MFNW Diaries: Wednesday

Five straights nights of music isn't something to dive into headfirst. You must ease into MusicfestNW slowly. That used to be much easier to do. Typically, the first night of MFNW features only one marquee show. This year, there were at least three. So much for taking it easy. Here's how music staff started their week of debauchery, exhaustion and tinnitus. (Bloggers in order of appearance: Matthew P. Singer, Robert Ham, Ruth Brown, Arya Imig, Reed Jackson, Emilee Booher.)

6:30 pm @ Instrument
"Here's to Musicfest!" I exclaim with a mix of joy and regret as myself and Bob Ham knock together plastic cups full of complimentary Heinekens at the festival kickoff party. And we're off! (MPS)

6:30 pm @ Instrument
New music editor Matt Singer and I toast the start of another Musicfest. We're already exhausted. Time for a complimentary ice cream sandwich. (RH)

7:24 pm @ Everyday Music
I've reached the limits of my mingling abilities at the kickoff party. So, I do as God intended: I find the nearest record store. (RH)

8 pm @ Instrument
The addition of Portland Digital eXperience (oh, that capital X is going to drive me insane all festival) to MFNW gives the kickoff party an interesting mix of rockers and startup geeks. I pass the time playing "PDX or MFNW?" (RB)

8:03 pm @ Hawthorne Theater
Joyce Manor are probably the band I was most excited to see at MusicFestNW and, in a room full of moshing and singing fans, I'm clearly not the only one. Two songs into the band's set, people start crowdsurfing. At 8:06, a group of people in front starts singing along so loudly that Joyce Manor's frontman turns the microphone towards them. (AI)

9:08 pm @ Roseland Theater
Hungry Ghost sounds positively huge through the Roseland's sound system. Bluesy, beautiful stuff. (RH)

9:10 pm @ Mississippi Studios
Adventure Galley's youthful, high-energy guise channels sweaty college house parties. Come to think of it, I may have actually gone to school in Eugene with some of these guys. (EB)

10:37 pm @ Crystal Ballroom
Passion Pit have a packed house of people taking full advantage of the Crystal Ballroom’s bouncing floor as they kick into “Carried Away”, one of my favorite tracks from their new album Gossamer. I’ve made a lot of jokes about Passion Pit over the last several years but I’m ready to take a break from that. (AI)  

11:00 pm @ Hawthorne Theater
Against Me!'s set nearing a close, I could rush over to the Roseland and catch the tail end of Hot Snakes, or head to Doug Fir for Sloan. As I said earlier, though, after four years of covering MFNW, I know the key to surviving it all is taking things slow. I opt to call it an early night. (MPS)

WWeek 2015