Oregon

Courtney Barnett

Courtney Barnett to headline Portland’s iconic Pickathon Festival 2024

If you’ve ever been to Pickathon Festival, located at Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley just outside of Portland, Oregon, you’ll know just how special a festival it is. And after finally getting confirmation the much lauded event (including by me) would be returning to Pendarvis Farm, the festival has announced its 1-4 August 2024 lineup….

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The Oregon (Coast) Trail: Navigating the dream itinerary for the world’s finest roadtrip

It’s summer 2019. The weather is perfect. The window is down and I am cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway. It’s my first time on this section of the highway, taking me from the south of the US state of Oregon, up to the capital in Portland. It’s by no means the only way to…

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Pickathon 2022 Lineup: Sampa The Great to join Built To Spill, Valerie June and more in Oregon

One of our favourite international events, Pickathon, which takes place quite literally in the woods outside of Portland, Oregon, has just announced its 2022 lineup. The annual festival takes place at Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, Oregon, and is such a unique and magnificent event we gave no less than five stars to their last…

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Watch Nathaniel Rateliff pay tribute to Richard Swift in this emotional performance in the woods

Since the world has gone into isolation, we’ve been enjoying a plethora of never-before-seen live streams coming online. For the last 11 weeks, the Portland festival Pickathon have been releasing new videos daily on YouTube, raising money for the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund. One of the best performances is Nathaniel Rateliff, performing solo at the festival’s incredible…

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Hotel Review: Portland’s Jupiter NEXT sets the benchmark for modern boutique hotels

One of the most iconic hotels in Portland is the Jupiter Hotel, a refitted motel designed for hip, creative guests – the sort who might be attending a show at the equally iconic Doug Fir Lounge, a music venue that sits underneath the accommodation. In June 2018, some 14 years after it opened, the hotel…

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Portland, Oregon: The musical heartbeat of America’s West Coast

When one thinks of the music industry in the US, there are three cities that immediately comes to mind: LA, New York and Nashville. The vast majority of music companies are based there, and on face value a lot of the creativity is happening there, too. Historically that’s not wrong – but in 2019, it…

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Pickathon Sunday Review: Julia Jacklin and Miya Folick steal the show as the Portland festival comes to an end

On the final day of the 21st year of Portland’s iconic Pickathon festival, I arrived on site in time to catch the end of a morning art tour that runs throughout the festival and showcases the hidden art gems that you can find in the main festival space, as well as the expansive camping area….

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Mumford & Sons and Portugal. The Man bring cheerleaders, c-bombs & confetti to Portland’s NBA home

Mumford & Sons kicked off their North American tour this week, with Portland-based Portugal. The Man opening things up for the first run of shows. This made last night’s show at Moda Center – the second of the run – a hometown show for the supports. Indeed, given how big they are here, it felt…

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Pickathon Saturday Review: Viagra Boys, Nathaniel Rateliff and more shine during a magical day in Portland

Kicking things off for Saturday at Pickathon, Zia from The Dandy Warhols was DJing when I arrived, as DJ Rescue, who grooved us into the first set from New York’s Bodega, who delivered a high energy performance that asked everyone to “sweat the toxins out”. The five piece are described as “art rock”, but they are…

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Pickathon’s Friday with The Beths, Dan Mangan and more cements the Portland boutique festival as one of the world’s best

Set about 40 minutes out of Portland in idyllic wilderness, Pickathon is a boutique festival with a strictly limited capacity that brings up memories of festivals back in Australia like Secret Garden, Peats Ridge and Dashville Skyline. Crowds are quiet and respectful, here for the music, and surrounded by good food and amazing drink. It’s…

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From Curtis Salgado to Jim Belushi: International Stars and Local Heroes light up the Portland Waterfront Blues Festival

The Waterfront Blues Festival, now in its 33rd year, was held from July 4th to the 7th in Portland, Oregon. The venue was Tom McCall Park, a narrow green strip on the western edge of the Willamette River in the city centre. With four stages and dozens of performers, this is the largest festival of…

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Pickathon festival founder Zale Schoenborn on the importance of the “irrational approach” and Julia Jacklin’s greatness

Coming of age this year is the Oregon festival Pickathon – one of North America’s most respected boutique festivals. Set in the mountains outside of Portland, the event has made a name for itself by maintaining a low capacity, a trend towards artist discovery, celebrating unique design and putting a focus on sustainability in a…

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7 things you have to do while in Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon had long been on my bucket list of destinations to visit. Renowned for great food and beer, arts, bookstores and scenery, and infamous for its hipster lifestyle, the city is one of the finest in the world. There’s so much to do in the city, but to help you on your way, here…

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5 things you need to know about Sisters, Oregon: The best kept secret in America?

When driving through Central Oregon, one may pass through a town by the name of Sisters. Anchored by two golf courses and sitting about 30 minutes from Bend, it’s the quintessential American drive-thru that you’ve head of; some six million cars passing through the town a year. It’s a town that has seen its economy…

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Flight Review: Getting “Extra Comfort” with Hawaiian Airlines – Portland to Honolulu (HA25)

Today we fly from Oregon on the West Coast of the USA, back towards Australia as we touch down in Honolulu. You can choose to stick around the Hawaiian capital, or continue on to Australia; and for this trip we certainly stuck around Hawaii for a week. But we had to fly there first. Here’s…

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