This year everyone is talking about Bumbershoot's big headline acts - Bob Dylan, Weezer and Mary J Blige. There's no doubt that these acts are worth the hype, but one of the great things about Bumbershoot is catching the smaller acts that just may be bound for stardom. With that in mind, here is a list of five bands that you might not know, but are bound to make a major impact:
5. Great Waves (Saturday at 12:30 p.m. - EMP Sky Church)
Great Waves saw success earlier this year by winning the SoundOff! competition for bands of 21 year-olds and younger at the EMP. This young group takes the edgier side of indie rock and puts in their own emotive attitude. Vocalist Ashley Bullock has the intensity of The Cranberries lead singer Dolores O'Riordan. This band has a big career ahead of them, so catch them live now before they get too big.
4. Victor Shade (Monday at 12:30 p.m. - Fisher Green Stage)
For some time there has been a lack of superheroes in hip hop. Thankfully, there is Victor Shade to fill that gap. Shade is the alter ego of rapper Ra Scion from local hip-hop group Common Market. Ra Scion's now deceased comic book aficionado brother-in-law inspired the Victor Shade persona. Whether he is wearing a cape or in regular street clothing, Victor Shade commands the audience with a perfect balance of hype man and MC.
3. Loch Lomond (Monday at 6:15 p.m. - Northwest Court Stage)
Ritchie Young's six-piece folk group Loch Lomond is not lacking in intensity. Young's voice goes from a soft and dreamy falsetto to a forceful and demanding full voice. The band hails from Portland, Ore. and strikes similarities to fellow Portland troubadours The Decemberists. The songs feel as though they could be rearrangements of songs from another era but still are distinctively modern. The musicality of the group is inspiring enough and will be quite the spectacle live.
2. Jenny and Johnny (Monday at 6:45 p.m. - Starbucks Stage)
Jenny Lewis and Jonathan Rice are the definitive indie couple. Both have had success with solo projects in the indie scene, but now the lovebirds have something new to share. The duo's tracks range more in the genres of rockabilly, pop and a small taste of folk. Jenny and Johnny have a sound that will guarantee dancing in place and bobbing heads for Bumbershoot attendees.
1. David Bazan (Sunday at 4 p.m. - Broad Street Stage)
Bazan has always been an insightful songwriter but his most recent release, "Curse Your Branches," is inciting new conversations on religion and what it means to be a "decent human being." From being a famously questioning Christian musician to a very cynical but still profound and questioning unbeliever, Bazan's music has only gotten better since his debut in 1997. At his live shows, Bazan opens up the floor for the audience to ask him questions between songs. Some of the best moments of his sets come from these moments of dialogue that you cannot find at any other show.[[In-content Ad]]
