we own the summer
Music festivals in Oregon and beyond
Long, five-car-caravan convoys, open air, live
music, face paint, dehydration, hordes of howling
drunks with beers in hand and marijuana smoke
rising in plumes above their heads: These are
the tropes of summer for those who love music
festivals, and there’s no shortage when it comes to
these monstrous gatherings.
In Oregon alone, there are quite a few festivals
worth checking out this summer: Among them,
MusicfestNW — which certainly holds the most
urban setting, taking place at various locations
around Portland — has a pretty killer lineup
this year, ranging from Dinosaur Jr. to Beirut to
Yelawolf, and there’s an assload of smaller acts
waiting to be discovered as well. If you’re not
looking to travel too far, this is a great option,
although it’s no overnighter — be warned, you’re
not going to find a campground full of wasted
people to frolic with suddenly popping up in
downtown Portland.
Pickathon is the most unique of the Oregon
festivals that you can hit, considering its beautiful
setting, great lineup and reputation for incredible
fun. Pendarvis Farm is a gigantic and idyllic rural
location in the midst of lush greenery, and the
folks behind the scenes display a deft idiosyncrasy
in the lineup they choose each year — apparently
based entirely upon musical prowess rather than
name recognition. This not only makes for a
largely unknown lineup of damn good new music
waiting to be checked out, but it means that the big
names making it out there are to be revered and
savored. This year you can catch Blitzen Trapper,
Neko Case and Dr. Dog, to name a few.
Unfortunately, EMRG+N+SEE, which is
normally an absolving (albeit underground as shit)
highlight of the Oregon festival circuit, will not be
happening this year. Sorry folks. This stands as a
reminder that it’s very important to support music
as well as the people who allow us to watch it live,
no matter how underground — because if not, it all
hits the endangered list sooner or later.
Sitting across our border like a noisy neighbor,
California sits puffing out its chest and yelling
“check out how big my balls are.” It’s no secret
that our pals to the south know how to party — we
can all thank 2Pac, who incidentally made an
“appearance” at this year’s Coachella festival, for
that knowledge — and they have some awesome
music festivals: Outside Lands, Earthdance,
et al., but importantly, the Rock the Bells hip-
hop festival has, as always, some of the most
ridiculous artists on its lineup this year, including
Deltron 3030, Ice Cube and Bone Thugs-N-
Harmony.
The Earthdance Global Festival for Peace is
also well worth attending: Set in sunny Vallejo,
Calif., this three-day September festival is held
simultaneously all over the world, and serves as
a linking prayer for peace — a message that most
should have no qualms getting behind. While
exact details on this year’s festival are still TBA,
Earthdance is one you should keep an eye on.
So yeah, grab your camping shit, prepare the
hot dogs and crack open the Hamm’s, go clear out
a big ol’ chunk of your summer schedule and start
planning. You definitely won’t regret it. — Andy
Valentine
For more information about summer music festivals, hit up Google
like a boss.
Deltron 3030
Neko Case
ROCK THE BELLS
PICKATHON
24 JUNE 7, 2012
EUGENE WEEKLY
P HOT O B Y T ODD C OOP E R
Yelawolf
MUSICFESTNW
WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM