Bumbershoot, Seattle's Premier Music & Arts Festival

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Parent Category: Other Festivals

Category: Music

Published on Friday, 02 September 2011 02:45

Written by Adrienne Kehn

Seattle may be notorious for its cloudy weather, but there's a voluminous silver lining to be found in its thriving arts scene. Bumbershoot, Seattle’s Music & Arts Festival, is an annual Labor Day weekend event not to be missed.

Since 1971, the festival (named after a Jazz Age slang word for "umbrella") has drawn artists representing the best in music, film, comedy, spoken word, dance, theatre, performance and visual arts.

North America’s largest urban arts festival, Bumbershoot takes place in the heart of the city at the 74-acre Seattle Center. Over 100,000 visitors from near and far spend the weekend reveling in the world of Bumbershoot, experiencing everything from regional favorites to international superstars across all arts disciplines.

So bring your bumbershoot just in case -- unless you, like most Seattle folk, shun umbrellas -- and you'll be ready to start singin' in the rain at Bumbershoot!

To check out the lineup and many activities scheduled for the event, go to http://bumbershoot.org/lineup.

Bumbershoot
September 3-5, 2011

Seattle Center
305 Harrison Street
Seattle, Washington
206-684-7200

Bluestock Blues - New Music Fest Plays the Catskills

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Parent Category: Other Festivals

Category: Music

Published on Monday, 22 August 2011 06:34

Written by L E Shannon

The Bluestock Blues Music Festival is being held August 26 - 28, 2011 at the Hunter Mountain Ski Center in Hunter Mountain, New York.

This debut of a major Blues Festival in the northern Catskill Mountains of New York State, features a wide variety of great performers that represent all aspects of Blues music. Bluestock is co-presented by Radio Woodstock and Steve & Jeff Simon Present.

Radio Woodstock produces the annual Mountain Jam Festival which, after a mere six years, has become one of the top festivals in the country.

"This is a great next step for us. We have wanted to promote another annual music festival and co-promoting a Blues festival with Steve & Jeff Simon Presents is the perfect scenario", said Gary Chetkof, Founder and President of Radio Woodstock.

Read more: Bluestock Blues - New Music Fest...

J-Pop Summit Festival 2011

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Parent Category: Other Festivals

Category: Music

Published on Sunday, 21 August 2011 05:00

Written by L E Shannon

The J-Pop Summit Festival takes place August 27 - 28, 2011 in Japantown, San Francisco, California.

The J-Pop Summit Festival is a must-attend event for fashion, film, anime and music fans as well as hipsters, pop culture enthusiasts and anyone else who wants to check out J-Pop for the first time.

The Festival is presented by NEW PEOPLE, San Francisco‛s own showcase for the latest examples of Japanese popular culture, in cooperation with the Japantown Merchants Association.

NEW PEOPLE, Inc. "offers the latest films, art, fashion and retail brands from Japan through its unique entertainment destination as well as through licensing and distribution of selective Japanese films."

NEW PEOPLE Entertainment, a film division of NEW PEOPLE, Inc. strives to offer the most entertaining motion pictures straight from the "Kingdom of Pop" for audiences of all ages, especially the manga and anime generation, in North America."

Says Seiji Horibuchi, president of NEW PEOPLE, Inc., "From rock music to fashion shows, film premieres, interactive video game displays, and a special focus this year on the Vocaloid music phenomenon, there will be something for everyone at this year’s event!"

The events include:

• live bands and DJs,
• fashion shows,
• a Vocaloid music conference,
• several theatrical film premieres,
• dance workshops and performances,
• assorted arts and crafts
• food vendors

Highlights include:

Vocaloid:

Vocaloid Conference: The Voice of Future Music – The creative explosion caused by internet platforms and Vocaloid idols like Hatsune Miku, and how it’s affecting the future of music. With Brian Zisk (Executive Producer, SF Music Tech Summit), ZANEEDS (Vocaloid music creator), and Danceroid (Vocaloid music dance unit).

Attendees will also see ZANEEDS and Danceroid behind-the-scenes footage.

Vocaloid Dance Workshop – Danceroid will teach audiences one of their very own dance routines. Contestants of the Vocaloid Dance Contest are welcome to participate; winners will perform on the Pagoda Stage with Danceroid.

Vocaloid Dance Contest – Vocaloid fans hit the stage to dance and lip-sync in front of a huge audience. Hosted by Animation on Display, with guest performers Danceroid judging the performances.

Girls Rock Explosion!

