(something you should see)

= Bumbercrap

(something you should skip)

FRIDAY MUSIC MAINSTAGE, MEMORIAL STADIUM * UNITED STATE OF ELECTRONICA Remember how happy you were when you were seeing Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade for the first time? USE brings back that child-like giddiness, only now there aren't any giant insects made out of Christmas lights dancing around you. (6:30-7:15 pm) *Requires free wristband for entry. * DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE From bashful Bellingham basement dwellers to inescapably popular indie rock torchbearers, DCFC (soon to tour with Pearl Jam) return to Bumbershoot like royalty, with sensitivity intact. (7:45-9 pm) *Requires free wristband for entry. * THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA These local favorites who went international in the mid-'90s are back in full force, with a new album and a reinvigorated desire to rock. A truly fun live band. (9:30-10:45 pm) *Requires free wristband for entry. BUMBRELLA STAGE, FISHER GREEN * THE DIVORCE Seattle's Divorce marry pop hooks to angsty indie rock, a cohabitation that's earned the band a sizeable fan base in town--with the ladies and the energetic lads alike. (1-2 pm) TAARKA These hippie gypsy kings mix jam and jazz aesthetics using instruments like the mandolin, violin, bass, and percussion. (2:45-4 pm) CAMBALACHE Cambalache are an internationally bred timba and nueva salsa act featuring members from Mexico, Peru, and the U.S. (4:45-6 pm) KULTUR SHOCK Local rock fusionists Kultur Shock blend multiple musical styles as swiftly as their lineup blends nationalities (members hail from Bulgaria, Bosnia, and Japan, as well as Seattle). Their one-of-a-kind music is a shake-up of traditional metal, protest folk, and gypsy rock. (6:45-8 pm) * BURNING SPEAR In 1975, reggae band Burning Spear released what would become one of the most important LPs in the history of 20th-century popular music, Marcus Garvey. If you chance to come across that record in the depths of a store or a friend's collection, you must immediately kneel down and give thanks and praises to the King of Kings, Jah Rastafari. (8:45-10:15 pm) THE BLUES STAGE, MURAL AMPHITHEATRE LOOSE GRAVEL AND THE QUARRY A man with a Tom Waits-ish voice--hence, the gravel in the name--fronts this Tacoma-based band. (12:30-1:30 pm) JOHN STEPHAN BAND Classic jazz with bluesy vocals and electric slide guitar. (2-3:15 pm) THE HUDSON BLUES BAND Texas and Chicago blues intermingle for a danceable sound that gets down and dirty without becoming a feel-good frat soundtrack. (3:45-5 pm) HENRY COOPER The former Eugene harmonica player turned proficient guitarist plays a style of country blues that mixes picking and sliding for a distinctive sound. (5:45-7 pm) * KOKO TAYLOR & HER BLUES MACHINE Koko Taylor is blues royalty for a reason. She has a gutbucket delivery that also possesses a visceral punch, nearly four decades after her Chess Records' debut. (7:45-9:15 pm) BACKYARD STAGE, BROAD STREET LAWN * AN AMERICAN STARLET Seattle's Ian Parks and Liz Green possess voices that blend effortlessly, with an interplay and harmonic sense that is achingly beautiful, wiretapping Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. (12:45-1:45 pm) REGGIE GARRETT & THE SNAKE OIL PEDDLERS Local boys Reggie Garrett & the Snake Oil Peddlers use acoustic folk as a palette from which they create original blues, gospel, Celtic, and Latin-flavored songs. (2:15-3:30 pm) * MEMPHIS RADIO KINGS The spiritually rowdy music of Memphis Radio Kings kicks up a satisfying ruckus, mixing the energy of rock and the heart of country with more kick than twang. (4:15-5:30 pm) [C] THE CLUMSY LOVERS Playing a blend of Celtic and bluegrass at breakneck speed is no small feat. (6:15-7:30 pm) * BR549 For almost 10 years BR549 has been holding audiences with an energetic mix of good-time rockabilly, honky-tonk, and old-time country. (8:15-9:45 pm) NW COURT LOUNGE, NORTHWEST COURT [C] JUSTIN ROBERTS Justin Roberts conducts sing-alongs--and we're not talking karaoke here. If you're out of grade school or not on hallucinogens, this one's not recommended. (12:30-1:30 pm) THE DJANGOMATICS Named after the seminal French jazz/swing pioneer Django Reinhardt, this local act infuses standard jazz with European gypsy flair. (2-3:15 pm) THE STEVE LUCENO BAND Steve Luceno, who has played bass with a number of esteemed Seattle musicians, as well as conducting his namesake act, leads this local blues orchestra. (4-5:15 pm) THE COMBUSTION COLLECTIVE Blending brainy, jazz-driven improvisation with engaging, funky grooves, this trumpet-driven outfit mines the pimpish vibe of early 1970s rare groove like Dennis Coffey's disco-funk classic "Scorpio" and Big Fun-era Miles Davis. (6-7:15 pm) * DR. LONNIE SMITH TRIO This beturbaned organist and his funky combo conjure up soul jazz and chitlin' funk in the spirit of Jimmy Smith and Brother Jack McDuff. (8-9:30 pm) WHAT'S NEXT STAGE, EXHIBITION HALL * KANE HODDER With explosive beats, throat-shredding screams, and undeniably infectious rock 'n' roll enthusiasm, Kane Hodder is like that gang of rebel rockers who crashes the ho-hum prom and turns it into a furiously sexy dance party. (4-5 pm) * HIMSA Himsa comes on like the most furious and frightening hardcore thunderstorm, with relentlessly quick drumming matched by demanding guitar riffs and growling vocals. There's no eye in this storm, and there's no time to breathe here. (5:45-6:45 pm) VAUX Even with those lightening-quick metal breakdowns, Vaux is the most beautiful (yet unsettling aggressive) screamo you'll hear. No, really, screamo can be beautiful. (7:30-8:30 pm) * AGAINST ME! Even if political punk band Against Me! played the biggest stadium in the world, the band's tremendous live energy would still make you feel like you're at the sweatiest, smallest basement show, singing at the top of your lungs with love for everyone around you. (9:15-10:30 pm) EMP SKY CHURCH * MON FRERE They were the winners of this years EMP's Sound Off! competition, so playing the Sky Church is already old hat for Mon Frere, the sexy, keyboard-heavy dance party that they are. (12:30-1:30 pm) * SCHOOLYARD HEROES The Schoolyard Heroes ain't fuckin' around with their maniacal, radical sound. The band is dancing on the grave of this finally dying whiny rock trend, making sure as hell it stays dead for good. (2-3 pm) * THE BRIEFS Some bands get political and totally forget how to have fun. But whether new wave punks the Briefs are singing about "No More Presidents" or killer ants, they're always entertaining in the most oddball of ways. (3:30-4:30 pm) * SUN CITY GIRLS Sun City Girls at Bumbershoot = Jorge Luis Borges at your open-mic session or Dr. Wilhelm Reich at your neighborhood psych clinic. These mercurial Seattle sound-warpers should provide the fest's most bizarre WTF moments. (5-6 pm) ELECTRO-DECK ELECTRONICA SHOWCASE: DRAGON ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS DONALD GLAUDE, FLAVE, DJ KIPPY Local DJ Donald Glaude has been spinning a mix of house and techno for nearly two decades. Tonight he pairs up with fellow Seattleites DJ Kippy--who spins a mix of breakbeat, hiphop, and house from around the world--and Flave. (7-11 pm) CENTER CIRCLE SPIN * B-BOY OPEN CIRCLE Don't miss the up and comers performing alongside the swiftly skilled at this b-boy showcase. (noon-1 pm) * WORKSHOP w/KEN SWIFT OF ROCK STEADY CREW So did the New York City Breakers beat Rock Steady Crew in the battle at the Roxy in the movie Beat Street? We already know what Ken Swift's answer is, as he's a member of the Rock Steady Crew. (1-3 pm) * OPEN CIRCLE/POPPIN' AND LOCKIN' EXHIBITION A showcase of various breakdancing moves. (3:30-4:30 pm) B-BOY PANEL DISCUSSION All about how to move. (5-6:30 pm) * BRAINSTORM 4: EMCEE SHOWCASE Being a sharp emcee is about more than perfecting your Eminem for 8 Mile. With the annual Brainstorm competitions, hiphop heads prove that the word is the sharpest weapon to gouge an opponent with. (7-9:30 pm) THE BUSKER STAGE, EX HALL LAWN * THE KITCHEN SYNCOPATORS Performing jug band, blues, rag, and old-time music of the rural and urban South, this eclectic group makes all genres blend into one effortless set. (4-4:45 pm) J. D. HOBSON This local busker uses street corners as a stage and a loud voice as an amp. (5-5:45 pm) [C] LEIF OLSEN Cirque du Soleil without the soleil, Olsen is a one-man circus act. (6-6:45 pm) JIM PAGE Jim Page is a solo singer-songwriter. He may also get all political on your ass. (7-7:45 pm) DRUM ORB STAGE [C] OPENING CEREMONY Blah Blah Mayor Nickels, blah blah Sub Pop, blah blah awards--you don't care. Really. (noon-12:45 pm) [C] VAMOLA! PARADE These are the people you'll see snaking around Bumbershoot playing samba/hiphop crossover music like Seattle's very own carnival parade. Yes, they're supposed to be there. (2-5 pm) $ MASS ENSEMBLE Bumbershoot spokespeople seemed very excited earlier this year when they announced there would no longer be a Bumbershoot drum circle (i.e., a small swarm of stinkin' hippies pounding things). So what do they do instead? They invite a "drum orb" to perform, which to us sounds a lot like a three dimensional drum circle--in other words, a heap of stinking hippies (i.e., our worst nightmare). (6-6:45 pm, 8-8:45 pm) DJ ADVENT Local DJ spins Asian Massive music--which, for the non-globalista, means the good, Indian-influenced stuff. (6:45-8 pm, 8:45-9:30 pm) LITERATURE LITERARY STAGE $ "MAKING SPOKEN WORD SPEAK" When will the youth give up on spoken word and commit themselves to serious literature? If never, if they are doomed to the production of doggerel at readings like this one (which is presented by Arts Corps), then the future of mankind is bleaker than any of us ever imagined. (noon-12:45 pm) AYINDE HOWELL Ayinde Howell is a spoken-word guy and the owner of the only hiphop vegan deli in Seattle, Hillside Quickies Vegan Sandwich Shop. We don't know if he's good or bad at spoken word, but the sandwiches at his deli are D-Y-N-A-M-I-T-E. (1:15-2 pm) * "A Guide to Visitors" Remember that time you were riding a bus over the craggy terrain of southern Russia having imbibed nothing but salami and vodka for two days and you threw up in your mouth and then, to avoid detection, swallowed it again? At "A Guide to Visitors," the Rendezvous' popular storytelling night, members of the audience take turns at the mic sharing stories from their lives. With a potential-storyteller pool this expansive, "A Guide to Visitors: Bumbershoot Edition" should be a rich/hilarious/disturbing blast. (2:30-3:30 pm) SUSAN RICH Poet Susan Rich has been to Zimbabwe, a country that is in deep trouble. She has been to Gaza, a city that is deep in trouble. Her poems draw from her experiences in these (and other) deeply troubled places. (4-4:30 pm) $ LYN COFFIN: "FOOD, DREAMS, AND A PI TABLE" Once again, instead of just giving us a straight reading, this writer's performance will have lots of distractions--music, sculptures, and drama. Please, for the sake of the tradition of literature, just read your stuff and stop all of this multimedia nonsense. (5-5:45 pm) CHRIS DODGE OF UTNE MAGAZINE Dodge is an expert on zines and underground publications. (6:15-7 pm) * PETER BAGGE Peter Bagge's comic Hate, one of the defining artifacts of Seattle's grunge years, chronicled a surly, antisocial Seattle slacker named Buddy Bradley as he drank, sat around the apartment, lusted after women, bitched about his life and life in general, and ultimately moved to New Jersey. (7:15-8 pm) * CLEAR CUT PRESS The local literary stars of Clear Cut Press (Charles D'Ambrosio, Stacey Levine, Matt Briggs) are beautiful people. And damn good writers. (8:30-10 pm) INK SPOT, SNOQUALMIE ROOM "STORYTIME FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES" Rachel Parks, a librarian, reads to crowds of plump, buttery children. (2-2:45 pm) "INSIDE THE CARTOONIST'S STUDIO" WITH DAVID MILLER The former assistant editor for a porn-comic publisher interviews, raps, lectures, signs, draws, and converses with other notable artists. (3-3:45 pm) "BRING OUT YOUR DEAD!" Lean Press, which publishes all kinds of writing, invites you to bring all your neglected, half-finished stuff to this workshop. (4-4:45 pm) "A WRITER'S WORKOUT: EXERCISING PEN AND VOICE" A kind of a catch-all workshop, taught by Kyle Hawke, about breaking through writer's block, having confidence on stage, learning tongue tricks, etc. (5-5:45 pm) "WHAT'S RIGHT? COMICS AND CENSORSHIP" The activist Robin Fisher gets all agitated about government meddling with the rights of artists. (6-6:45 pm) THEATER/DANCE BAGLEY WRIGHT THEATRE * PIZZAZZ! The Stranger's fifth-annual, city-wide talent show returns to the glamorous Bagley Wright stage for another dose of star-soaked mirth and buckets of yuks. Now a gold-plated Bumbershoot tradition, the show is hosted and curated by The Stranger's David Schmader, and features an extra-special guest performance by that towering bastion of talent, Ms. Dina Martina. (7-9 pm) COMEDY See preview, page 17. FILM See preview, page 26.
SATURDAY MUSIC MAINSTAGE, MEMORIAL STADIUM VAN HUNT Van Hunt is an above-average neo-soul singer and a member of that class of black man that has come to be known as brohemians--sensitive, arty brothers. He's the type of guy who will kiss a sister "where some brothers wont," as the founding father of brohemians, Q-Tip, once put it. (1-2 pm) [C] SEAL Discovered by one of the two big producers of the '80s, Trevor Horn (the other is of course Nile Rogers), Seal can be considered a weak descendent of the great Grace Jones. (2:30-3:45 pm) $ PUDDLE OF MUDD Their claim to fame? Being the first band signed to Fred Durst's record label. Yeah, brah, that's something to brag about. It's generic and insincere rage rock. Puddle of Mudd is a pile of shit. (7:30-8:30 pm) *Requires free wristband for entry. $ NICKELBACK These Canadian butt-rockers got in just under the asshole-rock wire, but they have just enough melody in their (otherwise terrible, macho, stupid) tunes to stick around. (9-10:30 pm) *Requires free wristband for entry. McCAW HALL * NANCY SINATRA With a new single penned by fellow recent revivee Morrissey, the doyenne of late-'60s suburban swing is back, and she can still rock a pair of walkin' boots. (3:45-5 pm) PEDRO THE LION Pedro the Lion's latest album, Achilles' Heel, is a return to their indie folk rock roots, with literate lyrics and David Bazan's beautifully melancholic voice displayed in top form. (8-9 pm) * ROBYN HITCHCOCK The man who was once a leftfield psych-pop eccentric is now a grand old man, with a great new LP and an undiminished gift for songcraft and surreal monologue. A guaranteed highlight, always. (9:30-10:45 pm) BUMBRELLA STAGE, FISHER GREEN BAKRA BATA' MUSIC, DANCE, AND MASQUERADE EMSEMBLE Seattle's Bakra Bata' have been performing around the world for two decades, centering African-influenced dance and theatrical performances on the music of steel drums. (12:30-1:45 pm) OBO ADDY & KUKRUDU NEA-awarded, Portland-based Obo Addy is an impressive international scholar of the arts. The Ghana-born artist grew up around creativity of both theatrical and musical nature, and both mediums inform his worldbeat band. (2:30-3:45 