Oregon Music News is Oregon's only all-genre, online music magazine. OMN caters to an engaged and technology savvy audience in multiple demographics.
123 Main Street, Portland, Oregon.
Oregon Music News is Oregon's only all-genre, online music magazine. OMN caters to an engaged and technology savvy audience in multiple demographics.
123 Main Street, Portland, Oregon.
PDX Pop Now! is FREE and open to all ages.
Friday, July 22nd, music plays from 6pm to after midnight.
Saturday, July 23rd, music plays from noon to after midnight.
Sunday, July 24th, music plays from noon to 11pm.
In 2004, a group of members from the PDX-POP listserv organized the first PDX Pop Now! music festival to “make a big deal” out of Portland’s vibrant music community.
The early, conscious decisions of these organizers helped shape the festival, and now shape our organization. In dedication to the large number of underage music fans, the festival is an all-ages affair. To this tune, the first installment was held at Meow Meow, a now-defunct, all-ages music venue on Portland’s industrial east side.
To prevent any barriers to entry, we also make similar commitments to keep the festival free of charge and located centrally, at venues close to public transportation routes. Both are heavily credited for growing the festival each year, and bringing in new voices to the music scene.
The all-access philosophy is furthered through a democratic booking process that empowers fans with the right to nominate which artists best represent Portland music. After collecting nominations, the board hand-picks a 15 member booking committee that best represents a cross-section of the Portland music scene, including a variety of ages and backgrounds. This committee then takes ownership of what’s to become the city’s festival by selecting their favorites from the “equal-opportunity” list of nominees.
The PDX Pop Now! festival established itself as a spin-off from the PDX-POP listserv, and continues to serve as our signature event to this day. The multi-day festival brings scores of Portland artists and residents together in their own, urban backyard.
Every July, the festival, which showcases up to 50 of Portland’s finest bands, draws audiences in the thousands. Since 2004, the fests have collectively stimulated interest, expanded participation, introduced new bands into the fold, inspired collaborations and represented every goal related to Portland music that our organization set out to accomplish.
As a complement to the annual PDX Pop Now! festival, a compilation album is curated as one-part fundraiser, one-part shameless promoter of Portland musical talents. In its first year—as with the many that have followed – this compilation sold out multiple times over, and received praise from both local and national media outlets.
To date the yearly compilations have sold thousands of copies combined, mostly through local, independent record stores and online sales. Since their inception, they’ve been double-disc affairs featuring about forty new tracks from great Portland bands—large and small.
As a PDX Pop Now! production, the compilation includes a democratic aspect. Music tracks are attained solely through artist submissions, and are then run through a rigorous listening panel comprised of our board members and 100 plus volunteers. After surviving the listening panel, final tracks are then selected with attention to diversity, representation and popularity.
It’s their discerning ears that sift through hundreds of songs to produce a much anticipated amalgam of “PDX pop.” Each album is met with a release concert featuring—you guessed it—Portland artists at a Portland venue, both of which have garnered considerable attention from national media, as well as thousands of plays on college and public/community radio across the country.
Read more about the 2011 PDX Pop Now! compilation and get the track listing here.
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
The PDX Pop Now! photo book is a collection of hundreds of photographs by 16 different photographers that visually document the tremendous variety of artists that have performed at PDX Pop Now! festivals and events during the first five years of our existence, 2004-2008. All proceeds from the book will directly benefit PDX Pop Now! so we can continue to operate and expand our reach for years to come. Thank you for your support!
Our Mission
PDX Pop Now! is dedicated to stimulating and expanding participation in Portland music. As an all-volunteer organization committed to being accessible, current, and local, we provide and support live performances and recorded materials. We aspire to advance a sustainable community which values inclusivity and a high caliber of artistry to enable a creative dialogue between artist and audience.
About PDX Pop Now!
In 1998, PDX Pop listserv began in true DIY fashion when a few dozen Portland musicians, fans, and writers started a listserv that focused on promoting and discussing the local music scene. In ways it mirrored the collaborative nature of Portland’s music scene; one where cooperation trumped competition and motivation spurred from the question, “How big can this thing get?”
This question inspired the creation of PDX Pop Now! when 14 people envisioned local music emboldened by local recognition, and were driven to ignite it. The idea: that Portland’s self-sustained scene had reached a level deserving of recognition, discovery, enhancement, stimulation, participation, accessibility and—most importantly—celebration! Thus, the PDX Pop Now! music festival was born in 2004.
After producing the third-annual PDX Pop Now! festival, these volunteers decided to turn their labor of love into a lasting legacy. In July of 2007, PDX POP Now! became a registered 501c3 non-profit organization.
Now, driven by a dedicated Board of Directors and more than 200 volunteers, we are committed to celebrating, promoting and sustaining Portland’s vital and diverse music community. In harmony with this mission, we also work to connect this diverse music community to the general public through our outreach efforts.
What’s more, PDX Pop Now! works to fulfill this mission in a democratic and accessible way. Often, our productions are curated through a public nomination process and volunteer voting committees, held free of charge and are open to all-ages. By design, these efforts create an enfranchising, welcoming and diverse environment that’s more likely to amplify participation, dynamism and vitality throughout Portland’s music scene.
Each year, our stellar lineup of grassroots events works toward this end. Artists, businesses, and individual volunteers donate time and resources to producing our 2-disc compilation album of local music, benefit events and outreach programs that all lead up to the organization’s annual, signature festival—aptly named, PDX Pop Now!
Artists
Schedule
Follow Twitter
Information
Newsletter Sign Up
Happening Now
July 22nd
July 23rd
July 24th
Entire Festival