In the peak days of the precious Portland summer, when the
entire city seems to open up, there is never an excuse not to have a
music festival. Whether it is an inspiring nonprofit salute to our
local music scene (PDX Pop Now!), a DIY feminist punk/metal gathering
(BABE Fest) or an event sponsored by an upstart mom & pop local
business (the Comcast-sponsored Musicfest NW), our town sure loves a
festival. Yet nothing quite flexes the artistic muscle of Portland like
Halleluwah.
Now in its second year, the three-day event, curated by Yeti magazine’s Mike McGonigal and Chantelle Hylton of Blackbird Presents,
showcases a staggering amount of experimental music, from the skewed
rootsy jams of Chicago’s Califone, to a once-in-a-lifetime performance
by Damo Suzuki (onetime frontman for the gods of krautrock, Can, the
band whose song “Halleluwah” was the source of the festival’s moniker).
With Halleluwah there is a lot to digest, so for your sake, here are
some recommended picks on how to spend the three happiest days of your
life.
Friday, August 31st
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? are a loopy octet who hail from
Vancouver, BC (a city whose downtown Eastside neighborhood could very
well support the motto: “They Shoot Heroin, Don’t They?”), who recently
released Pick Up Sticks on indie stalwart Kill Rock Stars. This
band of Horses shuns the conventional approach in favor of coating
layer upon layer of carnival-like excitement and barked vocals on top
of their mutant marching band sound. Basically, they sound like the
ultimate party band—that is, if they weren’t sharing a bill with
Panther, the only other act that can lay claim to that title. Now
doubled in size with all of two members, Panther no longer relies
solely on the onstage charm of Charlie Salas-Humara, and their new
material as a duo sounds completely fleshed-out, vibrant, and
alive.
Saturday, September 1st
Night number two offers a fine selection of local bands (from the
junkyard stomp and shout of the Builders and the Butchers to the
psychedelic swirl of Plants) plus two of the festival’s finest national
acts: Dark Meat and Califone. Athens, GA-based Dark Meat are a
wonderful, yet frightening, post-hippie ensemble (their label, Orange
Twin, built a 100-acre eco village deep in the forests of
Georgia—while other poseurs didgeridon’t, real hippies
like this didgerido) that bring to mind the finest moments of
’60s rock, plus the occasional free-jazz meltdown. Califone are just
plain untouchable, a rare musical act whose brilliance—which
might not be fully appreciated at this time—will surely be
radiating tonight.
Sunday, September 2nd
The final night of the festival is home to the most exciting
performance of them all: Can’s Damo Suzuki, supported by Adam Forkner
(White Rainbow) and Emil Amos (who also backed another underground
legend, Jandek, for his ultra-rare 2006 Portland performance). What can
you expect from this uncommon gathering of musicians? Lord only knows,
but odds are it will be the sort of brain-melting experience that you
will wax poetic about for years to come, because after all, this is
Halleluwah—a festival where creativity reigns true, and the only
common enemy is safe, predictable music.