Dan Deacon on the Woods Stage at Pickathon on August 7—click to see more photos by Sam GehrkeFor the first weekend in August, Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, Ore., becomes a haven for musicians, fans and media alike—and that includes these Party Boyz, aka Elizabeth Elder (PB1) and Rachel Milbauer (PB2).
Whether you're lounging on a hay bale watching bands on a stage built out of tree branches, tucked into a sweaty, decked-out barn, or enjoying views of the glorious Mt. Hood behind the main stage, Pickathon offers sounds from across the United States and beyond. We took our podcasting outfit on the road to speak with some rad acts from this year's fest and came home with some entertaining and personal conversations with several artists—like Ellen Kempner of Palehound who chats about crocheting as a cure for anxiety, or Heather McEntire and Casey Toll of Mount Moriah talking North Carolina politics and doggies, or Jamil Rashad of Boulevards discussing leaving the big city to focus on his art.
Jamil Rashad of Boulevards at Pickathon on August 5—click to see more photos by Beth Olson"Being in NY can be hard but you try to gather yourself and self-reflect and make stuff happen," Rashad explains. "It's a blessing to be back in there—I had to go back to move forward. This is my first time in Oregon, it's beautiful. At a festival like this, people just love music."
And electronic enigma Dan Deacon addresses social media and social justice, as well as the familial, all-inclusive vibe of the festival. "I really like the age gradient at Pickathon—there's so many people in single digits, and others approaching triple digits," he observes. "For people who are into weirdo culture, you have to be exposed to it at one point or another. Seeing all these little kids in one place watching someone play an instrument that they've never seen before—it's great."
