The Country Side of Pickathon 2016 In Words & Pictures
There are bigger festivals. This is for sure. And there are bigger performers and headliners. But few festivals can boast the ability to not just support worthy music from a wide swath of the American audio palette, but truly launch major careers for artists that go on to have an international impact—artists that music needs like The Avett Brothers, Sturgill Simpson, and Lake Street Dive just to name a few, while being way ahead of the curve with others like Leon Bridges and Shovels & Rope, and offering a family over fame environment.
Pickathon is a proving ground if there ever was one, and not to mention the forward-thinking nature of their grounds layout, and a zero trash model where no disposable water bottles are used, and all dishes are dispensed, washed, and reused on site.
What was patently clear at Pickathon 2016 is that the clientele of the festival continues to turn over from almost exclusively roots fans near the beginning for the fest some 15 years ago to a more hip, Portland-centric crowd. Yet the mix of country, bluegrass, and roots music has stayed fairly static in the lineup for the last few years, and 2016 offered plenty of rising country, roots, and Americana talent to peruse.
Margo Price has played Saturday Night Live and numerous late-night shows, but it’s performances like the ones she threw down at Pickathon 2016 are the kind that build the foundation for a sustained, and grassroots-supported career anchored by dedicated, hardcore music fans and influential tastemakers that then fan out across the country to spread the word.
A side note from Margo’s appearances is that former Sunday Valley/Sturgill Simpson bass player Kevin Black has now officially become a permanent fixture of Margo’s backing band, The Price Tags. Price’s husband, who used to play bass for her before injuring his hand, has decided to stay back and take care of the kiddo so Margo can be more free to tour. Another bass player of note on the weekend was Jessica Wilkes showing up in C.W. Stoneking’s all female backing band.
Western Centuries with their triple-headed frontman position of Cahalen Morrison, Jim Miller, and Ethan Lawton also helped round out the honky tonk lineup for Pickathon 2016, touring behind their recent release Weight of the World.
The Deslondes proved with their sets at the Lucky Barn and the Galaxy Barn that they are one of the best country throwback outfits to see live at the moment. Though their warmness and likeability may not translate as easily to record or CD, there is something incredibly fetching about seeing them live. Where in previous eras, stripped-down string bands relied very much on speed, The Deslondes are all about capturing the true essence of old-time music with a distinctly laid-back New Orleans influence.
The fast-rising band to keep an eye on coming out of Pickathon at the moment is The Wild Reeds. Their set at the Lucky Barn received a standing ovation, and was one of those moments of Pickathon legend that has springboarded people like Lake Street Dive into the greater music consciousness. The Wild Reeds said they had been trying to play Pickathon for years, and after a viral NPR Tiny Desk Concert, they are poised to be the next big thing in songwriting and roots circles.
Watching Jeff Tweedy as the fest’s headliner performing acoustics sets was monumental if Wilco and Uncle Tupelo loom large in your musical ethos. The Foghorn Stringband and Caleb Kaluder are always Pickathon favorites, and Hurray for the Riff Raff (of which The Deslodes are sort of a spin-off), also put together stellar performances.
Trying to be a bit adventurous and veer off the country page, an interesting set was turned in by heavy metal band Vhöl—the first metal band to be booked by Pickathon in their effort to satiate all sectors of the musical tongue. Though not in any way on the country radar, indie rock band Alvvays drew a big crowd with juicy melodies that were easy to enjoy.
Other country and Americana performers on the weekend included Canadian songstress Lindi Ortega, the hard-driving bluegrass of Town Mountain, and others Saving Country missed because of Southern California traffic jams and scheduling conflicts.
Pickathon continues to veer more eclectic, and more catered. Yet it remains one of the most influential epicenters for roots music on the yearly calendar, and continues to deliver unique experiences through a highly-produced, and forward-thinking approach to the music festival model.
Some pictures:
Margo Price
The Price Tags
The Deslondes – Lucky Barn
The Deslondes – Galaxy Barn
Jeff Tweedy
Western Centuries
Cahalen Morrison of Western Centuries
Jim Miller of Western Centuries
Eathan Lawton of Western Centuries
Foghorn Stringband on the Treeline Stage
Kacy & Clayton
The Wild Reeds
Alynda Lee Segarra of Hurray for the Riff Raff
Red Yarn Band Playing a Bear Song for the Pickathon Kids
C.W. Stoneking with Jessica Wilkes on Bass
Heavy Metal Band Vhöl
Alvvays
August 8, 2016 @ 7:10 pm
I saw a resonator and pedal steel player, plus a lap steel on a stand! +1
August 9, 2016 @ 5:51 am
These are some great pictures, Trig! You have photography skills to back up your writing! Thanks for the site. I was one of those people who grew up hating country music based on what was on the radio (and I am from Tennessee, where radio country oversaturates everything). In the past year, I realized that I like, hell, even love, country- just not what is predominately played on the radio. Your site has turned me onto so much great music. I am now gifting my lifelong country fan friends with CDs that they are unfamiliar with and turning them on as well. They’ve asked me, “Where did you hear about this?”
