11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. • Starbucks Stage
The Tripwires A local supergroup of sorts, The Tripwires comprise members of The Minus 5, Screaming Trees, and Young Fresh Fellows, and make giddy, harmonic power-pop tunes that recall the likes of Big Star and the Replacements. —Erin K. Thompson
Noon to 12:45 • Northwest Court
Johnny Bregar One of the new breed of singer/songwriters making kids’ music that parents can stomach too, Bregar’s got a charming, rootsy feeling. He’s pretty much the guy you run into at the Phinney community meeting, complete with guitar, soul patch, and upbeat attitude. —Mark D. Fefer
Noon to 1 • 1 Reel Film Festival, SIFF Cinema
Best of the Northwest High School Film Festival Ten titles from local teens include a documentary trip to Africa and a music video from Anacortes. —Brian Miller
Noon to 1:15 • Words & Ideas
I’ll Show You a Story! Three local writers promise to pair visual art with their readings, I’m not sure how. One of them, though, Brian McGuigan, curates “Cheap Wine & Poetry” at Hugo House, which means he’s pretty good at pairing things for artsy folks. Also reading are Elissa Washuta and Hugo House writer-in-residence Cienna Madrid. —Mary Pauline Diaz
12:30 to 1:30 • Fisher Green
Eldridge Gravy & The Court Supreme Those who doubt that funk is anything but alive, well, and ass-kicking need look no further than the furious energy of the local 10-piece and its charismatic frontman. —Nick Feldman
12:30 to 1:30 • Sky Church
School of Rock All Stars In a single hour, kids age 7 to 18 prove how much better they are than you at playing music.Listen for everything from Radiohead to AC/DC. —Paige Richmond
12:30 to 1:30 • Broad Street Stage
Unnatural Helpers Hardly Art’s Unnatural Helpers have been earning well-deserved raves across the board for their raw, spirited garage rock, as heard on their second album, Cracked Love & Other Drugs, replete with raging guitars, gritty vocals, and spot-on percussion beats. —EKT
1 to 1:15 • Center Square
Circus Una Motorcycle Thrill Show See Saturday, 1 p.m. (Also today 2:45 to 3, 4:30 to 4:45, 6:15 to 6:30, 7:30 to 7:45.)
1 to 2 • Sunday Performing Arts Stage
AXIS Dance Company See Saturday, 6 p.m.
1 to 2 • 1 Reel Film Festival, SIFF Cinema
Seattle Performs Five films about, or featuring, Seattle artists, including a 15-minute cut of Wes Hurley’s The Unlikely Career of Waxie Moon, seen at SIFF. —BM
1:15 to 2:15 • Comedy Stage West
Famous Mysterious Actor Show From Portland, Joe Frice performs in a Mexican luchador mask and fright wig, presiding over a talk show you might compare to Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, only for grown-ups. The Ed McMahon figure on the show, known as Cutter, speaks only German. Expect guests from any of Bumbershoot’s three comedy stages. —BM
1:15 to 2:15 • Northwest Court
Greta Matassa Quartet It’s easy to take her for granted because she seems ever-present, but Matassa is a winsome singer of jazz standards, with a fantastic clarity of tone, who’s always worth another hearing. She kicks off a three-act Seattle Jazz Showcase (which constitutes the sum of B-shoot’s ever-scanter jazz booking). —MDF
1:15 to 2:15 • Starbucks Stage
Horse Feathers This Kill Rock Stars folk outfit makes pleasingly elegant music featuring sugary vocals, sweeping cello, and plunking banjo. —EKT
1:15 to 2:15 • Center Square Stage
Sweet Water Sweet Water’s arrival on the scene coincided with grunge’s explosion, and the Seattle band was a bit too pretty, fun-loving, and shallow to really capitalize on the craze (although “Everything Will Be Alright” was some heavy shit). But holy fuck, can they lather up a crowd. If David Bowie birthed a child sown from Adrian Grenier’s seed (and you just know Bowie would tear that ass up), it would produce a quasi-earthling akin to lead singer Adam Czeisler—Ziggy Stardust, but with a Greek ankle tattoo, precision haircut, and puka-shell necklace. Sweet Water’s lyrics will never be mistaken for Chaucer’s, but neither will the Presidents of the United States of America’s, and the fact that the latter act has a cult-like following while the former is now considered a fuck-and-run splash of nostalgia is felonious. —Mike Seely
2 to 3 • Sky Church
The Lonely H With three albums and nearly seven years of performing under their belts, this shaggy-haired Port Angeles rock band sounds like the love child of John Fogerty and Don Henley. —PR
2 to 3 • Comedy Stage North
Kumail Nanjiani, John Mulaney, Nick Kroll See Saturday, 7:15 p.m.
2 to 3 • 1 Reel Film Festival, SIFF Cinema
Films4Families: A Fantasia of Musical Family Shorts In the futile yet amusing tradition of Wile E. Coyote, the animated pig in Ormie has one objective in mind: a cookie jar, poised frustratingly out of reach atop a refrigerator. Your kids will surely relate, as he employs every possible aid to reach the elusive treats. The four-minute film is one of five shown. —BM
2 to 3 • Words & Ideas
Why Vampires? Why Lincoln? Why Now? Only so often do vampires and Abe Lincoln end up in the same space (or so we think). Unfortunately, this is not one of those times, as no actual vampire or Lincoln will be on hand (or so we think). Who will be on hand are a “Lincoln enthusiast,” author Brian Thornton, two teenage vampire fans, and Tracy Rector of Longhouse Media—a local nonprofit that empowers Native American communities to use film and media—to discuss why teens care so much about vampires and why everyone cares so much about Lincoln. It’s a strange panel of experts (?) for an equally strange concept, but these guys never promised to be serious. —MPD
2 to 3:15 • Theatre Puget Sound Stage
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee RK Productions and Contemporary Classics present the recent Broadway hit musical, in which six small-town kids vie for a trip to the nationals. Of this show’s recent run, SW‘s Dylan Sladky said “Every character shines in moments of transcendent joy and heartwrenching sadness, with such believable candor that anyone can relate to the seemingly silly struggles of these determined youth…With a complicated score and some fancy footwork, this musical comes together seamlessly.” —Gavin Borchert
2:15 to 3:15 • Fisher Green
Fresh Espresso Along with his co-conspirator Rik Rude, rapper/producer extraordinaire P Smoov takes electro-rap to the next level. They’re excited about females and flash, and it’s just about impossible not to join in. —NF
2:15 to 3:15 • Broad Street Stage
Hey Marseilles Seattle’s current favorite orchestral-pop band, Hey Marseilles makes pleasant, inoffensive, clap-happy music stuffed with strings and other cute instruments like accordion and mandolin. —EKT
2:45 to 3:45 • Comedy Stage South
“WTF” with Marc Maron Edgy, frank, uncensored conversations with some of your favorite comedians, hosted by mega-funny madman Marc Maron, WTF ranks as one of iTunes’ most downloaded podcasts, and is not for the faint of heart. —Ma’chell Duma LaVassar
3 to 4 • Comedy Stage West
The Cracked Up The People’s Republic of Komedy’s Solomon Georgio hosts this omnibus of stand-up, sketch comedy, and storytelling. —BM
3 to 4 • Center Square Stage
Crash Kings This band’s keyboardist once said, “Chris Cornell is definitely one of my all-time favorite lead singers of any rock band, ever.” Their music is right in line with that quote—they’re like the Black Crowes, only horrible and fully lobotomized. —MS
3 to 4 • Northwest Court
McTuff Trio Journeyman keyboardist Joe Doria is heard in lots of projects, but he does some of his best work in this ’60s-style organ unit. Even without McTuff’s invaluable fourth, Skerik, on sax, they keep the soul-jazz cooking, and it’s a tasty dish. —MDF
3 to 4 • Starbucks Stage
Sista Monica’s “Singin’ in the Spirit” Sista Monica’s huge, booming voice is just perfect for the inspired gospel music that is her specialty. —EKT
3:30 to 4:30 • Performing Arts Stage
Arts Corps Arts Corps artists spend most of the year teaching kids through local schools and community centers, bringing arts education to communities that might otherwise not get any at all. For this show of hip-hop, percussion, break-dancing, and more, the teachers join the students onstage, showcasing what they’ve passed along and blazing the next set of steps. —SK
3:30 to 4:30 • 1 Reel Film Festival, SIFF Cinema
Women in Film Three films with female directors or stars. In Make Up, 30 years after patenting her underestimated ditz persona in Airplane!, Julie Hagerty insinuates herself into a Mad Men–era household under the guise of a door-to-door cosmetics saleswoman. There she finds a childless housewife unhappily locked in an affair with a married man. Despair, then murder, gradually darkens the bright colors, until the comedy turns to noir. —BM
3:30 to 4:30 • Sky Church
The Redwood Plan This Seattle dance-punk outfit combines the sexiness and high volume of The Faint with the simplicity and female vocals of Le Tigre. —PR
3:45 to 4:45 • Theatre Puget Sound Stage
Improvolution Birthed at Cornish, this ensemble incorporates music and dance into their improvised shows. If you can’t see them here, they perform at Balagan Theatre the second Friday of every month. —GB
3:45 to 4:45 • Comedy Stage North
Morgan Murphy, Chris Hardwick, Jamie Kilstein See Saturday, 2 p.m.
3:45 to 4:45 • Words & Ideas
“Sound Opinions” with Jim Derogatis & Greg Kot “Sound Opinions” is a Chicago-based radio talk show about rock music hosted by the recently departed critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, Jim DeRogatis, and the Chicago Tribune‘s Greg Kot. So in case you bought tickets to this music festival to hear people talk about music, rather than merely listening to music, these guys have you covered. —MPD
4 to 5 • Broad Street Stage
David Bazan Last year’s Curse Your Branches was Bazan’s first proper full-length under his given name in his post–Pedro the Lion life. The album is deeply autobiographical. Bazan’s grainy vocals and comfortable songwriting touch on his troubled themes with both wisdom and humor. —EKT
4 to 5 • Fisher Green
Georgia Anne Muldrow & Declaime Politically charged and funk-laden, the duo’s hard-hitting hip-hop looks to the stars with an outer-space motif that’s invested in fostering some real change—not to mention in making you pump your fist and bob your head. —NF
4:30 to 5:30 • Comedy Stage South
Garfunkel & Oates, David O’Doherty, Nick Thune See Saturday, 4:30 p.m.
4:30 to 5:30 • 1 Reel Film Festival, SIFF Cinema
Best of SIFF 2010 Three audience favorites. In The Little Dragon, Seattle icon Bruce Lee is incarnated as a rubber action figure, imprisoned in his original 1970s packaging, complete with his yellow Game of Death track suit. Upon escaping, the CG-animated hero must contend with rival toy robots, newfangled technology, and his own obsolescence. (His rubbery body is starting to crumble!) My favorite moment: In an oversized world, Lee seizes a birthday candle and snaps it in half to improvise a tiny pair of nunchucks. Bruno Collet’s delightful short could easily become a Toy Story–style feature. —BM
4:45 to 5 • Fountain Lawn
Cyclecide See Saturday, 1:15 p.m. (Also today 1:15 to 2.)
4:45 to 5:45 • Center Square Stage
The Bouncing Souls A rawer, more whimsical East Coast answer to Green Day. There are far worse ways to while away the midday than bobbing your head to this high-energy, seasoned thrash-pop act. —MS
4:45 to 5:45 • Comedy Stage West
Blood Squad/Duos You supply the title for a horror flick that never was (e.g., Toilet Plunger of Death! or The Haunted Cabana), and improv group Blood Squad immediately goes to work. The second half of the program offers two-person teams who’ll also act on your cues. —BM
4:45 to 5:45 • Northwest Court
Matt Jorgensen Quintet He’s a head honcho at the highly successful Origin Records and helps produce the Ballard Jazz Festival, so it’s perhaps no surprise that in his own bands Matt Jorgensen is the kind of drummer who makes things happen without putting himself out front. His newest quintet, with longtime partners Thomas Marriott and Mark Taylor, takes a more abstract, cinematic turn, which is not a coincidence: The quintet’s brand new Origin recording, Tattooed by Passion, offers music inspired by Jorgensen’s late father-in-law, Colorado painter Dale Chisman. If you only have ear space for one instrumental show at the ‘Shoot, this little-known band is the one to make room for. —MDF
4:45 to 6 • Starbucks Stage
Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express Veteran British keyboardist Brian Auger specializes in bluesy jazz fusion with a band that includes his son on drums and daughter on vocals. —EKT
5 to 6 • Sky Church
Slender Means Seattle indie pop at its shiniest, Slender Means is all about melody, from Josh Dawson and Sonny Votolato’s vocal harmonies to their bright, bubbly guitars. —PR
5:15 to 6:15 • Theatre Puget Sound Stage
BJ: A Musical Romp See Saturday, 5:15 p.m.
5:30 to 6:30 • Comedy Stage North
Joe Mande, Chelsea Peretti, Donald Glover See Saturday, 3:45 p.m.
