Rock Out(Side)
Tis the season for outdoor music festivals! Here’s what to expect at July’s biggest music bashes
By Seattle Mag June 7, 2013
This article originally appeared in the July 2013 issue of Seattle magazine.
Sub Pop’s Silver Jubilee: A 25th Anniversary Public Display of Affection. The grand dame of Seattle’s indie music scene, Sub Pop Records isn’t too old to throw a rager. This celebration takes place on the streets of Georgetown, an appropriately grungy ’hood for the label that launched Soundgarden and Nirvana. But the live music lineup showcases the label’s diversity of sound, from longtime local rockers such as Mudhoney and Tad Doyle to the newer folk freakiness of Father John Misty and the genre-busting hip-hop of Thee Satisfaction and Shabazz Palaces. But soft! What’s this? A $5 donation (for Northwest charities) gets you…a limited-edition tote bag? One has to wonder if Sub Pop is getting a little NPR in its dotage. 7/13. 10 a.m.–11 p.m. Free. Georgetown, along Airport Way; silverjubilee.subpop.com 
Timber! Outdoor Music Festival Brought to you by Artist Home Presents—the music-loving neo-hippies responsible for the hugely popular Doe Bay Festival on Orcas Island each year—this brand-new fest promises a slate of mostly emerging Northwest bands playing in a scenic woodsy setting. Musical highlights include lovable tribal weirdos Kithkin, the sweet sounds of Poulsbo-based Lemolo and alt-folk Americana from Zoe Muth. Sleepover highlights include camping under the stars, a mere $20 for two nights. Pitch a tent with the hoi polloi or choose the “quiet festival camping” zone (aka buzz-kill knoll). More financially solvent hipsters may choose to sleep in a yurt—for a cool $1,000. 7/26–7/27. Tickets $45. Camping prices vary. Carnation, Tolt-MacDonald State Park, 31020 NE 40th St.; timbermusicfest.com
Capitol Hill Block Party: Held the same weekend as Timber! but with a distinctly more urban vibe, this ever-expanding city fest boasts more than 100 bands from the Northwest and, yes, even beyond. If you can deal with the madding crowds, the lineup is undeniably awesome, including countless local bands on the rise, such as Pickwick, La Luz, Hey Marseilles, Telekinesis, Rose Windows, Fly Moon Royalty and Monogamy Party. Plus: old-school alt-rockers The Flaming Lips! Organizers sternly warn, “No dogs allowed” (presumably no cats either) and also: “We are freak friendly, so if you’re uptight about people that are different from you, you might want to go to the mall or something.” 7/26–7/28. Times vary. Day pass $40, three-day pass $115. Capitol Hill (main entrance at E Pike Street and 12th Avenue); capitolhillblockparty.com Right: Thee Satisfaction joins the Sub Pop Silver Jubilee; photo: Hayley Young
Darrington Bluegrass Festival: Avoid the indie rock madness altogether and opt instead for pickin’ and grinnin’ and campin’. 7/19–7/21; darringtonbluegrass.com
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