Pickathon!
Now that the lineup for Pickathon—Oregon’s darling music festival—has been announced, it’s time to deep-dive into the eclectic group of artists who will be playing stages and barns in the wooden thickets of the Pendarvis Farm outside of Portland.
Perhaps the biggest surprise in this year’s lineup is the return of new-grass outfit Nickel Creek. After a nearly eight year hiatus, Chris Thile, along with brother/sister combo Sean and Sara Watkins have released the joyously apocalyptic song “21st of May” ahead of their new album set for a release later this year.
Joining Nickel Creek this year are other bluegrass acts like Robbie Fulks, and the Celtic-inspired Old Buck. But they have plenty of company a far cry from anything rustic.
Legendary Los Angeles punk rockers X will be showing up as will Parquet Courts. Old school R&B makes an appearance with 60’s singer Bobby Patterson and smooth lo-fi indie band Unknown Mortal Orchestra will blanket listeners like a slow moving psychedelic fog.
And since it wasn't on Spotify, don’t pass up music on Bandcamp from Texas singer Shakey Graves. Tunes from this “anti-folk phenomenon”—as NPR described him—are ghostly old-timey acoustic pieces steeped in weary emotions.
