With the next 10 years confirmed at Pendarvis Farm, Pickathon 2024 unfurled its dusty red carpet and welcomed in another wildly diverse smattering of artists of all genres, predilections and geographies. An intoxicating air of relief and merriment permeated the fest faithful for a long four days of everything from honky tonk ditties from a French crew, samba bangers from Brazil, free-jazz spoken word, unhinged prog-punk, and even literary readings. The canon of Pickathon’s vibrant booking panorama is better than ever, and with logistics in an ever-changing neighborhood solidifying in a post-pandemic world, this is a festival that somehow seems to be improving year after year. From the world-class food, to the insatiable communal vibe, and thanks to the efforts of thousands of volunteers doing everything from checking bags to pouring your beers, Pickathon is always an inspiring snapshot of how we wish the whole dang world always was.
Let’s take a look at some of 2024’s music standouts.
Daniel Villarreal
Exploding onto the Paddock Stage on Friday night, Daniel Villarreal and his band dove into a deep, experimental Tropicalia fusion set. Fantastic kaleidoscopes of sound reigned uninhibited by true genre or rules, and Villarreal and his formidable cohorts attacked sonic boundaries with abandon.
New Constellations
Portland’s New Constellations seemed to be everywhere at this year’s Pickathon. Every time they popped up, their chance to indoctrinate the crowd with a buoyant slice of synth-pop/indie rock was capitalized upon, and the trio emerged as perhaps one of the breakout groups from this year’s lineup. Vocalist Harlee Case is about as ready-made a rock star as you could imagine, with an amazing vocal range and a powerhouse radiance you’d be hard-pressed to take your eyes away from.
Theo Lawrence
Bordeaux, France’s Theo Lawrence materialized a pair of timewarp country sets straight out of the AM radio salad days. Lawrence’s crack band dutifully backed up a menagerie of rhinestone-ready tunes that revived a bit of roadhouse swagger to the Pendarvis Farm confines.
Greg Freeman
One of the more bombastic artists of this year’s Pickathon lineup, Greg Freeman mashed a hardy cornucopia of punk-drenched alt-country through a ringer of saxophone sheen, pedal steel and harmonica. Tied up by Freeman’s wiry confessional vocals, the band left Paddock Stage entranced.
Dean Johnson
There are few troubadours left who sound like Dean Johnson, and his Pickathon debut was a revelation of the type of throwback vibe the festival is renowned for. Armed with a stunning backing band, Johnson crooned cowboy soundscapes from his bewitching tenor, uniting the audience in a kind of dreamy sway that sunk its teeth in and threatened to never let go.
Irreversible Entanglements
Two incendiary sets were hardly enough to truly grasp the ineffable free-jazz escapades parlayed by the collective, Irreversible Entanglements. Building songs out of an improvised approach, the band’s experimentations of jazz minimalism and spoken word seances from vocalist Camae Ayewa were legitimately mesmerizing, and the kind of musical adventure that insists upon both your attention and your wonder in equal measure.
Rogê
Brazilian nylon-string guitarist Rogê brought a resounding message of resilience and samba energy to the Woods Stage, inciting an early crowd to rise to their feet, dust the bark from their jeans and erupt into an hour-long dance party. Rogê’s mastery of his instrument was as captivating as the clear fun the band were having with each other while performing, and that’s a recipe for a memorable set.
Rhododendron
Following a literary reading in the shade of the Windmill Stage area maybe wasn’t where three-piece prog-metal thrashers Rhododendron thought they’d thrive at this year’s Pickathon, but it happened anyway. Even the bummer of multiple power outages during their unhinged set didn’t seem to deter the Portland youngsters, whose electric technicality anchored a raucous set of post-rock mayhem that resonated long into the day.
Some additional artists from the Pickathon 2024 Highlight Reel!
PAHUA at the Cherry Hill Stage
Florry at the Paddock Stage
JJUUJJUU at the Grove Stage
Bella White at the Paddock Stage
PACKS at the Cherry Hill Stage
