How To Have a Good Time in Portland

Portland’s MusicFest Northwest has now come and gone. Did we sleep? Nope. Are we tired? Yes indeed, we are oh so tired. Did we eat a lot of great food and guzzle a few gallons of Stumptown coffee? Definitely. Did we walk around searching for obscure and ridiculous records, battered guitars, and weird old tube-driven audio equipment? Constantly. Did we have breakfast with the legendary Aaron Draplin? Man, we sure did. Did we see a lot of great shows? Yes! Including sets by Past Lives, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Big Freedia, Red Fang, David Bazan, Abe Vigoda, Thee Oh Sees, The Gories, Cave Singers, Akron/Family, Menomena, The Dodos, The Walkmen, The National, NoMeansNo, and the reunited Sleep (performing Holy Mountain). And that’s just the short list.

To be honest, we’re always a bit taken aback by just how surprising and lovely MFNW can be. Year after year, thanks to the ceaseless efforts of Trevor Solomon and Dan Winters, MFNW is consistently one of the best booked independent music festivals in the US. Two dudes just makin’ it happen. Bonkers.

In years past, MFNW has exclusively been an indoor festival playing host to hundreds of performers scattered throughout the city’s 40 odd bars, community centers, and all-ages clubs. This year, however, with a little help from Incase and Levis, Trevor and Dan produced the festival’s first ever outdoor event at Pioneer Square in downtown Portland. Over the course of two days we gifted 3,700 iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 to a combined two-day audience of 8,000 patrons. Were people pumped? Oui. So much happy.

If you love food, fresh air, and live music, Portland, Oregon just might be your bag. It certainly is ours. Trevor and Dan, thanks again for all your hard work and friendship. We’ll see you again next year. Enjoy the photos!