Pickathon- A Musician's Festival
Words Cole Young
Photos by Gladys McCrady
Pickathon is the best music festival I’ve ever been to. There is a lot to rave about, whether it’s the amazing aesthetic of the stages and festival grounds, the zero waste efforts, the delicious food options or the fact that the whole campsite is in the woods. But the biggest thing for me is that year after year, the most important thing to the organizers and attendees is the music. It’s not about partying, posting a hip instagram post or any of the many side shows that so many festivals throw in these days; it’s about watching, listening to and experiencing great music. I’ve been saying this for years, it’s a musicians festival.
Pickathon doesn’t aim to get the most popular line up every year. In fact, they manage to always stay ahead of the curve, bringing us tons bands that are either just starting to get some major attention in the underground music scene or are just about too. It doesn’t matter whether they’re from Portland, which is just 20 minutes down the road, or from countries around the world, they seek only one thing, great bands/musicians. They’re also concerned about the crowd getting to experience all these bands that every group plays two shows on two different days so if there’s a conflict in the schedule you have a second chance to see any band you may have missed the first time round.
Almost every show I saw this year was amazing but of course there are a few standouts. First and foremost - a band I had until recently refused to listen to mostly because of an interview I read that didn’t make a good impression on me- Viagra Boys. They played in The Galaxy Barn, one of two indoor venues at Pickathon, which really helps contain the energy of certain shows, and man was there energy at this one. The band was as tight as could be, slamming their intense hard rock sounds into all of our souls while Sebastian Murphy, the lead singer, crushed beer after beer, dancing around with the most animalistic, raw energy I may have ever seen on stage. The show was absolutely hectic in the best way possible.
Bodega was another top show, so much so I saw both of their sets. Everything from the way they moved to their art-rock tunes, which was clearly more thought out than the wild movements of Murphy, yet still just as mesmerizing, to the types of chords and riffs they played, to the fact that they’re drummer stands, well, jumps and vibes the whole show to the contrast between the male and female lead vocalists was incredible to watch and listen to. The songs they write can be very technical while also coming across simple on the surface.
The festival touches on many genres, not just the hard and art rock aforementioned. From soulful looper and singer Sudan Archives, to the folk-esque harmonies of Mountain Man to the beautiful power pop of Lucius, you can really fill your weekend with various moods and emotions. The crowd is just as mixed as the musical choices. You’ll see families with young children, groups of teenagers, young adults and seniors all coming together with mutual respect for each other and the festival.
Another one of the cool things about this festival is that the artists are so intact with the festival and crowd. So much so that without even mentioning my media pass I was invited to hang out with Bodega after their second set just from going up and talking to them after the show while they packed up their gear. We hung out backstage, talked about the festival, tour and veganism then caught Julia Jacklin’s set on the Starlight Stage. They’re very down to earth friendly people who off the stage were just interested in experiencing Pickathon. It is after all, a musician’s festival.
