Today is the middle day of the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival, and there's no shortage of cool tunes to soak up the remainder of Labor Day weekend.
Today's video is "Heaven Sent" by Grammy-nominated artist Keyshia Cole, filmed in a tropical locale (Hawaii, maybe?). The video is a beautiful compliment to a beautiful song, which should net Cole another Grammy nomination in December. Cole opens for rapper T.I. at Memorial Stadium, set to begin at 2pm.
Watch "Heaven Sent" here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo0qynuXXOU&feature=related
Hip-hop and R&B fans will flock to the main stage in droves for this show. Cole reminds me of a gutsy, early Mary J. Blige, and T.I. quickly became a star on the music scene. From Cole, I can't wait to hear "Shoulda Let You Go". House doors for Memorial Stadium open at 12:30pm, with Cole on at 2pm and T.I. getting busy at 3:15pm.
One of the most exciting acts to emerge from the city of Seattle since Death Cab for Cutie is The Blakes (pictured on this page). This gifted trio is creating a lot of buzz, recently touring with the Brian Jonestown Massacre in Europe, recording an exclusive iTunes live session earlier this year, and performing at a SXSW kickoff party just this spring. Consisting of brothers Garnet and Snow Keim, and Bob Husak, the hard rock threesome also hit the road with The Kills and The Gossip in 08. Their single "Two Times" rekindles the fire and strength of "Smells Like Teen Spirit", though the latter was boosted by a major record label. The Blakes have been courted by a few label giants, but for now are choosing to stick with local indie favorite Light in the Attic Records (The Black Angels, Os Mutantes).
Don't miss The Blakes inside the Exhibition Hall Stage at 3:15pm, and experience why a sold out Chop Suey crowd went nuts for them back in February and why the country of France regards these guys as one of the best new American bands. Listen to "Two Times" and "Vampire" on the band's official MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/theblakes
Another great up and comer is the Scottish quartet Sons and Daughters, who've yet to peak stateside but will likely do so very soon. They've got catchy songs like "Gilt Complex", "The Gift", "Iodine", and my favorite, "Darling". They wear vintage cool threads, provide some shimmy during their live sets, and sound like a million bucks - give them a whirl on the Rockstage Stage at 7:45pm.
Two singer-songwriters close out today's lineup at the Starbucks Stage, Jakob Dylan and Ingrid Michaelson. The former is the son of you-know-who and lead singer of The Wallflowers, and now a solo act. The latter is a delightful, crafty Hotel Cafe Tour alum in the vein of Tori Amos or Regina Spektor. Michaelson has a terrific sense of humor and great energy, aside from being a standout live performer, so she's sure to draw a significant-sized audience to the Starbucks Stage when she headlines at 8:45pm. Dylan is slated for 7pm.
Elsewhere, local band These Arms Are Snakes play inside the Exhibition Hall Stage at 5pm, Tapes n' Tapes conclude the Rockstar Stage's roster at 9:30pm, and The Hands slide to EMP's Sky Church at 8pm.
Sunday's big show at Memorial Stadium is a performance by the reunited Stone Temple Pilots. Selling over 35 million copies of their albums worldwide, the Scott Weiland-led group remains one of 90s landmark rock bands. Hit singles, like the Grammy winner "Plush", "Wicked Garden", "Interstate Love Song" and "Vaseline", helped STP enjoy a successful career before calling it quits due to personal reasons, which eventually gave way for Weiland to inaugurate Velvet Revolver. I saw these boys on the University of Puget Sound campus many years ago, and I remember those sitting in the bleachers broke through the main floor barriers making for quite a memorable concert. Warming things up for Stone Temple Pilots tonight is The Black Keys, which I unfortunately know little about and never seen before.
House doors for Memorial Stadium's night portion open at 6:15pm. And don't forget to stop by locally-owned Easy Street Records and/or Silver Platters near Seattle Center to purchase CDs by Bumbershoot performing artists.
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