Every year, PDX Pop Now! sets out upon Portland to bring us a three-day love fest of local artists.
This year, wielding two stages at Rotture in Southeast Portland (formerly Meow Meow, formerly Loveland, formerly about a hundred other things), 48 local artists will perform to delight and entice anyone within a hundred mile radius who’s even marginally interested in pop music.
The festival begins this Friday, July 25 at 6 p.m., but will open at noon on Saturday, July 26 and Sunday, July 27. From Love Menu kicking things off on Friday to New Bloods bringing things to a close two days later, the festival’s lineup should provide an eclectic enough mix to keep even the most stringent genre obsessives singing its praises.
The Portland community has the opportunity to give their insights as to whom they would like to see and hear at the PDX Pop Now! festival. Online, Portlandites can request a specific group or artist they’d like to see perform at the showcase. This year, the festival board received over 22,000 requests, which they had to whittle down to the current 48-artist lineup.
If there is one theme that unites the PDX Pop Now! ethos, it is the non-profit inclusiveness that has kept all of the festival’s events all-ages and free of charge. All are invited to attend every one of PDX Pop Now!’s volunteer-run events.
The bands get in on the free train as well, providing their talents by offering tracks for inclusion in the PDX Pop Now! CD compilation, which is released each year in conjunction with the festival.
The compilation is a double disc exhibition of local music and can be found for $8 at any number of local record stores or online at cdbaby.com. The money raised by the compilation goes straight to supporting the festival.
Having hosted their inaugural outing in 2004, this will be the fifth festival the PDX Pop Now! organizers have put on. Though it started out as a relatively obscure celebration of Portland music, the festival has grown into a driving force behind Portland’s music community.
At the heart of PDX Pop Now! are its board members, mainly comprised of the festival’s original volunteers. Though over the years, as others have dedicated themselves to the mission of the group, they have also been voted onto the steering committee behind Portland’s most successful celebration of its wealth of musical talent.
Branching outside the festival, PDX Pop Now! has also entered Portland middle and high schools, bringing artists in to host music workshops with students. They have also become heavily involved with inducing recent changes to Oregon’s minor postings regulations, working with the OLCC to help allow underage music fans to experience performances in traditionally 21-and-over venues.
If you’ve ever enjoyed the artistic community in this city (and who hasn’t?) then you owe at least some degree of thanks to the people at PDX Pop Now! Come out this weekend to tell them in person and help celebrate the significant fruits of their labors.
Five bands to catch at this year’s PDX Pop Now!
Swim Swam Swum Saturday 1:20 p.m. to 1:50 p.m., Outside stageFun times are what this band is all about. Their sound is guitar driven and backed by some mean drums. It’s hard to find bands who stick to well-trodden musical territory without inducing screaming boredom in their fans, but Swim Swam Swum manage to turn Built-to-Spill-style indie rock into a fresh and exciting experience every time they play. This band won’t disappoint.
ReporterSaturday 7:35 p.m. to 8:05 p.m., Inside stageRanging from calm pop to guitar-riffed crunch, this trio packs enough grungy serrations to keep their myriad hooks teetering on a dangerous edge.
StarfuckerSaturday 12:25 a.m. to 12:55 a.m., Inside stageStarfucker has recently been referred to as “the next MGMT” and attending even one of their irrepressibly ecstatic performances will show you that they have the potential to reach easily beyond even those impressive heights. One of the best bands in the Northwest and easily one of Portland’s finest live acts, catch them before they achieve their inevitable breakout status.
Experimental Dental SchoolSunday 4:50 p.m. to 5:20 p.m., Outside stagePsychedelic groove, guitar crunch or synth wail, however you want to put it, this band’s a trip. Good show for fans of Devo/cryptic band names/general oddity.
Pure Country GoldSunday 8:20 p.m. to 8:50 p.m., Outside stageTheir MySpace page says, “We probably hate your country band.” They have a nice pure country sound mixed in with some good old-fashioned rock. Catch their show to shake, rattle and roll as they teach you how to do country right.
PDX Pop Now! Friday, July 25 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. July 26-27 Noon to 1 a.m.Rotture315 S.E. Third Ave.Free