Asking a festival programmer what they are looking forward to the most for their upcoming festival is like asking a parent who their favourite child is. Bumbershoot programming director Chris Porter answers that question the only way he can: by rattling off as many children as he can think of.
“I’m psyched about who we have on the main stage; it’s great to have Kendrick Lamar, who played the festival a couple of years ago and was pretty much unknown and now he’s huge! I’m also an MGMT fan, and we’ve been trying to have them the last couple of years, and finally the timing worked out,” says Porter. “But, to me, so much of the essence of the festival is on some of the smaller stages. I’m a huge fan of soul singer Charles Bradley, but I’m going to run back and forth as much as I can because he’s also playing at the same time as Gary Numan, who I remember back in the day when I was a kid.”
Porter also mentions Redd Kross, Washed Out, !!!, Eric Burdon, and The Zombies as a few of the many acts that he’s really excited to see on a lineup featuring over 100 bands, as well as comedy, film, and other forms of art.
Bumbershoot is an annual music and arts festival that’s been going since 1971. The festival takes place in Seattle Center and is “a very Seattle experience,” according to Porter, with up to 40 percent of the artists coming from the Pacific Northwest.
The stages for Bumbershoot are nestled amongst the setting for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, which is still mostly intact. This setting makes for a very unique festival experience.
Bumbershoot is marketed to all ages and the overall vibe is very independent and grassroots, a reflection of One Reel Press, the non-profit company that has run the festival since 1980.
Because of this, it’s become known as the place to see some of the world’s hottest bands, a lot of them homegrown.
“As much as we aim to present nationally and internationally known acts, having the focus on Seattle and the northwest area is very important to us,” says Porter. “Often I think if the festival was run by a larger entity, that sensitivity might not be there. We want people to feel like, ‘You’re in Seattle, you’re having a Seattle happening,’ and we’re really lucky to live in a city where music is a real big deal, and a lot of diverse music, too.”
Most know Seattle as the ’90’s hotbed of grunge rock, but in recent years the Pacific Northwest has finally been recognized as an eclectic music and arts community, featuring a vibrant hip-hop scene.
“One could say that hip-hop is the biggest explosion right now in the area, thanks to Macklemore and others,” explains Porter, “but it’s constantly evolving like any good music and arts scene should.”
Festivals have become the go-to touring itinerary for a lot of musicians, especially during the summer months, and festivals like Bumbershoot give them an opportunity to share the stage with an eclectic mix of artists.
“I love playing festivals,” says American singer/songwriter and Bumbershoot act ZZ Ward, who also played Sasquatch Festival this year. “It’s always very exciting to come to festivals like this and really feel the love of music.”
Despite working on the festival year-round and comparing his job to “juggling while putting together a jigsaw puzzle,” Porter shares Ward’s sentiment, but from the other side of the stage.
“I have a huge love for this festival,” says Porter. “I love how creative we can be with it, and we’re so lucky to live in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, where people are very savvy about music and art. That allows us to stretch the possibilities more than other festivals can. It’s a huge party we’re putting on, to say the least, and I love it.”
Bumbershoot
August 31-September 2
Seattle Center, $55-$130
bumbershoot.org