pm) ALLGORHYTHMS If you pooled the members of Seattle's AllGoRhythms with the Polyphonic Spree, you'd have enough musicians for a full stage of new Bumbershoot bands. AllGoRhythms is a 16-member Indian group who stand on their own, though, bridging traditional Indian instruments and music with occasional forays into contemporary rock 'n' roll. (4:30-6 pm) * OMAR FARUK TEKBILEK & HIS ENSEMBLE Beloved Turkish multi-instrumental virtuoso Omar Faruk delivers mystical, timeless, and transcendent arrangements with roots in Arabic, Turkish, Persian, and Sufi traditions. Expect a belly-dancing audience. (6:45-8:15 pm) * THOMAS MAPHFUMO & THE BLACKS UNLIMITED Despite the sorrow that streams through his moody, mbira-based afro-pop, Thomas Mapfumo is a supercharged performer. In all honesty, it's impossible to see a bad show by this man we call Shumba, the Lion of Zimbabwe. (9-10:30 pm) THE BLUES STAGE, MURAL AMPHITHEATRE MEM SHANNON & THE MEMBERSHIP New Orleans native Mem Shannon went from driving a cab to playing guitar, becoming an internationally performing bluesman who styles his music on the groundwork of artists from both his hometown and Memphis, throwing a little R&B and rock 'n' roll into the mix as well. (12:15-1:30 pm) * KOKO TAYLOR & HER BLUES MACHINE Koko Taylor is blues royalty for a reason. She has a gutbucket delivery that possesses a visceral punch nearly four decades after her Chess Records' debut. (2:15-3:30 pm) NICK VIGARINO'S MEANTOWN BLUES Slide guitarist Nick Vigarino gives the Delta blues an electric edge. (4:15-5:30 pm) [C] THE BLACK KEYS No matter how much the media may splooge all over them, the bland blooze stylings of the Black Keys are vanilla in every sense of the word. (6:15-7:30 pm) ROOMFUL OF BLUES This swing- and blues-based group has won a number of awards over the years, pulling from the roots of Kansas City, New Orleans, and Chicago styles to nearly earn a Grammy earlier this year. (8:15-9:45 pm) BACKYARD STAGE, BROAD STREET LAWN * LAURA VEIRS AND THE TORTURED SOULS Seattle's Laura Veirs' art-folk deftly mixes singer-songwriter balladry with country blues, adding touches of viola that hint at cabaret. (noon-1 pm) * THE FOGHORN STRING BAND This Portland band plays old-timey music--traditional mountain fiddle tunes and Appalachian dance music that's feverishly joyous and performed with the precision of a safecracker. (1:45-3 pm) AMERICAN MUSIC CLUB Recently reunited, to the delight of their devout cult, this Mark Eitzel-led SF quartet still specialize in moody pop music just this side of a razor down your wrists. (3:45-5 pm) MINDY SMITH Mindy Smith's smooth, clear pipes often recall a cross between Alison Krauss and Shawn Colvin. Her county folk songs address love, faith, regret, and hope. (5:45-7 pm) * DRIVE BY TRUCKERS These five Alabama natives have made it their mission to keep the spirit of an era alive, turning Southern rock on its ear and revealing its darker heart. (7:45-9:15 pm) NW COURT LOUNGE, NORTHWEST COURT SONANDO Jazz by way of Latin America by way of Seattle. Or, put another way, a Latin jazz group from Seattle. (12:15-1:30 pm) * DR. LONNIE SMITH TRIO This beturbaned organist and his funky combo conjure up soul jazz and chitlin' funk in the spirit of Jimmy Smith and Brother Jack McDuff. (2:15-3:45 pm) SEKOYA Sekoya describe themselves as a "global sound nujazz brokenbeat futuresoul live6piece." For those who pride themselves on literacy, here's a translation: They're fusion jazz meets hiphop by way of Canada. (4:30-5:45 pm) PK AND WHAT ARMY? The ever-exploring bassist PK, chiefly known for anchoring Rockin' Teenage Combo, enlists an all-star cast of collaborators for groove-laden tunes laced with an agile avant curveball or two. (6:30-7:45 pm) URSULA RUCKER This velvet-voiced poet has appeared on releases by artists as diverse as the Roots, Josh Wink, and Jazzanova. On Supa Sista and Silver or Lead, the Philadelphia wordsmith waxes earthy and metaphysical. (8:30-9:45 pm) WHAT'S NEXT STAGE, EXHIBITION HALL * HARKONEN For those who didn't come to Bumbershoot to fuck around with all that folkie shit, Tacoma's Harkonen offer a giant dumptruck worth of sludge, hardcore, and metal, cementing into one of the most intense live shows to scare the shit out of Bumbershoot infants and invalids alike. (2:15-3:15 pm) UNWRITTEN LAW After over a decade of being together, the Southern Californian punk band (punk like Blink-182, not the Sex Pistols) Unwritten Law is still at it, with a new record in the works. (4-5:15 pm) * GRAYSKUL Designed by Seattle's Onry Ozzborn and Everett's JFK (Ozzborn plays the role of Reason and JFK plays Fiddleback Recluse, a poisonous spider), Grayskul is the latest and most intriguing group to take shape in the galaxy of Oldominion--a constellation of rappers and producers who are based primarily in Portland and Seattle. (6-6:45 pm) * BROTHER ALI Brother Ali is a member of the Minneapolis Rhymesayers posse (Slug, Eyedeas and Abilities) who has a reputation for delivering dazzling performances that demonstrate his seriously sick freestyle skills. His last CD, Shadows on the Sun, was one of the best hiphop releases of 2003. (7-8 pm) * FACE TO FACE Face to Face, the pop punk band with a heavy Social Distortion influence, is calling it quits after more than a decade of creating influential music. "We're ready to go/Ticking like a bomb that's about to blow." (8:45-10 pm) EMP SKY CHURCH * THE GIRLS Dress the New York Dolls up in Cars riffs and you can approximate the catchy pop hooks Seattleites the Girls throw out. These guys are the rising stars of the Dirtnap Records roster for a reason. (12:30-1:30 pm) * THE CATCH The Catch are a sexy, new-wavy, all-girl local band that has figured out how to harness their extroverted sugar pop impulse and ride it all the way to the early '80s. (2-3 pm) * THE LASHES Having just released a new EP on Lookout! Records, unabashed power-pop lovers the Lashes' give their catchy hooks a slight punk attitude. (3:30-4:30 pm) THROW RAG The term "pirate punk" has never had more fitting spokesmen than Throw Rag, who dirty the decks of the Germs, the Dead Kennedys, and rockabilly with a mutiny of loud, punk rock 'n' roll. (5-6 pm) * FOURTHCITY LAPTOP BATTLE SHOWCASE Behold PowerBook-tanned geeks making freaky digital splats, bleeps, blurts, pings, and glitches in three-minute bursts behind upside-down Apple logos. This is electronic music at its most competitive, intense, and extravagantly creative. (6:30-8:15 pm) * PLAN B In mixing hiphop, triphop, and ambient instrumental music with live laptop trickery, Plan B have become one of Seattle's most visually and sonically intriguing acts. (8:25-9:30 pm) * JACOB LONDON Injecting vats of quirky sounds and ribald rhythms into their funnily funky tracks, local duo Jacob London provokes much-needed chuckles in the Church of House Music. (9:40-11 pm) CENTER CIRCLE SPIN B-BOY OPEN CIRCLE See Friday's listings. (noon-1 pm, 3:30-4 pm) * WORKSHOP w/ KEN SWIFT OF ROCK STEADY CREW See Friday's listings. (1-3 pm) EMCEE OPEN MIKE Hiphop emcees go head-to-head. (4-5 pm) * BRAINSTORM 4: EMCEE BATTLE PRELIMS See Friday's "Brainstorm 4: Emcee Showcase" listings for details. (5-9 pm) THE BUSKER STAGE, EX HALL LAWN [C] CAROLYN CRUSO Carolyn Cruso plays hammered dulcimer, flute, and guitar. Oh, and she sings and whistles too. (noon-12:45 pm) THE DOG MAFIA Known (apparently) for their acts at the Pike Place Market, the Dog Mafia incorporate real-live canines in their show. (1-1:45 pm) [C] ROXY & CLARK Where are Roxy & Clark from? Seattle. What are they? A guitar and accordion duo. (2-2:45 pm) BROTHERS FROM DIFFERENT MOTHERS Brothers