Bumbershoot 2009 (Aging Seattle Native version) - Seattle Center (Seattle, WA; Sept. 07, 2009)

I wasn’t going to do Bumbershoot this year. Initially I had planned to be out of town, and then I let myself be influenced by the complaints of my friends and my own reluctance. I wasn’t too jazzed about the prospect of hanging out with a million (give or take) people in the hot sun/pouring rain all day long, or paying three times the ticket price than when I first began attending.  And I wasn’t overly enthralled with the headlining talent they selected (though I do love Michael Franti and Spearhead). But then I ran into someone I went to college with who was performing, and a few weeks later I found myself in the short line to claim a photo pass.

Starting my day off at the fittingly titled NW stage, I eagerly awaited the set of Anomie Belle, the performing moniker of Toby Campbell (and friends.) I’d known Toby back in college as she was transitioning from more folky music into the indie rock, and she was a noted performer at our small college and local events. Jump forward 7(?!) years of working with musicians throughout the world, and Toby has now progressed into another genre altogether: producing, writing and performing luscious trip-hop sounds. Though clearly a centerpiece of her music, I hesitate to say that her gently soulful voice is the focal point; she uses violin, guitar, keys and her laptop to create a delicately layered sound. Deftly balancing these instruments Anomie Belle is joined live by several others, who fill out the sound with drums, additional keys, vocals, cello and even saxophone (Bryan Smith---he mentioned they’d been friends since childhood.) All of this combines for one pleasant, yet not too gentle mix of downbeat sounds. I can’t say enough how much I appreciate it when a musician knows how to use a variety of sources without beating them into the ground. Fortunately Anomie Belle is quite adept at knowing how to mix it up. She smartly draws from varying sources, using everything from a clip from a phone message in “Amy Song,” saxophone on “Dox Amsterdam,” and showcasing her classical violin skills on “John Q Public.”

On track with an hour-long set, Anomie Belle kept the banter to a minimum.  She thanked everyone for joining them and expressed sympathy as the dark clouds that had been threatening all morning began to unleash a downpour a few songs into the set. Though this sent most listeners scrambling to put up their own bumbershoots or find refuge under the trees, I didn’t find that it affected my response to the music.  Anomie Belle is equally suited for both a cozy day inside or cool relief from frantic heat.  The rain also allowed Cambell to inject a bit of humor into the set, as she breathlessly joked that her (quite faithful) rendition of the Bill Withers’ classic “Ain’t No Sunshine” seemed appropriate. The group tackled another ambitious cover in Radiohead’s “Everything in its Right Place,” keeping the droning electronic beat but allowing Anomie Belle’s vocals to playfully draw out the minimal lyrics. Cambell seemed to employ a slight accent on the words “lemon” and “colors,” reminding me of Emiliana Torrini’s Love in the Time of Science or even Bjork’s breathy delivery. Beyond these two covers, Anomie Belle drew heavily from Bedtime Stories (released in 2008), although she mentioned after the set she was working on new material, including collaborations The Posies’ Jon Auer and the surprise guest artist for this show, Mr. Lif!

Anomie Belle was obviously excited to welcome a dread-less Mr. Lif to the stage to join her on the final track of the set, “Bedtime Stories.” Mr Lif’s calm demeanor and riffs about the struggles of everyday people fit in perfectly with the socially conscious themes of Anomie Belle. I certainly look forward to hearing further collaboration. (There is video footage from this here, but unfortunately you’ll have to turn the volume down as the bass blows out a bit)*

If Anomie Belle’s performance could be described as calm, unassuming, and delicately textured, the next act I caught, Dehli 2 Dublin, could be touted as a brashly self-aware, a loud, junglish all-out production. Normally I tend to shy away from groups where the members are obviously self-promoting in their grooming and onstage antics. In the case of Dehli 2 Dublin, however, instead of spurring me to complain about the group’s carefully crafted good looks, unison head turns and “strike-a-pose” moves, their choreography only drew me in further (and given the genre influences, a little choreography seems appropriate). Delhi 2 Dublin IS non-stop world beat energy. Where else can you see a purple haired fiddle player rocking out with a kilt-wearing Korean flanked by two bouncing bhangra percussionists and a vocalist who looks like he would be at home in a Bollywood music video? And then there was local guest reggae vocalist DJ Collage who waved his bandana and played air guitar when not singing. Though their recorded stuff mixes up the tempo, this live performance was all about energy. Delhi 2 Dublin captured the crowd --- holding us all hostage as (surrounded by fellow listeners) we had no choice but to jump continuously through the uptempo songs, led by the arm-raising pumps of the relentlessly in motion vocalist Sanj. The band couldn’t seem to contain their enthusiasm and it wasn’t difficult to capture a few (dozen) shots of any and all members flashing a grin.

