If you ask Pickathon founder Zale Schoenborn about Pickathon’s lineup on any given year, he’ll tell you it’s the best lineup they’ve ever had. While the Happy Valley music festival mainstay has changed a lot in its booking practices, it’s hard for us to argue with Schoenborn’s outlook in 2026. With so many phenomenal, under-the-radar acts playing, you’re bound to discover a dozen bands worth obsessing over for months to come—and this year, Pickathon added an eighth stage to make room for all that performing talent.
If you keep looking at this year’s lineup and feeling overwhelmed, though, don’t sweat it! The Portland Mercury’s Holly Hazelwood is here to clue you in on a few acts you’ll regret not checking out at Pendarvis Farm July 30-August 2 from returning veterans like Quasi and Meridian Brothers to heat-seekers like Automatic and Widowspeak. There’s no wrong schedule to create for yourself, though—all that matters is that you do your level best to devour as many of the festival’s acts as possible while you’re there.
Automatic
Some bands just exude pure coolness. Los Angeles two-piece dance-punks Automatic are bound to be one of those bands that behave like a tractor beam, their infectious basslines and monochromatic beats ensnaring anyone passing by their midnight Paddock Stage set on Thursday night and their Friday evening journey into the Woods. Last year’s Is It Now? is 2025’s best album you aren’t already obsessed with yet, but we have a strong feeling an hour of dancing to “mq9” or “Smog Summer” will fix that.
Boy Golden
People can get intimidated giving band recommendations to the band recommender. When my longtime friend Liz, fresh off of seeing queer cowboy Boy Golden playing a show in the Midwest, told me I’d be daft to skip his set, I knew it was my sacred duty to honor that. One listen to songwriter Liam Duncan’s new album Best of Our Possible Lives (especially “Cowboy Dreams”) will have you hooked on his kaleidoscopic exploration of the boundaries between folk, country, and psych-rock. His set closing out Galaxy Barn on Thursday will inevitably set the tone for the weekend, leaving everyone at his Cherry Hill set the next night wishing they hadn’t fucked around.
Built To Spill
Much like Quasi, seeing Built To Spill at Pickathon might seem like a waste; after all, they’ve played here around 25 times over the last decade, including at Pickathon in 2022 and 2018. That said, there is no good excuse to miss the current version of Doug Martsch’s long-running project, which finds him performing with bassist heartthrob Melanie Radford (who still smiles like she’s won the lottery, show after show) and minor drum god Teresa Esguerra. Pickathon is the best place to see your oldest friends—and, sometimes, that old friend wrote “Randy Described Eternity” and “Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss.” We’re not about to complain.
Cosmic Tones Research Trio
If last year’s performances by improv jazz trailblazers SML (both as a collective and as solo performances) got under your skin in a way you just can’t shake, you’re in luck. Portland has its own answer to the Los Angeles collective in the form of the Cosmic Tones Research Trio. Their approach differs (SML are a head high, while CTRT are more of a body high), but if you’re looking for an hour of music that makes you feel like you’ve been transported to another world, their Woods set at 11 pm on Saturday promises to be the kind of set you talk about to convince people to come to Pickathon. Pure bliss.
El Khat
Pickathon is reliable for pulling international acts that evade indie rock spheres, ready to ensnare listeners with appetites broader than they know they have. Yemeni-Arabic three-piece El Khat are emblematic of that; 2024’s mute is a gorgeous, psychedelic trip through the trio’s global sphere of influences, imbued with the kind of restless and relentless spirit that we’ll bet translates into performances you wish lasted for hours. If that doesn’t convince you to cram into Galaxy Barn on Saturday (or, failing that, bliss out at Paddock on Sunday), one watch-through of their 2024 KEXP session should do the trick.
Florry
If you’re the kind of Pickathoner who lamented the fact that Kurt Vile and Waxahatchee weren’t on this year’s lineup, Philly alt-country septet Florry is here to try to scratch both itches. Frontperson Francie Medosch is in a league of her own as a songwriter, allowing the chemistry between members to say just as much as her songs about truck crashes and movie adaptations. Their Cherry Hill set on Friday will be a blast, but if you ask us, their Galaxy Barn set on Saturday is going to be the kind of set you gloat to your friends about catching when they go full Lenderman and start selling out tours.
Folk Bitch Trio
There are no bands on the Pickathon lineup this year with a better name than Folk Bitch Trio. They’re exactly what it says on the tin: three very, very talented folk singers, who may or may not be bitches. (They said it, not us!) No, the Australian three-piece’s sound isn’t revolutionary, but last year’s Now Would Be A Good Time was jam-packed with lines like “I’m checking every curb/ With the corner of my shoe/ So I don’t fall into an abyss/ When I reach the end of you” that have the chance the chance to cut real deep. If you wanna sob with the other shes and theys, Friday (Woods) and Saturday (Cherry Hill) are the best chances to do it.
Friendship
If there’s any justice in this world, Philly-based indie act Friendship will be among the Pickathon alums who ascend into the higher echelons of fame and acclaim just like MJ Lenderman or Geese. Last year’s Caveman Wakes Up was one of the year’s biggest surprises, perfect for late nights and long drives where the record’s beautiful layers and Dan Wriggins’ evocative, often stream-of-consciousness-y songwriting can weave magic in the back of your mind. We wish they were playing later, but don’t let their schedule of Friday at noon and Saturday at 2 pm dissuade you from letting “Love Vape” and “Betty Ford” sink their teeth into your soul.
Jonny’s Day Out
No, 2025 Pickathoners, you aren’t seeing double: Jonny’s having another Day Out at Pickathon ’26. It’s hard to be mad about it; last year, I checked out local act Jonny’s Day Out because, well, I was already checking out every band playing. Within three songs, unhinged frontman Avery Haines had completely enthralled me. Their full-length debut, JDO, is still fresh enough that the band’s deeply infectious (and surprisingly dynamic) energy is still going to feel downright electric as they barrel through the likes of “Catwalk,” “Racehorse,” and “SMB,” and we simply can’t wait to thrash. If you missed their Hawthorne Theatre release show, make sure you’re up front when they take over Galaxy Barn Friday and close out the Woods on Saturday.
Lyrics Born
Pickathon doesn’t book nearly enough hip-hop artists—but when it does, it never misses. We guarantee that former Latyrx rapper Lyrics Born won’t be the act that breaks that streak. His infectious, hyper-confident delivery and funk/soul-indebted grooves have made the veteran rapper one of the unsung greats, capable of brilliant, thoughtful songwriting and killer grooves that all but demand you dance your ass off. If you can’t squeeze in the Galaxy Barn on Saturday night, don’t worry: he’ll be turning Cherry Hill into a party for one hour on Sunday night.
Meatbodies
It feels like just yesterday that Los Angelenos psych-punks Meatbodies dominated the 2017 edition of Pickathon, turning in one of the most interesting sets Treeline Stage (RIP) bore witness to that year. It only lasted half an hour, and we all thanked them for it. This year, an older, wiser, more talented (but hardly less feral) Meatbodies return to Cherry Hill (Thursday) and their old stomping ground Galaxy Barn (Friday) to settle the score with a slate of guitar worship music that may not rip your face off as Meatbodies might have nine years ago, but will still probably inspire a killer moshpit. Or, at very least, a pit full of long-haired dudes headbanging like they’re at a Sleep show.
Meridian Brothers
How do you know someone saw Meridian Brothers play at Pickathon ’23? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you about it. Listen to just about any song in their catalog, from “Guaracha U.F.O” to “Cumbia totalitaria,” and you’ll understand why: their music is so infectiously bizarre, you can’t help but be mesmerized. At times, the Colombian collective sounds like having the history of salsa and cumbia downloaded into your brain through a faulty fax machine or an ancient kaleidoscope. If you didn’t see Meridian Brothers in ’23, stop fucking around: see them at Paddock alongside collaborator Mexican Institute of Sound as the clock strikes midnight Saturday night, or catch them solo at Cherry Hill on Sunday evening. Don’t let the gloaters have all the fun.
Mexican Institute of Sound
Did you catch both Meridian Brothers sets but walk away craving more? Good news: Camilo Lara’s Mexican Institute of Sound will be closing out the festival at 1 am on the final day at Galaxy Barn, and will work diligently to destroy the itch. While MIS pulls its sound from a different country’s culture, the fact that they teamed up with Meridian Brothers for this year’s outstanding collab record Ruido Tovar says a lot—as does the fact that the two acts will team up for a set on Saturday night at the Paddock. He’s a one-man electronic sonic cartographer, exploring his country’s music through the same prismatic lens, transforming the traditional and making it fresh as hell. You probably won’t get kicked in the head by a crowdsurfing teenager at this set, but we’ll bet a million dollars that you’ll be going to bed drenched in sweat.
