Pitchfork

For the record, the word "Bumbershoot" does exist. It means umbrella. Thanks, Merriam-Webster! And how fitting that the annual Bumbershoot Festival, this and every year, takes place over Labor Day Weekend in sunny -- er, Seattle. Seattle Center, to be exact. Rain or shine, it seems.

But it's worth the risk, because the large fest boasts literary and visual art, theatre, poetry, clowns, film, comedy, and of course good bands. The lineup of bands, which concerns us Pitchforkers most, won't be fully fleshed out until July 15, but it already looks damn impressive: Devo, Ani Difranco, Billy Preston, the Decemberists, Ted Leo/Pharmacists, DeVotchKa, Digable Planets, Brazilian Girls, Son Volt-- whose first album in seven years comes out this year, and whose tour begins at Bumbershoot-- and on and on.

Tickets to the umbrella are already available and, as all good things, are cheaper if you get 'em now. Just make sure to bring a poncho.