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April 24, 2012

Capitol Hill Block Party 2012: Neko Case, Fitz & the Tantrums, Father John Misty and more to be announced

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chbp2012poster


With the last two days topping 70 degrees, its getting easier to imagine summer is coming to Seattle and so to comes line-up announcements for summer fests … or at least partial ones. Today we get a sneak peek at who’ll be crowding Pike Street this July for Capitol Hill Block Party. We’re especially excited to see Neko Case’s name at the very top along with Father John Misty, Daily Choice favorite Thee Oh Sees and a bevy of local bands like Lemolo, Absolute Monarchs, Night Beats, Dude York and more.

August 3, 2010

Block Party Standouts: Macklemore

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Macklemore ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

I will always remember the first time I saw Macklemore. It was 2007 and curiously, he was opening for Omaha screamers Cursive in a lunchroom at the UW. Clearly the crowd wasn’t there for a hip hop smart ass, but within a matter of a song or two, Macklemore, his quick rhymes and his even quicker wit, had the crowd wrapped around his little finger. Going far beyond the call of duty as an opener, Macklemore kept the crowd entertained for well over an hour, leaving the stage and returning when it became clear that Cursive was running over an hour behind schedule. And when it was Macklemore who returned to the stage, donning a mask of then-President Bush, the crowd didn’t boo, they cheered. That night, Macklemore made a lasting impression and a life-long fan.

In the three years that have followed, Macklemore has grown from the skinny self-deprecating hip hop punk to one of Seattle’s sincerest and cleverest rappers. His humor and his rhymes have matured and his raps now look life and its trials unblinkingly in the eye. Still, there’s that mischievous glimmer in Macklemore’s eyes and plenty of the self-deprecating cheekiness that made him such an engaging performer when I first saw him. And as he proved with a large crowd at Capitol Hill Block Party, he can still handle his business as an opener. A crowd of a few thousand, who had bested the will call lines rested on every word that came from Macklemore’s mouth, heads bobbing and hands raised to the stage.

His sunny afternoon set gave me what I hoped I would receive from Atmosphere’s headlining set the following night. While Atmosphere’s often introspective rhymes were lost in the drunken drone of bros trying to start fights, not to mention his most recent album, Macklemore’s shone exposed in light of day, all his flaws on his sleeve. A decade ago I counted on Slug for heart-tugging hip hop and I was hoping he could still deliver. He didn’t. While you’d think that the fading of a hip hop hero would disappoint, thanks to Macklemore, it didn’t. It’s clear that torch has been passed and as the Block Party’s opener, Macklemore made it equally clear that he has what it takes to handle it.

Macklemore ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

Macklemore ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

August 3, 2010

Block Party Standouts: Black Breath

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Black Breath ::: Photo Courtesy of David Lichterman

“This band is soooo loud…” – Anonymous Block Party Patron who could be seen retreating from the Vera Stage, he left with fellow khaki cargo short clad fraternity brother entourage.

Here at the Sound on the Sound, we’re not against those who participate in the “Greek Life” per se. However, we’re totally against those who step into the lion’s den only to run for their lives shortly thereafter. Brah, you knew what you were getting into when you walked down side street and into thrashy oblivion. There’s no reason to call your mom and ask her to take you to the GAP now.  For those who came to Block Party to see Black Breath melt the foundation of the Vera Stage, we wholeheartedly salute you.

As one could expect, Black Breath created the most mayhem out of all the acts that performed during the course of Capitol Hill Block Party. Black Breath’s lead singer, Nate McAdams was constantly throwing himself off the stage and into the waiting arms of his metal minions. There was quite a bit of crowd-surfing amongst audience members as well. I couldn’t see any classic hardcore dances occurring from where I was standing, but I did see some mosh-pit action that brought me back to 1995. At one point, that mosh-pit almost became a circle-pit, which would’ve brought me back to the good old days of Gorilla Biscuits’ “Start Today.” There’s nothing wrong with that, I used to eat breakfast to that record as a youth.

A couple highlights from Black Breath’s set:

Nate McAdams is a master of song introduction. Let me give you two examples:

1) “This song goes out to all you twisted whore fucks out there…” The band then launches into an unforgiving version of “Heavy Breathing.”