PISS
Admittedly, Vancouver, B.C. noise-punks PISS are the kind of act that will polarize many Pendarvians, but those who get it will really, really get it. They haven’t released any music yet, but now that they’ve signed to Sub Pop, their Andrea Dworkin samples and throat-destroying documents of misogyny and violence will finally get the attention they deserve. Their seven-minute Live Under Oak Street Bridge session will show you exactly what we mean. If you’ve been feeling the need to exorcise some demons, we look forward to bodyslamming you in pursuit of catharsis at Galaxy Barn on Thursday.
Prewn
Few fresh songwriters carry the PJ Harvey torch as beautifully as Izzy Hagerup, better known as Prewn. Her 2023 debut Through the Window was a murky, weird, and devastating record about grief and loss that found the singer’s trademark warble cutting deep enough to hit bone. Lucky for all of us, she’ll be visiting the farm to play songs from it and, of course, last year’s excellent follow-up, System, at one of the weekend’s top-tier “you’ll be kicking yourself if you miss it” sets. Don’t be a fool! See her Saturday afternoon set at Grove and, for good measure, duck into Galaxy Barn to see how many teens are either weeping or crowdsurfing to “My Side.”
Quasi
The combination of Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss is truly evergreen. Yes, the opportunities to see one of Portland’s greats are abundant: last year found them at Swan Dive, and this May saw them doing three sets in two days at Turn! Turn! Turn! There’s never a bad time to see the duo, and the opportunity to see them up close and personal at Galaxy Barn (Saturday) or Woods Stage (Sunday) isn’t something you should pass up.
Sgt. Papers
Another member of this year’s lineup of returning heroes, Sgt. Papers was a 2023 fan favorite who lured in unsuspecting Pickathoners who were curious about their goofy name, and then stayed because the Mexican duo of Ivan and Felipe García shreds too goddamn hard to walk away. Pickathon never quite has enough psych-rock bands (does anywhere, except for Levitation?), but hearing cuts from 2017’s Sgt. Papers Lonely Psych Punk Band and 2021’s SGTP really helped scratch that itch. This year, they’ll be able to draw from 2024’s totally excellent FUGA! when they eviscerate your face at the Grove on Thursday and, most crucially, close out Galaxy Barn on Saturday night. Do not miss it.
Shakey Graves
Shakey Graves is probably too big to need to play Pickathon—but he does it for the love of the sport. The one-man-band Austinite (and Julie Taylor’s tied-for-worst boyfriend) has come out to the festival before, even taking on the honor of closing out 2018 with a Galaxy Barn set that felt like a man outrunning the apocalypse. This year, he’ll bring that same energy to the big Paddock Stage (Friday) and the intimate and picturesque Woods Stage (Saturday).
Steve Earle
If there’s anyone on this list who doesn’t need our seal of approval, it’s the Nashville legend of country, bluegrass, and misery that is Steve Earle. Yes, you’ve seen Earle on the lineup at Pickathon before, but no, you’ve never actually seen him there. After a series of false starts and late cancellations, the acclaimed songwriter (and Wire actor) will, we think, finally be performing at Pendarvis Farm on Saturday (Paddock) and Sunday (Woods). Rumor has it you may even get to see Earle and the Travelin’ McCourys performing The Mountain, the landmark album Earle and Del McCoury recorded together. We just hope they, unlike Del, can overlook how much Steve swears.
Widowspeak
If any band totally takes festivalgoers completely by surprise, we predict soft shoegazer duo Widowspeak is going to be the one to do it. While their albums are excellent and infectious, the keen ear will notice that the chemistry between Molly Hamilton and Robert Earl Thomas is so freakishly tight after seven records that you’d be daft not to want to see how they pull it off live. It’s criminal that both of their weekend sets (Saturday at Woods, Sunday at Windmill) take place in broad daylight, but don’t let that stop you from watching them weave cowboy-folk textures with dream-pop devotion.
Pickathon 2026, Pendarvis Farm, 19208 SE Foster, July 30–August 2, $285-$570, more info, all ages.
