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First came the kayaktivists. Then there was Flugtag. Now, MusicfestNW slaps one last exclamation point at the end of the Willamette River's wild summer, inviting the entire city down to the waterfront for three days of indie rock, hip-hop, synth-pop and Isaac Brock near a live microphone.
It might sound crazy. But in Portland, it's heritage.
Music and the river that runs through us have been intertwined since the days of the Model T and mustache wax, when Mary Theresa Kutsche of Woodburn wrote "By the Banks of Old Willamette," one of Portland's first civic anthems. Granted, in 1909, she wasn't envisioning thousands of people crowding those banks to swoon over Twin Shadow's arena-scale power ballads, or rap along to Danny Brown's odes to molly and weed. But it goes to show that, no matter how much the landscape shifts, that slow expanse of water will always orient us geographically, and music will continue to define us culturally…and, yeah, there's still a good market for mustache wax here, too.
This weekend, Tom McCall Waterfront Park will transform into a miniature Stumptown, complete with food carts, booze and hair cuts, the sound of Modest Mouse and the other bands who live next door to you wafting through the air. Many music festivals have sprung up since MFNW started 16 years ago, but none reflect the nature of the city quite like this one. That's why, in addition to telling you about all the awesome stuff you'll encounter this year, we've also looked backward, ranking the best songs ever written about Portland. That's where our true history is written. Like any history, it's thorny and not entirely linear. Some think the city is changing too much, while others remembered when it never changed at all. Some can't decide whether to stay or go, others just throw their hands up and walk away. Others simply embrace it, flaws and all.
If you want to know where you are, look toward the river. And if you want to understand where you are, listen to the music. That's what the whole city will be doing this weekend.
See you by the banks of old Willamette.
Single-day tickets and three-day passes are still available. To get yours, go to musicfestnw.com!
WWeek 2015