If the booking has a theme, it’s "big names from lots of genres."
Diverse heavyweights include Swedish pop star Robyn, Idaho indie rock icons Built to Spill and pioneering rap crew Freestyle Fellowship, from Los Angeles — touring with its original lineup for the first time in 10 years.
Also big: American country/rock singer-songwriters Shelby Lynne and Ryan Adams, and Canadian electronic duo Crystal Castles.
The fest’s lesser-known Seattle acts are also strong, representing the top tier of several local momentums: twee pop (Seapony, Witch Gardens), hip-hop and soul (Don’t Talk to the Cops, Metal Chocolates, Allen Stone) and chillwave, the trance-y genre currently taking over America’s dorm rooms (USF, Big Spider’s Back).
City Arts Fest is more than music — the programming involving movies, readings, dancing and visual art. But it’s mostly music. And most of it happens in clubs and established venues, like Chop Suey, Neumos, the Crocodile and the Showbox.
One curveball is the Pacific Science Center Laser Dome, an underutilized space for music — and a cool venue to see Oregon electronic/indie rock band Helio Sequence.
Check the full lineup and schedule at cityartsfest.com/schedule.
-associated press-