Believe it or not, I decided to do Bumbershoot and Musicfest Northwest back-to-back for the second year in a row. This year’s lineup is full of amazing Portlanders, spectacular Seattleites, and some fantastic foreigners (pardon the alliteration; I couldn’t help myself).
If you don’t know much about Musicfest Northwest, you aren’t alone. The Willamette Weekly-sponsored festival takes place within the city at all the venues throughout North, South, East, and West Portland. The setup is similar to South by Southwest, but not quite as big. This year’s festival takes place starting today, September 7, to Sunday, September 11.
Here I’ve compiled my complete list of bands you should definitely not miss (or at least try and see).
Wednesday (TODAY):
9:00: Eleanor Friedberger at the Crystal Ballroom. Separated from the Fiery Furnaces, Friedberger’s debut album did not disappoint. Here’s hoping her live show doesn’t either.
10:00: The Kills at the Crystal Ballroom. I barely got to see any of their set at Bumbershoot, so I’ve giving it a second go.
11:00: The Corin Tucker Band at Mississippi Studios. The last time I heard about the Corin Tucker Band was when Eddie Vedder showed up to the Showbox in Seattle and jammed on stage. Heck, who knows? It might happen again.
Thursday:
6:00: The Joy Formidable at the Wonder Ballroom. The last album garnered a huge radio hit with “Whirring,” and I’m waiting anxiously to see if it lives up to the hype live. It is a really catchy song, so I’m sure I’ll enjoy myself.
7:30: Brand New at the Wonder Ballroom. I’ve been waiting to see this band for so long, and I finally get my wish. It’s an odd venue for them, but I don’t care where I see them.
9:00: Brainstorm at the Doug Fir. One of the few bands I don’t know much about at this year’s festival, I’m intrigued by everything I read about them. From the Musicfest Northwest website: “Crushing riffs, explosive percussion, old world chanting, casio disco, and jaunty tuba lines make Brainstorm one of the most exhilarating and unique bands around.” Heck yes!
10:00: Unknown Mortal Orchestra at the Hawthorne Theater. Again, another band I know absolutely nothing about, but I might as well broaden my horizons while I’m in my favourite city. From the Musicfest Northwest website: “like Captain Beefheart, Sly Stone and RZA jamming on a creepy, never released kid’s show.”
11:00: Twin Sister at Holocene. I saw this band open for the Morning Benders last fall and they blew me away. Sexy subtle indie pop will be a good way to spend my Thursday night.
12 AM: EITHER Damian Jurado at Bunk Bar OR Phantogram at the Doug Fir. I can’t decide. After seeing Phantogram this weekend at Bumbershoot I want to see more and more of them, but I also really want to see one of Seattle’s finest – Damian Jurado. Who knows. Whichever venue I’m closest to will probably be the deciding factor.
Friday:
5:00: Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside at Pioneer Courthouse Square. I won’t be able to see this show, since I saw her, oh, two days ago, but I highly recommend her classic blues rock with a twang.
6:00: Marketa Irglova at Pioneer Courthouse Square. One half of the Swell Season, how could you not resist?
7:30: Iron and Wine at Pioneer Courthouse Square. If it was any later in the evening, I’d opt out of this one because Iron and Wine is so low-key, but this will be perfect for just around sunset. Purely beautiful.
8:00: Drew Grow and the Pastor’s Wives at Backspace. This band is amazing. After going through a rough beginning of the year, Drew Grow overcame a rather tragic bus accident to come back swinging. I’m pretty sure one of my next couple Fantastically Local features will be about Drew Grow and the Pastor’s Wives. Be sure of it.
9:00: EITHER The Globes at Backspace OR Pickwick at the Doug Fir OR the Music Tapes at the Someday Lounge. Again, I can’t decide. I love Julian Koster (i.e. the Music Tapes), and I love the Globes, and I have a newfound love for Pickwick. Seriously, you’re going to make me decide?
10:00: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis at the Roseland Theater. I probably won’t be able to make it out to this one because of my busy schedule, but if you like hip-hop (hell and even if you don’t) at least consider checking out Macklemore. He filled the Key Arena to capacity last weekend. That’s saying something.
11:00: Dan Mangan at Mississippi Studios OR Blitzen Trapper at the Crystal Ballroom. In my circle, Dan Mangan is known as Vancouver’s most adorable, but he has all the songwriting chops and charisma to back up his charming smile. And Blitzen Trapper’s new album Destroyer of the Void is so effing fantastic. How am I supposed to decide?
12 AM: GIVERS at the Doug Fir. No matter what I’m not missing this band. I will stand out in line for an hour beforehand if that’s what it takes. After seeing their set at Sasquatch back in May, I can’t get enough of them. And since they’re finally headliners, I can’t wait to see what’s to come of their deep south psychedelic pop.
Saturday:
5:00: Typhoon at Pioneer Courthouse Square. This band built up of an almost unnecessary number of members can really rock out. My first experience with them was at Sasquatch, and I’m excited to see the Portland natives again.
6:00: The Antlers at Pioneer Courthouse Square. This band is amazingly underrated. With an unassuming facade, The Antlers was one of the best bands I’ve seen at the last two festivals I’ve been to.
7:30: Explosions in the Sky at Pioneer Courthouse Square. I’m still not entirely sure how instrumental post-rock is going to go down in the Pioneer Courthouse Square, but EITS albums are some of the most interesting I’ve heard in recent years.
Also, this would be a good point for some Voodoo Doughnuts.
9:00: Kelli Schaefer at Bunk Bar. Kelli Schaefer not only is one of Portland’s newest shining stars, her latest album is truly splendid. She recorded it with label mate (and fellow festival act) Drew Grow, so I’m sure you’ll be anything by disappointed.
10:00: Avi Buffalo at the Crystal Ballroom. Seeing the Long Beach indie-pop band Avi Buffalo is a long time coming for me, and I’m not about to give it up.
11:00: Jared Mees and the Grown Children at Rontoms. Here’s another one of those bands that saying their almost takes longer than it does to fall in love with their music (see Drew Grow and the Pastor’s Wives). Plus, playing to a hometown crowd will be even sweeter.
12 AM: The Moondoggies at Bunk Bar. The Moondoggies are another band that is completely unassuming at first glance, but once you hear them, you forgot everything you thought to begin with. Their last album Tidelands took the full and beautiful harmonies and added several dynamics for a more well-rounded sound.
Sunday:
4:00-9:00: Bobby Bare Jr, Morning Teleportation, Cass McCombs Band, Band of Horses at Pioneer Courthouse Square. If you’ve got tickets to this, it’s really your only option for the day, so live it up!
