Meet the Bands of MusicfestNW presents Project Pabst 2017: San Fermin

More rock than baroque, San Fermin is like a classically trained marching band with a sensitive side.

By Mark Stock

We're only a few weeks away from MusicfestNW presents Project Pabst! Each week leading up to the festival, we'll be introducing you to one of the 18 acts on the lineup.

WHO: Ellis Ludwig-Leone (bandleader), Allen Tate (vocals), Charlene Kaye (vocals), Tyler McDiarmid (guitar), Michael Hanf (drums), John Brandon (trumpet), Stephen Chen (saxophone), Claire Wellin (violin).

SOUNDS LIKE: An angelic, brassy, thumping dream so detailed you can't quite remember it wholly.

FOR FANS OF: Dirty Projectors, Ra Ra Riot, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Typhoon.

LATEST RELEASE: The band's third and most accessible album, Belong, is a festival-ready batch of inspired, big-band pop.

WHY YOU CARE: Named after the Spanish celebration most famous for the running of the bulls, San Fermin crafts sweeping, extremely invigorating chamber pop. Led by polymath Ellis Ludwig-Leone, who has written ballets and penned music for countless ensembles, the octet's sound is deeply textured and moody without being overly high-concept. More rock than baroque, San Fermin is like a classically trained marching band with a sensitive side. Every percussive part—from the fluttering vocals to the wildly oscillating horns—breathe extra life into the sizable creature that is San Fermin.

SEE IT: San Fermin plays MusicfestNW presents Project Pabst at Tom McCall Waterfront Park on Sunday, Aug. 27.

MusicfestNW presents Project Pabst is Aug. 26-27 at Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Get tickets here.

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