Seattle Subsonic

If You’re Into Mudhoney, Then You Should “Hit Up” the West Seattle Summerfest

July 10th, 2009

I’m not really sure anyone should “hit” anything “up” anymore, but the kids seem to like it, so we’ll go with it. If the gorgeous weather didn’t first clue you in to summertime’s arrival, then surely neighborhood block parties with the words “summer” and “fest” in their name should have.

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West Seattle (my home for 6 years) will be curating it’s umpteenth street festival this weekend, with arts & crafts vendors, food stalls, live music and other curiosities. Not nearly as top-heavy as its Capitol Hill counterpart, but bigger than, say, the Fremont Solstice Festival, Summerfest certainly has a more low-key, neighborhoody feel to it. That being said, it’s virtually impossible for these borough-centric summer parties to not expand each year. To wit, I don’t recall any name as “big” as “Mudhoney” playing in West Seattle’s local gala. I saw the Blakes a few years ago, and they were easily the most recognizable name to any observant Seattle music fan.

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I saw Mark Arm’s popular grunge outfit last year at a free parking lot gig put on by KEXP and here’s what I had to say about the band:

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I like Mudhoney, but I feel like their best years are behind them (their first single, “Touch Me I’m Sick”, is still their best song). They are, however, a local iconic presence that can still coax the aged cave dwellers out from their darkened lairs, as well as those of us floating somewhere in the middle who find their Stooges-via-Sonic Youth blues-punk entertaining enough.

If that sounds appropriate, then make your way to the Alaska Junction at 8pm tonight. The weather will be fine and the crowd will shine. You can see the full music schedule here; other intriguing names include Black Panties, featuring Brian Burnside, lead dude of the Heavy Hearts and Andrew McKeag of PUSA fame (6:45 PM Friday), local rockers of the classic variety Magic Mirrors (4:45 PM Friday), PDX pop confectioners the Dimes (7:00 PM Friday) AND Derby (5:00 PM Saturday), as well as the sassy stylings of Team Gina (6:45 PM Saturday) and the hazy shoe-gaze introspect of Half Light (12:45 PM Sunday).

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You can also partake in or view from afar a Rat City Rollergirl dunk tank (!), Troupe Hipnotica Belly Dancing (o, the word play!), martial arts demonstrations from the Evergreen Tang Soo Do Academy and Hiawatha Tae Kwon Do Club (in case you need to humbly kick the crap out of that guy who kept bumping into you at Mudhoney), the EXCELLENT West Seattle Farmer’s Market on Sunday, and lots more.

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And you couldn’t possibly forget about the unforgettable Saturday Night Street Dance, now with two stages (Saturday, 8-11 PM). One for the rockers, featuring 70 Proof (doesn’t sound very strong, really), and one for the dancers with the Super Sonic Soul Pimps. HEAVY.

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Oh, and dudes, this festival is FREE.