Capitol Hill Block Party lineup announced

Every year, the Capitol Hill Block Party has been stepping up their game. This year, they’re taking it to a whole new level, adding a third day and a seriously kick-ass lineup.

Friday:
MGMT, Holy Fuck, Yeasayer, Shabazz Palaces, Bear in Heaven, Unnatural Helpers, Fences, Champagne Champagne, Head Like a Kite, Naomi Punk, Macklemore, USF, Chris Pureka, Mahjongg, Jaguar Love

Saturday:
Atmosphere, Blonde Redhead, !!!, Night Marchers, Obits, Blitzen Trapper, Mad Rad, Eastern Grip, Zola Jesus, Seattle Hip Hop Showcase w/ Grynch/Spaceman/State of the Artist, Here We Go Magic, Past Lives, Drowning Men, Thee Satisfaction, Beach Fossils, Cold Lake, Black Breath,
Grand Hallway,

Sunday
The Dead Weather, Blue Scholars, Harlem, Fresh Espresso, The Dutchess and the Duke, Victor Shade, The Globes, Truckasaurus, Cynic, Villagers, Flexions, Police Teeth, Steel Tigers of Death

More to be announced soon….

Partial proceeds from Capitol Hill Block Party benefit two excellent Seattle non-profits: The Vera Project, a youth-run all ages venue and recording studio, and KEXP, a kick-ass non-commercial radio station.

As always, Capitol Hill Block Party ticket prices make the event one of the most affordable music festivals in the country.

Discounted $60 three-day passes on sale now for a limited time
$23 single-day tickets available starting Friday June 4th
($25 via online day of show, $30 cash at the door)
Advance tickets available here: thestranger.com/blockpartytickets

Recommended Tonight: Campfire OK, Yuni In Taxco

Potentially overshadowed by tonight’s many fantastic concerts is a little show at the Tractor featuring a lineup comprised entirely of smaller Seattle bands. What these bands lack in general notoriety, they definitely make up for in talent. I had the pleasure of seeing headliners Campfire OK last month for the first time. They played a gorgeous show dotted with complex arrangements and beautiful harmonies.

I would schlep all the way out to Ballard just to see Campfire OK, but fortunately there is more incentive in opening act Yuni In Taxco.  I first listened to because Philip Kobernik (Hey Marseilles) put them in his podcast, and dug them right from the start. The music is folky and relatively low key, slightly reminiscent of Devendra Banhart. Yuni In Taxco has an EP available for $1 on bandcamp.

Carissa’s Wierd announce reunion show

Photo via Hardly Art Records

After Seattle folk pop band Carissa’s Wierd broke up in 2003, many of its members moved on to well-loved local side projects like S, Grand Archives and Band of Horses as well as a brilliant solo career from Sera Cahoone. Hardly Art has announced that this talented collective will reunite this summer for one Seattle show, to take place this July at Showbox at the Market, and will feature original members Mat Brooke, Jenn Ghetto, Sarah Standard, Robin Peringer and Sera Cahoone. The show is 21+, and you can get presale info here.

This show comes just before Hardly Art’s July 13th release of a ‘best of’ compilation of Carissa’s Wierd songs called They Only Miss You When You Leave: Songs 1996-2003. Hardly art will also subsequently release the band’s 3 LPs, which have never before been released digitally or on vinyl.

(check out the compilation’s track list below the jump)

Sub Pop helps ‘Losers’ pay for college

Hey high school seniors,

Are you interested in music? Do you love Sub Pop? Do you want Seattle’s most successful record label to help you pay for college?

We just got the word today that Sub Pop is now beginning to accept applications for their 2010 loser scholarships. Here are the deets:

Magnetic Blackness 7″ release show TONIGHT

Champagne Champagne & Thee Satisfaction/Photo via Rabid Child Images on Flickr

Champagne Champagne & Thee Satisfaction’s “Magnetic Blackness” was arguably Seattle’s favorite hip hop track of ’09. Both groups gained a lot of momentum last year, and a performance of “Magnetic Blackness” was featured in Lynn Shelton’s $5 Cover Seattle series for MTV. The song is catchy and dancey, giving it a wide appeal, and quickly making it the most anticipated song of every Champagne Champagne show.

The Lonely Forest signed to Chris Walla’s New Label

Photo via sparkrobot on Flickr

It was announced yesterday that Ancacortes all-stars The Lonely Forest have been signed to Trans, Chris Walla‘s newest label (an imprint on Atlantic Records).

