[August 29th, 2007]

Please note: Some showtimes have been moved. Please check musicfestnw.com for latest showtimes.

3:30 PM

Bobby Bare Jr.

AudioCinema (226 SE Madison, all ages) Free entry with pass, available for free at Jackpot Records on day of show, OR MFNW wristband.

5 PM

Cat Power

Cat Power is crazy unpredictable, driving some fans nuts and bringing others to tears. Either way, you'll leave with a story to tell. CJ. AudioCinema (226 SE Madison, all ages) Free entry with pass, available for free at Jackpot Records on day of show, OR MFNW wristband.

8 PM

DJ Mr. Matt Nelkin

[HIP-HOP DJ] After years hosting respected KLCC programs Black Is and Liquid Beat , Matt Nelkin moved Liquid Beat to Portland’s KPSU, where he currently serves as both a hip-hop historian and contemporary beat-pusher. Well-read and funky, Nelkin is known to unleash some rare grooves from behind the wheels of steel. CJ. Roseland Theater.

9 PM

Legend of Dutch Savage

[CLASSIC-ROCK REVIVAL] All the elements of good classic rock are here: Grimy, pissy vocals? Check. Cowbell? In full swing. Riff-heavy guitars and thick basslines? Legend of Dutch Savage has it all down, and the local four-piece even adds some metal to the mix, ultimately melding familiar elements into a sound all its own. AK. Berbati’s Pan.

Black Joe Lewis

Crystal Ballroom

John Weinland

[FOLK ROCK] Rock ’n’ roll, booze and partying—three staples of MusicfestNW—are great and all, but they can also be taxing. That’s why you best take advantage of opportunities to break from the madness and relax. Here’s a recommended breather: Try immersing yourself in the beautiful, heartstring-pullin’ tunes of local folk balladeers John Weinland. “Piles of Clothes” will probably make you cry—but it’ll also serve as a much needed opiate to mellow you out mid-fest. DCC. Doug Fir.

Sandpeople

[BIG HIP-HOP] It’s hard to avoid the nebulous Sandpeople crew, with its 11 members (not counting extended family) and handful of splintered side-groups. But then, why would you want to avoid them? Portland’s young lions of hip-hop have built a reputation for smart, battle-ready verses and crackling sci-fi beats. Landing Scribble Jam champ Illmaculate was certainly a boon to the group’s national cred, but he’s far from the only reason to jump on the Sandpeople bandwagon. CJ. Roseland Theater.

The Wherewithals

[ROOTS ROCK] The Wherewithals play foot-stomping breakup songs that make heavy drinking a prerequisite for every set. Not that one has to be drunk to enjoy the band’s boom-chuck beats, dueling guitars and growling vocals (frontman Ben Firestone has a wide-mouthed drawl à la Buffalo Tom’s Bill Janovitz). But they do say, “When in Rome...,” and the Wherewithals’ Rome is as close as the nearest barstool, where sorrows are drowned and, you know, they’re always glad you came. CJ. Towne Lounge.

10 PM

Pure Country Gold

[GARAGE PUNK] Pure Country Gold is what you might expect to hear while driving down dirty, back-country roads—if all the farmhouses were punk-houses. With just two members and two instruments (guitar and drums), PCG sounds like a couple of friends who drank too much PBR and decided to start a band, which means they’re completely unpretentious and put on a raucous show. PR. Berbati’s Pan.

Viva Voce

[PSYCH ROCK] When it comes to mesmerizing psych-rock, everyone loves Portland’s own Viva Voce (who toured with the Shins earlier this year). It’s just so easy to bop along to their space-pop stylings; you almost overlook all those dark, angry lyrics—or the fact that there are only two damn people in this band! Seriously, how do Kevin and Anita Robinson make so much noise? Oh right, they’re married. Gotta get that hostility out somehow. PR. Crystal Ballroom.

