As always, Bumbershoot features loads of great music and a lot of it is from local artists, such as The Dip pictured above. There’s such an abundance of local music at Bumbershoot it can become difficult to know who to see, especially if you aren’t familiar with a lot of local music.
To help remedy that situation, I’ve selected five must-see local bands playing the first day of Bumbershoot 2023, all of which have the Guerrilla Candy seal of approval.
Morgan and the Organ Donors (1:25-1:55 Fountain Stage)
Morgan and the Organ Donors are an Olympia-based group featuring several Pacific Northwest scene veterans including Tobi Vail from Bikini Kil. Naturally, being from Olympia they are signed to K Records. Their breezy pop-rock tunes are the perfect way to ease yourself into a music-filled day.
The Dip (1:55-2:25 Fisher Stage)
Transition from breezy rock to soulful throwback R&B with a set from The Dip. The seven-piece outfit’s most recent album, “Sticking With It,” was released on Dualtone Records. The group’s smooth grooves fit right in on the label’s stable of artists which includes The Lumineers and Chuck Berry. If you’re lucky they might play their amazing cover of “Paranoid.” It’s a soul cover of a heavy metal classic that feels so wrong but sounds so right.
Wimps (2:45-3:15 Vera stage)
If you can’t have fun while listening to a Wimps record then I question whether you’re really human. This trio of fun-loving guys and gal create ridiculously catchy and witty tunes. “O.P.P.” is perhaps the greatest song ever written about the greatest food ever, pizza. And the rest of their catalog is just as awesome.
Sweet Water (3:20-4:00 Mural stage)
If you lived through the 90s in Seattle chances are you’ve heard of Sweet Water. They are one of the many very talented Seattle bands that should have broke big but never did. Their sophomore album “Superfriends” is a Seattle rock classic and it gets regular play here at Guerrilla Candy HQ. Also, they’re one of the few bands on the Bumbershoot bill that can be connected to Seattle’s musical 1990s heyday.
Girl Trouble (6:05-6:50 Vera stage)
Another band that can be connected to Seattle’s 90s music boom is Tacoma’s Girl Trouble. They’ve been famously “alluding fame since 1984” and are a true Northwest rock & roll treasure. If you aren’t able to catch their Bumbershoot set, you can still get your Girl Trouble fix by checking out the Girl Trouble documentary “Strictly Sacred: The Story of Girl Trouble” at 8:30 p.m. during both days of Bumbershoot at the SIFF theater.
If none of those acts make your ears’ hearts flutter, here other local acts performing during Day 1 include:
- Pressha (1:00 Fisher)
- Long Dark Moon (1:00 Mural)
- Chong the Nomad (1:40 Mural)
- Scarves (1:45 Vera)
- Breaks & Swells (3:30 KEXP)
- TV Star (3:45 Vera)
- Thunderpussy (4:30 Mural)
- Chimurenga Renaissance (4:30 KEXP)
- Dave B (5:30 KEXP)
- Reignwolf (6:45 KEXP)
- Sunny Day Real Estate (8:45 Muiral)
- Sleater-Kinney (9:40 Fountain)
Read more about Bumbershoot and which local bands Guerrilla Candy recommends to see during the second day of the festival below.
