Willamette Week is thrilled to announce the preliminary lineup for MusicfestNW, now in its 10th year of showcasing the finest in national and regional music in one of the most compelling urban areas anywhere.
In a break with the past, the festival is adding to its 17-club, four-night, 160-band festival two outdoor performances in Portland’s civic living room: historic Pioneer Courthouse Square, in the very belly of downtown Portland.
Two of America’s peerless rock bands, local folk-rock heroes The Decemberists and critically lauded art-rockers The National, headline the Levi’s Stage at Pioneer Courthouse stage on Saturday, Sept. 11, and Sunday, Sept. 12.
Since MFNW’s beginning (as North by Northwest), it has aspired to put on a diverse event, one that honors one of this region’s best exports—the Northwest music scene—while looking to the future beyond the horizon.
Other confirmed headliners include Austin folk-rock band Okkervil River, booty-bounce dance juggernaut Major Lazer, reunited metal outfit Sleep, Portland’s beloved indie rock trios The Thermals and Menomena, emerging hip-hop star Wiz Khalifa, and New York City’s effortlessly cool The Walkmen. Seattle’s KEXP 90.3-FM—one of America’s finest public radio stations and a leading authority in indie rock—will broadcast MFNW live from Portland’s Doug Fir Lounge and feature in-studio performances from the festival.
MFNW is also partnering with Nike for a series of free, all-ages daytime performances at the Wonder Ballroom. Headliners and set times will be announced soon. MusicfestNW is a project of Willamette Week, Portland’s Pulitzer Prize-winning alt-weekly, as well as members of the regional music, food and drink scenes.
Here’s a very partial list of past performances: Modest Mouse, Vampire Weekend, TV on the Radio, Sunny Day Real Estate, Spoon, Girl Talk, Explosions in The Sky, M. Ward, Built to Spill, Arctic Monkeys, Cat Power, Silver Jews, and Rilo Kiley.
Festival wristbands go on sale June 5, 2010, at two price points:
-$90 for an all-inclusive wristband that gets you into both outdoor shows and the rest of the four-day festival.
-$65 for one of the two outdoors shows (The Decemberists or The National) and the rest of the fest.
Individual tickets for shows at Pioneer Square, Crystal Ballroom, and The Roseland Theater will also be on sale June 5. All ticket information can be found at musicfestnw.com/tickets
Full preliminary lineup:
The Decemberists
The National
Okkervil River
Major Lazer
Sleep performing Holy Mountain
Menomena
The Thermals
Wiz Khalifa
Ra Ra Riot
The Walkmen
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
The Helio Sequence
Justin Townes Earle
Baroness
David Bazan
The Tallest Man on Earth
The Gories
No Means No
Man Man
Laura Veirs
Bobby Bare Jr.
Titus Andronicus
Surfer Blood
Akron/Family
Crooked Fingers
Shonen Knife
Japandroids
People Under the Stairs
Cold Cave
Frank Turner
The Builders and the Butchers
Phantogram
Washed Out
Black Prairie
Thee Oh Sees
Abe Vigoda
Big Freedia
MEN
Laser Sword
From Ashes Rise
Devin Phillips
The Suckers
Trash Talk
Scott Kelly
Rocky Votolato
Blue Giant
The Minus 5
Dan Mangan
Jeff the Brotherhood
Marc Olson
Red Fang
The Zeros
Let’s Wrestle
Pierced Arrows
The Bellrays
Weinland
Portland Cello Project
The Magic Kids
DJ Beyonda
Richmond Fontaine
Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside
Tu Fawning
Death by Stereo
Princeton
Kisses
White Hinterland
BOAT
Damion Suomi
Typhoon
Y La Bamba