evolved and broadened over the years, the word also seems intended to suggest the festival is an umbrella under which various styles of music and other creative disciplines are presented. (More on that shortly.)

(3) Bumbershoot is located in the Seattle Center, the 70-acre parcel of land where the 1962 World’s Fair was held. So, not only are the festival grounds incredibly user-friendly--once you’re at the Center, all indoor and outdoor venues, eateries, beer gardens (did someone say beer gardens?) and other facilities are an easy walk--they also include the old, famous Space Needle and the new, less- famous Experimental Music Project. Designed by Frank Gehry, the EMP is Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s sprawling I-Love-Music-And-I-Have-Millions-Of- Dollars-To-Prove-It museum/interactive extravaganza/ performance space combo. It’s a very cool place, and Bumbershoot now uses the EMP’s Sky Church as one of its venues.

(4) If you love music, you’ll absolutely adore Bumbershoot. Some would argue that, as with listening to KDVS, the more catholic your tastes, the greater and richer rewards the experience can provide. I definitely subscribe to that theory, so like tuning in across the hours and categories of KDVS programming, going to Bumbershoot is akin to attending the ultimate music buffet: From noon ‘til 11p.m. or so, more than a dozen stages are presenting musical acts over the four days (Friday thru Monday) of Labor Day Weekend. So, obviously, this ain’t merely dozens of bands and artists--it’s hundreds. The downside of this, if there is one, is that music buffs who are true generalists often find themselves scrambling from stage to stage to try catching everything that seems appealing. Or...making hard choices when two great acts are scheduled to perform at overlapping time slots.

(5) Racing from stage to stage in hopes of seeing everything possible is a common mistake of the Bumbershoot rookie--like overeating at a fabulous brunch buffet and feeling crummy the rest of the day--but it’s a lesson that many need to learn first-hand, and one that’s entirely understandable. Once you understand you can’t see everything that grabs your fancy, and relax a bit, the best move is to study the always-excellent program and decide just which artists you feel are true “must- sees.” Then you’re truly on track to be thrilled by all the great music you are seeing, but at a more casual pace that enables you to enjoy the performances, versus stressing about those you’re missing. Plus, half the fun of the festival is being open to checking out unfamiliar artists, and inevitably “discovering” at least a handful of fab new favorites. Besides once you go, you’ll probably be bitten by the Bumbershoot bug, which means you’ll likely return the next year. And the next... which means there’s plenty of wonderful music in your future, no reason to dash right now, every reason to chill and savor

(6) The music fan who’s more of a specialist will find paradise too, but without the initial struggle that hampers the generalist.You like electronica? Proceed directly to Electro-Deck, a stage devoted to it all day, all weekend, capped by a DJ/MC competition on Monday evening. More of a blues fan? You’ll want to park at the-- you guessed it--Blues Stage, especially if you like your traditional blues artists interspersed with acts more affiliated with country, or rockabilly, or zydeco, or other wildcards (ranging, last year, from a local gospel choir to Neko Case.) Are you more partial to Jamaican riddims, East and West African beats, Cuban dance music and all kinds of other cavernous grooves? Then one of your main destinations will no doubt be The Rhythm Stage, though you can often find groups who also fit that description holding forth on the Bumbrella Stage.

(7) If you’re starting to think one of the things that distinguishes Bumbershoot is breathtaking breadth--at any given venue, much less at the festival overall--you’re reading the message loud and clear. Hell, at the Mainstage--basically, a gigantic stadium--you’d figure this place surely must be the domain of the commercially muscular mainstream bands, and as some of the acts step onstage--last year including The Black Crowes and Cake--your initial hunch seems borne out. But in characteristically turning those expectations sideways, last year’s stadium line-up also included Meshell Ndegeocello, Loretta Lynn, and King Sunny Ade, none of whom, last time I checked, are exactly in heavy rotation on classic rock radio or MTV.

