It needs to be said that for a multi-day music event on a
sustainable Oregon farm, the lineup for Pickathon 2007 has
disproportionately few hippie bands. I know, when you think “Pickathon”
you just assume jam bands masquerading as bluegrass acts, a seething
mass of overnight-camping hippies, and the haunting sounds of a
rambunctious drum circle echoing far off in the distance. It sure is a
convenient stereotype, but this year’s festivities are not only free of
patchouli, they are a shining example of the thrilling evolution of
indie-roots, and a somewhat new take on the—at times
stagnant—world of bluegrass.
The Avett Brothers
To see the finest example of indie-roots in action, you need not
look any further than the Avett Brothers. The North Carolina trio
headlines the Pickathon, just another stop on the Brothers’ (a tag
which is not entirely true; the band is made up of siblings Seth and
Scott Avett, plus third member, Bob Crawford) rapid ascension to the
peaks of popularity. Known for their wildly creative take on bluegrass,
they stray with ease, often finding themselves belting out
early-Beatles pop harmonies, or dredging up brief moments of loud
rock.
This evolved state of bluegrass didn’t come easy. There were plenty
of naysayers taking potshots at the band along the way. Says Scott
Avett, “We played the International Bluegrass Music Association Awards,
and we got a lot of flack there. Of course, because at a place like
that there’s a lot of purism about what bluegrass is, and what it’s
about.”
The trio’s latest, Emotionalism, showcases the band at
their apex, popular enough to perform on Late Night with Conan
O’Brien, yet still so loyal to their fanbase that they are
cramming two separate performances into one day at Pickathon, the
second of which will be in a barn. It’s a long way from their modest
Southern roots listening to Top 40 music and playing in hard rock
bands, to becoming icons in the indie-roots movement.
Explains Scott, “It’s amazing how many younger people say, ‘I bought
a banjo because of you.’ I heard it last night. I think that’s just
crazy. It’s very flattering.” He continues, “But when I was a younger
man, talking about playing the banjo to me… it seemed like this
backward thing that I’d never do.”
Sun Aug 5, 8:30 pm at the Mt. View Stage & 1 am at the Galaxy
Barn
Here are our other picks for the festival:
Gregory and the Hawk
No birds, or boys, here. Instead it’s just Brooklyn-based songwriter
Meredith Godreau, whose chilling debut, In Your Dreams, just
might be the sweetest debut since Joanna Newsom’s The Milk-Eyed
Mender. Beat every other hipster to the punch and hop on this
bandwagon as soon as possible.
Sat Aug 4, 1 pm at the In the Woods Stage, 6:30 pm at the Fir
Meadows Stage, 11:15 pm at the Heartsong Late-Night Cabaret; Sun Aug 5,
2:30 pm at the Mt. View Stage, 5 pm at the Galaxy Barn
Handsome Family
While the murder ballads of the Handsome Family will haunt your
every dream, it’s a fine price to pay for their gorgeous tales of rural
life gone horrifically wrong. Whatever you do, don’t go into the
woods.
Sat Aug 4, 4 pm at the Mt. View Stage, 9 pm at the Galaxy
Barn
Langhorne Slim
Slim is a raucous frontman who, despite a songbook full of raging
juke joint porch stompers, is actually from New York. Few performers
can captivate a sweltering crowd with gin-soaked country punk, only to
stop them dead in their boots with a few soft ballads that could draw a
tear to the eye of even the toughest cowboy.
Fri Aug 3, 8 pm at the Fir Meadows Stage; Sat Aug 4, 5:30 pm at
the Mt. View Stage, 1 am at the Galaxy Barn
Horse Feathers
Horse Feathers get plenty of press, and deservingly so, but in a
club setting it always seems like something is missing. Pickathon gives
the band an opportunity to take their barren sound outside of the city
limits, placing them in space called the “Galaxy Barn.” Get ready for
what I can only assume is a rustic, if not downright cosmic,
experience.
Sat Aug 4, 6 pm at the Galaxy Barn, 9:30 pm at the Fir Meadows
Stage
Pickathon, Pendarvis Farm, 16581 SE Hagen, Happy Valley, OR,
Fri-Sun Aug 3-5, $55-95, pickathon.com