Put on your boots, cowpoke! Honky-tonk tunes are coming back to life at 4847 SE Division, the former home of the beloved Landmark Saloon.
Shortly after the Landmark closed its doors in February 2026, two regulars rallied to resurrect it. Scott Phillips and Graham Talley are carrying on the country-western tradition from the same 4,000 square-foot back patio, but with a new name.
Switchback Saloon, which softly opened at the end of May, boasts two stages—one indoor and one outdoor—that will host an eclectic lineup of bands on Friday, July 24 and Saturday, July 25, for its free grand opening celebration.
Friday afternoon features PDX indie-folk icon Mike Coykendall, just a few days after his Shady Pines Festival set. Saturday night welcomes Flying Caravan to the saloon stage, a groovy six-piece psych rock outfit whose ten-track album Connected We Are (recorded at Jackpot Studios on SE Hawthorne) dropped in October 2025. Other names on the Switchback lineup include the Two Buck Twins and psychedelic tropical rockers The Tiki Men. Celebrational shenanigans also include a disc golf basket, corn hole setups, and a mustache-shaving “contest” or “ceremony” (depending on which co-owner you ask about it).
Similar to Pickathon and fellow country-minded venue The Showdown on SE Powell, the Switchback Saloon is grounded in its two-stepping, country-western DNA, but will curate shows across genres, as evidenced in the diverse opening weekend lineup. The growing demand for country western venues—along with the growing popularity of line dancing communities and local alt-country songwriters like Rose Gerber—are reminders that the country and Americana music scenes in Portland are alive and well.
For now, the Switchback is a 21+ establishment that operates between 3 pm and midnight, complete with cocktails, brewskis, NA bevs, and BBQ from Leroy’s. But Talley and Phillips hope to expand business hours into the morning (for cowboy coffee and work-from-saloon energy) and eventually offer a place that’s all-ages and family-friendly.
The Switchback Saloon is a “patio first and a bar second,” according to Phillips, who seeks to maintain the Landmark’s friendly, neighborhood roots. “Once you get that community vibe,” he told the Mercury, “it sustains itself.”
The pair collaborated closely with Nick Wilson—the former owner of the Landmark Saloon—during the business’s transition, and Wilson remains in the mix as the venue’s bar manager.
“We can’t express enough how much Nick Wilson did to establish this place,” Talley said. “Without Nick as a bridge, we wouldn’t have been able to get off the ground like this.”
Talley is a longtime entrepreneur, and he previously ran Float On—a sensory deprivation tank center in Southeast Portland—for 16 years before converting the business into an employee-owned cooperative. No stranger to the alternative business economy, Talley has similar aspirations for Switchback.
“The goal is to wait three to five years and eventually turn it into a dual-stake cooperative,” Talley said “The bar would be owned by the staff and the regulars.”
Beyond hosting live music, Talley and Phillips hope the Switchback will remain a community hub for meet-ups and neighborhood hangs, including comedy shows, trivia, and recurring Sunday bingo.
“The Landmark has been a vital third space in Southeast for 16 years. A music venue for some, a backyard hangout for others,” Phillips adds, honoring the Switchback’s roots. “Our goal is to keep that spirit alive while cleaning up some of the rough edges.”
Switchback Saloon, 4847 SE Division, switchbacksaloon.com, @pdxswitchback, open Mon-Fri 3 pm-midnight and Sat-Sun 2 pm-midnight. The grand opening party takes place Friday, July 24 and Saturday, July 25, 4 pm-8 pm, free, 21+.