The signing is not the first time Walla–of Death Cab for Cutie fame–has shown interest in The Lonely Forest. Last May, he mentioned the band in an interview with CNN:

There’s a band from Seattle called the Lonely Forest whose record I just picked up. They’re a new band, it came out few weeks ago, and that’s totally doing it for me right now.

Walla has done his fair share of producing, mostly for Northwest acts like Telekinesis, The Long Winters, The Decemberists, The Thermals and The Postal Service.

You can catch The Long Winters playing an all-ages show at Neumos on March 2nd, opening for We Were Promised Jetpacks.

Sasquatch Lineup

I’m here blogging live from the Sasquatch launch party at the croc, where they’re announcing the lineup one day early. We’ve all been treated to great sets by Fresh Espresso, Atlas Sound and Surfer Blood and some have one various rad prizes from xbox and other sponsors.

Anywayyyy without further ado, I’m happy to announce that this year’s lineup includes:
My Morning Jacket, Massive Attack, Public Enemy, Pavement, Ween, Vampire weekend, MGMT, Band of Horses, The National, LCD soudsystem, Tegan & Sara, BSS, Passion Pit, She & Him, Nada Surf, New Pornographers, The XX, Dirty Projectors, OK Go, Drive By Truckers, Kid Cudi, DEADMAU5, The Long Winters, Minus the Bear, The Mountain Goats, Quasi, Camera Obscura, Fruit Bats, Brother Ali, Midlake, Dr. Dog, The Hold Steady, Caribou, Simian Mobile Disco, City & Colour, No Age, The Temper Trap, Vetiver, Miike Snow, Portugal. The Man, Telekinesis, The Middle East, Mayor Hawthorne, Why?, Girls, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Wale, The Lonely Forest, Japandroids, Boys Noize, YACHT, Laura Marling, Patrick Watson, Freelance Whales, Past Lives, Cymbals Eat Guitars, The Low Anthem, The Very Best, Phantogram, Neon Indian, Hudson Mohawke, Nurses, The Tallest Man on Earth, Fresh Espresso, Mumford & Sons, Jets Overhead, tUnE YarDs, Shabazz Palaces, Fool’s Gold, Morning Teleportation, Z-Trip, Dam Funk, Local Natives, Avi Buffalo, Booka Shade, A-Trak, Yes Giantess, Craig Robinson, Rob Riggle, Garfunkel & Oates, Luke Burbank…

…and more to be announced tomorrow!

Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy to headline Pickathon 2010

Today, Pickathon announced their initial lineup, including headliner Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy.

The Oregon-based ‘indie roots’ festival–held at Pendarvis Farm just outside Portland–features six stages, with various artists playing multiple times over the course of the three-day event.

This is the first I’ve heard of this festival. I’m surprised by how sorely underpublished Pickathon is in the Seattle area–arguably due to overshadowing by the Capitol Hill Block Party, Bumbershoot and Sasquatch. Either way, I’m excited about Pickathon’s great 2010 lineup, which thus far includes:

Bikini Kill looking for stories, footage for fan archive

Image courtesy of Kill Rock Stars Records

Legendary Olympia riot grrrl band Bikini Kill has set up an archive that will feature stories, photos and video footage from fans.

A message from the band:

We are collecting stories of how people got into the band/shows they saw/memories/testimonials etc.

It would be awesome if you wanted to contribute. It doesn’t have to be fancy or well-worded, we’d just like you to leave a record of your experience and get an idea of what Bikini Kill means to you. Maybe it’s your reaction to a song we wrote, something weird that happened at one of our shows, a personal anecdote or just WHATEVER. Send yr story to bkillarchive@gmail.com and we will post it or just leave a comment somewhere on the site. You can also send us images to post.

Please help us spread the word. To document the history (or herstory) of the band it is necessary to include an oral history from “the fans”. We say fans for lack of a better word–a more expansive term would be inclusive of friends, peers, comrades, co-conspirators and imply participation rather than an audience separate from the band–which is what we hope to achieve with this interactive approach.

Also, if you have video/film footage of the band, please contact us, Thanks!

Sasquatch! lineup to be announced at launch party

Though the lineup for the 2010 Sasquatch! music festival won’t be ‘officially’ announced until a week from today, 500 lucky Seattleites will be privy to the entire roster one day early.

Next Monday, Esurance will be hosting a Sasquatch! launch party at the Crocodile featuring performances from Surfer Blood, Atlas Sound and Fresh Espresso. The show is free, and tickets can be picked up at Easy St. Records on Friday starting at 9 a.m. (get there early, because they will go very fast).