Capitol Hill's modest little block party has now turned into a multi-stage, all-weekend extravaganza that draws in a wide selection of local and international acts. With all of these acts to potentially enjoy, who should you actually withstand the push and pull of the crowd to see? Let us tell you.
suggested picks: FRIDAY, JULY 22ND, 2011
grave babies
Dark imagery, light visuals, light moods, dark noise... Grave Babies, Hardly Art's latest signees, are dingy and marvelous at the same time, easily embodying and employing contradictions in sound, image, and context.
4:00PM, VERA skrot up mixtape download "will most likely trick you into dancing to songs about death and human tragedy"
boat
Fun, unpretentious indie rock for those who really, really don't care about looking "cool".
5:00PM, VERA album review + live show review
craft spells
These perfectly adorable and perfectly loose dance jams paint the backdrop for a Seattle summer evening.
7:00PM, VERA summer daze mixtape download
fucked up
Canada's best import isn't whiskey; it's the wildly intelligent hardcore stylings of Fucked Up. It's like listening to a Mensa version of Black Flag.
9:00PM, NEUMO'S
the head and the heart
People rave about them. People rave against them. Regardless of how you feel, The Head and the Heart put on a show that makes your heart melt just a little bit.
9:15PM, MAIN album review + live show review
absolute monarchs
This four-piece is up there in terms of best local bands to see live. Most of CHBP will probably be a hot, sweaty mess, but this show will probably be a sweatier mess than others.
9:45PM, CHA CHA
yuck
These UK musicians combine the noisy and the rosy into one concise and fun package.
10:15PM, NEUMOS album review "Yuck offers the simple beauty of an even earlier era when rock was made to be overtly fun."
ghostland observatory
A Ghostland show is best seen to be appreciated, so watch the video below for the full effect. Their brand of spazzy electro is bound to make even stoic of Seattlites move.
10:45PM, MAIN STAGE
suggested picks: SATURDAY, JULY 23RD, 2011
sports
Sports make dance music, but there's a reason they're blowing up the Seattle scene. They're filling the void locally better than anyone else, and have a series of singles that make them stand out on a national level, as well.
3:45PM, CHA CHA To Catch a Thief by SPORTS
handsome furs
Saturday at CHBP seems quite the day for electronic dance rock, and Canadian duo Handsome Furs show off their years of veteran skill in the arena.
6:00PM, MAIN
ravenna woods
Three clever bearded lads from Seattle who play some foot-stomping acoustic jams. The guitarwork alone puts this band a notch above the competition.
6:30PM, VERA live show review "multi-instrumentalists in the most humble of ways"
austra
People sure can't get enough of dark dance rock right now, and who better to bring that to a CHBP crowd than Toronto band Austra?
7:45PM, NEUMO'S
akimbo
With the amount of noise they make, you wouldn't expect Akimbo to be just a trio. But the Seattle band brings monster rock riffs to the forefront for the entirety of the set.
9:45PM, CHA CHA
baths
In the hands of Will Wiesenfeld, glitched out beat-and-synth soundscapes take on endlessly fascinating forms.
10:45PM, VERA live show review "there's something undeniably charming about Wiesenfeld on stage"
suggested picks: SUNDAY, JULY 24TH, 2011
my goodness
This duo takes the Black Keys approach of guitar/vocals and drums. But the origins of Seattle take hold as the band is less blues-oriented and more steeped in punk.
2:30PM, MAIN
lumerians
Oakland psych rockers Lumerians are a must-see, must-see, must-see, must-see. Must-see. The video below shows more than you should ever need to know to be convinced of this fact.
3:15PM, NEUMO'S
battles
Rock's most complicated band is like trying to watch solve calculus theorems. The trio of Battles are some of the finest musicians you'll ever see, even if you don't understand the math-rock being played.
5:00PM, MAIN
grand hallway band interview
With eight members and a diverse slew of lush instrumentation, Grand Hallway are a brilliant live band to see, and vocalist Tomo Nakayama may have one of Seattle's most fascinating voices.
7:30PM, NEUMO'S
explosions in the sky
The Austin quartet is more synonymous with the widely thrown around genre “post-rock” than anyone else. But if the shoe fits the bill, than Explosions in the Sky are the masters of the grandiose, instrumental crescendos.
7:45PM, MAIN live show review "fierce and beautiful"
pink mountaintops
Those who love Black Mountain will find relaxing comfort in the shoegaze-psych of sister band Pink Mountaintops.
9:00PM, NEUMO'S
mad rad
Seattle's glam rappers aren't for everyone. In fact, they aren't for a lot of people. But the people they are for love the party that accompanies the live act.
11:30PM, NEUMO'S
festival schedule
Asterik (*) = suggested shows
FRIDAY, JULY 22ND, 2011
MAIN STAGE
10:45PM - Ghostland Observatory *
9:15PM - The Head And The Heart *
7:15PM - Ra Ra Riot
6:00PM - Thurston Moore
5:00PM - Kurt Vile And The Violators
4:00PM - Fresh Espresso
VERA STAGE
10:45PM - THEESatisfiction
10:20PM - Brothers From Another / Kung Foo Grip
9:30PM - Shad
8:15PM - Sol
7:00PM - Craft Spells *
6:00PM - Skarp
5:00PM - BOAT *
4:00PM - Grave Babies *
CHA CHA STAGE
11:30PM - "The Rolling Stones"
9:45PM - Absolute Monarchs *
8:45PM - Constant Lovers
7:45PM - Elephant Rider
6:45PM - Yarn Owl
5:45PM - Wheelies
SATURDAY, JULY 23RD, 2011
MAIN STAGE
10:30pm - TV On The Radio
9:00pm - Les Savy Fav
7:30PM - Best Coast
6:00pm - Handsome Furs *
4:45pm - Telekinesis
3:30pm - Fences
2:15pm - Champagne Champagne
NEUMOS
11:30PM - Comeback Feat. Ononos, DJ Porq, Colby B
10:15pm - The Young Evils
9:00PM - Cold Cave
7:45PM - Austra *
6:30PM - Ravenna Woods *
5:15PM - The Lumineers
4:00PM - Eleanor Friedberger
3:00PM - Lovesick Empire
2:00PM - He Whose Ox Is Gored
CHA CHA STAGE
9:45PM - Akimbo *
8:45PM - Nazca Lines
7:45PM - Virgin
6:45PM - Don't Talk To The Cops
5:45PM - Reporter
4:45PM - Slow Dance
3:45PM - Sports *
SUNDAY, JULY 24TH, 2011
MAIN STAGE
7:45PM - Explosions In The Sky *
6:15PM - The Cave Singers *
5:00PM - Battles *
4:50PM - The Posies
3:30PM - The Posies
2:30PM - My Goodness *