2) “This song is about my favorite snack, it’s called ‘Eat the Witch.’”

Obviously, McAdams knows how to make a girl blush by saying the right things at the right time.

Enough energy was emitted during “I am Beyond” and “Unholy Virgin” that I’m sincerely surprised a humongous rogue wave wasn’t created in Lake Washington, thus ruining quite a few afternoon endeavors on the lake. Granted those two songs are my favorite Black Breath songs, I have to pay homage where homage is due. Simply awesome.

Even though it’s kind of hard to do sometimes, I forget the lasting impact of Cliff Burton’s bass playing on the musical world.This is coming from someone who doesn’t even like Metallica (though I do like some older Metallica), but literally Cliff Burton was the first thing I thought of when I saw Black Breath’s Elijah Nelson hammering out his bass lines. Consider this is a compliment of the highest order.

If you haven’t seen Black Breath, you’re missing out on one of Seattle’s premiere acts. Don’t get left behind.

Black Breath ::: Photo Courtesy of David Lichterman

July 29, 2010

Block Party Standouts: A New Song from Damien Jurado

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Damien Jurado ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

For the second year in a row, one of my favorite part of Capitol Hill Block Party were KEXP’s semi-secret shows in Cafe Vita’s “Bean Room.” A humid warehouse, with walls lined and piled high with freshly roasted Cafe Vita coffee, it seems the most fittingly Seattle place one could see a show. During this year’s Block Party the Bean Room played host to the likes of !!!, Aveo, Blue Scholars, THEESatisfaction and Damien Juardo.

The four song sets served as tasty appetizers for what was to come for most of the artists who were also playing the Block Party, but Damien had been recruited to just come in a play a few songs for KEXP and a coffee warehouse packed with people. To start out the set, Damien debuted a new song, “This Time Next Year.” Accompanied only by his sparse acoustic strumming and his laptop for the lyrics, Damien joked when he finished, “that was a little rusty.” On the contrary, it wasn’t rusty but brand new. He admitted he’d written the song that very morning and it was so new, even his wife Sarah heard it for the first time in the Bean Room with the rest of us.

“This Time Next Year” seems to combine the sounds of Saint Bartlett (with its throw-back pop “doot-do-do-do-do’s) and the mossy hauntedness of Hoquiam, his side project with brother Drake. It is at once airy and heavy. It’s a twinge of a song, that tickle at the back of your throat or the slight quiver of your chin, the feeling of tears — be them happy or sad — that well up, but never run.

Thankfully, the Bean Room wasn’t “This Time Next Year’s” only performance. Damien also recorded the song and has just posted it on the Saint Bartlett Soundcloud (along with another brand new song).

This Time Next Year by saintbartlett

July 26, 2010

Capitol Hill Block Party Coverage … Coming Soon!

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S (Jen Ghetto) Tattoo Detail ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

We’ll be talking all about Capitol Hill Block Party shortly, but we’re a little tuckered out from the three-day extravaganza. Much like Jen Ghetto’s tattoo’s, we may be “bout it! bout it!” but we’re also feeling “used” up. … And if you had as little sleep as I have had the past three days, that above sentence might make sense.

July 25, 2010

Choose Your Own Adventure: Capitol Hill Block Party Day 3

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Mad Rad ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

You wake up on an air mattress in the living room of a stranger’s house wearing nothing but an Incubus t-shirt. This can only mean one thing, you ended up partying with one of the many obnoxious Atmosphere fans last night after Block Party ended. You’re not sure which is worse, the fact that so many people have made it hard for you to listen to Atmosphere or that you are wearing an Incubus t-shirt. You find your clothes in the recycling bin (always thinking green, way to go) and make your way to the final day of Block Party…

You arrive just in time to see the Maldives take the Main Stage. This makes you happy because your adoration for the “Kings of Ballard” has grown more and more with every live performance you’ve witnessed. You liken them to Holy Fuck in the fact that they always sound so good. The Maldives could perform in an empty giant tuna can and they would still sound immaculate. As your busy basking in the glory of the Maldives, you notice that a handful of people have unexpectedly fainted. There is one commonality between the ill, they are all wearing flannel and trucker hats.  Being fashionable in the summer in the number one killer of Pacific Northwest inhabitants. “Sometimes it’s better to die in uniform,” you think to yourself as you leave the stage, but where are you going?

