Punk trio Dude York has made a name for themselves in Seattle for being a guarantee for at least a half hour of overflowing joy. As "America's Band," they cannot tell a lie and totally followed through on the promise on Day One of the Bumbershoot Music & Arts Festival. Even when they had technical difficulties in the first song, they pushed through with grins on their faces and jokes at the ready. Blitzing through the majority of the material from their latest LP, Sincerely (out now on Hardly Art Records), the band sounded as colorful as their clothing. Guitarist Peter Richards ended the set with a massive guitar solo during the track "Paralyzed", looping lines and finger tapping like a #millennial Eddie Van Halen. Moments later he'd be jumping into the crowd, thrusting the mic into the faces of people and getting them to let out their own brutal screams. It was a total catharsis, breaking down inhibitions and letting people just embrace an elusive feeling: happiness. No matter how many times you see Dude York, it never gets old.
Portland's Moon Duo made maybe one of their most surprising moves yet: showing up and playing a set as a trio. Alright, that's not totally true. They did play with a third member on the KEXP Stage at the Bumbershoot Music & Arts Festival, but the band is constantly taking surprising new avenues…
"This is an instrumental about weed," Acapulco Lips bassist Maria-Elena Juarez said pointedly as the band started their set at the KEXP stage. It got giggles at first, but the second they started leaning into their psych-meets-surf jam, the laughter turned into dancing and some serious vibing. It w…
