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Arts & Entertainment, Music

MusicFest NW 2014 Preview

I love to visit Portland because Portland is different (don’t use the word weird). MusicFest NW was (keyword: was) unconventionally…Portland. Fourteen years was a good run, but MFNW has now condensed itself into a two-day, waterfront festival like the rest of ’em. No – this isn’t the Bro/Blues Festival, but it sure sounds like it. Locals aren’t all that stoked, and can you blame them?

…Personally I’m stoked I get to drink in one location without feeling guilty for that third whiskey soda I just had (which in turn leads to missing many, many good bands), but I understand. What made MusicFest NW so great is the unlisted shows, after hours parties and booze-sponsored events that only the real locals knew about. And maybe your friend who worked at the Doug Fir could skip you past the line.

Alas, the show must go on. And while there is some Block Party overlap (Spoon, EMA, Wild Ones, Shy Girls), it’s still a worthwhile trip for Seattleites. Here’s why —

There are two stages (Moda Stage at Morrison and Hawthorne Stage) this year, and no two bands play at the same time. Rejoice!

Remember when I deemed the sisters of HAIM as Biggest Disappointment this year at Sasquatch? Well now they have a chance to redeem themselves. There’s no doubt these girls can rip, and Este’s bassface is one of the most entertaining things you’ll ever see.

Future Islands has been selling out shows left and right. I heard that their Doug Fir and Neumos’ shows were incredible, so with a 10,000-person daily capacity venue you are at least guaranteed a spot.

Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter of Phantogram are as beautiful as they are talented. Go just to see what Sarah’s wearing – girl always brings it. My prediction? A midriff baring tank and high waisted black denim.

I saw Brooklyn’s The Antlers a few weeks ago at a sold-out Neumos. It was so damn hot inside I felt like I was going to pass out, and I still stayed for the entire hour and half plus long set. It’s Rhye-ish, Deerhunter-esque, but better. Shimmering horns, floating atmospheric melodies…you get the idea.

Shy Girls just released a new song titled “All for Show” produced my Jawgwar Ma’s Jono Ma. He also played some new tracks at CHBP that (at least for me) took him way beyond the R&B category and into something sultry and ridiculously sexy/unexpected. Stop comparing him to How To Dress Well because Dan Vidmar is somethin’ else.

I think I’m the only person alive who hasn’t seen Girl Talk perform. Even my friends who hate “that type of music” say he puts on a great show.

So while the multi-venue MusicFest NW may be a thing of the past, there’s no doubt that Portland will still bring the personality. (Spoiler alert: even when the bros from Branx somehow end up next to you during Wild Ones, there’s 99.99999% chance you’re still going to have a good time.)

There will still be night shows, great food carts and after parties. Just less drunk, bridge/venue hopping – which everyone should be grateful for.

This cynical Oregonian is going, so you should too.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

Musicfest NW, Now Available in Convenient Recap Form

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Dan Vidmar
Danielle Sullivan
PDX

Katie Stelmanis of Austra performing for KEXP (Photo: Kelsey Kaufman)

John Vanderslice at the Doug Fir (Photo: Kelsey Kaufman)

Dan Vidmar of Shy Girls for the Red Bull Sound Select showcase at Mississippi Studios (Photo: Kelsey Kaufman)

Danielle Sullivan of Wild Ones at Bunk Bar (Photo: Kelsey Kaufman)

Only in Portland. (Photo: Kelsey Kaufman)

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As a born-and-raised Oregonian living in Seattle for the past year, I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for Portland. Most of my friends live there, and most probably won’t ever leave there. But who could blame ’em? Portland is a utopia, rich with good-looking people, excellent coffee, and drool-worthy food. It’s Seattle without the “freeze.”

A mere three days after Bumbershoot, I drove down to Portland for Musicfest NW. The festival started on a Tuesday, but the recovery period post-Bumbershoot is at minimum of 48 hours. So here’s what I learned:

What to do:

  • VIP, baby. The lines are ridiculously long at nearly every venue. A press pass won’t do you any good, either, so be prepared to wait. Get there at least 45 minutes early.
  • The best shows aren’t on the MFNW “official” schedule.  Marmoset put on a killer Hott Summer Nights Party on Thursday with Radiation City, Surfer Blood, Shy Girls, and more. They also had Salt & Straw ice cream and an open bar – so it was impossible to have a bad time. Bunk Bar’s CD Baby Day Party on Saturday afternoon with Aan and Wild Ones was also a hit. Then there was a Blouse “secret” show in a warehouse somewhere that same night.
  • See Portland bands. There’s so much good music coming out of PDX lately. MFNW is the perfect opportunity to mainline it directly into your system. Indulge guilt-free.