Don’t you want to stick around for Mad Rad at the Main Stage? I mean if anyone if going to throw down at Block Party, it’s going to be them. Watching Mad Rad at Block Party is like watching the Bronx Bombers win the World Series at the old Yankee Stadium, you’re going to want to witness history. Sure, you’ll miss MK Speed Dial at Cha Cha and that’s a total bummer. They have that song “Hey Keri” that you really like a lot, it’s one of the best pop songs you’ve heard all year. You’re single and somewhat neurotic, but if you’re ever lucky enough to make someone unhappy for the rest of his or her lives one day, you’ll be playing “Hey Keri” during the reception at your wedding…

You stick around the Main Stage for Mad Rad.  Watching them perform is like watching Godzilla vs. Mothra vs. King Kong in a Texas Tornado match. It’s beautiful chaos. Buildings are falling down, people’s clothes are flying off, and extra-terrestrials are landing flying saucers so they can party with human beings. It’s crazy. At one point you lick P Smoov’s face only to find that he tastes just like your grandmother’s homemade oatmeal cookies. This wouldn’t be so weird if your grandma weren’t deceased. While continuing nodding your head in rhythm to the beat, you wonder if P Smoov has dug up your grandma’s grave. You conclude that if he did commit such a heinous act, he probably did it in the name of hip-hop. You quickly forgive him…

You leave the chaos of Mad Rad a few songs early so you can go see Ravenna Woods at the Vera Stage. On the way to the stage you realize how far Ravenna Woods have come in a relatively short period of time. It will be quite surreal seeing them at a festival instead of a smaller venue like you’re accustomed to. You look forward to snotty underage hipster kids saying “Man, I’ve liked Ravenna Woods since 2008, when it was the Quiet Life…” Oh juvenile elitists, you remember when you were one of those?

Because you almost cried last night during Grand Hallway and a few weeks ago at Carissa’s Wierd, you decide to forgo S at the Vera Stage. Now is not the time for tears, it is a time of righteous metal and the enjoyment of whiplash. You decide that Book of Black Earth is just what the doctor ordered…

You enter Neumo’s but cannot see a thing; everyone is wearing all black and wristbands. Suddenly your Block Party experience has turned into some European metal festival and it feels good. While Book of Black Earth is playing “Occult Machinery,” you curse yourself for not having two hearts to mimic the double bass mayhem that you are hearing in your skull. You wish to be metal right down to the core of your being, literally…

You leave the temporary black hole that is Neumo’s and make your way to the Cha Cha to see Nazca Lines. It seems like it’s been forever since you’ve seen Nazca Lines at Neumo’s, but they left such a good first impression, you have to see if they are as good as you remember. They have that not-so-straight forward rock n’ roll thing down. It’ll be a refreshing change of pace after the blast beat fest of Book of Black Earth…

You leave Cha Cha in your wake; thankful that it is the last time you’ll be hanging out there all weekend. You’re tired of looking at ironic moustaches and hearing tourists ask emerald city dwellers where the “stage” might be. Nazca Lines were as good as you remember; it feels good to be right. You head to the Main Stage to see the Dead Weather because you’re willing to support any Jack White project that doesn’t involve Meg White…

As you’re enjoying the caffeinated bluesy riffs of the Dead Weather you can’t help but wonder two things: 1)    Does Jack White get paid royalties every single time a marching band covers “Seven Nation Army”? 2)    Where does Meg White’s sex tape rank in the pantheon of “Most Boring Celebrity Sex Tapes of All-Time?”

