The full lineup for Paul Allen’s inaugural Upstream Music Fest + Summit has been finalized, and more than 300 emerging artists from the Pacific Northwest will be featured during the three-day event in Seattle next month.
Twenty-five venues in the Pioneer Square neighborhood will play host to the weekend of music and conference-style discussions and workshops, May 11-13.
Previous announcement’s revealed the keynote speakers for the Summit portion of the event, including Seattle hip-hop star Macklemore, producer Quincy Jones and Portia Sabin, president of the independent record label Kill Rock Stars.
The first 100 musical acts were announced on Feb. 23 and that list was heavy on bands from Seattle. Thursday’s announcement revealed a range of acts from other Northwest cities, including:
- Portland: Quasi; The Last Artful, Dodgr; Natasha Kmeto; Animal Eyes; Laura Gibson; WIBG; DON’T; and The Thermals
- Vancouver, B.C.: Art d’Ecco; Belle Game; Said The Whale; Chaple Sound; and Desi Sub Culture
- Boise, Idaho: Magic Sword; Thick Business; Western Daughter
The bands Dinosaur Jr. and Jay Park have also been added to Upstream’s main stage, which will feature artists who “exemplify the festival’s mission with their local and global appeal, their shared passion for delivering creative live performances and their support of emerging artists.”
Flying Lotus, AlunaGeorge, Beat Connection and Deep Sea Diver will play the main stage Friday night and Shabazz Palaces, Dinosaur Jr., Jay Park and Snarky Puppy on Saturday night.
Allen, the billionaire philanthropist, Microsoft co-founder and music lover, founded Upstream as a way for artists in the Pacific Northwest to have as many opportunities as they can to pursue their music passion and to be noticed.
The lineup selection has been led by curator Meli Darby and a number of guest curators. The poster below shows which bands will play on which days and the Upstream website will provide further details on showtimes, participating venues and ticket prices.