What not to do:

  • Get stuck on the Westside. You could see Charles Bradley at the Crystal Ballroom or Animal Collective in Pioneer Courthouse Square, but do you really want to be downtown? The best venues are on the Eastside, anyways. If you can handle missing some of the headliners, you’ll save yourself the massive headache of parking and dodging tourists with those pink donut boxes.
  • Drive. Pick a spot and stay there. Unless you’re already playing DD, sit down, have a shot of whiskey, and enjoy yourself. Remember, we’re not in Kansas (i.e., Seattle) any more. Strangers will talk to you and you will make new friends. Don’t be scared.
  • Miss a Red Bull Sound Select showcase. I’m partial because Mississippi Studios is one of my favorite venues, but Red Bull curated some of the — if not THE — best lineups of the entire festival. A mix of local and national artists plus a (time-limited) open bar and free barbecue made it dually enticing. See where I’m going with this? Follow the free booze!

What I probably should have done:

  • Attend more KEXP sets. Austra and The Dodos were the only two I caught. The sets are short and sweet, intimate, and also have excellent sound. Doug Fir also pours their drinks strong, so it’s a good place to get an early afternoon buzz going.
  • More. Brunch. Pass on Pine State Biscuits. I wish it were 10 a.m.–2 p.m. all day, every day, in Portland. Brunch should never end in this city, so don’t let it pass you by. It’s also completely necessary if you plan on listening to music until the wee hours of the night. Broder, Jam on Hawthorne, and Interurban are three of my favorites that I’m kicking myself for not going to.

Overall, MFNW is yet another opportunity to show pride for this incredible place we live in called the Pacific Northwest. It’s the neatly-tied, perfectly-placed bow to wrap up summer. Until next year.

News

Yes, New Seattle-to-Portland BoltBus Service Will Take Bikes

As Geekwire mentioned the other day, a new low-cost bus service is coming to town. As of May 17, 2012, BoltBus will offer 4-runs-per-day service between Seattle and Portland: 8:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m., and 6 p.m., with the trip estimated to take three hours and 15 minutes.

Prices will range depending upon demand (factors include day, time of day, advance purchase, number of tickets, trip sales volume): A promotional all-seats-$1 offer from May 17 through May 20 is selling out (though every regular trip sells one seat for $1, randomly), but after that your reserved seat (aisle or window?) will likely cost between $6 and $15 one-way. (You can purchase walk-up tickets, as well as online.) That is much less expensive than the Amtrak Cascades regular one-way fares of $32 to $45, and fifteen minutes faster (without adding in the risk of wintertime mudslides).

In Seattle, board your BoltBus at 5th Avenue South and King Street, next to the International District Station; it’ll drop you off at 647 SW Salmon Street in Portland, which is a bit more central than Amtrak’s Union Station. You can ease your transition at the Starbucks right there, if need be.

Because Portland is one of the most bike-friendly cities to visit you can imagine, my first question was whether I could bring a bike along. This led to a helpful tutorial on BoltBus baggage policy: “You are allowed one piece of baggage under the coach and two small bags to carry on (purse or backpack).” In theory, your bicycle is the under-the-coach item: “We do allow them and consider them to be oversize items as long as space is available in the baggage area.”

That “as long as space is available” seems to suggest that you should get there early with your bike. (BoltBus suggests checking in at least 15 minutes before departure anyway; at five minutes, reservations are released to stand-bys.) You are in charge of stuffing your bike into the compartment, by the way. Tag your luggage because: “If a bag is left mistakenly behind and is properly marked we will return it to you free of charge.” They don’t say if that applies to the “one infant under the age of two,” you’re allowed to bring on free as well. You can bring food and non-alcoholic drinks “for personal consumption,” and, happily, there’s a restroom.

First established in the northeastern U.S., BoltBus was a partnership between Greyhound and Peter Pan Bus Lines; way out west, it’s exclusively a Greyhound venture, employing yield management economics to offer low-cost fares. But Geekwire is more interested in the fact that BoltBus is that chimerical creature, a low-cost bus line with high-tech perks, emphasizing the “leather seats, free Wi-Fi, and electrical outlets so laptop hounds like us can geek out along the way.” There’s also extra legroom, and a buy-eight-trips-get-one-way-free offer for regular riders.

At the moment, the BoltBus site is distinctly no-frills. They promise mobile site “enhancements” are coming soon, and there’s a FAQ, but the main thing it does is sell you a ticket. Again, that’s in contrast to the Amtrak site, which boasts a scheduling widget that doesn’t understand “seattle, wa” as a departure. It’s “Seattle, WA (SEA),” thank you. Of course it is.