More music festivals rock the West Side
Somewhere over the mountains, music sings and swirls and rocks your socks off all summer long.
Not just at one somewhere, either – in a small coastal town, at a huge amphitheater in the middle of downtown Spokane and at a beautiful suburban park, the West Side gives Spokanites many warm- weather reasons to rationalize a road trip.
The summer season in the Seattle area kicks off Saturday with Snoop Dogg at Auburn’s White River Amphitheatre.
So whether your inner, angst- ridden rapper wants Eminem and 50 “Fitty” Cent, or that sophisticate inside wants to hear Garrison Keillor’s soothing storytelling voice, you’ll find what you need over the mountains. Check it:
Dude, What the Heck
With the mega-acts and super- hyped trendy bands-of-the-minute constantly invading the West Side’s summer music offerings, Anacortes’ Know Your Own Records’ What the Heck Fest fills a niche for quirky, individualistic artists to strut their stuff.
Scheduled in conjunction with the quaint coastal town’s annual Shipwreck Day flea market (July 14-17) – during which eight city blocks are shut down for folks to sell junk, treasures and wares – What the Heck Fest features dozens of bands, singer-songwriters and performers doing their thing in venues across town.
This year’s lineup includes, among many others: Mount Eerie (aka Anacortes’ avant-folkster Phil Elvrum of Microphones non-fame), Calvin Johnson (singer/songwriter from Beat Happening, Dub Narcotic Sound System, Halo Benders and owner of Olympia’s K Records), chilled out inventive folk-guy Thanksgiving, Anacortes’ jazzy folk-rock-playing oyster farmer Karl Blau and quirky pop queen The Blow.
Tickets for the four days are $50, which includes access to all shows (except the 21-and-older gigs), a dinner on July 16 with vegan, vegetarian and meat options and, as the flier says, “a good time.”
For more information, visit www.knw-yr-own.com/heck.html.
Sounds on a river of white
Well, the West Side’s somewhat- answer to the Gorge is at it again. Here’s the lineup for White River Amphitheatre’s summer shows.
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.
Saturday, 7:30 p.m.: Snoop Dogg. $46, $36, $25.
June 4, 1 p.m.: KNDD 107.7 The End presents Endfest 14, featuring alt-rock acts Queens of the Stone Age, Interpol, Hot Hot Heat, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Tegan and Sara, The Lashes and more. $40, $30, $20.
June 10, 8 p.m.: Reba McEntire. Brad Paisley and Terri Clark will open the show. $54.75, $30.
July 6, 8 p.m.: Judas Priest. Queensryche will open. $59.50, $49.50, $30.
July 17, 7 p.m.: Anger Management Tour, featuring Eminem, 50 Cent and Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz. $73, $63.
July 30, 6 p.m.: Motley Crue. Sum 41 will open. $75, $55, $24.
Aug. 8, 6:30 p.m.: Avril Lavigne. Gavin DeGraw will open. $43.50, $38.50.
Aug. 11, 10 a.m.: Ozzfest, featuring Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Mudvayne, Mastodon and more. $99, $69, $49, $35.
Aug. 31, 8 p.m.: Earth Wind & Fire and Chicago. $75, $55, $35, $25.
Mary, more music
Each year US Bank throws a series of chilled-out, sunset-perfect shows at Marymoor Park in Redmond called the Picnic in the Park concert series. Here’s the lineup. Shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.
June 16: Kelly Joe Phelps with special guest Doug MacLeod. Free.
June 19: Garrison Keillor, from A Prairie Home Companion. $58.50, $38.50.
June 24: Gin Blossoms. $29.50, $20.
June 25: Ottmar Liebert and Luna Negra. $29.50, $20.
June 30: The Wallflowers. $29.50, $20.
July 2: Spyro Gyra. $29.50, $20.
July 3: Joan Osborne. $29.50, $20.
July 22: Poco and Pure Prairie League. $29.50, $20.
July 28: Jesse Cook. $20.
Aug. 10, 8 p.m.: Alison Krauss and Union Station. $36-$57, on sale Saturday at 10 a.m.
Aug. 13: Natalie MacMaster. $29.50, $20.
Aug. 19: Delbert McClinton. $29.50, $20.
It’s not an umbrella, it’s a Bumbershoot
This Seattle arts and culture festival is so huge it lasts four days. The partial preliminary schedule will be released June 17, but Bumbershoot event organizers were kind enough to reveal a pre-preliminary list of a few acts set to perform at the Labor Day weekend festival. Here are some highlights: Devo, Ani DiFranco, Son Volt, Digable Planets, The Decemberists, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, The Lashes and Keren Ann.
Advance tickets are $18/one day, $30/two days and $55/four days, on sale June 17 through www.bumbershoot.org. Ticket prices rise beginning Aug. 26 to $28/one day, $40/two days and $80/four days.