Preview: Bumbershoot 2012 Saturday September 1

It’s nearly Labor Day weekend and we couldn’t be more excited about spending it in our favorite Seattle location – the Seattle Center for the Bumbershoot 2012 Music Festival! Going on its 42nd year, Bumbershoot is known for bringing a diverse blend of music, film, comedy, dance, spoken word, visual art and more over three days to Seattle, and this year they continue to deliver. Check out a few of the musical acts we suggest for Day 1 – Saturday, September, 1 below:

Photo via Sub Pop Records

Sera Cahoone - 9/1 | 3:30pm | Sub Pop Stage

Preview by Melissa Daniels:

With this week’s release of Deer Creek Canyon, Seattle-based Sera Cahoone is sure to bring her indie rock, lo-fi sound to life this Saturday. Cahoone’s third solo effort is titled after the Colorado canyon where she grew up, and features vocals that come across stronger than she’s ever been. Originally hailing from Littleton, Colorado, she moved to the Emerald City at the age of 21 to pursue a music career that has had her collaborating with some of the best in the business.

Photo by Bebe Besch

Oberhofer - 9/1 | 7:00pm | Sub Pop Stage

Preview by Bebe Besch:

Brad Oberhofer embodies all of the passionate characteristics of being young. His drive lead him to create his band (simply Oberhofer) with friends after moving to Brooklyn via Tacoma, and from there has been successfully grabbing the attention of many with his lo-fi and verbally energetic creations off of Time Capsules II . The vulnerability of Oberhofer’s vocals mixed with raw, sometimes rough pop and electronic riffs work in a way that helps to set Brad Oberhofer and team apart from other pop rock outfits aspiring for the same stardom; Oberhofer has no “grey area” in his live performance – it’s all real emotion the whole way.

Image via Secretly Canadian

Damien Jurado – 9/1 | 9:00pm | The Promenade Stage

Preview by Valerie Skubal:

Seattle’s own Damien Jurado will break hearts Saturday night with his honest and folky ballads. Jurado has come a long way from releasing his own recordings on cassette tapes in the mid 90s to currently being signed to Secretly Canadian, on which his 10th studio album, Maraqopa, was released in February of this year.

Image via Jane’s Addiction

Jane’s Addiction – 9/1 | 9:30pm | Main Stage

Preview by Lindsey Scully:

“Jane Says,” that’s typically what comes to mind when people hear the name of Jane’s Addiction. The rock quartet originally released the famed song back in 1987 and it has withstood the test of time. Jane’s Addiction was one of the few bands in the 90s alternative scene to break out of the one-hit-wonder status with “Jane Says,” “Been Caught Stealing,” and “Stop.” Although the member lineup has shifted over the years, the current group consists of Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro, Stephen Perkins, and Chris Chaney. The group put out their long-awaited fourth studio album, The Great Escape Artist, in late 2011 and has been performing at various festivals throughout the world including Bumbershoot and Lollapalooza. Farrell hangs on to his youthful energy and Jane’s Addiction continues to make songs and perform with exuberance. If you were a fan of the early 90s Jane’s Addiction you will continue to be a fan of present day Jane’s Addiction.

Image via JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound Facebook

JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound – 9/1 | 2:30pm | TuneIn Stage

Preview by Lindsey Scully:

Chicago-based JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound will be bringing their self-described “post-punk soul” to the TuneIn Stage Saturday. The neo-soul revival has hit the States hard this past year and JC Brooks & the Uptown Soul can definitely stand out from the crowd. With the strong vocals and voluminous pompadour of lead singer JC Brooks, the group create catchy dance numbers like “Sister Ray Charles” or even slowed down soul like “River.” The quintet is well-known for their quirky and humorous on-stage banter that also shines on in their music videos. JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound are also doing an intimate performance at the KEXP Lounge stage if you were quick enough to sign up for it before it filled up, but if not then their TuneIn set will be sweat-soaked fun had by all.

THEESatisfaction – 9/1 | 5:15pm | Sub Pop Stage

Preview by Tiffany Wan:

Stasia “Stas” Irons and Catherine “Cat” Harris-White are partners in life and music who craft psyched-out, funky tracks with the irrepressible power to make your mind and body groove as one. Weaving influences from jazz, soul, and R&B into their sensuous rhythms, THEESatisfaction toggle between the spacey cadence of Stas’ flow and the subtle power of Cat’s soaring vocals to profoundly heady results. It’s no wonder this talented pair have found a kindred spirit in labelmate Shabazz Palaces.

Photo courtesy of Rick Oliver

The Soul Rebels - 9/1 | 4:00pm | Starbucks Stage

Preview by Melissa Daniels:

 The Soul Rebels will take the Starbucks Stage early Saturday evening, with radio wave tunes that are strategically intertwined with traditional brass band soul. The band has a rich history in marching band music as each member has graduated from a university level music program in the South. Mix that technicality with New Orleans roots and a distinct style that takes the traditional brass sounds and incorporates R&B, funk, and hip-hop, and you have a group of guys who are pushing the ticket in a treasured musical lineage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JBAup_hmRI