You wish you had the capability of asking the entire Block Party audience the aforementioned questions via mass text message. Just as you’re in the process of figuring out how to get these important questions answered by a shitload of people, you drop your phone on the unforgiving concrete. Your phone breaks along with your dreams of getting life’s most perplexing questions answered. Your impending Monday evening visit to the cell phone store leaves you contemplating what would be a very public suicide…

Feeling down and unable to produce an emoticon of any nature, you seek refuge at Neumo’s. You would consider going elsewhere but have nobody to call or text. Besides, Neumo’s is the only venue at Block Party that still has performances going on the rest of the evening. Phoneless and feeling alone in a room full of crowded people, you spend the rest of your night with Truckasaurus, Victor Shade and Fresh Espresso. The music manages to lift your spirits quite a bit, but in the back of your mind, all you can think about is that inevitable trip to the cell phone store…

How Did You Get Here?

Choose Your Own Adventure: Capitol Hill Block Party – Day One Choose Your Own Adventure: Capitol Hill Block Party – Day Two

July 25, 2010

Getting Dunked for the Kids: The Head and The Heart

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The Head and the Heart Capitol Hill Block Party

One of our favorite parts of Capitol Hill Block Party is the Vera Project’s dunk tank. Last year we stumbled on Murder City Devil’s frontman Spencer Moody getting dunked for the kids. This year, we walked past just as Sound on the Sound favorites The Head and The Heart were dunking one of their own.

We’ll let the photo series show you what happened.

Kenny Gets Ready to Throw as Jon, Josiah and Charity Cheer Him On:

 

The Throw

 

 

Success! The Splash

 

 

Zasche Emerges from the Dunk Tank

 

 

All photos by Abbey Simmons

July 24, 2010

Choose Your Own Adventure: Capitol Hill Block Party Day 2

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Blood Red Dancers ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

“We’ve come a long way together…through the hard times and the good…”

You begin your day with three other people sardined into your twin-size bed and a Fatboy Slim song blasting on your alarm clock radio. Who knew the Fruit Bats would be Seattle’s best aphrodisiac? I’m not saying anything happened with you and the other actors from last night’s dramatic play, but I’m not saying nothing happened either.  Someone from a small mid-western town might call you “godless” and that’s fine. Let them think what they want to think. Do you want to know what I call you? The first person on my Evite list…

You throw on your 3rd favorite pair of jeans and get ready for Day 2 of Block Party. It starts earlier than yesterday so you’re going to have to pace yourself. You grab a sharpie and scrawl “pace yourself” into the palm of your hand, forgetting that you’ll probably wash your hands about 90 times over the course of the day. This is not a good omen as far as your liver and kidneys are concerned.  That’s ok, vital organs take a backseat to Block Party, that’s a given. You make your way to Block Party…

What isn’t a given is how you’ll begin Block Party.  Do you want to dance with the Redwood Plan at the Main Stage? Or do your eyes and ears want to feast on Seattle’s latest darlings, the Head and the Heart, at the Vera Stage? Booty shaking, sweaty rhythmic fun or you hugging yourself and tapping your foot for 40 minutes? Tough decision on a Saturday afternoon. You spend a couple minutes frozen in place and unable to decide. Just then you come up with the unique tiebreaker of “Which group might have less annoying fans enjoying their performance?”

You find yourself enjoying the Head and the Heart for the first time. This isn’t the ideal setting for a band like the Head and the Heart to make their first impression but they are blowing you away nonetheless. The Vera Stage has been quite kind to you thus far during the festival. You smile the entire duration of the Head and the Heart’s set while the sun kisses your skin. Is this heaven or is this Iowa? You see no signs of Moonlight Graham or “Shoeless” Joe Jackson; you conclude that you are in heaven…at least for the time being.

The Head and the Heart end their set and you’re left with yet another decision to make. Do you want to stick around the Vera Stage and see the energetic rock n’ roll of Cold Lake? You’ve seen them before at the Black Lodge and they were an entertaining bunch. You could continue on your mellow journey and voyage to Neumo’s to see Beach Fossils.  You’re unsure whether or not to make a commitment to Beach Fossils because they are from Brooklyn. You’re currently boycotting all musical acts from that part of the universe. Your grandfather has also never forgiven Brooklyn for letting the Dodgers leave in 1958. He’s convinced that if the Dodgers never left for Los Angeles, people who currently live in L.A. wouldn’t be so annoying. You beg to differ but sometimes the grudges of your father’s father are too hard to overcome…

