Project Pabst Portland 2017 Preview

“Pabst Blue Ribbon!” The favorite beer of hipsters & Dennis Hopper’s character in Blue Velvet brings a series of festivals across the country – and of course one is in Portland this weekend, August 26th & 27th:

SATURDAY, AUGUST 26th

Iggy Pop, Captain Pabst Stage, 8:20 PM – 9:50 PM Iggy Pop is one of the most iconic frontmen in rock ‘n’ roll history. For if there is such a thing as ‘post-punk’, then there’s also ‘proto-punk’, and no act more paved the way for the raw rock explosion than Iggy & The Stooges (QRO photos at a festival). They’d burned the candle at both ends before there was any “Anarchy In the U.K.”, but reunited in 2003 (QRO photos at a festival) before finally closing out (thanks to fewer & fewer living Stooges) last year. Of course, Mr. Pop has paved his own solo career; you know “Lust For Life” & “Real Wild Child (Wild One)”, but there’s so much more, like last year’s critically acclaimed team up with Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal), Post Pop Depression (QRO review). Word is that Iggy is getting tired of touring (QRO photos), so catch him while you can at Project Pabst Portland!

Die Antwoord, Unicorn Stage, 7:05 PM – 8:10 PM In this day & age, it can be hard to for an act to truly surprise, but Die Antwoord (QRO photos) have done it. Not only South African but Afrikaans (the descendants of the Dutch settlers who instituted & later repealed apartheid), vocalist Ninja & Yo-Landi Vi$$er took the internet by storm with a baffling mix of rave & hip-hop, English & Afrikaans in “Enter the Ninja” and 5 EP (QRO review). They followed up in 2012 with Ten$ion (QRO review) and 2013’s Donker Mag, and have been baffling minds & blowing them away (QRO photos at a festival) while stealing the show (& shedding clothes) wherever they go (QRO photos outdoors at a festival). The duo (QRO photos at a festival) comes to Project Pabst Portland before next month’s release of The Book of Zef.

Father John Misty, Captain Pabst Stage, 5:55 PM – 7:00 PM While a member of overrated folk outfit Fleet Foxes, guitarist Joshua Tillman found time to do his own solo stuff (QRO album review), but in 2012 he moved to solo full-time as Father John Misty (QRO photos) with Fear Fun, and he comes to Project Pabst Portland (QRO photos at a festival) behind this year’s Pure Comedy (QRO review). As Aziz Ansari said in Master of None, “That’s a hot ticket!”

FIDLAR, Unicorn Stage, 4:55 PM – 5:50 PM Back in the long-lost eighties, punk outfits like Black Flag would prompt conflict with Commissioner Chief Daryl Gates’ pre-Rodney King LAPD – but everyone’s mellower these days, right? Not if FIDLAR (QRO photos) have anything to say about it (QRO photos at a festival), as they come to Project Pabst Portland (QRO photos at a festival).

Lizzo, Captain Pabst Stage, 4:00 PM – 4:50 PM Catch the hot, fast-rising alternative hip-hop of Minneapolis’ Lizzo (QRO photos at a festival).

PUP, Unicorn Stage, 3:05 PM – 3:55 PM Toronto punk rockers PUP come to Project Pabst Portland behind last year’s sophomore release, The Dream Is Over.

Also: Filthy Friends, Captain Pabst Stage, 2:20 PM – 3:00 PM White Reaper, Unicorn Stage, 1:35 PM – 2:15 PM – QRO album review The Last Artful Dodgr, Captain Pabst Stage, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM

SUNDAY, AUGUST 27th

Beck, Captain Pabst Stage, 8:20 PM – 9:50 PM Beck (QRO photos at a festival) is back! Your favorite musical non-conformist (QRO photos at a festival) broke through in the mid-nineties thanks to songs like “Loser”, “Where It’s At”, and “Devil’s Haircut” off of early records Mellow Gold and Odelay (QRO deluxe edition review), mixing white boy funk with indie-rock and experimental – as well also delivering a stripped, soulful folk side to boot. After full-lengths 2008’s Modern Guilt (QRO review) and 2006’s The Information (QRO review), he took off time to work as a producer (such as on Thurston Moore’s Demolished Thoughts – QRO review – and Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks’ Mirror Traffic – QRO review), only releasing a few soundtrack tracks (like writing for the fictional band Sex Bob-omb in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World – QRO soundtrack review) and a ‘song reader’. But he finally delivered a new studio album in 2014 with Morning Phase (QRO review) – and of course it was great. A perfect headliner for Project Pabst Portland (QRO headlining a festival), he comes in the run-up to his October release of Colors.

Nas, Unicorn Stage, 7:05 PM – 8:10 PM One of the most consistently strong rappers for more years than you realize has been Nas (QRO photos at a festival). His 1994 debut Illmatic has been consistently ranked as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, and follow-up It Was Written made him internationally famous (as did a ten-year feud with Jay-Z). More recently, he and Damien Marley of reggae fame & family collaborated both on record & live (QRO photos together at a festival), donating all the royalties to African charities, and in 2012 Nas put out his tenth studio album, Life Is Good. Yes it is for Nas (QRO photos at a festival).

Spoon, Captain Pabst Stage, 5:55 PM – 7:00 PM As The Tick would shout, “Spoon!!!” Austin’s Spoon (QRO live review outdoors) has been turning heads in the indie-sphere for a while with their trademark indie-rock, but with 2007’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (QRO review), 2010’s Transference (QRO review) & 2014’s They Want My Soul (QRO review), the group (QRO photos at a festival) has launched into the stratosphere, including headlining at New York’s ultra-upscale Radio City Music Hall (QRO live review). A festival veteran (QRO photos at a festival), including headlining fests (QRO photos headlining a festival), they come to Project Pabst Portland (QRO photos at a festival), now behind last spring’s release of Hot Thoughts (QRO review). Three cheers for “The Underdog” (QRO video)!

Whitney, Unicorn Stage, 4:55 PM – 5:50 PM Shortly after Max Kakacek & Julien Ehrlich’s young Smith Westerns (QRO photos at a festival) broke up, the pair formed their new outfit, Whitney (QRO photos at a festival). And they’ve certainly grown up, as debut Light Upon the Lake was one of the best records of last year (QRO Top Albums of 2016).

Noname, Captain Pabst Stage, 4:00 PM – 4:50 PM Off of an appearance on “Lost” in the Rapper’s 2013 mixtape Acid Rap, Noname has made her own name.

San Fermin, Unicorn Stage, 3:05 PM – 3:55 PM Brooklyn baroque-pop band San Fermin (QRO photos) come to Project Pabst Portland behind this year’s Belong.

Also: Frankie Cosmos, Captain Pabst Stage, 2:20 PM – 3:00 PM Rvivr, Unicorn Stage, 1:35 PM – 2:15 PM Lithics, Captain Pabst Stage, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM