The genre-blending, citywide Soul'd Out Music Festival will again invade venues with an infusion of soulful music this April. Using the word soul to represent the emotional forces at work in the music of each artist on the bill rather than the specific genre itself, this year's fest features plenty from Portland as well as lands far away, embodying soul, rock, hip-hop, jazz, funk, blues, world music and more.
Pink Martini will headline three nights at the Schnitz alongside the Oregon Symphony on April 11, 12 and 13, plus they'll release a new studio album on March 4. Listen to the title track "Dream A Little Dream" from the collaboration between PM and the von Trapps—that's the four teenage great-grandchildren of Captain and Maria von Trapp of The Sound of Music fame:
On the electronically synthesized side of things, Swedish sensations Little Dragon will join some Portland pop and fuzz from Unknown Mortal Orchestra at the Wonder Ballroom on April 10.
Other Portlanders that'll bring the soul, funk, booty shaking and even some bluegrass include Ural Thomas & the Pain, Magic Mouth, Ancient Heat, Fruition and Otis Heat. Seattle sounds include Odesza, Fly Moon Royalty, Skerik and McTuff.
Then, there's blues from Guitar Shorty and Joe Louis Walker, mashups and electronic beats from The Hood Internet and The Orb. We'll let Black Label Society and Temples bring the rock 'n' roll alongside audacious hip-hop from Slick Rick and CunninLynguists, while all kinds of worldly noise will come from the likes of Bombino, Caravan Palace, Tinariwen and Fatoumata Diawara.
Last but not least, there's the YoungBlood Brass Band from Oregon High School—that's Oregon, Wisconsin—plus even more acts listed on the poster below. And this is just the first round of announcements.
Until SOMF reveals what else is in store for Portland from April 10-20, listen to (and download) the chilled out single “Sun Models” (below) from Seattle's Odesza—the duo's first track off a "forthcoming LP dropping later this year."
UPDATE 3/13/14: The following artists have been added to the 2014 SOMF bill:Diana Krall
Fishbone
Natural Vibrations
Indubious
Orquestra Pacifico Tropical
Jeni Wren
Brownish Black