Even though you hate the Main Stage audience with absolute passion, you decide to go see Obits instead of Cold Lake and Beach Fossils. Upon your arrival you realize that you broke your boycott of Brooklyn but you make excuses for your hypocrisy. Rick Froberg was in Drive Like Jehu, which is not just one of the best bands to ever come out of San Diego; they were one of the best bands ever. There you go, your loophole is now big enough for an elephant to fit through. The only bad thing about rocking out to Obits at the Main Stage is that you’re missing out on My Goodness at Cha Cha. My Goodness churns out sweaty blues in a big way and would be perfect to see at Cha Cha. However, they gig in Seattle more often than Obits, you’ll just have to suffer through this blown opportunity. You vow to see My Goodness in a few weeks at Chop Suey.

Obits was enjoyable but in order to avoid the point when the Main Stage audience turns into a herd of cattle, you leave Obits when they are about to play their last song. You make your way to Neumo’s to try to catch the last few songs of the Drowning Men…

You arrive in Neumo’s utterly flabbergasted and disappointed. It’s not that the Drowning Men are bad; it’s just that you confused their moniker with legendary Burlington, Vermont hardcore band, Drowningman. You were hoping to lose face to “Condoning the Use of Inhalants” and “When People Become Numbers” but instead you got digestible indie rock. You conclude there’s enough indie rock on this earth that is easy on the ears and you don’t want anymore. You leave Neumo’s and watch scores of people enjoy the Drowning Men as you exit…

Still bitter from your indie rock let down, you decide to go to the Cha Cha to try and catch a few songs of the Blood Red Dancers. On your way over you buy a hip-hop CD from some stranger at a negotiable price. You don’t ever plan on listening to the CD but you feel good knowing that you’ve supported local music…

The Blood Red Dancers are good and seem to thrive in the close quarters of the Cha Cha.  This band reminds of you of the bands Firewater and Morphine even though they sound don’t sound like either. Blood Red Dancers play the song “Sweetie’s Getting Robbed” and you think to yourself what an awesome tramp stamp that would make for that one girl at work that you don’t like. The Blood Red Dancers have turned the Cha Cha into afternoon sweat-fest. You get tired of the gym locker room vibe and decide to leave Block Party for a short period of time…

As you make your way to Cal Anderson Park you run into some old friends walking towards the entrance of Block Party. You convince them that it would be a good idea to go to Molly Moon’s for some ice cream. You crack a smile as you are reminded of that special moment in Fugazi’s “Instrument” when Ian Mackeye chastises an audience member for getting too rowdy. “Ice cream eating motherfucker…” You think of it as being one of the greatest moments in western civilization. The gods in the sky just think of it as foreshadowing…

After waiting in line for “a goddamn long time” (direct quote from one of your friends), you purchase some Maple Walnut in a cone and lick away. Delicious. Everything is right in the world. You’re with friends on a pristine summer day in the Pacific Northwest, enjoying music and being hedonistic. You would like to capture this moment in a time capsule and open it up some time in the distant future. Licking your ice cream, walking on the sidewalk, enjoying conversation, minding your business…

Fight breaks out and you’re caught in the middle. Just like that awful U2 song, you’re stuck in a moment and can’t get out of it. Strangers unexpectedly decide to come to blows. Your ice cream ends up all over your clothes as you seek shelter from the melee. The fight doesn’t last that long because cops are stationed right around the corner. You make your way to the entrance of Block Party as the police officers arrest the two men. You’re pissed about your ice cream. You keep in mind not to punch anyone in the face while inside; if you do you’ll soon share the fate of those two men…

The only thing you want to hear right now is Black Breath at the Vera Stage. They bring the kind of heavy aggression that will make one forget that they have ice cream all over them. As you make your way to the Vera Stage you keep your fingers crossed and hope they play “I Am Beyond” or “Unholy Virgin.” Without question this will be the most crushing set of the entire weekend…maybe even the entire summer. Throughout the set you make sure to give the “devil horns” sign as a tribute to Ronnie James Dio who just passed recently.