5:30 to 6:30 • Words & Ideas
The McSweeney’s Program No, Dave Eggers won’t be around. But McSweeney’s, the humorous literary magazine and publishing house he founded, presents fiction authors Adam Levin (The Instructions), Eli Horowitz and Mac Barnett (Clock Without a Face), and Hilton Als, theater critic for The New Yorker. —MPD
5:30 to 6:30 • 1 Reel Film Festival, SIFF Cinema
Picture & Sound: Music Videos Among this quartet, the half-hour Songs of the Griot, about Senegalese musician Ablaye Cissoko, looks to be most interesting. —BM
5:45 to 6:45 • Fisher Green
Jay Electronica Don’t let his name distract you—Jay Elec is lyrically and sonically brilliant. Hailing from the Magnolia Projects of New Orleans but sporting a New York flow that could pass for the Marcy Houses, the rapper is anything but traditional. The dude’s been building buzz for a few years, but his debut album is still forthcoming. Lucky for us, he’s let fly a constant stream of Internet leaks, including the instant classics “Exhibit A (Transformations)” and “Exhibit C,” that reflect an ambitious complexity and draw instant comparisons to Nas. Electronica has the kind of flow and verbiage most rappers can only dream of, but it seems he’s just getting started. —NF
5:45 to 6:45 • Broad Street Stage
Ra Ra Riot At times, the songs on Ra Ra Riot’s just-released second album, The Orchard, are weighed down by the excessively layered instrumentation and sound too serious for their own good, which is a shame, since the band can also write pretty pop compositions better suited to their lineup of synth, strings, and vocals. There’s nothing wrong with simple, breezy pop tunes. Live, the band shares the spotlight among the five of them, with cellist Alexandra Lawn and violinist Rebecca Zeller sawing away at their instruments while frontman Wes Miles bounces around the stage with his high-pitched, sliding falsetto. —EKT
5:45 to 7 • Mainstage
Rise Against Like an arena rock–sized, pop-inflected Fugazi, hardcore punk institution Rise Against are straight-edge, painfully earnest vegans who write easily palatable, if impassioned, songs about All That Is Wrong With the World, which may bore grown-ups or anyone who doesn’t like their liberal pop-art spoon-fed to them. However, much like their peers in Green Day, they’re churning out a new generation of self-aware activists, and they obviously have the best of intentions. Take your 11-year-old niece to this, and it may change her life. —Hannah Levin
6 to 7 • Performing Arts Stage
605 Collective The performers of this Vancouver, B.C., group spend as much time zooming through the air as they do colliding on the ground in Audible. Their style mixes urban and contemporary dance sources into a “highly athletic contact sport.” —SK
6:15 to 7:15 • Comedy Stage South
Bring the Rock with Greg Behrendt See Saturday, 6:15 p.m.
6:30 to 7:30 • Comedy Stage West
Laff Hole! The People’s Republic of Komedy will collectivize the Ukraine, then impose a five-year plan to make you giggle. —BM
6:30 to 7:30 • Center Square Stage
Motion City Soundtrack This Minneapolis quintet makes music that would be appropriate for the soundtrack of a straight-to-video rom-com starring Jason Biggs. Bob Dylan wants to kick their asses. —MS
6:30 to 7:45 • Northwest Court
Coryell/Auger/Sample Trio You gotta give them points for openly trading on their famous fathers’ names (if you don’t recognize said names, you need to fill out your ’70s LP collection), rather than being all coy like Kyle Eastwood. Even so, Julian Coryell seems to have inherited his father’s combination of phenomenal chops and poor taste in musical projects, as these guys offer pretty tepid funk-rock. Weird booking. —MDF
6:45 to 7:45 • Sky Church
Fences There’s plenty to say about Chris Mansfield, the man behind Fences’ oh-so-tender yet oh-so-tough songs. He attended Berklee College of Music, has been to rehab for alcohol abuse, is known to walk offstage in the middle of shows, and is covered—yes, neck and face too—in tattoos. But none of that tells you about Fences’ music, some of the best Northwest songwriting since Elliott Smith. Girls and romance, tragedy and troubles—it’s all there on Fences’ upcoming debut album, complete with tinkling pianos, softly strummed guitars, and production by Sara Quin of Tegan & Sara. Mansfield uses quiet vocals and subdued instrumentals to his advantage; he speaks softly but carries a huge emotional punch. —PR
6:45 to 8 • Starbucks Stage
James Cotton “Superharp” Blues Band Mississippi bluesman James Cotton is 75 years old, and has been a proficient singer and harmonica player since his youth. He first recorded in 1953 and has since made 25 albums, won a Grammy, and worked with such luminaries as Led Zeppelin, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and Janis Joplin. Despite a bout of throat cancer that prevents him from singing, he still manages to rock on with the help of a few backup singers. His latest release, this year’s vibrant Giant, features his legendary “blues harp.” —EKT
6:45 to 8 • Theatre Puget Sound Stage
The Jammer See Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
7 to 7:30 • Fountain Lawn
Nanda See profile. (Also today 3:15 to 3:45.)