So what does Dehli 2 Dublin sound like? Well, they sound like what you would expect from a group who describes themselves as playing Delhi and Dublin fusion music --- electric sitar, celtic fiddle, electronic mixing, reggae, Punjabi and English vocals and a whole bunch of percussion on the likes of the tabla and dholak (which allowed percussionist Ravi the mobility to join the dance party.) If you aren’t familiar with all of these instruments you can look them up after you become as captivated with Delhi 2 Dublin as I have. Which is to say if they come play a festival near you, you should attend without hesitation, but with dancing shoes.

As the crowd dispersed I spent a few moments asking various folks for their take on the performance. They all sounded remarkable similar:

Me: “Were you familiar with Delhi 2 Dublin before this show?”
Everyone else: “No, but I loved them!/ No, but wow that was a fun time/ That was better than bacon wrapped in bacon! (hypothetical statement)”

As I wandered away from the Fisher Green stage, I noticed a man attempting to do something under a large plastic tarp at the base of the fountain. If you aren’t familiar with the Seattle Center Fountain (which means you have not been to visit the Seattle Center), this is a popular site for sitting, people watching and for the brave to slide down its wet slope and risk running into the spray. As I glanced around I noticed several dancers warming up, and realized that the man was engineering make-shift waterproofing for the sound system. Shortly after dancers from DASS Dance, clad in neon spandex outfits, knee pads and tennis shoes, descended the steep decline.  They began a performance which featured elements of ballet, gymnastics and modern dance with the group performing as a whole and in pairs. Fluid yet aggressive, the dancers portrayed a struggle between one another that reminded me at the time of an interpretation of “hard love” or, more accurately given the setting, their intended theme of Fighting Water. The dancers moved in and out of the spray, appearing to ignore the water but obviously being affected by it, clawing at the fountain itself or shivering violently. Several dancers, it appeared, were fighting a losing battle.

Having happily stumbled onto the dance performance, I continued on to another performance, Wise Fool New Mexico who captured my attention essentially by advertising acrobatic feats (I seem to be in love with anything circusesque these days). Waiting for Flexion to begin, I was pleased to observe that Bumbershoot still draws a diverse crowd (albeit noticeably smaller this year), with people still using the festival as an excuse/opportunity to dress up in whatever costume comes to mind (I’m thinking of the two ladies clad in purple velvet capes that embarked on my bus). I also saw a fair share of weather-appropriate rain boots, typical northwest raincoats and even a pair of yellow fisherman’s overalls (sans any additional clothing).  Ranging from older hippies to tank-topped youth (perhaps refusing to admit summer is coming to a close), my favorite were the toddlers wandering about, clutching ziplocks full of pretzels in their fists. Flexion provided an impressive, if not quite stirring, mix of stilt-walking, bending and rope swinging, showing off the strength of the performers as well as some industrial medieval looking costumes. The ladies remained stoic throughout the performance, not even smiling as they stripped off layers of clothing.

I decided to head out, as I’d seen the two performances that I was most excited about, as well as some fun incidental performances. Upon exiting, I nostalgically admitted to myself that I felt no urge whatsoever to be “hardcore” and stay to the end, a sure sign that I’m no longer part of the “young crowd” (or maybe its just that I’ve seen the evening headliners several times already?) I did, however, feel a slight urge to climb a jungle gym or stomp through some puddles on my way out. All in all, I enjoyed it while it lasted, I didn’t get too wet or jaded, and I will definitely be back next year, in rain boots if necessary, despite whatever complaints my friends might lodge beforehand. Tradition is tradition and labor day weekend in Seattle wouldn’t be the same without Bumbershoot.

*Anomie Belle also scored a short film at bumbershoot that I didn’t manage to catch called “Dark Material” that’s worth checking out here if you are interested.

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