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Musicfest NW 2012: Free Ice Cream!

Posted by Nada Overlord October 12th, 2012 No Comments »

Musicfest NW
September 5-9
Portland, Oregon
Day 3 Recap

With the sun shining bright, I woke up early and headed over to Peninsula Park for a secret Spotify session with Radiation City. I arrived to find the beloved Portland upstarts situating themselves on the jungle gym. A small audience of friends (plus a dog that looked like Boo’s BFF Buddy) leisurely gathered at the playground with iced coffees in hand.

With cameras rolling, Radiation City launched into a completely unplugged set, playing so quietly that the ambient sounds of birds, a nearby fountain and rambunctious children blended right in with their gorgeous harmonies. It was a peaceful scene and the perfect way to recharge after the previous night’s show hopping. Plus there was free ice cream afterwards. Score!

I spent the afternoon drinking on patios and then met my better half for the evening’s festivities. Our first stop was the K Records showcase at Backspace. Lake opened and put on one of my favorite performances of the week. Their twee indie stylings were a direct hit to my pleasure center, with irresistible melodies that hung in the air long after they finished playing.

Taking it relatively easy we finished the night back at Star Theater. This time The Pains of Being Pure at Heart were the main event. They’ve got their shoegazey sound dialed in and put on a quick-hitting set fueled by a hyperactive frontman who makes Tyler Hansbrough seem tame by comparison. I was alarmed to see not a single member of the band had a beard. In fact, keyboardist Peggy Wang’s long bangs were about the only thing that could possibly qualify as facial hair. They must feel naked up there.