I tell them, “There’s this site called Saving Country Music!”
I appreciate it all.
August 9, 2016 @ 6:35 am
Ditto. A thumbs up from Trigger makes me pay attention. I also like the sites Nine Bullets and Cover Lay Down.
August 9, 2016 @ 11:44 am
Berni, I used to live Nine Bullets. It’s so sad to see it basically dead (or at least on a respiratory in a deep coma). NB and SCM have been two of my favorite places to learn about new music.
August 9, 2016 @ 3:40 pm
AdHoff, I don’t know what’s going on with 9B either. I keep hoping it’ll wake up from hibernation and return to it’s former awesome self. At least we still have SCM!
August 9, 2016 @ 7:16 pm
Farce the Music is good too. A lot of silly stuff about radio country but they have good videos, reviews, and best of lists. SCM is my favorite music site but I do find a lot of good stuff at Farce.
August 10, 2016 @ 7:44 am
Paul, Farce the Music is a good one too. I especially like their album cover parodies. Other good places to discover music – although not just country – are Daytrotter, Noisetrade, Hearya, the NPR Tiny Desk Concert series, and so forth.
Saving Country Music helps me wade through all the tons of stuff out there. Odds are if Trigger likes it so will I.
August 9, 2016 @ 7:51 am
Thanks A.K.A. City.
August 9, 2016 @ 11:30 am
Just want to join in on the big Hooray for Trigger.
The best shows I saw this year were by Sturgill (Hamburg & Berlin), Shakey Graves, The Devil Makes Three, Pokey LaFarge & The Bellfuries (all in Munich, where I’m based). Apart from Sturgill (who was the one that took me here) these are all artists I would possibly not ever have come across if it weren’t for your site. Thanks for the great experiences!
August 9, 2016 @ 11:57 am
Nice list, Trig, I’m already checking these folks out. It’s good to hear about Kevin Black playing bass for Margo Price. He’s a fine player. Thanks for these recs. Hope to make it to Pickathon one of these years.
August 9, 2016 @ 12:41 pm
can’t recommend Foghorn Stringband enough. i bought their Rattlesnake Tidal Wave album on a whim and basically listened to just them for a couple months after. C.W. Stoneking too. everybody should have one of his records on their shelf. i got to ask also, how did the garbage situation in the parking lot look? i’m assuming Pickathon is all super eco-friendly..
August 9, 2016 @ 3:33 pm
There is no garbage at Pickathon. None. They literally generate zero landfill trash. Everything is either reused or recycled.
August 15, 2016 @ 9:55 am
I felt like there was more microtrash this year than in previous years. I’m hopeful that the folks in attendance next year take a little more care with the leave no trace ethos that the festival tries to adhere to. It’s still not bad compared to other festivals, of course, but I think that we can always do better.
August 10, 2016 @ 4:44 am
I see that Mobius Outlaw patch is set for that slow deep phaser effect. Could have just named it Waylon! Nice pics and report.
Only 15 days until Whispering Beard, by the way! I’ll be attending on Friday, but don’t let that stop you from coming!!
http://www.whisperingbeard.com/festival/
August 13, 2016 @ 11:33 am
Highlight of Pickathon for me was Daniel Norgren. Hope we get to see him back in the US in 2017
August 15, 2016 @ 9:53 am
Margo Price slayed it, I loved their performance on the Treeline stage. I wish I had gotten to see more of Lindi (I was working setup elsewhere on the farm) but loved what I got to hear. Hurray for The Riff Raff was spectacular on the Woods Stage and I loved that they weren’t afraid to mix in social/political commentary with their very entertaining set. All great first time performances at Pickathon, I hope to see them back again many times.
I saw CW Stoneking when he came by a couple years ago. At the time, I thought he was really impressive but something of a novelty act for me. I wouldn’t necessarily listen to his music all the time, but I loved his commitment to what he did. Well, he’s grown since then. The addition of a backing band and a sonically richer and more varied set list was revelatory to me. He’s not just a throwback artist, he’s producing really interesting, compelling music and I’ll be paying a lot more attention to his career now based on what I saw.
The other band that I didn’t see mentioned here but ought to be of interest to fans of the site is Joseph. They played last year to quiet general acclaim and have started getting bigger in the year since with some late night tv show gigs and whatnot. This year, they seemed very confident and self-assured and put on some great performances. I love me some sister harmonies and they not only brought it in spades, they also showed an expanding repertoire that highlights the skills and combinations of each individual and grouping. Definitely worth a listen.