Why Pickathon is Pretty Much the Best Music Festival Ever (PREVIEW)

It’s easy to look at the lineups for festivals like Bonnaroo, Coachella, and Austin City Limits only to be disappointed by the sameness, not to mention the corporate presence. Going into its 21st year, Pickathon has long been considered the crème de la crème of indie music festivals. Between a deliberately eclectic lineup and an atmosphere that includes creative stage displays, delicious local food and drinks, and a true dedication to sustainability, Pickathon is perhaps the epitome of what a music festival should be. Musically, it’s a taste-making event, and most attendees go with the knowledge that they will discover their new favorite band (more on that below). It’s also worth noting one thing that makes the festival so unique is how every band plays at least two sets, meaning you can pretty much catch every act if you really want to. With that in mind, here’s why Pickathon, which takes place August 2-4 in Happy Valley, Oregon just outside Portland, is pretty much the best festival ever.

Music (duh!)

At first glance, the Pickathon lineup may be a bit befuddling, as most people probably won’t recognize half the acts on the bill. But this, my friend, is where the beauty lies. Pickathon is truly a festival of discovery, and you can trust that the team behind it will present you with plenty of surprises and soon-to-be-favorites. Hailing from Sweden, the Viagra Boys will challenge your idea of what punk rock can be with frenzied sax and spazzmatic guitars played with a relentlessly fast groove and the darkly humorous, deadpan vocal delivery of tattoo-covered frontman Sebastian Murphy. Modern outlaw country troubadour Tyler Childers will continue winning over fans with a set that promises to be filled with songs off his highly anticipated new album Country Squire, while New Zealand poppy rockers The Beths will share their smart and straightforward vocals courtesy of lead singer Elizabeth Stokes to complement pretty harmonies and the occasional dose of heavy guitar shredding. Mixing the funky grooves of acts like LCD Soundsystem and the Talking Heads with disco and Nigerian dance sounds, Ibibio Sound Machine promises to deliver some of the most energetic sets of the weekend, and then there is Lambchop, Kurt Wagner’s dreamy art-pop that will surely enhance many a psychedelic trip.

Of course, you can’t spell Pickathon without the pick, and there is always a strong presence of Americana and country music. San Antonio’s Garrett T Capps will bring his offbeat cosmic country sound, and Austin’s Mike and the Moonpies will have the crowd kicking up dust dancing two-step to their rowdy and gritty honky tonk. Courtney Marie Andrews will surely slow things down for with her honeyed, soulful vocals meets Laurel Canyon folk that will leave the “good people” of Pickathon smitten. While not country music, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band will bring a taste of New Orleans with music that marries the Latin influences with the jazz influences of the Crescent City into one big party.

As always with Pickathon, there will be sets that surprise and leave the crowd in awe. Predictions for this year include a tribute to the late Portland artist and producer Richard Swift with his Hex Band featuring Jonathan Rado with Eric Slick, Pure Bathing Culture, and many special guests. Miya Folick will also put forth a funky good time with a style of exuberant pop music that seems like a cross between St. Vincent and the Tom Tom Club, dishing out delightful ear morsels of catchy and danceable goodness. Coming all the way from the Congo is Jupiter and Okwess, who play frenetic music that carries influences of Afrobeat, Malian desert guitar, and Congolese rumba style blended with a funky 70s groove sound. Really though, Pickathon is a choose-your-own-adventure of musical discovery, and even if you aren’t familiar with acts on the lineup you will have the time of your life just wandering from stage to stage. Remember that you have two chances to see every band, which basically means you can see every act on the bill!

Curation

Curation is the name of the game with Pickathon, a festival where experience is valued from the top down. While you can see evidence of this on every inch of the festival grounds and stages, it is perhaps best manifested in the Curation Chef + Artist series. Bringing together renowned chefs from Portland’s vibrant food scene and an array of bands, 80 lucky attendees are treated to a multi-course meal and a private performance. Some of this year’s highlights include chef John Gorham of Portland’s Toro Bravo and other establishments paired with an intimate performance from Mississippi bluesman Cedric Burnside, and Bonnie Morales of the award-winning Russian restaurant Kachka paired with Mandolin Orange. These are just some of the meals, which will also include special happy hours and brunch. If it’s possible to create a destination event within a destination event, this is it. Tickets are going fast for the Curation series, so make sure to grab them before they sell out.

Food

Most festivals have come a long way from the days of low quality Chinese food and greasy gyros as the best food options – although this writer has been known to happily devour the shit out of both of those – but Pickathon is pretty much unrivaled in terms of festy culinary offerings. Each year attendees get to choose from an array of delicious foods from some of the top restaurants and food trucks in the Portland area. You have your pick to munch on fried chicken biscuit sandwiches from Pine State, smoked brisket tacos from Podnah’s Pit, noodle bowls from Boke Bowl, and those famous wings from Pok Pok to name a few. There are also vegan options everywhere, not to mention delectable desserts (can you say pie?) and even primo coffee drinks from Riff Cold Brewed and Sisters Coffee. The best part is that the food vendors don’t raise prices just to gouge the festival crowd, so you can eat well and avoid getting ripped off!

Camping

In terms of festival camping, Pickathon has some of the very best. But there is a catch: getting in early is practically a necessity if you want to find a good spot. Those that are able to set up camp on Thursday afternoon are generally rewarded with camp sites that are shady and close to all of the stages. The woods that surround you are lush and green, making for a serene environment to complement the already bucolic vibe of the festival grounds. If you can’t make it in right when the gates up you will still be able to find a good spot, but you may have to lug your gear a little bit farther into the forest. Plus, if all else fails and camping just isn’t your thing, you are close enough to Portland that taking a Lyft, driving, or even biking are all completely reasonable options.

Vibes

Maybe it has something to do with the perfection of Portland summers, or the fact that the crowd is capped at around 5,000. Whatever it may be, the festival’s devotion to sustainability, not to mention plenty of quality food vendors, and weather that is usually perfect, makes Pickathon a quintessential festival experience. There are no sponsor banners adorning the stages and the beer and food are all local. If there is a common theme throughout the festival every year it’s happiness. The bands are happy and therefore play top notch sets, attendees are happy, food vendors are happy, volunteers are happy. Hell, even the stage crew and sound guys are mostly in good spirits! This happens when you have a coalescence of an all around great lineup, high-end production, festival grounds that are physically comfortable and environmentally welcoming, and people who are genuinely there to see music. The latter of these is increasingly a rarity in a world where it’s more about capturing the moment on your phone than savoring it. So you maybe it’s time you savor Pickathon!

Pickathon takes place August 2-4 on Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, OR. For tickets and more info visit pickathon.com.

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2 Responses

  1. I made the trip from the east coast in 2017 and I’ve been trying to get back to Pendarvis ever since. Particularly sad to be missing this year’s unbelievable line-up.

    I did just get back from Newport Folk Fest which is right up there with Pickathon and I’ll say this; don’t miss Jupiter and Okwess. Bonny Light Horseman was also delightful.

    Where Newport has Pickathon beat is the collaborative spirit and the unannounced guests. They’re different beasts though, no sense in comparing them.

  2. I made the trip from the east coast in 2017 and I’ve been trying to get back to Pendarvis ever since. Particularly sad to be missing this year’s unbelievable line-up.

    I did just get back from Newport Folk Fest which is right up there with Pickathon and I’ll say this; don’t miss Jupiter and Okwess. Bonny Light Horseman was also delightful.

    Where Newport has Pickathon beat is the collaborative spirit and the unannounced guests. They’re different beasts though, no sense in comparing them.

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