First, I would like to dedicate this post to Neko Case’s three-legged cat Wayne.  I hope you make it home safely.

Second, let’s start with a teensy bit of history.  I have lived in the “Seattle area” for my entire life.  I have had a proper Seattle address since I graduated from college.  With all of that time around here you’d think I would have gone to Bumbershoot at some point before.  I’m not surprised I didn’t do it when I was little.  We lived about an hour and a half drive from the city and a full day/weekend music festival was not likely high on my parents list of good places for small children.  We didn’t go to Disneyland until I was a sophomore in high school because they wanted to make sure we could all walk ourselves around.  They didn’t want to deal with strollers.  I guess they just wanted to play it REALLY safe in case one of us took a long time getting a hang of this “walking” thing.

Anyway, this year I finally didn’t have to work on the weekend.  I wasn’t out of town.  I live within walking distance of Seattle Center!  I was ready to finally check it out.

I only went one day,  but I feel that was at least a start.  We checked out all of the main stage shows on Saturday.  The Decemberists, who were up first are a personal favorite of mine and I have seen them many times.  I prefer them indoors but they were still quite entertaining.  It really takes a special kind of band to make infanticide into a sing-along subject.

Neko Case was up next and she too was good.  Her voice really is something spectacular.  It’s nice to know that in an Auto-Tuned world there are still some voices that sound great without assistance. In fat some of the songs on her newest album, Middle Cyclone, which sound a little flat on CD are far alive when she sings them.   She admitted to being sorely unprepared and  borrowing gear from a variety of sources, even Bob Dylan, but it certainly didn’t diminish the quality of her performance.  Also she has a three-legged cat named Wayne who is missing.  How could that not get to you?  Come home Wayne!

Last, of course, was Bob Dylan.  He has gotten awfully gravelly in his later years and if you didn’t know any of the words to his songs when you arrived his mumbly delivery wasn’t going to give any of them away.   At least he isn’t Auto-Tuned either.   He doesn’t speak to the crowd but instead powers through song after song and puts on a decent show.   Disappointing or not, I should hope to be even half as interesting when I’m 69 years old.

I enjoyed myself but I wouldn’t say I really fully got the whole experience.  We walked around a little but pretty much just went to the main stage shows.  I feel like I really just got my feet wet. Next year as long as there’s a decent lineup I’ll be ready to dive in.

(photo via Nyike)

Ok folks… this is it! One of Seattle music lovers’ favorite weekends: LABOR DAY WEEKEND! There is no lack of great music to enjoy with Bumbershoot (Weezer, Bob Dylan, Dandy Warhols, Edward Sharpe) and Dave Matthews (+Ben Harper!) in the area. Personally, I will be heading out to the Gorge on Saturday to see Dave and Ben, then back to Seattle on Sunday to catch Weezer at Bumbershoot.

Now back to the title of this post… CONTEST! I was recently given a $150 gift certificate to Gene Juarez*, and the giver requested that I come up with a great reason to give it away on this blog. So here it is: I want anyone attending a concert this weekend to snap photos of the craziest, wackiest hairdos they can find and send them into this blog. Next Wednesday, we’ll pick our top three favorites and let you all vote for the winner. Sound like fun?

Now for the rules:

1. Photos must be sent to giveaways@bellesofthesound.com.
2. Photos don’t must be under 1MB each, but there is no minimum for quality. Cellphone photos are welcome!
3. Deadline to send in photos is Tuesday, September 7 at 7pm PT. No exceptions!
4. If you take a picture with someone’s face in it, please ask them first! We’ll blur out faces anyway, but we don’t want to make fun of anyone here. All in good fun folks!
5. Have fun and be creative! This can be a picture of your own hair.
6. Maximun of three (3) photo entries per person.
7. Top three (3) photos will be chosen by the Belles of the Sound writers and posted on the website on Wednesday, September 8.
8. Voting on the top three (3) will be open on Wednesday, September 8 and remain open until Tuesday, September 14 at 11:59pm PT.
9. Winner will be announced on Wednesday, September 15 and notified via email.
10. The winner will receive a $150 gift certificate to any Gene Juarez spa in Seattle.
11. Questions? Contact me at jeanine at bellesofthesound dot com.

So that’s it! I can hardly wait to see some of the photos you all can come up with. Have a great time this weekend!

*Disclaimer: Gene Juarez is not sponsoring this promotion, nor did they provide the gift certificate.*

The Mountain Music Fest 2010! Yikers, what a fun line-up. It’s a great mix of well-known artists and will provide the perfect backdrop for spending a lovely, sunny summer day at Marymoor Park. Starting at 4:00pm on Saturday, August 14, the Mountain Music Fest will feature Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Jakob Dylan, The BoDeans and Sara Bareilles.