Immaculate Machine

[INDIE ROCK] Edging on power pop but safely avoiding “cutesy” with graceful delivery and a pinch of grit, Immaculate Machine takes listeners on a toe-tappin’ stroll through the heartland of Canadian indie rock. Singsongy girl-boy vocals duel throughout, harnessed by squiggly guitar work and explosive choruses. The result: enchanting, but still damn catchy. AS. Doug Fir.

Blue Scholars

[HIP-HOP] Geologic and Sabzi—the MC and DJ, respectively, who make up Blue Scholars—turn out conscious, politically minded rhymes that’ve helped to redefine Seattle hip-hop (to the chagrin of some longtime Emerald City MCs). The Scholars’ formula has one foot in rap’s early-’90s salad days and the other in today’s underground scene, sweetening the deal with highly visual songwriting that reflects the region’s dismal climate as much as its vibrant populace. CJ. Roseland Theater.

Jared Mees

[FOLK ROCK] From one booze-soaked, countrified indie ditty to the next, local songwriter Jared Mees crafts youthfully perfect P-town anthems. There are definite flashes of Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst in his vocal stylings; only difference is, Mees keeps his dignity intact (there’s no baby talk). Sometimes relentless and messy, other times hook-heavy and tight, it’s always rock ’n’ roll with this one—lovingly dampened by the Northwest rain. AS. Towne Lounge.

11 PM

The Nice Boys

[RETRO ROCK] A quite literally timeless collection of power-pop masterworks—think garage rockers strutting through the forgotten Nick Lowe songbook en route to particularly glam sock-hop—the Nice Boys’ 2006 self-titled debut won international buzz. Not what most people expected from Exploding Hearts survivor Terry Six, but the Portland band’s nouveau retro, while owing so much to so many genres, would be helplessly original in any context. JH. Berbati’s Pan.

Spoon

[SOUL-ROCK] See spotlight. Crystal Ballroom.

The New Trust

[DARK ROCK] Santa Rosa’s the New Trust—which boasts the Velvet Teen’s Josh Staples as frontman—often gets lumped into the same “emo” pile as many of its post-post-punk peers. But the trio’s proggy, Fugazi-esque guitars are augmented with darkly catchy choruses, smart lyrics and deep rhythms that sound a helluva lot more mature than fare for the average troubled teenager. AM. Doug Fir.

Aesop Rock

[UNDERGROUND RAP] See spotlight. Roseland Theater.

The Crosswalks

[INDIE POP] Peddlin’ happy-go-lucky indie pop, this lo-fi trio will most likely be showcasin’ tunes from its May-born album, New Ghost Lights . With all three members taking turns on vocals, the Crosswalks present one bright ’n’ catchy romp that’s a helluva lot of fun—and standout numbers like “The Trim” are so damn lovable you’ll wish this band came with a repeat button. AS. Towne Lounge.

MIDNIGHT

Roky Erickson&the Explosives

[GARAGE-PSYCH LEGEND] See spotlight. Berbati’s Pan.

Aqueduct

[POWER POP!] See spotlight. Doug Fir.

Gingerbread Patriots

[BLIP POP] Experimental indie-pop outfit Gingerbread Patriots is a local fave (by way of Albuquerque, N.M.) that’s quickly becoming another of Portland’s next big things. The quartet’s sound is like a bubbly, delicious mix of Architecture in Helsinki and Grandaddy, and the band’s live show is as charismatic and engaging as its debut full-length, Wax Lips and Hummingbirds . DCC. Towne Lounge.

1 AM

The Shaky Hands

[ROCK] Portland’s new favorite band was pigeonholed early as “feel-good,” “summertime” and “jangle pop” on the strengths of its energetic and uplifting live shows, but the Shaky Hands politely declined to pander to us critic folk. Much of the band’s new material has a slower and darker aesthetic, wherein frontman Nick Delffs occasionally channels Jim Morrison while the band exacts feedback and cymbal crashes all around him. Yeah, the Shaky Hands’ seemingly endless summer might be cooling, but its winter looks to be just as rewarding. CJ. Doug Fir.