For a farm, summer brings a much-needed influx of sunshine to fuel the sustenance growing in the ground. The landscape comes alive with all manner of vegetables and fruits, flowers, berries, and temporary rainbows catching the light in arcs of sprinkler spray. For Topaz Farm, it also signals the beginning of their intimate live music series, now in its sixth year.
This year’s series, which runs July 10 through September 4, includes a total of 13 concerts from artists of various genres—several of them already sold out—including Dean Johnson, The War and Treaty, and Buffalo Traffic Jam, in addition to regional favorites and Topaz vets like Blitzen Trapper, Horse Feathers, and Blind Pilot. The stage features looming 100-foot tall trees as a backdrop, and a half-acre music lawn where attendees spread out on blankets or low-profile lawn chairs within earshot of the farm’s bleating goats.
The returning performers, in particular, speak to the magnetic pull of the Topaz sets, and the singularity of the experience for both artist and audience member. Having the opportunity to play music outside, unencumbered by the noise of the city or the cavernous dark of a typical club, theater, or bar is a welcome change of pace from the grind of touring.
“I haven’t played many places that feel simultaneously like a venue, concert series, and festival,” says Justin Ringle, guitarist/vocalist for Horse Feathers, returning to Topaz Farm for the fifth year.
Even newcomer artists like Seattle-based Dean Johnson have heard tales of the Topaz charm.
“I’m looking forward to seeing a goat or placid bovine whilst singing my little heart out, or at least a hawk flying over,” says Johnson. “Being able to look out into the distance at clouds, blue sky, birds, animals, hills, mountains and all the greenery along with a bunch of people soaking up nature can levitate the feeling of a song significantly.”
Topaz Farm owners Jim Abeles and Kat Topaz purchased the farm in 2019 as a retirement gig after spending their careers working in wide-ranging fields—software company entrepreneur, police officer, and alt-weekly graphic designer, among them. Their first foray into the live music series came in 2021, during the murky mid-zone of the Covid pandemic. They facilitate almost everything having to do with the live music series: booking, catering, lawn maintenance, and even setting up the porta potties. It wouldn’t happen without the kind of sharp attention to detail that they utilize in the actual farming work they tend to on their Sauvie Island property.
“There’s a cycle to the farming each year that’s really comforting and a routine that we’ve embraced,” says Abeles during my visit to the farm. “It’s the same thing for the concerts. It’s like sowing the seeds. It starts about a year in advance, reaching out to agents and trying to start lining up for the next year.”
This being a farm, there’ll be plenty of food available, including smashburgers and brats made from Topaz Farm-raised beef, pork, and chicken, plus farm-fresh grilled veggies, vegan and gluten free options, plus a tamale truck and a snack shack. Local microbrews, ciders, and wine are also on offer, including Topaz’s Fort George Brewery IPA collaboration, and ForeLand Farmer Jim’s Pils, named after Abeles himself. New add-ons for the 2026 edition of the series include a Farm Lounge, where for $25, attendees are granted access to a tented area with air-conditioned bathrooms, a free drink, and their own bartender.
With over a dozen concerts to choose from, here are a handful of the Mercury’s picks for which shows to catch (that still have tickets available as of press time!).
Dean Johnson with Chris Pureka
JULY 17
The aforementioned Johnson is a nearly perfect fit for the Topaz music series. The demure singer-songwriter’s pastoral folk and alt-country confessionals are poised to come to life in the outdoor farm setting. He’s released two full-length solo albums, including 2025’s I Hope We Can Still Be Friends, which saw a deluxe reissue earlier this year. Johnson’s live sets can become intimate tearjerkers for the uninitiated, with quirky gems like “Death of the Party” and the instant classic “Acting School” from his 2023 debut, Nothing For Me Please, offering a revealing glimpse into the mind of a troubadour just beginning to hit his stride. With Portland singer-songwriter Chris Pureka opening the festivities, as Johnson relates, “Prepare to feel deep down things.”
The War and Treaty with Special Guests
AUGUST 13
Well before the release of their genre-bending 2026 LP, The Story of Michael and Tanya, Michigan-based soul-country/husband-wife duo The War and Treaty were turning heads with lauded throwback anthems. The Grammy-nominated couple’s obvious musical and personal synergy is on full display throughout their fifth album, blurring the line with nostalgic soft-rock ballads like “Don’t Say Goodbye” or countrified scorchers like “Reclaim All of Your Time,” which features Valerie June and Wynonna Judd. And while the duo have collaborated with all sorts of other well-known artists since their inception—Emmylou Harris and Zach Bryan among them—their personal performances have the potential to morph into full gospel hoedowns given the right setting. Topaz Farm seems a great venue candidate to bring out their best.
Whitney with Special Guests
AUGUST 14
Chicago indie rock darlings Whitney are on the road celebrating the 10th anniversary of their debut LP, Light Upon the Lake, an album brimming with buoyant melodies and sunny choruses. Armed with keys and brass, the band takes the traditional rock instrumental lineup and injects an easy-breezy contour that perfectly complements vocalist/guitarist Max Kakacek’s falsetto delivery. Their 2025 album, Small Talk, highlighted the band’s continued pursuit of saccharine-sweet choogle and earworm hooks, as heard on songs like “Dandelion” and “Back to the Wind.” For their inaugural appearance at Topaz, Whitney’s timeless compositions ought to merge seamlessly with the Sauvie Island sunsets.
Typhoon with Laska
SEPTEMBER 4
Legendary Portland cinematic rockers Typhoon turned 20 this year, and are bringing the show down Highway 30 to Topaz for the first time. The band’s large instrumental presence yields wide-ranging musical explorations, with violins, piano, percussion, and brass joining a choral vocal approach that sounds like a spiritual conjuring. Fronted by songwriter Kyle Morton, the band has released five full-length albums, including the ballyhooed 2013 masterpiece, White Lighter, which was recorded in the barns at Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, Oregon. Perhaps their return to a farm may yield further experimental goodies, as the band are set to perform a set specially curated for Topaz. Portland DIY rockers Laska kick things off.
Topaz Farm, 17100 NW Sauvie Island Rd, topazfarm.com. The series kicks off Friday, July 10 with a sold-out performance by Portland’s Blitzen Trapper. Shows extend through September 4, with a final installment by locals Typhoon. Start time, prices, and age restrictions vary by show. For more information on the series, visit topazfarm.com/live-music.