Tag Archive Bumbershoot

ByGD

Stuff I Wrote Lately

My blogging has taken a hit in 2015 as I have spent more time on writing things I get paid for. Sometimes I add links to these paid things on the Stuff I Wrote page, but sometimes I forget and fall behind. I recently updated Stuff I Wrote, as well as some of the Complete Contributions pages where I get all obsessive about documenting everything I ever wrote. But if you’re just wondering what I’ve done lately, here are links to things that ran in August and September.

I didn’t go to Bumbershoot this year, and whined about the reasons why here on the blog. But I snarked about Bumbershoot’s rejection of families at ParentMap, too.

After I wrote a couple stories about movies for ParentMap this summer, they gave me a movie column! It’s only for the autumn, and then we’ll see if it draws enough clicks to continue, but I am already having so much fun with it.

 

Better than the Book

I usually think the book was better but for this one I rounded up a list of book adaptations whose quality rivals the source material.

Coming Soon

A round up of the family-friendly theatrical releases in theaters now and looking forward through the end of the year.

I reviewed the first rep of Pacific Northwest Ballet’s new season, “See the Music.” (Spoiler: I loved it.) I also reviewed the Broadway revival of “Annie” at the Paramount. (Spoiler: Better than the movie.)

ByGD

Summer of Silence

Dancing with Adra Boo onstage at Ra Scion's 2014 Doe Bay Fest set.

Dancing with Adra Boo onstage at Ra Scion’s 2014 Doe Bay Fest set.

Last summer was all about the festival. I walked down the street to the Fremont Solstice Fair, traveled to a remote fjord in Iceland for Eistnaflug, to a remote island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca for Doe Bay Fest, and rode the bus to Bumbershoot, dragging my kids along to three out of four. When I left my day job, I knew that one of the sacrifices I would have to make, at least initially, was live music. There was no justifying the cost of tickets plus babysitter, especially when I am sometimes paid to cover shows. I would have to limit myself to work-related concerts.

As a result, I stopped following the concert calendars, which resulted in my missing many new releases as well. It’s just easier to miss shows you don’t know about. Then the kids were off for summer vacation, and it’s hard to seriously listen to new music with kids running around, so for the past couple months, I just let music go. During Solstice I hung out at the block party, but didn’t catch any shows; I followed Eistnaflug wistfully on Twitter, and plugged my ears at any mention of Doe Bay. Timber was supposed to be my Doe Bay consolation prize, but the dates conflicted with a family event.

At least I could count on Bumbershoot, I thought.

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ByGD

Airwaves in August

Younger Than Karin

Younger Than Karin

This used to be my favorite season, but the past couple years, I’ve found myself getting a little blue in early November. No matter what wonderful things may be going on in my life, a part of me is wishing I was in Reykjavik, attending Iceland Airwaves again. Fortunately, this year there have been a couple of chances to see some favorite Icelandic bands and discover others here in Seattle. I’ve already written about Reykjavik Calling.

There was also a curatorial exchange between Bumbershoot and Iceland Airwaves that resulted in some of the most painful scheduling conflicts of my festival, pitting local rockers against Icelandic electronica. Of course you know how the story ends. Read More

ByGD

Bumbershoot Blogging Break

I spend Labor Day weekend at Bumbershoot every year, and I recommend that you do too. It’s not too late – check out my guide for bringing the family here if you haven’t already. Since I’ve been at Bumbershoot all weekend, I haven’t written anything to post here today. I’m sure I’ll have something to say about it here (and if you look over at ParentMap and Nada Mucho, you might find something up already). But in the meantime, here is a picture I took last year at Bumbershoot. It’s Ryan Granger from the Grizzled Mighty.

Grizzled Mighty 2013 Bumbershoot

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Discovering the Secret of Life at Bumbershoot

Dave B.

Dave B.

I didn’t plan to drag two children under the age of 10 to all three days of Bumbershoot. But that is exactly what I did.

 

My festival preview lives here, and my survival guide is here. My compatriots over at Three Imaginary Girls and the KEXP blog (not my compatriots- just good coverage) have, I think, covered most of the shows. So I am free to talk about the secret of life.  Read More