Upstream Festival 2017 Recap
More than 30,000 people gathered in Pioneer Square over the weekend to be a part of the inaugural Upstream Music Festival and Summit. The area filled with enthusiastic music lovers ready to discover some new artists and catch many of their favorite local bands perform. More than 300 bands played as part of the fest and sometimes scheduling conflicts made it feel like a little too many but overall the flow was great.
The main stage was set on the steps of Century Link which was a great space but a lot of fans chose to stay around the bars closer to each other rather than walk down. Perhaps the rain during the evenings didn’t really make things easier for the trip but people still powered through to catch some of the bigger headliners. For its first time around we felt that the organizers did a killer job in putting it together and feel that this could have great potential in the years to follow. We can’t wait to see where it goes next year.
Porter Ray
We caught a lot of music over the three day festival which hosted so much talent and shined the spotlight on the rich music culture Seattle is trying to preserve despite of the city growing so rapidly. Some of our favorites included Star Anna, The Good Wives, Porter Ray, Wild Powwers, Deep Sea Diver, Duke Evers, AlunaGeorge, Maiah Manser, Tangerine, The Thermals, Wimps, Dinosaur Jr., Planes on Paper, Hibou, Quasi, and The Flavr Blue. It’s always hard to pick our top moments but below are a few of our top highlights from this year.
We headed to the Central Saloon for our first set not expecting many people to be there because of the early slot on a Thursday but it filled up. Sadie Ava’s voice is vibrant and strong as a siren who you can’t help surrendering to each time. Leah Julius annihilates the drums, while Travis Gillett riffs on the guitar, and Ben Lindbloom picks the bass. Their latest EP, “Do You Feel Safe”, is one of our favorite releases from this year and every time we catch them live is a good day.
Sundries
Fresh of their debut singles release Thursday also brought one of Seattle’s favorite bands at the HockeyTalkter stages hosted at the Comedy Underground. While this stage was completely small and hidden, it also gave a very exclusive vibe for the lucky ones that got in before capacity. The badass ladies completely raged and destroyed the stage there as well as their afternoon set at the KEXP stage on Saturday. The more we see them the more arena ready they feel to us and we can’t wait for the moment to come. Top moment were songs “Velvet Noose”, and “No Heaven”, get your hands on that 7″ while it’s hot!
Thunderpussy
Thursday ended with catching McCready and fam at the Comedy Underground covering some of favorite songs of our past. From Neil Young, to Mother Love Bone, many of his talented friends jumped on stage to perform. This felt like a huge jam session in your garage but with a rock god. Top moments included Whitney Petty jumping on stage to duel with McCready on electric guitar but also noticing guitarist Jeff Rouse from Vendetta Red playing with the band.
We really can’t get enough of Joe Gregory and his band these days. “Gold Teeth + Glass Eyes” is one constantly on repeat on our stereo and his lives are breathtaking. Not only does he poor his heart and soul into his art, the live aspect is just as magical to complete it. From his ripped jeans and his painted body, to the amazing vivid visuals, the show is an artistic marriage that we are all lucky to attend. You can’t take your eyes of him and you really don’t want to, that’s how good he is.
J GRGRY
This set had us staring at the stage in awe of the impressive lights and visual art. Steven Ellison has been praised many times over for being a creative genius that perhaps can do anything from producing, Djing, filmmaking, and rapping, and actually be good at all of them. Highlight would be the double screen he uses for his live which layers the visuals creating a 3D illusion for the audience. People were stuck on the mainstage as their eyes and ears went on a trip Friday night.
Flying Lotus
The power trio kicked butt mid-day during their set leaving most attendees in awe of their performance. Many have heard of the band but many were new to their music. Either way Eva David lead strong on electric guitar and vocals, her brother Cedric hammered through the drums, and bassist Robbie Little brought massive waves of energy in the room impressing fans. The band has gotten a lot of attention in the local music scene with their soul and blues infused rock n roll and we only expect them to grow.
The Black Tones
The hip hop duo consisting of Ishmael Butler and Dumisani Maraire closed the mainstage on the last night of the festival. They were one of the most anticipated acts and they did not disappoint one bit. Butler dug deep with his words capturing people’s attention and Maraire controlled the music showcasing their talent. They stood strong in the middle of the stage behind their setup demanding nothing but undivided eyes on them. Their set as a whole was one of our top highlights of the festival, fierce, strong, talented, exactly what we want to see in the Seattle music scene.
Shabazz Palaces
Probably one of the biggest hip-hop acts the festival booked and hosted at the wrong venue. The Piranha Shop reached capacity very fast which left many outside trying to catch the set. Coolest moment of the fest was probably him stopping and jumping on the floor to perform from the entry way so everyone could hear him. This is why music is so important, it brings everyone together and makes for moments like this.
The Freakout Records curated stage at AXIS 1 was one of the best of the festival. It hosted some of our favorite artists and Acid Tongue was one we were catching for the first time. This band rocked the place so hard it was not possible to stand still for a second. Guy Keltner brought the vocals to another place as Ian Cunningham raged on the drums, creating madness. This is not the last time we’ll be seeing these guys for sure.
We caught the all-female band on the last day at Buttnick Pub and fell right for them and their high energy set. “Stay For Breakfast” was something we revisited after catching them and really got into. Best moment was when singer Bri Ashlee Little jumped in the crowd and danced with random fans during the set. She smiled and jumped around passing on the good vibes and creating a great live environment.
The Morning After
