Before most of the festival’s attendees have even arrived at Seattle Center, KEXP’s Bumbershoot was already underway. Setting a high bar right from the get-go, gospel legends Blind Boys of Alabama opened the festival with an intimate set at KEXP's Secret Stage. From their humble beginnings nearly 80 years ago as the Happy Land Jubilee Singers, a chorus group at a segregated school for the blind, to six Grammy Awards, a staggering 66 records, and a spot in the Gospel Hall of Fame, The Blind Boys of Alabama have had a long and storied journey. Through career ups and downs and the ebb and flow of movements and musical trends, they have held steadfastly to their spiritual roots, though this is not to say they haven’t kept things interesting. They steadily approached the mainstream in the 80’s and 90’s, when they began dabbling in soul, blues, RnB, rock & roll, and folk. Their influence is broad, and their roster of collaborators and admirers is wide and prestigious, including the likes of Bon Iver, Ben Harper, Peter Gabriel, Willie Nelson, Lou Reed, Yo La Tengo, George Clinton, and Mavis Staples.
The Blind Boys of Alabama were ready to take this small group of lucky viewers to church, and take us to church they did, with the Marvin Gaye-esque "There Will Never Be Any Peace (Until God Is Seated at the Conference Table)". All in a line in matching peach-colored suits, reminiscent of soul and gospel groups in the 50's and 60's, the somber, but funky song featured gorgeous backing harmonies, which served to highlight Paul Beasley's heavenly falsetto. Classic spirituals like "I Shall Not be Moved" and "If I Had a Hammer" were made fresh again, with a passion and buoyant electric organ leaving no toe in the house un-tapped. What really brought the house down was their stirring rendition of "Amazing Grace," with kaleidoscopic guitar reminiscent of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" they mixed sacred with psychedelic, breathing new life into a well-worn religious standard. Alternating between uplifting and somber, their performance can bring a shiver up your spine and a tear down your cheek. Cheryl Waters put it best: "You move people's hearts, then you lift them."
Join us at 2:30 for Michael Franti & Spearhead, live on KEXP and on Facebook.
KEXP's stellar lineup at Bumbershoot continues with festival heavy-hitter Michael Franti & Spearhead live on the Secret Stage. Franti has his fingers in many pots. He’s a poet, rapper, and singer-songwriter, who has been spreading positivity all over the world since 1994 with his current projec…
Check out some of the KEXP DJ’s favorite artists from the Pacific Northwest and around the world on-the-go. KEXP’s Music That Matters weekly podcast brings you an exclusive mix of new music from the world’s best independent artists.
