For all our complaints about music streaming platforms, you could argue that they deserve a little credit for revealing the flimsiness of our once-rigid borders around music styles. The breakdown of those genre walls has been felt far beyond playlists and record collections and now ripples even deeper into the lineups of genre-specific events like the upcoming Portlandâs Folk Festival.Â
The core of this two-day event, which goes down on January 17 and 18 at Crystal Ballroom and Lolaâs Room, remains heartfelt songs of personal and social upheaval, primarily played on acoustic instruments. But organizers Scott Gilmore and Sarah Vitortâbest known for the music that they make as Fox & Bonesâare thoughtfully and wonderfully stretching the definition of folk to include everything from the psych-pop sounds of Presidio to singer Arietta Wardâs blistering funk and R&B.
âWe want to create a wide berth around what folk music is,â Gilmore said. âI feel that folk music is about the intention set behind the music. Itâs about saying something like, âWhat are you trying to express in your music?â We want to make sure not to cut anyone off from that.â
The widening scope of the PFF is also reflective of the eventâs growth. Inaugurated back in 2018, the festival began as an one-day endurance test, running for over 12 hours at the White Eagle Saloon. Since then, it's expanded to as many as three days and grown comfortably into the much bigger confines of the Crystal.Â
This yearâs installment of the PFF has scaled back a bit, keeping the music to just two days, but respecting the continued growth and scope by wisely making use of the two performance spaces in the same building.Â
âIt felt like we could actually invest in the acoustic artists a little more,â said Gilmore. âWith Lolaâs, we can have more acoustic and singer-songwriter acts, and then have our bands up on the Crystal Ballroom stage. We should also have music going nonstop. After one set is done, the next set can start immediately on the stage above or below it. This is a way more relaxed way to hold an event. We want it to be a positive experience for everyone involved.âÂ
If you want to guarantee your own positive experience, here are five canât-miss acts playing at this yearâs Portlandâs Folk Festival:
Blair BoraxÂ
Opening the festival this year is Blair Borax, a lesser known gem of the local community. Her most recent album Tender Lately spotlights the jazzy twang of her voiceâthink a smoothed-out Karen Daltonâand the easygoing allure of her material that floods the senses with fully fleshed-out arrangements, featuring piano, trumpet, and drums that bend toward disco without falling out of the folk realm completely. (Fri Jan 17, 6 pm)
Rainbow GirlsÂ
According to Gilmore, he knew that the 2025 edition of Portlandâs Folk Festival was going to be great because Bay-Area trio Rainbow Girls had already agreed to return, soon after their set in 2024. Closing out the first night of the PFF, the group will surely break hearts and heal souls with their close harmonies and unflinching lyricsâwe havenât felt this sort of magic since the heyday of Low. (Fri Jan 17, 10:40 pm)
Sage ChristieÂ
A previous winner of PFFâs annual songwriting contest, Sage Christie returns to the festival after recently relocating to Asheville, North Carolinaâwhere they have further honed a delicate sound that recalls Fiona Appleâs quieter moments. But itâs their lyrics that sets them apart from peers and contemporaries. Christie unpacks both personal moments (âOrange Ice Cream,â a song about the death of their abuelita is especially moving) and large scale concerns with pointed detail and rich language. (Sat Jan 18, 5:15 pm)
Isabeau Waiaâu Walker
Already a fixture of the Portland scene through her work as a backup vocalist for Y La Bamba, Isabeau Waiaâu Walker has distinguished herself across three albums that apply rich coats of psychedelic color to the usual folk-pop approach. Walkerâs latest Heavyweights is, by turns, triumphal and despairing, as she reflects on her sometimes losing battles with personal and cultural demons galore. (Sat Jan 18, 5:45 pm)
Thunderstorm Artis
Yes, Thunderstorm Artis was a finalist on the 18th season of The Voice, but donât hold that against him. This young artistâs work transcends the usual closing credits bluster that shows like The Voice usually truck in, through his music's generous amounts of bluesy grit and grounded humility. The way that Artis managed to keep those qualities alive even after surviving the churn of reality TV is something worth celebrating and honoring. (Sat Jan 18, 9:50 pm)