Hello, gentle souls of Seattle, and those of you stumbling off of airplanes and out of cars to get to Bumbershoot! Bumbershoot is still alive! It was a close one, but thanks to AEG Live it’s still kicking, and kicking pretty hard with its lineup. Here are KXSU’s picks for the festival. Of course we have other bands that we like playing Bumbershoot, but we simply don’t care enough to put everyone in. This year our focus will be on the awesome hip hop and indie surf rock at the festival. Was this planned? Only by the gods of music, was this planned.
Day 1 is full of hip hop and this will surely bring out more bucket hats then you will ever want to see.
Day 1: Let’s call it the Day of the Broski(But the good kind, the kind that is charming, just a little bit awful)
- Jhene Aiko – JHENE, JHENE, JHENE. Jhene is this odd sort of hippie R n’B music, and golly do we love it? She has worked with everyone from Common to Big Sean and she outshines everyone in every song that she features on. Please do not cage her in the “featured artist” category because she is an awesome writer and musician. If you only know her from that Omarion(lol) song, because of her verse, “You gotta eat the booty like groceries,” Please venture in to her other music. You will not only be impressed but you may never want to listen to another artist ever again. Extreme? Maybe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEm3lY3trRU
- Chance the Rapper – This guy is fire. Whether he is rapping with Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment or simply as Chance the Rapper, Chance is laying ground for hip hop. He has been the number one pusher for free independent music in the past few years and all of his music is high quality and powerful. Some of you might be saying, “But Macklemore is independent, what about him?” His antisemitism, and backwards way of supporting important movements asid e(though they should never be put aside), his music is now gimmicky, annoying, and has substance similar to juicy fruit(the gum). Back to Chance. This guy put together a free festival for teens in Chicago and brought Yeezy on stage. This guy made a mix tape with lil B and it was highly respectable. DO NOT MISS CHANCE THE RAPPER.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4ooH8frBWg
- Flying Lotus/The Weeknd – BUMBERSHOOT WHY WOULD PUT THESE TWO AT THE SAME TIME!? Seriously, even Flying Lotus mentioned how wack that was. But any way either one of these you choose you will not be disappointed. Flying Lotus is a revolutionary electronic music producer. His beats are unmatched by anyone else in the game, and he will no doubt get your body moving.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak4vLEBxIo4
While Frank Ocean is making everyone throw up from anticipation and Miguel is spending too much time hating on Frank, The Weeknd, is setting a new bar for the prince of RnB. His new album Beauty Behind the Madness mixes his self-loathing with intricate self stories, and surprisingly it is beautiful. This man is one of the most famous people of the year and that will not slow down.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1ngEIxopUU
- Atmosphere – Atmopshere consisting of Rhymsesayers starters Slug and Ant is a different breed of rap. It has different subject matter, different ways of expression and a different sound in general. Whether you like this type of hip hop or not, Atmosphere is a pioneer and continues to do so by supporting and advocating for a whole new genre.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AckhnLpwceM
- Smokey Brights – Smokey Brights released a really cool album last year and we think it got looked over far too much. “Taste for Blood” was weird, fun, and full of intricacies that are not always focused on by smaller bands.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZsSl4J95Vs
- Babes in Toyland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWZ9ihZ_TUw
- Fitz & The Tantrums
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGBLlFMn9Xc
- K. Flay
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ6KqzLwvF4
- Motopony
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfZLb2VCA_w
- Duke Evers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTR7PVnGgvA
Marcus Shriver // Your Favorite Slice of Bread // KXSU Reporter