SPIN.com's Top 5 Up-and-Coming Seattle Bands
Check out video of our picks of the best local acts ripping it up at the recent Bumbershoot festival.
One the best parts of traveling from festival to festival all summer long is the chance to sample the local fare. And not even counting the fresh salmon and tasty micro brews, Seattle's Bumbershoot certainly tops the list -- featuring a lineup steeped in hometown bands, many of which surprised us with their talent, ferocity, and distinct sound. We've sifted through the many up-and-coming Seattle bands we saw to bring you our picks of the Top 5 from Bumbershoot 2008 in descending order of awesomeness. Watch their SPIN.com performance video below.
These Arms Are Snakes, "Horse Girl"
These post-hardcore spazzouts -- formed from the ashes of Botch, Kill Sadie, and other relatively renowned underground acts -- have developed a cult following with their progressive, angular, and dynamic explosion of angsty screams and turned-up-to-11, otherworldly sounds. A local favorite.
A Wild Weekend at Portland's Music Fest NW
Past Lives / Photo by Josh Elliott
Seemingly fueled by a manic, restless state of mind, Seattle's Past Lives (ex-Blood Brothers) played to a small but rapt and enthusiastic audience. Banging out rapid-fire bursts of raw, loud, and arty post-hardcore and paced by the melodic screaming of lead singer Jordan Billie, the quartet recalled stop-and-go emo greats like Quicksand and At The Drive In. Throughout the set the crowd grew, and by its end, it had nearly doubled in size -- always the sign of a band to be reckoned with.
