Get ready for Bumbershoot 2008!

More than 150,000 revelers are expected to flock to Seattle Center this Labor Day Weekend for the granddaddy of Northwest music and arts festivals. And dozens of pop stars, street performers, poets, authors, comedians, poster artists and other creative types will keep the masses entertained – everyone from rapper T.I. to comedian Janeane Garofalo this year.

But it can be a mind-boggling task prioritizing which bands and events to catch. (Especially when they’ve got Beck and M. Ward going on at the same time. Raaargh!) So we thought we’d offer a few picks to help you sort things out.

FIVE BIG DEALS ON THE MAIN STAGE

Neko Case (1 p.m. Saturday): Many of you caught Case at the Gorge’s Sasquatch festival last spring with her punchy power-pop band, New Pornographers. Now you can catch her immortalize her old Tacoma stamping grounds in haunting country ballads like “Thrice All American” and “South Tacoma Way.”

Band of Horses (7:30 p.m. Saturday): This band formed in Seattle out of the ashes of Carissa’s Weird four years ago and became one of Sub Pop’s most popular acts with a lush, alt-country sound that recalls My Morning Jacket and the Flaming Lips. Guess we can forgive them for moving to the East Coast.

Beck (9:15 p.m. Saturday): This year, the Beckster teamed up with super-producer Dangermouse for an aesthetic that blends their love of ’60s psych-pop and hip-hop production on “Modern Guilt.” But what weird gimmick has he concocted for the live show this time around? How will he top those puppet clones from the last tour?

Stone Temple Pilots (9:15 p.m. Sunday): Scott Weiland parted ways with super-group Velvet Revolver earlier this year and quickly reunited with the group that made him a household name in the first place. But will STP be in top form? Or will behind the scenes personal problems and “erratic on-stage behavior” that his Revolver band mates cited for firing him crash the Pilots as well?

Death Cab for Cutie (9:15 p.m. Monday): “Narrow Stairs” is one of the year’s best alt-rock albums. And these boys just keep getting better and better live, as you may have noticed during performances in Bremerton, Seattle and at the Gorge this year.

FIVE UNDER-THE-RADAR ACTS TO CONSIDER

Saul Williams (7:30 p.m. Saturday, Fisher Green): This talented triple threat is the cult star of slam poetry, film and now genre-blurring pop music. His band will play tracks from his Trent Reznor-produced album, “The Rise and Inevitable Liberation of Niggy Tardust.” Then you can catch him doing his spoken-word thing at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Bagley Wright Theatre.

!!! (9:15 p.m. Saturday, Fisher Green): This Sacramento band delivers angular dance grooves in the vein of the Rapture, with little hints of Gang of Four. It’s pronounced “chk-chk-chk,” by the way.

John Vanderslice (6 p.m. Monday, Broad Street lawn): This Barsuk Records singer-songwriter is fueled by edgy arrangements and touching lyrical vignettes. If you liked Andrew Bird last year, you’ll likely dig him and …

M. Ward (9:30 p.m. Saturday, Broad Street lawn): This year Ward has been getting more mainstream attention with actress Zooey Deschanel, the other half of She & Him. But all by his lonesome, this Portland-based singer-songwriter also delivers sweeping, roots rock that will tug at your heartstrings.

J Boogie’s Dubtronic Science (5 p.m. Monday, Northwest Court): This Bay Area DJ and producer has collaborated with the likes of Talib Kweli, Zion I and Goapele. And he’ll lay down a sound that draws from hip-hop, dub and acid jazz traditions with the live band Dubtronic Science.

FIVE HOMEGROWN ACTS TO SUPPORT

New Faces (12:15 p.m. Saturday, EMP): These three kids from Port Townsend – who won Experience Music Project’s Sound Off! Competition for young bands – will get the party started at EMP’s SkyChurch.

Vicci Martinez (1:15 p.m. Saturday, Mural Amphitheatre): We didn’t need those appearances on “Star Search” five years ago to tell us Martinez was a superstar. She may be just 23, but this Tacoma singer-songwriter delivers with the poise and showmanship of a seasoned veteran.

The Girls (2 p.m. Saturday, EMP): I first caught these guys (there are no actual girls in the band) at Seattle’s Comet Tavern after this year’s Capitol Hill Block Party, and they were a blast. Their hook-filled punk sound has been compared to the Detroit Cobras.

Mono in VCF (6:30 p.m. Saturday, EMP): After bringing singer Kim Miller into the fold, this Tacoma outfit has shifted from Smiths/Joy Division-style post-punk to lush, cinematic pop.

Vince Mira (noon Monday, Mural Amphitheatre): Sanjaya ain’t the only famous kid from Federal Way. Mira has taken his spot-on Johnny Cash tribute all the way to “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

Ernest A. Jasmin: 253-274-7389 What: Bumbershoot, featuring Death Cab for Cutie, Beck, Stone Temple Pilots and more

When: Saturday through Monday

Where: Seattle Center

Tickets: $40 per day, $100 for a three-day pass for adults

Information: Find a full schedule of performers and information on ticket packages online at www.bumbershoot.org.