thoughtcrumbs

Bumbershoot 2003 wrap-up

The Decemberists
Did I mention I have a little crush on the lead singer? Colin, if you read this, email me. I want to buy you coffee (though absinthe seems more appropriate) and listen to you extemporize. The Decemberists played a mellow set with excellently articulated words, so vital when the song's charm lies in its lyrics. Colin asked the lighting manager to project something on the huge screen behind him. After some thought he added, "I hope I'm not inviting anything . . . maybe just project something tasteful." A few minutes later the audience gasped at the twinkling stars filling the screen, and Colin smiled the way a snarky hipster does when reaching bliss. Stacy pointed out how excellent Rachel, the drummer, was. While I've always loved the beats (expecially the gotta-bounce ones in Legionnaire's Lament), I'd never really noticed them live, a mark of a superb drummer.

Maktub
Overhyped. Not as good as Spearhead.

Ian Moore
Has that Jeff Buckley etherial high-register thing going on. Not what I'd expected, but perfect for a soporific Saturday afternoon read.

Saw a Taiko drummer's t-shirt
that said "WANNA MAKE OUT?"

Macy Gray
Wearing a cyan pantsuit, Macy Gray shook her booty and got "all you sexy people" to shake theirs, too. Even though the sound didn't carry well to the bleachers, her attitude did. With a DJ on stage mixing in tv themes and samples from a zillion other sources, and a bass player who stripped to his boxers 3/4 of the way through.

Kinky
Hey, they're the ones that sing that más y más y más y más song!

Dandy Warhols
Painfully loud but strangely entrancing. Maybe this drowsiness is my body's defense mechanism against hearing loss? After four songs, they'd only played one I knew from their new album, and it wasn't one I particularly liked. Too loud, so I left.

Dead kitty
Part of the short film festival, Rachel Max's excellent film lamenting her, well, dead kitty. The groomers tranquilized the mean-tempered cat, and it never woke up. They sent it home in a box. And charged Rachel for both the grooming and cremation.

My favorite busker
He juggles machetes while spinning a plate on a pointy slick in his mouth. While balanced on three boards atop a rubber ball. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm David Kelly, and this is how I'm paying for college. After the show I'll be passing my hat. You should know that the average donation to a street performer is three dollars. (pause) This trick is above average. And you can be above average, too."

Augusten Burroughs
The author of Running with Scissors is derangedly entertaining in person, as expected.

Rhett Miller
Do guitars have such a thing as concert pitch? Because otherwise he really needed to tune his guitar between every song. Give this boy a roadie.

Gay boyfriend
I want one! Another excellent short film.

Dolour
Dolour's lead singer is a fraggle! My favorite song went like this: "There's a billion-odd people that are better than me. But you don't know them." Catchy power pop, so saccharine it should only appeal to 16-year-olds, but I was jumping, too.

Nickel Creek
Amazing, as always.

Café Tacuba
Definitely the coolest and rowdiest place to be. The lead singer dresses like a porn star: powder-blue leisure suit, pink dress shirt, white tie. And the whole band broke out synchronized dance moves for the last song. Sabroso.