Pickathon announces new additions to an already stacked lineup, bringing a true American musical legend Phil Lesh, into the fold. Lesh will be performing two days at Pickathon as Phil Lesh & The Terrapin Family Band. Also announced is a very special set from The Richard Swift Hex Band, featuring an all-star list of collaborators backed by a dream band led by Foxygen’s Jonathan Rado, Dr. Dog’s Eric Slick, and members of Pure Bathing Culture, in addition to many special guests.
Aside from this year’s headliners, like Phil Lesh & The Terrapin Family Band, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Khruangbin, Mandolin Orange, and Tyler Childers, Pickathon operates also as a discovery engine. Festival director Zale Schoenborn and Pickathon co-producer Terry Groves know full well that many of the bands booked at the festival have only a small draw in the surrounding area of Portland, Oregon, but Pickathon’s predicated on the need for new inspiration, new sounds, and new ideas in music and culture. Each year, Pickathon reaches out to a wide collection of tastemakers in many genres, asking each to recommend the bands that they feel are the most innovative and most contemporary. This philosophy of booking has proven itself time and again, first with bringing on artists early in their career right before they break (like Sturgill Simpson, Margo Price, Shakey Graves, Lake Street Dive, The Avett Brothers, The War & Treaty, Kevin Morby, Future Islands, Leon Bridges, Daniel Norgren, DakhaBrakha, Billy Strings, and Courtney Barnett), and then with the inspiration shared between like-minded artists across genres. It’s commonplace to see artists wandering backstage between sets, soaking up new ideas from new bands that they’re also discovering, and pushing their booking agents to come back to Pickathon as much as possible, looking for this inspiration.
Pickathon’s new lineup additions present a far-reaching swatch of genres and new names. Afrofuturist jazz composer Makaya McCraven joins a strong legacy of forward-thinking jazz at Pickathon that’s included Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, Lonnie Holley, and Black Milk. Spaced out British afro-funk unit Ibibio Sound Machine and flaming hot Turkish psych band Altin Gün showcase Pickathon’s commitment to sourcing new sounds from around the world. Canadian artist Dan Mangan is known for twisting indie rock expectations and V**gra Boys bring a whole new take on gritty garage rock from their Swedish home. Young Appalachian singers Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno continue Pickathon’s deep love for the songs of the mountains, while Vancouver, B.C. shoegaze folk artist Ora Cogan and Portland’s surrealist synth-pop outfit Reptaliens and Soundcloud rapper Karma Rivera keep the festival’s roots in the Pacific Northwest strong. Austin’s hippy country troubadours The Tender Things round out the new additions, and Pickathon’s proud to announce that the famed square dance will be back again. Watching hundreds of dancers kick up a cloud of dust to old stringband tunes is a little-known highlight from the festival.
Pickathon’s 2019 lineup smashes genre expectations, and drives an engine of discovery that has historically broken future headliners well before the rest of the nation discovers them. Case in point, roots duo Mandolin Orange have been coming to Pickathon for years, and this year marks their first as a festival headliner following a powerfully compelling new album dropping this year. Similarly, Sturgill Simpson discovery Tyler Childers headlines alongside as well, a full circle moment for Sturgill himself, who performed at Pickathon way back in 2011, well before he became the biggest name in Americana and country. For artists and fans in the know, Pickathon is the festival you attend to drink from the well of discovery, to find a new artist, a new band, and a new inspiration.
