Posted on: June 6, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Willamette Week is thrilled to announce the initial lineup for MusicfestNW 2011, now in its 11th year of showcasing the finest in national and regional music in one of the most compelling urban areas in the country.

MusicfestNW is once again returning to the historic Pioneer Courthouse Square—Portland’s civic living room—for three outdoor performances headlined by rootsy indie rock outfit Band of Horses (Sunday, Sept. 11), celestial instrumental-rockers Explosions in the Sky (Saturday, Sept. 10), and the backwoods folk of Iron & Wine (Friday, Sept. 9).

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.

That horizon includes a kick-off show by bluesy-punk duo The Kills on Wednesday, Sept. 7 at the Crystal Ballroom. The star studded festival also features performances by reunited indie rock legends Archers of Loaf and Butthole Surfers, atmospheric metal titans Neurosis, local folk-rockers Blind Pilot and Blitzen Trapper, and up-and-coming Seattle hip-hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.

Here is a very partial list of past MFNW performances: The National, The Decemberists, Smashing Pumpkins, Modest Mouse, Vampire Weekend, TV on the Radio, Sunny Day Real Estate, Spoon, Girl Talk, M. Ward, Built to Spill, Arctic Monkeys, Cat Power, Panda Bear, Black Lips, and the Silver Jews.

Festival wristbands and tickets for shows at Pioneer Courthouse Square, Crystal Ballroom, Roseland Theater, and Aladdin Theater go on sale on Friday, June 3. Festival wristbands are on sale at two price points:

– $115 for an all-inclusive wristband that gets you into all three outdoor shows and the rest of the five-day festival.

– $70 for a ticket to one of the three outdoors shows (Band of Horses, Explosions in the Sky, or TBD band) and admission to the rest of the festival.

For further ticket information, see musicfestnw.com/tickets.

2011 Initial Lineup – Alphabetical

A Storm of Light

Akimbo

Alela Diane

Anais Mitchell

And And And

Archers

Archers of Loaf

Avi Buffalo

Band of Horses

Bare Wires

Beat Connection

Big Freedia

Black Prairie

Blind Pilot

Blitzen Trapper

Blouse

Boat

Bobby Bare Jr.

Butthole Surfers

Caleb Klauder

Cass McCombs

Celilo

Centro-Matic

Charles Bradley

Climber

Crooked Fingers

Crypts

Dam-Funk & Master Blaster

Dangerous Boys Club

Death Songs

Dennis Coffey

Diesto

Dirty Beaches

Dirty Mittens

DJ Anjali

Dolorean

E Rock

E3

Elitist

EMA

Emily Wells

Eternal Tapestry

Explosions in the Sky

Fernando

GIVERS

Glass Candy

GRAIL

Hammerhead

Handsome Furs

Heavy Cream

Holcombe Waler

Horse Feathers

Iron & Wine

Jared Mees & the Grown Children

Jeffrey Jerusalem

Joe Pug

Kelly Blair Bauman

Kylesa

Lifesavas

Little Dragon

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Mad Rad

Marius Libman

Mnemonic Sounds

Monarques

Morning Teleportation

Natasha Kmeto

Nether Regions

Neurosis

Old Light

Olivia Tremor Control

Operative

Phantogram

Pierced Arrows

Pig Destroyer

Portland Cello Project

PS I Love You

Purple & Green

Quiet Life

Rabbits

Rebecca Gates

Reporter

Rhett Miller

Richmond Fontaine

RTX

Sean Flinn & the Royal We

Sebadoh

Shabazz Palaces

Sharon Van Etten

Sleepy Sun

Soft Kill

Talkdemonic

Ted Leo

Tennis

The Angry Orts

The Antlers

The Dimes

The Gaslamp Killer

The Globes

The Hood Internet

The Horrors

The Incredible Kid

The Joy Formidable

The Kills

The Ladybug Transistor

The Minders

The Miracles Club

The Moondoggies

The Needful Longings

The Soft Moon

The Thermals

The Vaccines

The Wizard Rifle

Thee Oh Sees

Thornes

Thousands

Transient

Twin Sister

TxE

Ty Segall

Typhoon

UME

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Violet Isle

Viva Voce

WEINLAND

White Hills

Wild Ones

Witch Mountain

Y La Bamba

Yacht

YOB

You Am I

Zuzuka Poderosa

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