After your dessert catharsis courtesy of Black Breath, you take a look at your Block Party schedule and are unsure of what to do next. You think about giving Neumo’s another shot but you’re not even sure who is playing there. As your eyes make their way across the schedule, you notice !!! just got started not too long ago on the Main Stage. They’ve been a band a long time, you’re kind of surprised that they are still around and wouldn’t mind going to see them. Suddenly you remember what a pain in the ass it is to Google their name and decide against it.  This is the age we live in, where we hand down judgments based on search engine results. Besides you haven’t gotten your fix of hip-hop today (remember those bumper stickers from Day One?).  You decide to stick around for the Hip-Hop showcase at the Vera Stage featuring Grynch, Spaceman and State of the Artist…

After the Hip-Hop Showcase at the Vera Stage is over with, you decide that hip-hop can’t fail in a festival setting. You’ve never seen Grynch perform live before but he killed it as expected. You were completely unfamiliar with State of the Artist before this night but you’ll keeping an eye out for their future dates as well…

Now you’re faced with a great problem, a blessing of sonic proportions. There’s potentially four or five acts you want to catch by the end of the night and if you are fleet of foot, you’ll be able to see every last one of them…

You leave the Vera Stage and make your way to Neumo’s to see Past Lives. They play the kind of weird shit that you are in to. Plus they have this really cool t-shirt that you’ve been thinking about buying. While Past Lives are between songs you peek your head out of the side door of Neumo’s to catch a glimpse of Blonde Redhead on the Main Stage.  Every time you peer out, you think to yourself “Is that really Blonde Redhead playing the Main Stage at Capitol Hill Block Party?” Believe it mammal, it most certainly is. What other stage would they play? Exactly…

Before Past Lives can finish their set at Neumo’s, you make your way back to the Vera Stage to see Seattle’s favorite pocket sized orchestra, Grand Hallway. The last time you saw them was at Neumo’s with the Moondoggies and you thought they were amazing. The Vera Stage will prove to be kind to both Grand Hallway and all its spectators…

After Grand Hallway plays four songs (no more, no less) you will decide that this beautiful music is causing you to be too introspective. You conclude that your life is like an airplane stuck on the runway filled with a bunch of bitchy passengers. It’s not a good feeling. You need a different distraction.  You head to Cha Cha to see Feral Children…

The sounds coming from downstairs at Bimbo’s make the descent down the stairwell to Cha Cha feel like House of Leaves. It’s not the sound of the music; you’ve had too much to drink and not enough to eat. You reach the bottom of the stairs just as Feral Children begin to play “Kid Origami.” This means a lot to you because that song has been stuck in your head for the last six months. Now that you’ve witnessed the song once again in person, you can sleep without the night terrors that have haunted you for so long. A good pop song can do that to you…

Feeling free of your night terrors, you leave Cha Cha and head back to the Main Stage to catch Atmosphere, a true veteran of the indie rap game. At one point in your life God Loves Ugly was a favorite album of yours. Considering your love of that album, your surprised you never saw Atmosphere before or since it came out…

July 22, 2010

Choose Your Own Adventure: Capitol Hill Block Party – Day One

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Shabazz Palaces ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

Have you made plans to get off work early? Even so, did you allow yourself enough time to get stuck in some glorious Friday afternoon Seattle traffic? I hope you did. Everyone is in a hurry to escape from his or her place of work. I don’t even have a job but clearly I’m running from something.  When the Burke-Gilman turns into scenes from “The Road,” I don’t feel like I owe anyone an explanation.

For the lucky survivors, the spoils of day one of Capitol Hill Block Party. Some might argue this is the best day of the festival. I wouldn’t argue with those who are of that opinion because I agree. Let’s do this preview, “Choose Your Own Adventure” style. Only in this adventure I’m making the hypothetical choices for you.  Even though I’m unemployed I still don’t have enough time to write about all potential outcomes complete with illustrations. Maybe next time.

If you choose to begin your day with Macklemore at the Main Stage…

You are obviously smart and have good taste in music. Assuming that you have friends, they would call you the quiet leader of your pack. Sure, you like to get loud and obnoxious on the weekends but that’s only because you want to get an “I Saw U” in some local paper.  You could’ve chose Naomi Punk at the Vera Stage or Police Teeth at Neumo’s but there’s an authentic somewhat romantic groove that Macklemore has that those groups don’t. You’re not Irish but you know all the lyrics to Macklemore’s “Irish Celebration.” The real question is, what do you want to do after Macklemore has left the stage?

