Bumbershoot 2012: The Streak Continues (Fishbone, Ty Segall, Passion Pit)

Michael Angelakos of Passion Pit

So we're at 26 now.

Yes, after all my blustering about missing this year's Bumbershoot and ending my streak at the solid number of 25 straight, I ended up going the final day of the music festival a few weeks back. One good friend passed on a participant ticket for that day and I got back from my trip out of town to attend. Couple that with a donated VIP pass and I was in business again.

Decked out in my 22 year old Fishbone t-shirt (that STILL glows in the dark), I brought my camera just in case and was accompanied for the first few hours by my music festival loving 5-year old, who "helped" me take some photos of Reign Wolf's early set. "Help" involved pressing the button on the camera while I held him and the camera steady. Just a couple minutes of this and my shoulder felt like it was going to fall off, but we did capture a couple good ones (scroll down to see).

After ditching my child (he got cab fare, don't worry!) I banked on my familiar face to get me into the pit, which worked for Foxy Shazam. Slight of build lead singer Eric Sean Nally was a blur on the stage, turning the classic idea of a rock star on its ear, as he is wont to do. Ty Segall and his face melting set was next, and for this, fellow rocktographer Marianne slipped me an extra photo pass and there was no more need for blatant deceit. After that, I saw some of the M83 set and the kids trying to start a mini-riot -- the youth in the bleachers didn't take kindly to the floor being kept at just half-full.

After some Pains of Being Pure at Heart, the act I was most excited to see was up -- Fishbone. Call it nostalgia, call it curiosity (have you seen Everyday Sunshine yet?), whatever the impulse, the 'bone were the band I wanted to see all weekend. My Fishbone T-shirt might not have lost some of its glow (we'd lost some daylight charge for it by that point) but what transpired on stage was illuminating enough. They reached deep into their catalog for a crowd-pleasing set list. Their raucous performance of "Party at Ground Zero" was easily the highlight of the day.

The rest of the night, we managed to see Hey Marseilles, The Vaselines and Passion Pit, and that all just felt like the cherry on top of the night. Next year (#27!) we'll get that damn application in time and they'll be less drama... promise. (Photos below and full set on flickr.)

Angelo Moore of Fishbone

Reign Wolf

Ty Segall

Eric Sean Nally of Foxy Shazam

Matt Bishop of Hey Marseilles

M83 plays while the youth revolt.

Full set of photos on Flickr

Ear on TV: Week of 07.27.09: Spinal Tap

The 25th anniversary party just rages on for This is Spinal Tap, and the fictional band at its core. First came the "Unwigged" tour and then, last month, came a new album, Back From the Dead. This week the film sees it's release on Blu-Ray, giving us a chance to see Nigel's skeleton t-shirt in in high definition. To quote Sir Denis Eton-Hogg: "and so say we all, Tap into the future!"

To help promote the release, Spinal Tap are appearing on both Jimmy Fallon (Monday) and The Daily Show (Tuesday), pulling double duty with a performance and interview.This is Spinal Tap on Blu-Ray is out tomorrow.

Working either as a counter or a compliment to This Is Spinal Tap (all depends on how you look at it), IFC is airing The Decline of Western Civilation, Part II: The Metal Years (1988), a striking documentary about the glam-rock scene in Los Angeles. The combination of both films and their depiction of excess have been credited with some in the fall of heavy metal and, similarly, the rise of grunge.

Other notable music appearances this week include Jarvis Cocker on Jimmy Fallon (Thursday), Passion Pit on both Jimmy Fallon (Wednesday) and Alexa Chung (Thursday); and the network television debut of Cage the Elephant on Letterman (Thursday). Now, go forth and DVR!

Playlist: Picks for the week
Monday, July 27
IFC: From the Basement: Neil Hannon (REPEAT)
IFC: The Henry Rollins Show: Billy Bragg, Robyn Hitchcock (REPEAT)
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Revolution Mother
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Spinal Tap
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Adele (REPEAT)
Tuesday, July 28
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Silversun Pickups
COMEDY CENTRAL: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: Spinal Tap
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Underoath
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Duke Spirit (REPEAT)
Wednesday, July 29
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: the Sounds
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Elbow
IFC: Decline of Western Civilation II: The Metal Years: Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, KISS, Ozzy Osbourne
IFC: From the Basement: Beck (REPEAT)
IFC: The Henry Rollins Show: The Stooges, Gogol Bordello (REPEAT)
MTV: It's On With Alexa Chung: Silversun Pickups
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Passion Pit
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Lykke Li (REPEAT)
SUNDANCE: Spectacle: Elvis Costello With...: Elvis Costello, The Police (REPEAT)
Thursday, July 30
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Cage the Elephant
MTV: It's On With Alexa Chung: Passion Pit
NBC: The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien: Regina Spektor
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Jarvis Cocker
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Ben Harper & Relentless7 (REPEAT)
Friday, July 31
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Diane Birch
NBC: The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien: Ben Harper & Relentless7
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Crystal Antlers (REPEAT)
Saturday, August 1
NBC: Saturday Night Live: Phoenix (REPEAT)
PBS: Austin City Limits: Wilco (REPEAT)

Hunting Sasquatch - A Saturday/Sunday Primer

The Sasquatch Music festival has always been my favorite, and it's primarily due to it's location, the majestic gorge in South Central Washington. The lineup of artists ain't too shabby either. I've always found myself avoiding the mainstage in the evenings, and this year, with headliners like Kings of Leon and Nine Inch Nails, that tradition remains intact. The Wookie Stage draws smaller crowds and quite often, better acts. I've got my schedule mostly set, and it's embedded below.

Who am I excited to see this year? Well, readers of this blog won't be surprised by most. On Saturday, there's Passion Pit and King Kahn and the Shrines in the early part of the day, and then Animal Collective and Bon Iver in the evening. Sunday features St. Vincent, The Wrens, TV on the Radio and Of Montreal, who are all need-to-see when in town. The early part of Monday is what I'll be sad to miss -- Grizzly Bear, Deerhoof, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Santigold, The Duchess and the Duke, Monotix, Fleet Foxes all play in a span of about four hours.

It's been four years now since I was last here, a period of time marked by having kids and schedule conflicts (bar mitzvah, wedding, etc.). The weather has also been freakish in the years since I've been, so it's nice to see that we're expecting 85 degrees and dry for both days.

Here are the expected points where my camera will be getting a workout: