Oops. Someone made a grave error and two important festivals were scheduled for the same weekend. Okay, that’s not really what happened, at least I assume not, most likely this all had to do with scheduling, and thus Washington festival goers were handed a choice. This isn’t really a cagematch, and The Capitol Hill Block Party and Timber Fest are hardly competing, these are two very different festivals, different atmosphere, different bands. Regardless of the festival you’re attending, there is a shit ton of music happening this weekend, and I’m here to help you.
CHBP
Unlike Timber, the Block Party goes from Friday-Sunday and you’ll find yourself running all over town to see the shows, but all that running around is well worth it. These are only my recommendations, take a look for yourself, but you won’t make it to every show and these are the ones not to miss.
Friday: 7/26
4:00 Radiation City: Indie Pop? I’m not really sure, I saw them open for Pickwick a few months back and they were incredible, their sound is hard to pin point but incredibly addictive.
5:15 Telekinesis: Their sound is all over the map, from electro-folk, indie pop, rock, to just plain folk. Their sound is unique and heavy.
5:45 Fly Moon Royalty: A real Seattle treasure, these guys have been cross breading a hip-hop, indie, soul styling for a few years now, and these sounds are delicious.
6:45 Iska Dhaaf: Nate Quiroga (Buffalo Madonna) of Mad Rad, and Benjamin Verdoes of Mount St. Helens Vietnam Band. This duo just released their debut single All the Kids. A spectacular debut of indie pop with hip-hop roots. I recently interviewed these two, look for that soon.
Saturday: 7/27
2:15 La Luz: Since I interviewed Shana Cleveland last September, La Luz has taken off. Named one of the best new bands in Seattle by City Arts, they’re just returning from spreading their outstanding surf rock throughout the country.
3:30 Rose Windows: 60s-70’s psychedelic folk-rock unlike anyone else. They just released their debut album for Sub Pop, The Sun Dogs, which will certainly make a lot of year-end best of lists.
8:45 Pony Time: Harkening back to the heavy grinding music of the early 90’s, Pony Time comes at you heavy and hard.
10:30 Pickwick: Don’t be a fucking fool. Easily one of the best albums of the year, Can’t Talk Medicine, and their one of the best performances I’ve ever seen.
Sunday: 7/28
3:45 Hey Marseilles: Their album Lines We Trace is one of the years most beautiful albums, and they’ve been telling the whole country about it this year.
5:45 Poor Moon: Comprised of members from Fleet Foxes, I didn’t necessarily “get them” a year ago at Sasquatch, but I came around. Now I can’t get enough of their folk-americana stylings.
8:00 The Grizzled Mighty: Some say that heavy rock is dead. Who? I’m not sure, but they say it. The Grizzled Mighty prove that wrong, oh so wrong.
10:00 Pure Bathing Culture: The brain child of Daniel Hindman and Sarah Versprille of Vetiver, PBC is Pure 80’s Nostalgia, and oh so good. Their album Moon Tides, is out in August.
Timber
This is not just about music, it’s about enjoying the idyllic woods of Carnation Washington. There’s far more to do here than just see bands play, these are the guys who put together Doe Bay, and that’s turned out pretty good, right? Go for the experience of the festivals entirety. Of course the big/sad news concerning Timber was the break up of River Giant, just a week before the festival. Their self-titled debut album was incredible, even in their absence there are still plenty of top-notch performers. Unlike CHBP, you could easily see every band play, it was designed that way, but for those who don’t simply want to stand at a stage all day and want to take part in the other great activities, here are my selections for can’t miss music. What I’m trying to say is, don’t go off and play something stupid like frisbee golf when these bands are playing.
Friday 7/26
9:00 (campfire stage) Bryan John Appleby: On the surface he’s going to be labeled a full on folk singer, his bearded appearance doesn’t help the matter. But Bryan has a strong voice and his songs cut deeper than simple folk music. Playing around a campfire is just a cherry on top the sundae. Appleby is a Washington treasure.
11:45 (Pete’s Club Grill- whatever that means) Hobosexual: Also playing the main stage on Saturday, so see them twice. What does a band with a name like Hobosexual sound like? Imagine the music you might hear at a dirty truck stop in Cle Elum, or just imagine TAD’s little brother. These guys represent the best of what Washington bands have always done, bring a quirky playfulness to some amazing songs.
Saturday 7/27
1:35 (main stage) Lemolo: What is there to say that I haven’t already said about these two ladies at length. No one around is making music like them, and since I interviewed them a year ago, they were named the best new band in Seattle by City Arts Magazine. Their album release party for The Kaleidoscope literally gave me the chills.
2:30 (main stage) Kithkin: What is going on here? I’m sure Kithkin knows but the rest of us have no clue. Here’s what we do know, this shit is awesome, at times it feels three or four songs are colliding up against one another and just manage to spit enough out to make sense. If this sounds like I’m lukewarm on these guys, think again.
3:35 (main stage) Hobosexual: Ditto.
Everyone is going to be looking forward to the later evening heavy hitters like Quasi, Fruit Bats, and the Helio Sequence, and yes you should see them. But don’t discount the bands that come before them. I insist that you don’t.
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