Preview: Summer Meltdown 2012 Saturday August 11th
Posted by Lindsey BluherSummer Meltdown Festival @ Whitehorse Mountain Amphitheater | 8/10-8/12 | $130-$160 (Get Tickets) | All-Ages
Summer Meltdown, the self proclaimed “Biggest Little Festival” in the Pacific Northwest is back for its 12th year – this weekend August 10th-12th. Please take note: Summer Meltdown’s line up is the best its ever looked! If you haven’t heard of this festival before, it’s the sort that only happens in the PNW – four stages set up in the middle of the woods about an hour and a half outside of Seattle in a town you’ve probably never heard of – Darrington, Wash.
Held at Whitehorse Mountain Amphitheater, this years festival has put the previous 11 to shame. The festival features local and nationally touring acts that span genres, resulting in a lineup that has something for just about any listener. Also, even though this is a music festival, there are activities like cabaret and belly dancing. Below you’ll find a few bands to make sure to check out Friday when you finish setting up your tent and party the weekend away at one of Washington’s best festivals. Tickets are still available here, buy them now and we’ll see you there this weekend!
3:00 Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground
Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground, Photo Via Facebook
We’re supposed to have great weather in Darrington for Meltdown, and that will pair wonderfully with one of the sunniest bands in Washington, Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground. By my guess, Kay Kay has played every venue in Washington by this point, and with each show more people fall in love with this band, and for good reason. Kay Kay and his band sample from funk, jazz, rock, and psychedelics, creating something totally their own. It’s music that is sunny and bright, but every so often there’s a bit of darkness that keeps a listener guessing. Because they don’t tie themselves to one genre, this big band of talented musicians isn’t like anything out there – this is sure to be one of the best sets of the weekend.
6:40 Hot Bodies in Motion
Hot Bodies in Motion, Photo by Andria Lindquist
After witnessing this band at Vera Stage at Capitol Hill Block Party, I can attest to their name being accurate. Not only for their own behavior on stage, but for how their music effects a crowd. Hot Bodies in Motion is one of those bands that sounds great on record, but their bluesy rock and roll is a blend best served live and in person (or in the backseat of a car, your pick). They are yet another band that appeals to both the older and younger generations – their music could as easily be played on the radio 20 years ago as it could today. In their release, Old Habits, they come on strong and don’t quit until they’ve won you over solidly with one soulful song after the next. Everything about this band is sexy – from the way vocalist Ben Carson seduces us sweetly and then moans into the microphone, to the way the drum skins rattle and cymbals shudder. Don’t even get me started on that guitar playing. Hot Bodies in Motion is one of the most exciting bands in Seattle right now, and at Meltdown they might just steal the whole weekend.
11:00 Beats Antique
Beats Antique, Photo by Sequoia Emmanuel and Daniel Jung
A music festival this year isn’t complete unless it features at least a few electronic, bass laden bands. In the case of Meltdown, they managed to snag one of the most eclectic, interesting bands around with Beats Antique. While other electronic bands can blend together, few stand out the way this group does. Taking cues from seemingly every genre out there today, their music is diverse while still managing to sound cohesive – a true sign of creativity mastered work. The songs have things in common, such as cues from Arabic music or a carnival flare, but nothing sounds like the track before it. This will be one of the sets that people flood the stage for and dance along with from start to finish. Beats Antique will leave you buzzing long after the keys have cooled off – this will be an exciting moment of Meltdown that isn’t to be missed.
12:35 Acorn Project
Acorn Project, Photo Via Facebook
One of the final bands on Saturday night is local favorite Acorn Project. This band is one that you may not be as familiar with as some of others, but once you hear this funky band sing a few songs, you’ll be a fan. I can promise that. Acorn Project is another funk band taking over your ear drums this weekend, and one of the best in Washington at that. You can’t peg this band into a simple funk label though, they take electronic and rock cues in their music making it so that their songs are diverse and more interesting than you may expect. Acorn Project’s music is jazzy, fun, and promises to keep the audience dancing in the moonlight. Oh, and at least a few of the members will have mustaches. If that doesn’t appeal to you, you’re doing something wrong in your life.