Do you want to stick around the Main Stage and listen to the mellow sounds of Bear in Heaven? Would it be hard to go from unique hip-hop to catatonic beauty? It wouldn’t be that hard because you literally wouldn’t have to leave your spot near the stage. Maybe a quick bathroom or beverage break is in order. If you do that, you’re going to leave your spot and you know what that means. Fuck…

You’ve just ended up at Neumo’s getting “forever bummed” with Fences. This is not a bad thing because you really like what you’ve heard from him (them). Besides it’s a hot day and you’re scared of the sun. Maybe you’ve seen the Blade trilogy too many times or you just don’t have enough melanin in your skin, these are simply guesses. Fences were a good choice though. It’s not the same as Bear in Heaven but the endorphins in your brain haven’t noticed too much of a difference. Now what do you?

Do you stick around the Neumo’s stage and hope that the Unnatural Helpers play “Sunshine/Pretty Girls”? I mean that song is really good and it would be the perfect tune to a week that has otherwise been a bummer. You could try and find some friends go see Modern Athletics at the Cha Cha stage. However, the thought of doing that kind of creeps you out because you’ve never been into organized sports. What about Francis and the Lights at the Vera Stage? Is that group any different than the Lights? Is Black Francis fronting that band?  You don’t want to go unless you know for sure.  Is any of this worth missing Shabazz Palaces back at the Main Stage? You know what they say, “There’s no such thing as too much hip-hop.” Literally, you’ve never heard that saying before. Suddenly your head is flooded with unsalable bumper sticker and t-shirt ideas revolving around the idea of being a glutton of block rocking beats. You smile quietly as you horde your imaginary millions and make your way back to the Main Stage…

Choose the rest of your adventure after the jump (more…)

July 20, 2010

Abbey’s Capitol Hill Block Party Recommendations & Schedule

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Macklemore ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

Friday

4:00 – Macklemore (Mainstage) 5:00 – Fences (Neumos) Equally tempting: Bear in Heaven (Mainstage) 5:45 – The Young Evils (Cha Cha) 6:00 – Shabazz Palaces (Mainstage) 7:15 – Yeasayer (Mainstage) 7:45 – The Absolute Monarchs (Cha Cha) 9:15 – Holy Fuck (Mainstage) 9:45 – Helms Alee (Cha Cha) 10:45 – MGMT (Mainstage) Equally tempting: Fruit Bats (Vera)

Friday’s Unmissable Set: Shabazz Palaces – 6pm at the Mainstage

The Head and The Heart ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

Saturday

2:00 – Head and the Heart (Vera) 3:00 – Beach Fossils (Neumos) 3:45 – My Goodness (Cha Cha) 4:45 – Avi Buffalo (Mainstage) 5:15 – THEESatisfaction (Neumos) 5:45 – Blood Red Dancers (Cha Cha) 6:00 – Blitzen Trapper (Mainstage) 7:30 – !!! (Mainstage) 9:30 – Grand Hallway (Vera) 10:15 – Night Marchers (Neumos) 10:30pm – Atmosphere (Mainstage)

Saturday’s Unmissable Set: The Head and The Heart – 2pm at the Vera Stage

Fresh Espresso::: photo by Josh Lovseth

Sunday

2:00 – Harlem (Mainstage) 2:45 – The Maldives (Mainstage) 3:15 – Pepper Rabbit (Vera) 4:15 – Ravenna Woods (Vera) 5:00 – Real Estate (Mainstage) 5:15 – S (Vera Stage) 5:45 – Constant Lovers (Cha Cha) 7:30 – Dutchess and the Duke (Vera) 7:45 – The Dead Weather (Mainstage) 10:30 – Victor Shade (Neumos) 11:45 – Fresh Espresso (Neumos)

Sunday’s Unmissable Set(s): Harlem – 2pm at the Mainstage and Dead Weather – 7:45 at the Mainstage