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Among the musical genres that have seen a revival among young artists in recent years, you could practically throw a rock and hit a band making sounds inspired by shoegaze or dream pop. This is mostly a good thing as these genres (shoegaze with its droning feedback-drenched guitars, and dream pop with its psychedelically melodic easygoing vibes) never fully made it into the mainstream during their heydays in the late ‘80s and ‘90s.
Bands like My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive and Luna certainly gained large cult followings, but you would hardly call them household names (depending on the household, of course). Yet here in the Pacific Northwest, with its dreary winters and introverted personalities that lend themselves to the very act of shoegazing and headphone-friendly sounds, the genre’s popularity has never truly waned. Portland musician Ryan Carroll saw an opportunity to celebrate Portland’s long connection to the genres and decided to organize the first-ever Dreamgaze PDX festival.
“We have a vibrant shoegaze, dream pop and psych scene here that deserves to be celebrated,” Carroll says. “I’ve been thinking and talking about putting together something like this for a long time because we just haven’t had anything like this in Portland since the Shoegazer’s Ball festivals over 15 years ago.”
Taking place Sept. 28–29 at The Fixin’ To in St. Johns, Dreamgaze PDX will convene a handful of bands both local and international that are keeping the torch burning bright. Over two days, attendees can take in a slew of performances from local acts like reverb-drenched Kallai; sonically atmospheric Tears Run Rings; catchy indie rockers The Prids; and the ethereal Waking Sophia; and out-of-towners like Phoenix, Arizona, shoegazers Citrus Clouds; NYC’s dark psyched-out Dead Leaf Echo; Oakland gothic pop outfit Fawning; Raleigh, North Carolina, alt-rockers The Veldt; and Mexico City’s avant dreamgaze duo Mint Field.
“It seems like ‘90s music in general has seen a resurgence, but I think there’s something special about the way shoegaze makes you feel,” says Carroll, who will take the stage with his own band, post-punk outfit Ten Million Lights. “It has an emotional quality to it that can be melancholic but very joyful at the same time. When you put on headphones and feel the swirling, echoing warble of tremolo and the wash of reverb and delay, it almost creates an experience similar to a psychedelic journey. I also think the past few years of discontent in our world have created a space where people long for things that are beautiful and transcendent.”
Carroll hopes to turn Dreamgaze PDX into an annual event and would love to see it expand to multiple venues over a few days. For the first iteration, he sees The Fixin’ To as ideally suited for the music nerds and casual fans alike, with its intimate performance space and laid-back vibe.
“The whole idea is to have this festival in a space where bands and the fans can all mingle together and build community,” Carroll says. “The Fixin’ To’s capacity is 125, so it will be intimate enough for us gear nerds to be able to check out the pedals the bands are using and see up close how they craft their sound.”
Besides the music, Carroll and his team are aiming to “utilize every bit of space we can to immerse ourselves in the wonder and beauty that is shoegaze.” This will include curated playlists of music videos streaming in the bar and DJs spinning vinyl between sets. Pop-ups on the patio will include Super-Electric Records hawking hard-to-find vinyl, as well as a silent auction and raffle for music gear, including boutique guitar pedals from Catalinbread and Benson Amps, and a custom spring reverb guitar pedal made by Ten Million Lights’ bassist.
Carroll’s vision for Dreamgaze PDX may prove successful in a musical landscape that has seen smaller, more affordable events that focus on specific genres, like the psych- and punk-focused Lose Yr Mind Fest, the acoustic-leaning Portland’s Folk Festival, and Portland Hip-Hop Week, all thrive. It also builds on the Northwest’s love of shoegaze, following in the footsteps of Seattle’s recent Seagaze Festival and Tremolo Festival.
“It would be great to continue to bring in bands from outside the Northwest while really getting to showcase more of the amazing talent we have right here at home,” Carroll says. “This whole thing is a labor of love, and it’s our goal to create an uplifting event that allows our community to grow and flourish.”
SEE IT: Dreamgaze PDX at The Fixin’ To, 8218 N Lombard St., 503-477-4995, dreamgazepdx.com. 5–11 pm Saturday–Sunday, Sept. 28–29. Day 1 sold out. $30. 21+.