Layla Lane is a cross-cultural duo that rocks a style "equal parts 1960s pop, gypsy swing, and rock". Layla Lane is fronted by guitarist Heday from Shizuoka, Japan and Los Angeles-born pianist Valerie Stern.

The Patsychords are a Pasty Cline Tribute band that has their own brand of smooth rockabilly country, along with a tribute to Kyu Sakamoto’s "Sukiyaki Song".

The Bayonettes are presented by the Bay Area Girls Rock Camp. The teen duo will deliver their acoustic set, including a version of Japan’s #1 punk rock song, "Linda Linda".

SpacEKrafT is a performance group that re-creates a futuristic interactive travel environment complete with flight attendants, ground crew, video projections, sound chairs, interactive music equipment, personality feedback station and interactive art.

Emi Meyer is a jazz-inspired pop musician born in Kyoto, Japan and raised in Seattle, Washington. "Her bi-cultural heritage has shaped the unique jazz-inspired pop sound heard on her three albums. With the release of her first album, Curious Creature, Emi was invited to perform at the Sundance Film Festival and shot to #1 on the Japanese jazz charts."

K-ON! LIVE – Anime K-ON!’s English Voice Actresses’ live show with Yui (Stephanie Sheh), Mio (Cristina Vee), Ritsu (Cassandra Lee), Mugi (Shelby Lindley) and Azusa (Christine Marie Cabanos).

Fashion Events include:

• Cool Japan: Old Meets New in Kyoto – Designer and producer Takeyuki Wakabayashi from Kyoto presents SOU • SOU‛s first U.S. fashion show, with his line of modern-meets-traditional clothing and footwear.
• h. NAOTO Fashion Show – Designer Naoto Hirooka (aka h. NAOTO) hosts a preview of the opening of his first U.S. flagship store on NEW PEOPLE’s Fashion Floor.

Film Events:

Gantz II: Perfect Answer (San Francisco Premiere) – The Two-part Gantz film meets its kinetic conclusion in Gantz II "with an intensely gripping story-line yet to be known even to readers of the manga series".

Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal (U.S. Premiere) – Based on the self-titled manga by Nobuhiro Watsuki, Rurouni Kenshin follows Kenshin Himura, a highly skilled swordsman and his journey across Japan during the Meiji era.

Documentary of AKB48 To Be Continued… (U.S. Premiere)The documentary follows the all-female Japanese idol group AKB48. "With their ever-growing popularity and success, this is a must-see for fans. The footage sheds a light on AKB48’s struggle, joy, growth, and dreams."

K-ON! Anime Vol.3 Premiere and Mini Concert – A mini live event by the K-ON! English voice cast and the premiere of the third volume of the anime series. K-ON! follows four Japanese high school girls who join the Sakuragaoka Girl’s High School’s light music club to try to save it from being disbanded.

Tokyo Freshly Squeezed: Hottest Music Videos from Japan – MUSIC ON! TV from Japan will feature the hottest J-Pop bands and artists performing Visual Kei, J-rock, anime songs, and more.

Dance & DJ Events:

Danceroid Dance Performance – Danceroid is a group of four girls who have become an international musical dance sensation with their performances choreographed to popular Vocaloid songs. The group’s videos have been played more than 100 million times online.

Miku Mix DJ Battle – LA meets Tokyo in San Francisco! DJ Amaya and ZANEEDS rocked out thousands of fans at LA‛s Nokia Theater during last month‛s Anime Expo (AX). Together again, they mix up some Hatsune Miku vocaloids on the Pagoda Stage.

Other Events:

Ken Hamazaki – Hamazaki returns to perform his avant-garde Red Tea Ceremony - You Are God on the festival grounds.

Estria Foundation Presents: Mike "BAM!" Tyau – Mike "BAM!" Tyau (rhymes with meow) has been creating graffiti art since 1983 during the NYC B-boy era. Mike "BAM!" will paint a live graffiti art all Sunday in the Peace Plaza. The artwork will be silent-auctioned to raise funds for Japan relief.

Since the earthquake and tsunami tragedies in Japan are still of great concern, the J-Pop Summit Festival provides several benefit events in the programming.

For more information, go to www.newpeopleworld.com/festival-2011/about.

J-Pop Summit Festival
August 27 - 28, 2011

Japantown
Post Street from Webster to Laguna
San Francisco, CA

Pagoda Tower Stage
1699 Post Street
San Francisco, CA

Peace Plaza
Buchanan St. and Post St.
San Francisco, CA, 94115
415-922-6776

NEW PEOPLE
1746 Post St.
San Francisco, CA 94115