(8) On the opposite end of the venue spectrum, there’s the relatively tiny Northwest Court Stage, generally featuring solo-acoustic performers, folkies,
wayward rockers and others. One of last year’s standouts was KDVS fave and Austin artist savant Daniel Johnston, who while reading all lyrics out of a binder, gave a thoroughly enchanting performance and received a thunderous response. However, he was hard-pressed to deliver an encore because, he explained, he’d run out of binder pages.

(9) Among the notable acts Bumbershoot has presented are a reunion of monumentally influential alt-rock forebears Big Star, legendary ninetysomething Cuban clarinetist Compay Segundo, a high-profile show by local indie-pop powerhouse Death Cab For Cutie, a rip-snorting performance by former James Brown sideman/saxophonist extraordinaire Maceo Parker and a rare West Coast appearance by prolific critics’ darling Magnetic Fields--and these all happened the same year! That year would be 2000.

(10) Obviously, I could go on about the music. Well, obviously, I have. But you should get a load of all the non-music programming Bumbershoot also offers: There’s a whole literary program wherein various authors--ranging, say, from a semi- local luminary like Tom Robbins to self-proclaimed wunderkind Dave Eggers--read or discuss their work, get interviewed or participate in panel chats about books, trends and other topics...A sweeping array of visual arts exhibits on display...A film festival that’s big on movies (more than 100), yet small on running time (all flicks clock in under 30 minutes)...A comedy stage presenting some of the brightest, freshest young comics around--including writer, actor and co-creator/star of HBO’s Mr Show David Cross, who was bitten by the Bumbershoot bug five or six years ago, and has since become a festival fixture, performing comedy and otherwise checking out a bunch of bands. Et cetera...

(11) Gee, with all this fabulous stuff to hear, read, watch, dance to and otherwise enjoy, folks must work up a mighty hunger. No kidding. And while some Bumbershoot-goers address that hunger by bringing their own eats, there’s an eye- popping assortment of reasonably-priced great grub available at several clusters of food stands--African, Thai, Greek, Mexican, pizza, paella, salmon, dogs, burgers, roasted cashews, roasted corn, ice cream, shortcake & zillion other choices.

(12) As you’ll find at many other music/arts festivals, there’s a bevy of booths selling clothing, jewelry, art, photographs, crafts, hats, toys, musical instruments, et al. In contrast to the set-up at many other festivals, there’s little or no schlock here--the quality of this stuff is generally top-notch. Similarly, the official Bumbershoot merchandise is typically well-designed, well-made, excellent, and no one’s ever hassling you with the hard sell.

(13) So, given what an awesome, multi-faceted bonanza Bumbershoot is, you’re probably figuring each day’s admission must cost upwards of, what, 40-50 bucks? Lower. 30 bucks? Lower. 20 bucks? Nope--last year’s advance-purchase price was $12 per day, with a two-day pass costing $22 and a four-day going for $40. I’m not too hot at math, but I think that works out to roughly $10 a day.

(14) I know what some of you are thinking: “This all sounds great, but this Summer, I’m looking for a family trip, something fun and fulfilling for the kids.” Well, Bumbershoot has you covered there, too. First, children under 12 get in free with a paying adult. Second, there’s a stage exclusively devoted to family attractions: international circuses, puppet shows, parades, etc. Third, there’s a whole, separate area that provides ongoing “hands-on” activities for youngsters, from several stations to create art or jewelry or musical instruments, to an enormous Lego play area, to workshops where the whippersnappers can learn, say, traditional Chinese dance.

(15) Ready to go? I mean, what’s not to like? For my money, the ticket price is one of the best deals around--and for your money, too. Still, anyone drawn by this Bumbershoot primer but anticipating cash flow problems in late August may want to keep this in mind: Like KDVS, Bumbershoot is largely staffed by a team of smart, friendly volunteers who do wonderful work on a great event, and get onto the grounds for free.

(16) The initial band bookings aren’t revealed until late Spring, while the complete line-up usually isn’t usually announced ‘til mid-July. But for these and other details--and, later, to buy tickets--head to www.bumbershoot.com.

(17) See you there.


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