Tickets are still available from $32.50-$49.50. Sadly, they are sold by Ticketmaster who will tack on extra money, but we’re all used to it, right? You aren’t going to find a better deal than this. Arguably, Bumbershoot day passes are only $40, but in my experience, most people only go for the 2-3 bands on the mainstage. With Mountain Music Fest, you’re getting an extra mainstage act, and spending less money!

So, since several of you probably *think* you don’t know some of the above mentioned acts, allow me to post a few of my favorite videos for you to enjoy. Robert Randolph is my personal fave (if you’re only going to watch one).

Robert Randolph’s “Ain’t Nothing Wrong With That”

Jakob Dylan’s “Something This Way Comes”

The BoDeans’ “Closer to Free”.. um, hi, Party of Five? (sorry, couldn’t find official video, please forgive me)

Sara Bereilles’ “Love Song”

On a separate note, anyone slightly disappointed by the Bumbershoot scheduling? Don’t get me wrong, tons of great acts, but out of the 4 main artists I wanted to see, Ozomatli & Bob Dylan conflict, as do Weezer & The Dandy Warhols… wtf? And, just to make matters worse, Ben Harper is playing with Dave Matthews the same weekend at the Gorge! WHAT’S A MUSIC LOVING GIRL SUPPOSED TO DO!? It’s going to be a long weekend of music. Any advice?

Ok, I need volunteers…to live vicariously through.

I’m serious, I was just perusing the Seattle Times webpage and discovered their Outdoor Concert Highlights piece, and got very lethargic.  Alas, funding and timing are not on my side this summer, but if I can’t go to any of them, then at least I can talk about them in hopes that someone will go and share some highlights with their fellow Belles of the Sound friends.

Now, I definitely don’t consider myself a connoisseur of music.  I totally appreciate all the different genres (yes, that includes country), but I usually don’t find out about local bands unless someone wacks me over the head with them, so to speak.  I blame this partially on the fact that I have not yet replaced my car radio that was stolen the better part of two years ago now, so the only opportunity I have to listen to the radio is when I wake up in the morning.  And who am I kidding, I usually am still half asleep anyway.

But I digress.  Back to the music.  There look to be some pretty cool concerts in store for Seattle this summer.  Among them include the ever popular Sasquatch (of which I am embarrassed to say that I have never been to), as well as Bumbershoot , of which I have been to and which holds a special place in my heart because it is where I discovered Rodrigo y Gabriela.  And, as the article mentions, these two just so happen to be coming to a concert near you (at the Marymoor Park that is) this August 13th.

Other highlights according to my humble opinion include: Kings of Leon and Bad Religion at the Gorge, oh and Dave Matthews Band (that goes without saying).  The article lists several other bands and locations, however at first glance I either don’t know who they are or have no interest in seeing them (maybe with the exception of Lilith Fair), so I will let you investigate further on your own.

Also, the article lists the Capitol Hill Block party, which dates have been set for July 23rd and 24th.  I missed out on this last year and regret it so I would love to hear any reviews when it happens again this year.

Well this is hopefully a head start for everyone.  So many music to listen to, so little time, so get to it!

There’s no place like it.

Even if you ignore the fact that some of the most talented performers from around the world are flying through the air, or tapping you on the shoulder or belting their heart out, you’ll still be left with a mind-blowing meal. The theatrics are are only a small part of the experience that is Teatro ZinZanni.

A Seattle institution, Teatro is modeled after European caberets and resides under an authentic Belgian spiegeltent. When the show had to close in 1999 to accomodate construction, it seemed to be the end of what The New York Times dubbed “Seattle’s hottest ticket.” Although the show moved to San Francisco, and has since been successful there, you can’t keep a good thing down. Teatro truimphantly returned in April 2002 partnered with Tom Douglas Restaurants.

Photo Online At Teatro ZinZanni

Many people think that ZinZanni is simply a damn fine show and an unforgettable night on the town. What they don’t know is that the company is very involved in the community, as well as special events. For example, Camp ZinZanni is a summer workshop for kids between the ages of 5 and 16. Students have the opportunity to learn circus arts and hone their acting chops by working with some of the world’s most accomplished professionals.

Teatro ZinZanni is produced by One Reel, a not-for-profit arts, sports and cultural events organization. One Reel is also responsible for the marvel that is Bumbershoot, as well as Family 4th at Lake Union and Summer Nights.

Those who have attended the show have called it fast-paced and irreverant organized chaos. They have said that it is a shared experience that’s also personal, and that there’s never a dull moment. As “the Moulin Rouge meets Cirque du Soleil,” it’s a fully interactive show that is unlike any other. It’s certainly an experience that is difficult to describe, and also to forget.

Photo Online At Teatro

Although I’ve personally never been fortunate enough to catch a show at Teatro ZinZanni, I eagerly await the day that I’ll join the crowd and be a part of the greatest show on Earth.

Hungry for a taste? Check out Teatro ZinZanni’s channel on YouTube!