What does Bumbershoot mean to you? Seattle artists reflect on the festival's 50-year history

Last month, Bumbershoot announced its arts lineup. This week, they announced the highly anticipated music lineup, and as promised, it is heavy on the local front.

The full lineup can be viewed here, but to get a feel for what the return of this festival means to artists who grew up in Seattle, KUOW caught up with a few people who have spent time on the Bumbershoot stage.

Cameron Lavi-Jones, frontman for King Youngblood, and rapper Sol, are both from Seattle. They recounted their earliest memories of Bumbershoot, what’s significant about playing the festival this comeback year, and how large festivals can affect Seattle artists.

Interview edited for length and clarity.

Mike Davis: Can you tell me about your earliest memory of Bumbershoot?

Cameron Lavi-Jones: My earliest memory of Bumbershoot, I must have been maybe 3 or 4 years old. And my folks were actually playing Bumbershoot. Funny enough, Bumbershoot is the place where I discovered that I wanted to do music for the rest of my life. I was very young. And my parents were in this band called, The Song Catchers, that was playing Bumbershoot. It was this 20-piece Native American jazz, rock, and blues infused band back in the 1990s. I had gone everywhere with them because me and my folks, we didn't have a lot [of money]. So, no day care or nannying.

I grew up going on the road with them, even being breastfed at rehearsals and meetings and everything like that. So, I grew up for the first four years of my life thinking that I was a part of this band. And they get to Bumbershoot, and it's one of the biggest shows that they had. I remember my grandma held me back on the side of the stage, because she wanted to make sure that my parents and the rest of their band had a killer set. And I remember that for the first time on any of those tour stops, that I cried, because this whole time they'd let me run up and down the stage and just be wherever. And I thought that I wasn't in the band anymore.

But my mom looked over and she saw that I was tearing up and throwing a tantrum and she waved for me to come over. And my grandma let go of my hand, and she said it was okay for me to go. And I waddled myself out there. I remember when I crossed the little barrier between backstage and where the actual stage starts and feeling the force of so many people cheering, so many people being loud. I felt it in my body of how vocal everybody was. I walked up to my mom, and she picked me up and she said, ‘Hi, Cam’, and I said, ‘Hi, mama’. And she let me sing a little bit with her. I distinctly remember from that show, and that feeling and emotion from Bumbershoot, that was when I knew that I wanted to do music for the rest of my life.

Sol: I grew up going to Bumbershoot. I was born and raised in Seattle, and the hip-hop 101 showcases every year, when they would have a day where the main-stage was focused on hip hop. Every year, from probably age 9 or 10 onwards, that was pretty much the highlight of my summer. Whether it would be one year of Public Enemy and NAS, Wu-Tang Clan, Lupe Fiasco, Pharcyde, A Tribe Called Quest. I mean, the list goes on.

It had a big influence on me as a young artist, because I started making music in the Seattle scene, and I was already playing shows by the time I was like 11 or 12. So, to see hip hop artists on that big of a stage was big for me. And back then, there weren't that many artists, if any, within the genre that would be coming in playing that big of a show, this kind of stadium type of shows like that wasn't happening at Key Arena. So, for me to see hip hop on the stage like that, I think it really inspired me as an artist. I can't say the exact early memory, but Bumbershoot was my first hip hop show. So, Bumbershoot is definitely in my DNA.

Mike: We almost lost Bumbershoot, but it's back this year for the 50th anniversary. How does it feel to be performing at Bumbershoot this year?

Cameron: Honestly, it feels like having the torch passed. You know, both of my folks were very active in the music community and still are to this day. My dad produces music still, and he's a station manager for KVRU community radio in the south end. My mom, Lara Lavi, is actually playing Belltown Bloom this year. So, when we got the call about being a part of the Bumbershoot lineup, it felt incredibly validating.

It felt like having an opportunity to truly represent the Seattle scene, by having so many different people that I consider not just peers, but friends on that lineup. It felt like the return of Seattle. Like Seattle getting a chance to represent itself fully and properly. And it's beyond an honor. It’s not a “responsibility,” but it's something that reminds us that we have the ability to keep [Bumbershoot] going and to continue building the scene into what we want it to be. And to be a part of all this, is nothing short of beautiful.

Sol: I think it's important. Seattle is a big music city. And it's only right that we have these national level festivals happening in Washington. You know, we don't have the Sasquatch Festival anymore. So, in Washington for kids and music lovers living in the Northwest, it doesn't make sense to not have it.

There's an empty space if we don't have Bumbershoot, the same way that there's an empty space without the Super Sonics. It's a basketball town just like it’s a music town. Bumbershoot should exist. And obviously I'm not running the numbers and understanding the backends for all these festivals. But I know it's been a crazy couple of years. And it's a great location in the Seattle Center. And there's a such a strong tradition with Bumbershoot and name recognition and we’ve established a collective memory and there’s a strong appreciation that people have for it. It just wouldn't feel right for it to not be around. So, I'm really hopeful and I'm glad that other people feel the same way and are putting in the work to bring it back.

Mike: What role do big festivals play in supporting local artists?

Cameron: Major music festivals have been very key in creating access for local folks to connect with national folks. Music festivals aren't just hubs for great music, but they are a chance for artists to trade ideas, chop it up, and even link to work together outside of the festival itself. It's a chance to foster relationships. Seattle has always had local representation in the music festivals here. I think that's something that really sets the Pacific Northwest apart.

I can't name a single music festival lineup that I've seen here, where local musicians weren't represented in some capacity. And that's not something that we can say about every music festival across the country. That is something specific to the Pacific Northwest and especially specific to Seattle. And, you know, it can always be improved — for sure. Like any scene, it's constantly changing and evolving as new players, new ideologies, and new resources come in. But Seattle has never shut out the locals when it comes to the music festivals that we're putting on, especially ones that have those larger resources.

With this year's Bumbershoot lineup in particular, to see so many names that I actually know and people that I've talked with and listened to, and heard their stories and shared those same visions with, I'm really proud to be a part of this celebration of who we are.

Sol: It's crucial for local art scenes to have a runway for artists to be able to expand and grow, to be able to get to a point where young artists and up-and-coming artists are able to take their music to a national or international level. And one way to do that is to get the experience and the exposure of playing an international festival like Bumbershoot. And in the same way, it's important for a local scene to have a wide range of accessible venues for people to play.

So you can start out, and you'll do a 200-person room, and then you graduate and you can maybe do Neumos. Then you're doing Showbox. We have to be able to have a pathway for artists to get to a point where they can get on that stage and be alongside these international and nationally recognized touring bands. As an upcoming artist, my first time playing Bumbershoot was, I think back in 2011. It was the year that Macklemore and Wiz Khalifa were in the Key Arena. And I performed at 12:30 on the first day. I was the first act, and we packed it out. And for me, it was the most important date on the calendar that year. So, for local artists, when they're able to get on a Bumbershoot lineup, we treat it with another level of importance. It's a huge benchmark for us as local artists when you're coming up. So any festival that isn't connecting to the local community, is not only missing the mark, but they're missing an opportunity to be reinvesting in that scene. Because the same people that want Bumbershoot to do well, should also want Seattle music to do well. So I'm glad to see local artists on the bill. I will always advocate for more local artists and more diverse representation. And I think there's always room for growth. When it comes to the representation on festival bills, Seattle music is stronger than ever. So I hope in years to come we see a few of the headliners being local. If we keep reinvesting in our community, there's no reason that the bill can't be stacked with Northwest artists.