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!

Take Me Back to Indian Summer

For the fourth year in a row we’re excited to announce our sponsorship of Portland, Oregon’s MusicFest Northwest (aka MFNW). From September 8-12th this beloved indie music festival will showcase more than 170 international and regional performing artists at a combined 21 venues around the greater Portland area. Between the city’s food, friends, fresh air and legendary music & arts community, MFNW offers the most laid back lurk of any music festival on the west coast. Really, it just feels so nice to be there.

At the Bagdad Theater on Friday, September 10th, Incase & MFNW will present the new concert documentary Burning by Scottish post-rock giants Mogwai. If you’re at all wondering what this means, we can spell it out in three words: serious rock action. If an instrumental band ever deserved having a full-length concert film made about their live show it would be Mogwai. Bring ear plugs and a quadruple espresso. Doors at 7PM, tickets are $5 clams. For a chance to win film tickets and VIP passes to the festival check: @MUSICFESTNW

We’ll also be at Pioneer Square on September 11-12th for two nights of outdoor concerts with festival headliners The National, The Walkmen, Helio Sequence and The Decemberists. Join us as we gift a zillion Incase Snap Cases and get deeply weird enjoying the city’s Indian summer. Check the recap of MFNW 2009. Really, it’s worth it!

The Past, Present & Future of Independent Music

MusicFest Northwest (a/k/a MFNW) is one of those regional music festivals that just sort of sneaks up and blows your mind. Sure, you could miss it and think to yourself, “No biggie.” But you’d be wrong. Yes, you could pass it by in favor of some mega-fest somewhere. But that’d just be unwise. While the faithful horde busily attended, recapped, lauded and/or guffawed their way through several of spring and summer 09’s biggest events, MFNW 2009 quietly shaped itself into one of the best booked independent music festivals of the season. For the third year in a row, (and for almost a week straight!), promoter Trevor Solomon and the Willamette Week newspaper hosted 25,000 attendees and more than 100 national and local performing artists around the greater Portland area. Logistically, my friends, this was no small fete.

On any given night at any one of the fest’s 18 participating venues, you could see artists like Om, Eluvium, Chairlift, Bad Brains, Avi Buffalo, Brother Reade, Modest Mouse, Dirty Three, Beach House, Explosions In The Sky, Love As Laughter, as well as the recently reunited Sunny Day Real Estate and the mighty Team Dresch… to name but a few…. As a principle sponsor of MFNW 2009, Incase hand-delivered product requests to participating festival artists and MFNW community participants (Hi Fasil!). As well, we sponsored the stage at The Holocene and community radio station KEXP’s remote broadcasts from the stage at The Doug Fir.

From the city’s coffee shops to its dedicated bike lanes to its positive neighborhood vibes to its great food and vital independent music scene, Portland always feels like a home away from home.Trevor, thanks again for putting on yet another great music festival. You and everyone involved with MusicFest NW should be proud. See you again next year. Enjoy the photos!

Grunge Days Revisited

For the second year in a row Incase is sponsoring Portland, Oregon’s MusicFest NW.

That Trevor Solomon puts on one helluva festival. Though I can’t quite recall the exact figure, he’s booked somewhere in the realm of 200 bands to perform at roughly 18 venues around the Rose City.

Last year’s standouts included sets by Awesome Color, TV On The Radio, Red Fang, Love As Laughter, and the reunited Polvo. This year? God only knows.

But this much we do know, the Bad Brains will be strappin’ it back on, which is more than enough reason to go. As well, you can see Dillinger Four, Frightened Rabbit, Frank Black, Avi Buffalo, Brother Reade, Crom (holy crap!), Eluvium, Om, Team Dresch (wow!), and dozens more.

We hope to see you there.

MusicFest NW
Sept. 16-20th, 2009
Portland, OR