PDX POP NOW is pretty much a block party in an industrial section of town. There are two stages, one indoors and the big one outdoors. Portland has the best music scene that I have ever experienced. Finding local acts to play is not a problem, because the talent pool has been stocked. Last night, I found the crowd to be a little pushy, more so than usual for a Portland crowd, but still very mellow compared to shows of this size I’ve been to in Denver New York, or Boston. There is tons of  hype for this event, so it is pretty popular. A great turnout and the event is free, which is awesome. One of the interesting things about a big city is, you could pull this off. Boulder for example has Bands on the Bricks which garners great attention, but the bands that play are not exactly cutting edge. There is always a big crowd, but the crowd is older and lives in a pretty high tax bracket. But, Band on the bricks doesn’t lack organization. PDX POP NOW is run by volunteers, but there seems to be a little disorganization in regards to staff on the first day. I’m sure they have worked out the kinks for today’s show. The sound is decent but there is no direction for the people in attendance. There is no M.C. to let people know what’s happening or to dictate tempo. Instead you have a bunch of people standing around, which is fine I guess. The local culture being what it is..

The band I really went to go see was AND AND AND of course. A  huge crowd came in for these guys. A very tame set in comparison to some past shows. Nathan informed me that the band wanted to tighten the songs up for this show. A result of that tightening was smoother, more orginized transitions between songs. A good set, which shows a maturing band. The question now, will their current followers approve of this change and can they win over fans, that were never into the mayhem that occurred on stage previously?

Who puts on a music festival in their own back yard? Mike does, that’s who. I’m not even sure how I even received an invite for this thing. I am hardly cool enough to be privy to such underground music events. There was food and a great outdoor stage. With a few good bands and some that I didn’t think were so good, but that didn’t matter at all, because I had more fun than I could have ever imagined.

The line up: And And And, Spesus Christ, Adventures! With Might, Your Canvas, Weed Diamond, Tan Dollar, Dash Jacket, Hokus Majic

Today we had the Jazz Festival at Cathedral Park, which is not too far from my place.

Linda Hornbuckle was the act I caught today. I was completely floored by the show. The weather was awesome, the stage and  sound system was fantastic. Linda, first of all has the pipes that just make you stand back and say WHOA.. She is an enormous talent, and her band has the precision of a fine Swiss watch. It was hard taking pictures, because I was enjoying the show so much.