from Different Mothers are a comedy juggling act. That's right--a comedy juggling act. You're so there. (3-3:45 pm) * COLIN SPRING Seattle singer/songwriter whose country-dusted tunes range in theme from heartache to heartbreak (and everything in between). Spring has real talent, and is well worth your time. (4-4:45 pm) JIM PAGE Jim Page is a solo singer-songwriter. He may also get all political on your ass. (5-5:45 pm) TWISTER THOMAS Balloon sculpting entertainment for the whole family. After he twists a few animals, hats, and Seattle landmarks, perhaps he'll take more challenging suggestions from the audience. It doesn't hurt to ask. (6-6:45 pm) * THE KITCHEN SYNCOPATORS Performing jug band, blues, rag, and old-time music of the rural and urban South, this eclectic group makes all genres blend into one effortless set. (7-7:45 pm) DRUM ORB STAGE [C] MASS ENSEMBLE'S DRUM ORB See Friday's listings for details. (1:45-2:30 pm, 3:45-4:30 pm, 6-6:45 pm, 8:15-9 pm) * VITAMIN D If, during a history class in the distant future, a professor were to name the one person who defined Seattle's current hiphop scene, it would be the producer and DJ Vitamin D. (6:45-8:15 pm, 9-9:30 pm) LITERATURE LITERARY STAGE PAUL LOEB If you feel you are socially irresponsible and hopeless, this man (author of The Impossible Will Take a Little While) could help you change and become a citizen with a soul that hopes for the best. (noon-12:45 pm) CLEMENS STARCK Journeyman's Wages, Starck's 1996 book, was about various blue-collar jobs he'd held. His most recent book is China Basin. (1-1:30 pm) * WILLIE SMITH Smith's satires are about, as he has said, being "deeply ashamed of being human." (1:30-2 pm) [C] DAN RAPHAEL The Portland poet combines, according to press materials, "sci-fi terminology with an organic intensity." Who knows. But it sounds dreadful. (2:30-3 pm) PAUL HUNTER Hunter is the author of the collection of poems Breaking Ground and the painstaking publisher of Wood Works Press: All the books he publishes he makes by hand, and they're a sight. (3-3:30 pm) * DOUG NUFER The first sentence of Never Again, one of Nufer's new novels, is: "When the racetrack closed forever I had to get a job." That's the most comprehensible sentence in a book that mostly features sentences like: "Monolithic institution's drab foilhood targetspots sportively flingminded dart-throwers." (3:45-4:15 pm) BILL BISSETT'S NARRATIV ENIGMA If the exchange rate of your literary currency is at Jack Kerouac, you can convert it to Bill Bissett without incurring any losses. (4:15-4:45 pm) ANNA BALINT The first sentence of one of the short stories in local writer Balint's new collection, Horse Thief and Other Stories: "Summers in London could never be counted on, but the summer of 1970 was worse than usual." (5-5:30 pm) HILARY GOLDBERG She's a poet, filmmaker, and spoken-word artist who finds inspiration in the work of Ani DiFranco. (5:30-6 pm) FELICIA LUNA LEMUS Trace Elements of Random Tea Parties is about a Chicana dyke in post-punk L.A. (And on Sunday from 1-2 pm at the Literary Stage, she's leading a workshop called "The 'F' Word, Feminist Punk Writing.") (6:15-7:15 pm) * BUDDY WAKEFIELD Undoubtedly still high from his triumph as last year's World Slam Poetry champ, Seattle's own Buddy Wakefield shows off his bias-clobbering skills. (This is the only Bumbershoot spoken-word event that we think might not completely blow.) (7:30-8:30 pm) INK SPOT, SNOQUALMIE ROOM "HISTORY AND HOW-TO OF ZINES" A workshop given by the Independent Publishing Resource Center. (1-2:30 pm, 5-6:30 pm) "INSIDE THE CARTOONIST'S STUDIO" WITH DAVID MILLER See Friday's listings for details. (3-3:34 pm) "IN 25 WORDS OR MORE" A workshop, taught by Jackie Pels, in which random photos serve as writing prompts. (4-4:45 pm) BAGLEY WRIGHT THEATRE * VOICES IN WARTIME This is a screening of selections from Poetry in Wartime, a documentary about poets in distant places and the governments that fuck them over. The event is hosted by Chris Abani (a Nigerian exile), Sinan Antoon (an Iraqi exile), Emily Warn (a Jewish American), and Jonathan Shay (a psychiatrist who specializes in the special ways war messes with the mind). (2:30-4 pm) THEATER/DANCE BAGLEY WRIGHT THEATRE MONSTER SQUAD VS. CORI CAULFIELD Two out-of-town acts, last seen in the most recent Northwest New Works at On the Boards, face off. Portland's Monster Squad offers evidence that dancers should never describe their own work; what exactly is "crashing moments of intricate conflicts" supposed to mean? But when you know that in their NWNW performance one of the dancers was four or five months pregnant; that a previous work featured machines breaking panes of glass; that choreographer Tahni Holt is also a firefighter and created a dance based on cautionary tips handed out by the Oregon Department of Forestry--they start to sound interesting. In the other corner: A newspaper in her hometown of Vancouver, BC, described Cori Caulfield as an Aryan goddess out of a Leni Riefenstahl movie; a friend of mine who saw Caulfield at OTB thought she was a man. Broad-shouldered, blond and statuesque, Caulfield seems to polarize viewers with her character-based dance solos, mixing oblique politics with theatrical personae. Love her or hate her, intriguing or perplexing, she's something to see. (1-1:45 pm) * KIKI & HERB Kiki is a boozy chanteuse and Herb, her affable accompanist, is gay and Jewish and retarded (but he's fucking amazing on the piano). They are the world's foremost proponents of drinking and death, and their renditions of songs by Journey, Belle & Sebastian, Eminem, and Nirvana will break your cold, small heart. (5-7 pm) * TAMANGO'S URBAN TAP Mixing tap, hiphop, Brazilian capoeira, and West African dance, Tamango's Urban Tap has been knocking audiences out from New York to London to Los Angeles. Troupe leader Tamango was briefly part of the Irish clog-stepping orgy Riverdance, but don't hold that against him; he's assembled a wild mix of international talent, with dancers and musicians from Haiti, India, Brazil, Italy, Canada, and the Ivory Coast, who put on a rousing spectacle that the L.A. Times describes as a merging of "Cirque du Soleil, voodoo rituals, and a refined hip-hop sensibility." (8-9:30 pm) THEATRE PUGET SOUND STAGE VERBATIM A kind of Studs Terkel theater project, Verbatim takes 90 hours of interviews with over 50 Puget Sound citizens talking about their jobs and edits them down to a two-act play. Produced by Annex Theatre, the show weaves shop-talk from librarians, firemen, pathologists, strippers, dot-commers, and dozens of others into a smart, engaging whole. (3-4 pm) * GO THERE Go There presents the blazingly talented Sarah Rudinoff in a one-woman comedy wrestling with the longing for celebrity, the promises of the Big Apple, and the psyche of a woman trying to find out where she should go and who to pretend to be when she gets there. Directed by Nick Garrison, Go There pairs Rudinoff's superstar singing voice and awesome comic chops with Chris Jeffries on piano and Rick Miller on guitar. Don't miss it. (5-6:30 pm) * HOW TO BE COOL Eugene Wright used to be a student at Oakvale High School and now, in 1962, he has the opportunity to address a younger generation on the subject of cool. Through this acclaimed comedy by Ursa Major's John Longenbaugh, Eugene (played by Evan Whitfield) guides the class on a funny and charmingly honest inquiry into how we think about cool, from New York jazz clubs to the Seattle World's Fair. (Bring your 45s and LPs for a class discussion on cool music.) (7-8 pm) COMEDY See preview, page 17. FILM See preview, page 26.
sunday MUSIC MAINSTAGE, MEMORIAL STADIUM [C] FIVE FOR FIGHTING Ya know that annoying "Superman" song from a couple years back? "I'm only a man in a silly red sheet/Digging for kryptonite on this one way street... it's not easy being me." Yeah, we don't like it either. (1-2 pm) LIZ PHAIR This Chicago native was the queen of honest, female-perspective indie rock, documenting the "fuck and run" mentality of too many suitors on her debut, Exile from Guyville. Unfortunately, her releases since have only gotten increasingly bland and polished. But if she plays any material from that seminal recording, this show will be worth it. (2:30-4 pm) * BYRDIE We have the highest regard for local rapper Byrdie. You should cop Byrdie's sophomore LP NFlight because he is holding the NW down properly. (7-7:30 pm) *Requires free wristband for entry. * MASSIVE MONKEES Seattle is the headquarters for an internationally distinguished breakdance crew called Massive Monkees. They are "the brand new race" that Keymatic envisioned back in 1984. (7:30-7:45 pm) *Requires free wristband for entry. * PUBLIC ENEMY If you don't know who rap superstars Public Enemy are then you aren't a human being. You are somewhere between a wildebeest and a water buffalo. (8:15-9:15 pm) *Requires free wristband for entry. [C] NAS Though many critics say Nas' fifth solo CD, Stillmatic (2001), was dope, we will never forgive him for abruptly ending what he began on his masterpiece Illmatic (1994). He deprived the starved art of rapping the nourishment of his enormous lyrical talent and wasted all of it on the bloated pop charts. (9:45-10:45 pm) *Requires free wristband for entry. McCAW HALL KA LIKO "THE RISING STARS OF HAWAII" w/RAIATEA HELM, JAKE SHIMABUKURO, MAKANA If you'd rather your Labor Day weekend was being spent lounging in a tropical setting instead of doing the Seattle Center squish, you can at least enjoy the sounds of Hawaii here. Bumbershoot has assembled masters of the slack-key guitar, ukulele, and hula together on one stage. (2:30-5:30 pm) NATALIE MacMASTER Continuing McCaw Hall's international lineup, Celtic bluegrass artist Natalie MacMaster performs traditional Irish tunes using the banjo, Dobro, and mandolin. (8:30-10 pm) BUMBRELLA STAGE, FISHER GREEN DUB CHAMPIONZ As the name implies, this crew specializes in the trance-inducing reggae subset called dub. (12:15-1:15 pm) QUASI NADA Quasi Nada may be rooted in Seattle, but their music pulls from international influences, turning funk and hiphop into world music affairs. (2-3:15 pm) * DJ CHEB i SABBAH Indian traditions marry modern electronica and spawn enlightened global beats in Cheb i Sabbah's dream kingdom. He balances yogi-pulsed funk with hypnotic Indian percussion, wizened-man chants, and sitar/tamboura embellishments to form the purest, kitsch-free bliss. (4-5:30 pm) * PLASTILINA MOSH The band that was initially tagged as the "Mexican Beastie Boys" has been one of the few international hiphop acts to break through American pop-culture consciousness. (6:15-7:30 pm) SOULIVE w/REGGIE WATTS Soulive is a jazz/funk/hiphop group that is better live than on record. It's hard to say how their collaboration with local soul man Reggie Watts will turn out. (8:15-9:45 pm) BLUES STAGE, MURAL AMPHITHEATRE COOKE 'N' GREEN This is what you think of when you hear the word "blues": two guys--the best local blues guitarist and harmonica player, respectively, according to the Washington Blues Society--and a traditional playlist that'll have you cryin' into your cold soba noodles or wishin' you were back in the South. (12:45-2 pm) NORTHWEST LADY BLUES ALL-STARS There's just too much to mention here: With seven talented local ladies sharing the stage for this curated show--playing blues on everything from sax to guitar--you'll surely find something to sway to. KBCS's blues host David Samson emcees. (2:45-4 pm) BOBBY RUSH You may come for the music--an R&B/soul "folk-funk" mix, by way of '60s Chicago blues clubs--but you'll stay for the showmanship. Rush has a penchant for tossing in sexed-up comedy, not to mention costume switch-ups. (4:45-6 pm) THE RANDY OXFORD BAND Dubbed the 2004 Blues Performer of the Year by the Washington Blues Society, Oxford's trombone anchors this modern blues band's upbeat toe-tappers. (6:45-8 pm) * CLARENCE "GATEMOUTH" BROWN For true blues fans, Brown is a must-see: This guy has been around for decades, laying the foundation for modern blues and rock alike. And he plays the vintage-style, authentic tunes even non-hardcore blues fans can appreciate. (8:45-10:15 pm) BACKYARD STAGE, BROAD STREET LAWN GOING SOUTH The versatile Going South falls somewhere in between "pop-jazz" and Black Sabbath, soft rock and straight-up alternative. If you can imagine all of that without getting a headache, you'll like their slow, sexy style. (12:30-1:45 pm) * JOSH RITTER Husky-voiced Josh Ritter is a throwback to '60s and '70s songwriter-strummers like Tim Hardin and Nick Drake, and his music worships at the trinity of Leonard Cohen, Townes Van Zandt, and Bob Dylan. (2:30-3:45 pm) JOHN BUTLER TRIO An Aussie favorite (how do you spell "didjeridoo"?) who's graced the Gorge, Butler plays guitar like Dave Matthews, and sings like that guy from Creed. Toss in some aforementioned Down Under instrumentals, and you've got the John Butler Trio. (4:30-5:45 pm) * CROOKED FINGERS Eric Bachmann, formerly of Archers of Loaf, has taken a welcome left turn with his new band, sounding like Neil Diamond after a weeklong bender. (6:15-7:30 pm) * THE WALKMEN From the ashes of a band you never heard of (unless you work in the music biz) comes this stormy and passionate N.Y. (via D.C.) band, in whom aggressive emotion and tasteful musicianship collide. (8:15-9:30 pm) NW COURT LOUNGE, NORTHWEST COURT [C] THE JAMES DeJOIE QUARTET While the James DeJoie Quartet displays clear musicianship, it's in the form of smooth jazz--the kind you're likely to hear in a downtown Starbucks or in the background of an overpriced restaurant's lounge. (noon-1:15 pm) * VICTOR NORIEGA TRIO Emerging local pianist Victor Noriega is always wonderful to watch and hear, and his brand of Bill Evans-sensitive/Herbie Hancock-expansive jazz will offer you a much-needed break from all of that loud rock and hard hiphop. (2-3:15 pm) VIENNA TENG Young pianist/songwriter Vienna Teng slants more to the pop side of things, offering a range of music that's been compared to Ben Kweller, Rufus Wainwright, and Tori Amos. (4-5:15 pm) [C] WILL BERNARD & MOTHERBUG Jazz with a funky, international-sounding flair, Will Bernard & Motherbug is the jam band for people who love twirling in sandals and crepe skirts. You know the type--hippies. (6-7:15 pm) * THE BAD PLUS Three youngish white cats who cover songs by Aphex Twin, the Pixies, and Black Sabbath have been hyped as jazz's saviors. Hyperbole? Perhaps, but Bad Plus nevertheless have the chops to earn even old-timers' respect. (8-9:30 pm) WHAT'S NEXT STAGE, EXHIBITION HALL * THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES With a current line-up that includes members of both Botch and Kill Sadie, These Arms Are Snakes creates a matchless blend of formulaic hardcore and melodic soundscapes. (3:15-4:15 pm) * COBRA HIGH Definitely one of Seattle's most innovative, exciting acts, Cobra High blend prog and pop into a heavily melodic dose of keyboard-stacked ear candy. Not to be missed. (5-6 pm) * BEN KWELLER This Texas youngster, a showbiz veteran at 23, writes songs that would've been classics 30 years before he was born. Kweller's kickass live band emphasizes a good-time rock 'n' roll vibe. (6:45-8 pm) SKY CRIES MARY There's gonna be lots of dancing here tonight, and by that we mean the "hippies looking like they're chasing butterflies" kind of dancing. Sky Cries Mary's ambient, electronic space-rock is a favorite for the sandal-wearing goofballs and goths alike. (8:45-10 pm) EMP SKY CHURCH * KUMA Kuma play moody, risky rock led by breathy-to-banshee female vocals reminiscent of Siouxsie, the Sugarcubes, and Cocteau Twins. Live, the band is mesmerizing and artful, and they're even more potent now with the addition of Aaron Nicholes' mad drum skills. (12:30-1:30 pm) * POPULAR SHAPES If you fancy hyperactive, overdriven Seattle punk with enough Wire-style pop sparks to singe your memory for days to come, now's the time to catch the Popular Shapes. Bumbershoot is one of their farewell shows before their frontman splits for S.F. (2-3 pm) * HINT HINT This year brought the highly anticipated and much-talked-about new record from Hint Hint. The band lived up to all expectations, reinventing a synth-driven rock sound that's always impressive live. (3:30-4:30 pm) [C] HALOU If the words "triphop" and "ethereal" don't put you to sleep, this breathy electronic act should at least keep your pulse at a sedated rate. (5-6:15 pm) AC LEWIS, DJ COLLAGE, BRANDY WESTMORE, KASKADE Kaskade (Om Records' Ryan Raddon) crafts sweetly melodic house music that evaporates your cares in a soothing mist of dulcet-toned divas, cumulonimbus synth pads, and gently pulsing rhythms. (7-11 pm) CENTER CIRCLE SPIN * B-BOY OPEN CIRCLE See Friday's listings for details. (12-1 pm) * BRAINSTORM 4: B-BOY BATTLE ROUND 1 The first round of this prestigious breakdancing competition. (1-3:45 pm) * BRAINSTORM 4: B-BOY BATTLE ROUND 2 Second round! (4-5 pm) * BRAINSTORM 4: EMCEE BATTLE FINALS See Friday's listings of "Brainstorm 4: Emcee Showcase" for details. (5:30-7 pm) THE BUSKER STAGE, EX HALL LAWN For recurring events at the Busker Stage, see Friday's and Saturday's listings. DRUM ORB STAGE * DAREK MAZZONE Mazzone's well known for both his eclectic taste in international beats and his impeccable turntable skills. Count on the Planet Beat producer and ubiquitous club DJ to spin the very best new global grooves. (6:15-7:30 pm, 8:15-9:30 pm) [C] MASS ENSEMBLE'S DRUM ORB See Friday's listings for details. (1-2 pm, 3:15-4 pm, 5:30-6:15 pm, 7:30-8:15 pm) LITERATURE LITERARY STAGE [C] KRIST NOVOSELIC Fifteen years ago, Nirvana's Krist Novoselic wouldn't have used a book called Of Grunge and Government to wipe his ass. Now he's pretending to be an author with it. Don't encourage him: The book is dumb, politically facile, and utterly embarrassing. (noon-12:30 pm) FELICIA LUNA LEMUS The author of Trace Elements of Random Tea Parties leads a workshop called "The 'F' Word, Feminist Punk Writing." (1-2 pm) URSULA RUCKER Rucker is a hiphop wordsmith of sorts. (2:30-3:15 pm) CLAUDIA MAURO: "IN PRAISE OF FERTILE LAND" The main themes of this reading are food and farming. But even if it were about shit and sewage, what really matters is the quality of the literature. Themes mean nothing. (3:30-4 pm) * GREGORY HISCHAK Everyone loves Hischak. We at The Stranger (who hate slam poetry) love Hischak. They, the slammers (who hate The Stranger), love Hischak. (4-4:30 pm) QURAYSH ALI LANSANA This poet tells it exactly like how it was, back in the days of slavery and all-around black suffering. (4:45-5:15 pm) BRIAN WHITTINGHAM Poetry flows from the Scottish like a lover's voice on a mountainside. Whittingham is Scottish, ergo his poetry flows like a lover's voice on a mountainside. (5:15-5:45 pm) * JESSICA ABEL Jessica Abel's La Perdida, a five-part comic about an expatriate American in Mexico, teems with rich social detail and psychological observation. (6-7 pm) MARI-LOU ROWLEY Viral Suite is the Vancouver poet's latest. (7:15-7:45 pm) DICK BAKKEN The Fabled Beast is a series of spoken poems about elk, rabbit, fox, opossum, seal, and deer. (7:45-8:15 pm) * NEAL POLLACK & JOHN HODGMAN The two bookish sex idols (and frequent McSweeney's contributors) talk about bookish things and put each other down. For the love of God, if you only see one literary event all weekend, see this one. (8:30-9:30 pm) INK SPOT, SNOQUALMIE ROOM MANGA MADNESS NDP Comics hosts a workshop about Japanese-style comic art. (1-1:45 pm, 5-5:45 pm) STEALING "TOME" In this workshop, according to publicity materials, Vancouver poet Mari-Lou Rowley "will help you transport your poetry from the personal/confessional to the transpersonal and political sphere," whatever the fuck that means. (2-2:45 pm) * "INSIDE THE CARTOONIST'S STUDIO" WITH DAVID MILLER Today he interviews, among others, David Lasky. (3-3:45 pm) MICROPRESS PUBLISHING Selfex Press hosts a workshop on how to turn a single piece of writing into a printed product. (4-4:45 pm) [C] WORD INTO MUSIC Vancouver artists Roderick Shoolbraid and Kyle Hawke give a workshop on how to create music to accompany poetry readings, as if anyone wants that. (6-6:45 pm) BAGLEY WRIGHT THEATRE * INDIE COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS A panel discussion with comic superstars Gilbert Hernandez (Love and Rockets), Harvey Pekar (American Splendor), Peter Bagge (Hate), and Jessica Abel (La Perdida), moderated by Fantagraphics founder Gary Groth. (8-9:30 pm) THEATER/DANCE BAGLEY WRIGHT THEATRE TAMANGO'S URBAN TAP See Saturday's listings. (1:30-3:30 pm) * WILL POWER "FLOW" Mr. Will Power performs his legendary hiphop theatrics as seven neighborhood characters, telling stories in verse to the accompaniment of DJ Reborn. From the tour guide to the schoolteacher to the panhandler, Power and Reborn explore a series of city lives and stories that get passed, in different ways, through the generations. A nominee and winner of several awards from the New York Times, the Drama Desk, the Drama League, and the HBO Comedy Arts Festival. (4-5:30 pm) * THE THREE YELLS vs. MARY SHELDON SCOTT/JARRAD POWELL PERFORMANCE On the Boards presents two Seattle teams going toe to toe: In the middle of Kingdom, a 2003 dance piece from Mary Sheldon Scott/Jarrad Powell Performance, a dancer sets the ball of her foot down, then carefully lowers her heel to the floor. That moment burns in one's brain, as Scott and Powell's work is a truly interdependent collaboration of movement and sound that seems to take place on an alien planet or a magical otherworld. Expect a similar experience with this new untitled work. The Three Yells also features a close collaboration between composer David Stanford and choreographer Veronica Lee, but it's the intricate visuals--movement combined with video by Robert Campbell--that stand out. Jane is apparently inspired by the Wim Wenders movie Paris, Texas and demonstrates the Three Yells' combination of precision and just plain prettiness. (6:30-7:15 pm) THEATRE PUGET SOUND STAGE THE BAGGY PANTS The relentlessly silly theater troupe brings kid-friendly mystery to Bumbershoot with The Case of the Vanishing Crown Jewel, in which detective Ziplock Holmes helps Mr. Fuzzy locate his vanished rock. (2:30-3:45 pm) * GO THERE See Saturday's listings. (4:30-6 pm) * CARLOTTA'S BUMBERSHOOT WING DING Carlotta Sue Philpott is probably Seattle's best-known and best-loved comedy character. She and her freaky band of friends and family invade Bumbershoot with their anarchic variety/talk show, where the hosts are always more interesting than the guests. If you've never seen the Wing Ding, this is your chance to fill that Carlotta-shaped hole in your heart. (6:45-7:45 pm) COMEDY See preview, page 17. FILM See preview, page 26.

MONDAY MUSIC MAINSTAGE, MEMORIAL STADIUM * TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS This group could be credited with having invented reggae, and no band has ever played it better, or more meaningfully. Of course they're still around. They're true legends. (1-2:30 pm) [C] THE MARLEY BROTHERS The children of the saint Robert Nesta Marley inherited much of their father's looks but very little of his musical talent. (3-4:30 pm) * BUILT TO SPILL It's Built to Spill, and chances are you're already familiar. But if not, prepare to be blown away by their passionate, heartbreaking, and complex compositions that are consistently redefining the term "indie rock." (8-9 pm) *Requires free wristband for entry. * PIXIES You better show up early for the band that invented the sound of the '90s, only they did it in the '80s. Without them, there'd have been no Nirvana, and you know how that turned out. Reunited, 'cause they understood. (9:30-11 pm) *Requires free wristband for entry. McCAW HALL * BEBEL GILBERTO Can anyone be surprised that the daughter of Brazilian legends Jo-o Gilberto and Miúcha would be not only beautiful, but incredibly talented? Bebel Gilberto has a voice that can stop time. (4:30-5:45 pm) BUMBRELLA STAGE, FISHER GREEN SHOW BRAZIL! Do you love Brazil? Like you love Brazilian jazz, bossa nova, samba, popular music, and dance? Well you've stumbled into the correct show. (11:45 am-12:45 pm) MICHAEL SHRIEVE'S TANGLETOWN Ex-Santana drummer Michael Shrieve has settled down in Seattle, hosting a percussion-heavy night at ToST. His world fusion musical vision includes multiple drum kits and guitars, as well as a sound that moves freely between dance, jazz, and rock music. (1:30-2:30 pm) CONTROL MACHETE Although they've lost original frontman Fermin IV, Mexican rap group Control Machete construct digital compositions that are aggressively dark and dirty. (3:15-4:30 pm) * GALACTIC Don't blow off Galactic just because they've been tagged a jam band. Weaned on New Orleans funk and jazz, this sextet owes more to the Meters and Professor Longhair than Phish or the Dead. (5:15-6:45 pm) * CRITTERS BUGGIN (featuring All-Star Jam Finale) Led by saxophonist Skerik, this collective of Seattle underground mavericks tie-dyes your ears with a weirdly joyous fusion of funk, jazz, psychedelia, and exotica. They'll be previewing cuts off their superb new album, Stampede. (7:30-10 pm) BLUES STAGE, MURAL AMPHITHEATRE DAVID JACOBS-STRAIN Traditional acoustic bluesman David Jacobs-Strain may have barely hit his 20s, but the Eugene native has already traveled the world playing folk and blues festivals, placing him on stages in the company of names like Otis Taylor. (12:15-1:30 pm) LITTLE CHARLIE AND THE NIGHTCATS These slick-haired Sacramento players travel between time periods and geographic regions of early American music--from Texas swing to Chicago blues to bebop and straight-up rock 'n' roll. (2-3:15 pm) FILÉ GUMBO Although they play standard Cajun and zydeco music, Filé Gumbo aren't based in New Orleans, but rather, the New Orleans Restaurant, where these Seattleites bring a little bit of the Mardi Gras vibe to Pioneer Square. (4-5:15 pm) TERRY "BIG T" WILLIAMS This former bandmate of Big Jack Johnson performs the Delta blues much in the style of Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy. (6-7:15 pm) THE PAUL DELAY BAND Local legendary blues harmonica ace. (8-9:30 pm) BACKYARD STAGE, BROAD STREET LAWN * RICHMOND FONTAINE One of Portland's finest bands creates pitch-perfect country-rock noir. Frontman Willy Vlautin's lyrics are at once forthright and enigmatic. (12:30-1:45 pm) OPEN ROAD Led by former cattle hand Bradford Lee Folk, this internationally recognized band's heart, soul, and sound is with traditional bluegrass. (2:30-3:45 pm) * NICK LOWE Nick Lowe is a classic pop songwriter who produced one of Elvis Costello's finest albums (My Aim Is True). He's been referred to as the Jesus of Cool; he definitely deserves his disciples. (4:30-5:45 pm) LEFT HAND SMOKE Formed in Seattle back in 1997, Left Hand Smoke play straight-ahead, bar band rock 'n' roll, with the Stones, the Black Crowes, and Counting Crows all as touchstones. (6:30-7:45 pm) SAM ROBERTS Singer/songwriter Sam Roberts has been nominated for the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy (the Juno) for his single "Brother Down." The multi-instrumentalist busts out uplifting power pop that's reminiscent of the Beatles and their contemporaries (if only in the bands' own minds) like Oasis. (8:30-9:45 pm) NW COURT LOUNGE, NORTHWEST COURT ARISAWKADORIA A purposeful collision course of drum 'n' bass, dub, jungle, and jazz, this trio--whose name is almost as long as the number of styles they combine--aims to create a new meaning for prog, one harder and heavier than most other future-jazz combos perform. (noon-1 pm) * THE BAD PLUS Three youngish white cats who cover songs by Aphex Twin, Pixies, and Black Sabbath have been hyped as jazz's saviors. Hyperbole? Perhaps, but Bad Plus nevertheless have the chops to earn even old-timers' respect. (1:45-3:15 pm) * MATT JORGENSEN + 451 Propelled by Seattle drummer Matt Jorgensen and Ryan Burns on Fender Rhodes electric piano, this sleek quartet plays anthemic, straight-ahead jazz. (4-5:15 pm) 3 LEG TORSO 3 Leg Torso are a quartet (they originally started as a trio--hence the name) who specialize in a mishmash of chamber music, tango, klezmer, and world music. (6-7:15 pm) KAKI KING Kaki King plays acoustic math rock. Seriously. Don't know what that is? Don't bother with a pocket protector or a calculator. (8-9:30 pm) WHAT'S NEXT STAGE, EXHIBITION HALL * THE FITNESS With heavy doses of attitude and energy on their side, the Fitness manage to infuse dance punk with witty asides on materialism and monogamy, lighting a fire in their live sets that demands movement. (2:45-3:45 pm) * ON THE SPEAKERS From the ashes of beloved late-'90s indie rockers Creeper Lagoon comes this excellent L.A.-based band, whose sound is a little more classic-rock-derived than its predecessor's. One day they'll probably be brilliant. For now, they're damn good. (4:30-5:45 pm) * THE KILLERS This Las Vegas band is either the catchiest bit of danceable alt-rock on mainstream radio or flagrant rip-off artists cashing in on a trend. Either way, their moody homage to relationships gone sour offers more wit than most. (6:30-7:30 pm) RISE AGAINST With a name like Rise Against, you know this Chicago hardcore act has politics in its blood. The socially conscious band is typically leftie in perspective, supporting PETA while calling out monkeys like George Dubya. (8:30-9:45 pm) EMP SKY CHURCH * DOWNPILOT This Seattle band finds the perfect line between melancholy and beauty with the aching vocals of Paul Hiraga and violinist Anne Marie Ruljancich. (12:30-1:30 pm) * AVEO It seems 2004 has been a banner year for indie pop outfit Aveo, with the release of their captivating new record Battery on Barsuk Records. Aveo are dreamy, beautiful, somber, and sad--they're anything but boring. (2-3 pm) * THE TURN-ONS The Turn-Ons' spaced-out shoegazer and sweet-sad songs will get your toe tapping even if you're nursing a broken heart. It's a stretch, but the Turn-Ons are like macaroni and cheese. Even when you're feeling really shitty, just so long as you can have that, you know you'll be okay. (3:30-4:30 pm) * HARVEY DANGER Harvey Danger broke up. But Seattle's pop rock darlings re-formed earlier this year, reminding us that they have a hell of a lot more to offer than the catchy "Flagpole Sitta" single. (5-6:15 pm) * KID HOPS This KEXP staple DJs around the clubs and across the airwaves, a well-known figure both on KEXP and in the local electronica and reggae scene. (7-9 pm) PHOTEK At his mid-'90s peak, Photek's complexly mathematical and karate-reflexed drum 'n' bass tracks sounded like the most exciting thing coming out of speakers. Let's hope he's retained those skills. (9-11 pm) CENTER CIRCLE SPIN B-BOY OPEN CIRCLE See Friday's listings for details. (12-2 pm, 6-6:30 pm, 7-9 pm) * B-GIRLS SHOWCASE The ladies show off their breakdancing skills. (2-2:30 pm) * TURNTABLE SHOWCASE DJs show off their mad skills. (3-4 pm) * B-BOY QUARTER FINALS Gettin' down to the wire. (4:15-5 pm) * BLUE SCHOLARS One of Seattle's most popular hiphop acts. (5-5:30 pm) * B-BOY SEMIFINALS ...more awesome breakdancing... (5:30-6 pm) * BRAINSTORM 4: B-BOY BATTLE FINALS If you only see one of these Brainstorm 4 events, this is the one. (6:30-7 pm) THE BUSKER STAGE, EX HALL LAWN ARTIS THE SPOONMAN Best known for collaborating with Soundgarden, Artis the Spoonman and his array of rhythmically spry spoons span folk, rock, jazz, and the avant. (3-3:45 pm)

For recurring events at Busker Stage, see Friday's listings. DRUM ORB STAGE
[c] MASS ENSEMBLE'S DRUM ORB See Friday's listings for details. (12:45-1:30 pm, 2:30-3:15 pm, 4:30-5:15 pm, 6:45-7:30 pm) * DJ SUSPENCE This local DJ has built up quite the reputation around town for spinning white-hot hiphop, jazz, and funk, as well as his mash-ups with DJs on Strike. (5:15-6:45 pm) * DJ CHERRY CANOE DJ Cherry Canoe is one kick-ass lady. She'll flow from that '80s pop hit you hate admitting you loved to the latest hiphop track that gets everyone to drop their attitude and shake their booty. And if you listen closely, you'll catch her vintage finds and favorite little-knowns dropped into the mix. (7:30-9:30 pm) LITERATURE LITERARY STAGE FRAN VARIAN & ERIN McNAMEE If this musical/poetical tribute to the victims of the Green River killer is bad, then, at the end of the performance, let us be honest and tell these artists the hard facts--those women were murdered, and you have made bad art. (12:30-1 pm) [C] MARY LOU SANELLI The author performs poems and stories from her book The Immigrant's Table while an actress reads recipes and pantomimes preparing food. Sounds utterly weird. (1:15-1:45 pm) STEPHANIE KALLOS Broken for You is her debut novel. (2-2:30 pm) SKYE MOODY The Good Diamond is a mystery. (2:30-3 pm) * JACK STRAW WRITERS Elliott Bronstein, Dan Kentop, Roberta Olson, John Olson, and Irene Wanner read their work. You should go if only to see John Olson: His absurdist, Steinian prose poems are terrific. (3:15-4:30 pm) * JONATHAN RABAN Raban must not be messed with. He is our literary hero. (4:45-5:30 pm) * CRAIG THOMPSON The comic novelist's latest is the beautiful and hugely successful Blankets, about awkward nubiles in love. (6-6:45 pm) * GILBERT HERNANDEZ Gilbert Hernandez, one-half of Love and Rockets, is a granddaddy of the alternative comics scene, but his skillful storytelling continues to be restless and vital. (7-8 pm) [C] BUMBERSLAM

Bumbershoot's poetry slam. Avoid at all costs. (8:30-10 pm)

INK SPOT, SNOQUALMIE ROOM SILKSCREENING 101 An introduction to an often abused art form. (1-2:30 pm) "INSIDE THE CARTOONIST'S STUDIO" WITH DAVID MILLER See Friday's listings for details. (3-3:45 pm) BOOKMAKING 101 A tutorial. (4-4:45 pm) "MEMORIAL READING FOR TOM PIER" Blue Begonia Press hosts a reading in honor of a poet and fisherman. (5-5:45 pm) BAGLEY WRIGHT THEATRE * HARVEY PEKAR Harvey Pekar's comic series American Splendor (recently made into an improbably sweet movie of the same name) is a blunt, unapologetic assessment of the world. (1-2 pm) * WILL POWER "FLOW" See Sunday's listings. (3-4:30 pm) URSULA HEGI She got famous when Oprah featured her novel Stones from the River on TV, but she's not as bad as you'd think. Stones was about deformed people (well, a dwarf woman) in Nazi Germany, and her most recent novel, Sacred Time, is about a Bronx-dwelling, Studebaker-owning Italian-American family. Not a lot of laughs. (8:15-9:30 pm) THEATER/DANCE BAGLEY WRIGHT THEATRE SPECTRUM DANCE THEATER Critics have been throwing garlands at the feet of Spectrum's artistic director Donald Byrd, who arrived a few years ago bearing a history of international acclaim and a devoutly populist vision: "Dance is for everyone." Byrd manages to be both accessible and wildly eclectic; he recently collaborated with the Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society on a ballet prequel to the Victorian duo's H.M.S. Pinafore, while the show he's bringing to Bumbershoot features blues (by Driftin' Slim and Little Walter), hiphop (Mystikal), and melancholy Portuguese fado. Byrd's energetic, athletic dancers are sure to provide a rigorous and audience-pleasing show. (5:30-7:30 pm) THEATRE PUGET SOUND STAGE PORK FILLED PLAYERS Song, comedy, and political satire from veterans of the Seattle sketch comedy scene. Their Red, Pork, and Blue: The Politics of the Other White Meat takes aim at presidents, priests, and other sacred cows. Not recommended for young children or serious neocons. (3-4 pm) * THE RUBE GOLDBERG VARIATIONS Creator Cha Davis calls her method "colonized orchestration," appropriating and adapting prerecorded music from Radiohead to Dinah Washington. In this one-woman show, Davis meanders through weird, vivid tales: growing up as a changeling in Reno, choosing between an abortion and a cutlery set in a pawnshop window, stripping when it was still officially burlesque, performing with drag theater legends the Cockettes and Ze Whiz Kids, and plenty more. (4:45-5:15 pm) * CARLOTTA'S BUMBERSHOOT WING DING See Sunday's listings. (6-7 pm) COMEDY See preview, page 17. FILM See preview, page 26.
