Local Music festivals 2015

After spending its first two years going head-to-head with Capitol Hill Block Party, Timber! Outdoor Music Festival finally has a weekend of its own. (Cut to music fans letting out a sigh of relief after finally escaping this Sophie's Choice situation.) This year's edition of the woodsy musical gathering takes place from July 16–18 in Carnation's Tolt-MacDonald Park. Timber! announced its initial lineup last week and, per usual, it's an eclectic mix. The top of the bill features the punk of the Dead Milkmen, local dance rock of the electronic (Beat Connection) and surf (La Luz) varieties, and some of Seattle's finest singer-songwriters: David Bazan, Tomo Nakayama, and the Head and the Heart's Jon Russell and Josiah Johnson. The full Timber! lineup will be announced in May.

Initial Timber! Outdoor Music Festival 2015 lineup:

The Dead Milkmen / Beat Connection / La Luz / David Bazan / Jon and Josiah (of The Head and the Heart) / Shaprece / Cahalen Morrison & Eli West / Tomo Nakayama / The Hoot Hoots / Talkative / Gibraltar / Tom Eddy / Naked Giants / Grace Love and the True Loves / Emma Lee Toyoda / Recess Monkey

Timber! Outdoor Music Festival 2015
July 16–18, Tolt-MacDonald Park, Carnation, $65–$75 (Camping $30–$75)

If you're looking for a nearly pure dose of local music and aren't really in the mood for camping, Everett's Fisherman's Village Music Festival (May 16 and 17) fits the bill perfectly. Honestly, despite it being almost entirely comprised of Seattleites (Portland's excellent the Helio Sequence and Summer Cannibals also make an appearance), this year's Fisherman's Village's lineup offers more excitement than bigger summer fests like Timber! or even Capitol Hill Block Party. It's loaded with Seattle Met favorites including Deep Sea Diver, Lemolo, S, Cataldo, My Goodness, Porter Ray, Brothers From Another, and Prom Queen. And that's not even including groups that have recently released intriguing new records like Murder Vibes, Led to Sea, Wind Burial, and many, many more. With its sheer depth and variety of quality artists and the relatively cheap ticket price, Fisherman's Village offers the best value of the summer music festival season.