7 to 8 • 1 Reel Film Festival, SIFF Cinema
On the Edge We all hate junk mail and unwanted phone books. So does the hero of the Australian No Junk Mail, who wages war upon his unsought correspondents. —BM
7:15 to 8:15 • Comedy Stage North
Tig Notaro, Marc Maron See Saturday, 5:30 p.m.
7:15 to 8:15 • Words & Ideas
Page & Screen When Ma or Pa told you to turn off the television and read a book for once, you thought it was an all-or-nothing choice. The four writers reading here write books and for TV (including 30 Rock, The Office, Arrested Development, The Late Show with David Letterman, American Dad, and Beverly Hills 90210), and are therefore well on their way to world domination. —MPD
7:30 to 8:30 • Fisher Green
Aterciopelados Translated as “The Velvety Ones,” this Colombian duo’s delicious guitar-driven grooves are perfectly enjoyable even if you don’t know a lick of Spanish—but far more impressive when what little language barrier the melody leaves behind is dissolved. —NF
7:30 to 8:30 • Broad Street Stage
Delorean The Barcelona synth-pop quartet produces modern, rapturous electronic music: marvelously textured songs with echoing, diced vocals, easy beats, and loping rhythms that define the Balearic Beat style of dance music. Songs like “Stay Close,” with its soulful vocal samples and bright synths, evoke an entire summer’s worth of trippy beach parties. —EKT
7:30 to 8:45 • Mainstage
Hole See preview.
8 to 9 • Comedy Stage South
Patton Oswalt & Friends See Saturday, 8 p.m.
8 to 9 • Performing Arts Stage
Squonk Opera See Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
8 to 9:30 • 1 Reel Film Festival, SIFF Cinema
Downtown Calling Shan Nicholson’s new doc looks back to New York’s golden era of the 1970s, with stops along the Bowery, visits to CBGB, and fond reminiscences of cheap rent and cheap cocaine. —BM
8:15 to 9:15 • Sky Church
The Physics “High Society,” from the Physics’ free EP of the same name, is the perfect example of the band’s sound: refreshing, easy, warm, R&B-influenced hip-hop. You’ll wish the duo were performing outdoors on a sunny day, not inside EMP. —PR
8:30 to 9:45 • Starbucks Stage
Billy Bragg Bragg is in the British media a lot for his outspoken leftist views, sentiments that often make their way into his evocative folk-punk, most notable for his throaty vocals and riffy electric guitar. —EKT
8:30 to 9:45 • Northwest Court
Vienna Teng Trio Pretty, banal folk-rock and pro-woman anthems from these Zoe/Rounder artists in a Kate Bush/Suzanne Vega/others style. —MDF
9:15 to 10:30 • Broad Street Stage
The Dandy Warhols Portland’s Dandys haven’t released any new material since 2008’s so-so Earth to the Dandy Warhols…, but their recent greatest-hits compilation showcases the untouchable, ultra-hip sheen of their music that made the cool kids love them so much in the first place. —EKT
9:15 to 10:30 • Fisher Green
LMFAO With a high-octane electro-rock sound as bright and wild as their outfits, the L.A. duo of Redfoo and SkyBlu is best known for their raucous singles “I’m in Miami Bitch” and “Shots.” Party Rock, indeed. —NF
9:15 to 10:30 • Mainstage
Weezer Weezer’s eponymous, Ric Ocasek–produced 1993 debut was one of that era’s best pop records, and it could be argued that they haven’t topped it. Their new release, Hurley, is generating more noise for its questionable cover art than for its content. And frontman Rivers Cuomo has often exhibited a knack for alienating his fans. That said, signature singles like “Buddy Holly” remain joyous, euphoria-inducing anthems, and their live shows are unstoppable dance parties that immediately erase memories of any latter-day sins. —HL
9:30 to 10:30 • Sky Church
Fatal Lucciauno A formerly homeless Seattleite, Fatal Lucciauno raps about the grim realities of street life. His words are unflinching, but his rhymes are ever-so-smooth. —PR