DAILY ART PHOTOGRAPHY PAST/FORWARD: APERTURE AT 50 This is the West Coast debut of Aperture magazine's 50th-anniversary exhibition, with 170 photographs spanning a wide array of work, including Diane Arbus, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Mapplethorpe, Edward Weston, Robert Capa, and many more. (Northwest Courtrooms, Rainier Room, noon-8 pm daily) * CUT KULTURE UNITED'S BEYOND FRESH: ART BASED IN THE SOUNDS, RHYTHMS, AND FORMS OF THE CITY With graffiti moving further into the art-world mainstream, it's refreshing to see the Seattle-based art collective Cut Kulture United being spotlighted locally. This exhibition contemplates the aesthetic impact of street art. Featuring the works of CRO, Kel1st, Nhon Nguyen, George Estrada, Hews, Virus, JD Davis, Konscious Art Collective, Parskid, Iosefatu Sua, Kenichi Yamaguchi, Zeta B, Angel179, Cause B, DREWAD, Damon Minaey, Graphic Havoc, SpecsOne, Jesse Edwards, Victor Planet, Laura Seymore, Chuck Dong, BRUNO. (Northwest Courtrooms, Olympic Room, noon-8 pm daily) GIRLIE FUN SHOW: DELICATE DEBAUCHERY AND FRIVOLOUS FEMININITY A mixed-media event, which kicks off Bumbershoot's Visual Arts Gala, with visual art exhibits, cabaret, musicians, cigarette girls, and performance artists. (Northwest Courtrooms, Shaw Room, art on display noon-8 pm daily) BUMBERBIENNALE 2004: CONSUMABLES This exhibit, curated by Matthew Kangas, ruminates on conspicuous consumption (so don't bring in that depth-charge-sized soda) with over 80 paintings, prints, photographs, and sculptures. Artists like Picasso and Lichtenstein are featured with emerging names like Charles Krafft, Diem Chau, Deborah Lawrence, David Herbert, and others. (Northwest Courtrooms, Lopez Room, noon-8 pm daily; guided tours daily at 4 pm) JODI ROCKWELL: A LANDSCAPE OF ABSORBING AND DISSOLVING Jodi Rockwell is known for installation environments that are made of materials that decay or disintegrate. To those ends Rockwell has converted the Orcas Room into a large-scale installation of blood-red ice and salt sculptures that will slowly melt and morph throughout the festival. (Northwest Courtrooms, Orcas Room, noon-8 pm daily) * PRESENCE Using video projection, floor panel sensors, LCD screens, and other media, Juniper Shuey--along with Sami Ben Larbi, Dan Dean, Jennifer Zwick, Aaron Welch, and Todd Simeone--has created time-based imagery that yields interactive and dynamic art installations where the viewer becomes involved with and part of the art. (Northwest Courtrooms, Fidalgo Room, noon-8 pm daily) CLOTHESLINE: ART WITH HEART, STEFFANIE LORIG Art with Heart transformed this year's young artist competition into a community outreach project with at-risk youth. The artwork created at their workshops this summer will be on display. (Northwest Courtroom lobby, noon-8 pm daily) VENDING SCULPTURES: W. SCOTT TRIMBLE Trimble's vending machines are interactive sculptures, which consider questions about consumer culture, the commodification of art, and whether or not technology has given us more freedom. And they only cost a quarter to activate. (Northwest Courtrooms hallways, noon-8 pm daily) BLUEBOTTLE ART GALLERY AND STORE The Capitol Hill gallery/store brings its art and wares to Bumbershoot with one-of-a-kind magnets, cards, paintings, photography, and clocks by a variety of artists. (Northwest Court, 11 am-8 pm daily) THE PILLAR PROJECT An Outsider Artist Collective. Facilitated by Bruce & Shannon Kelly Andersen. An outsider sculptural installation assembled with individually transformed components and found objects contributed by artists from disabled, underprivileged, and homeless communities. (International Fountain, noon-8 pm daily) * HEWS ONE & SNEKE These two graffiti artists are a companion piece to the Cut Kulture exhibit. Hews One has done work along the West Coast, from Vancouver, BC to San Diego, and his artwork has been featured in the pages of the Source. Sam SNEKE began as a graffiti artist in 1988 from within Seattle's hiphop community. Since then, he's established himself as a professional freelancer, designing murals, logos, posters, and T-shirt designs. (Xbox Center Circle Spin, noon-8 pm daily) DELICATE DEBAUCHERY: A TRIBUTE TO VINTAGE PULP (CURATED BY GIRLIE FUN SHOW) In a clever collaboration, 12 of the region's most acclaimed illustrators create original work especially for a story by a local writer who was also commissioned explicitly for this piece. It takes the form of a giant zine on exhibition with all the original artwork on display. (Ink Spot, noon-8 pm daily) COMIC BIOGRAPHY THEATRE You can take the idea of being the protagonist of your own life to its sequential if not logical conclusion by having it made into a comic strip. Last Kiss Comics has enlisted 18 writers and illustrators to make comic strips from people's life stories. Provide your story for consideration, or simply watch the live creation of these mini-masterpieces. (Living Room stage in the Ink Spot, noon-8 pm daily) * SLIDE RULE LOOP! A video exhibit prepared by the cartoonists and performers of the Slide Rule, a multimedia performance comics group. Featuring work by Davey Oil, Tyler Gillies, Stefan Gruber, Davis Limbaugh, Mark Campos, Kinoko, and David Lasky. (Ink Spot, noon-8 pm daily) WONDER TWIN Poetry lends itself to many interpretations, and in this exhibit (installed on the northwest wall of the Ink Spot venue), artist David Lasky (Ulysses, Moxie, Bandoppler) has teamed up with poet Noel Franklin to create a giant-sized work. (Ink Spot, noon-8 pm daily) * FLATSTOCK 5 Rock poster artists from all around the country exhibit and sell their rare and handcrafted concert posters. American Poster Institute (API) presents Flatstock 5, the semi-annual convention of the best concert poster artists in the U.S. Check out the contributions of Seripop, the Montreal-based design team. (Center House, Sat-Mon, 11 am-7 pm; note: This exhibit opens on Saturday. )