Being the age that I am, when presented with the unholy mix of a farm-based music festival and rain it's hard not to automatically think about Woodstock '94, that mud-strewn debacle that saw the esteemed likes of Candlebox, The Spin Doctors, and Jackyl take the stage alongside Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and the Violent Femmes to perform in front of a dirty, soaking, toiletless mass who eventually added mud-throwing, fire-starting, and unruly to that list of adjectives. And a good time was had by all. Lesson learned? People want toilets, and will resort to violent acts if they don't have them.

So the rain this morning, on the first day of Pickathon X, brought with it to my mind some trepidation-- not that fans of Jolie Holland would react the same way as those of Cypress Hill, but still. Luckily, today's rain appears to be nothing more than a cool down before the coming musical storm, as the weekend forecast calls for sunny skies and temps in the upper 70's. There'll also be plenty of toilets, from what I understand.... and yoga. Oh, and no Candlebox.

Those worries aside, then, if you're a fan of what might be called "indie roots" then Pickathon is always full of sure bets-- this year's 10th is no different. Five stages, 35 acts, various workshops, and activities for the kids, all on Pendarvis Farm's pastoral setting. Things kick off this afternoon with our latest in-studio guests, Bombadil, on the Mountain View stage beginning at 4:00, followed in quick succession by the likes of Chatham County Line, Ian Thomas, Tom Heinl, The Everybodyfields, Sean Hayes, Jolie Holland, and our (by now) old friend Langhorne Slim and his band. Since visiting us last summer as well as this past January for the McMenamin's Great Northwest Music Tour, Slim finally issued his second full-length (self-titled) on Kemado and played Letterman, among various other places. His high-energy mix of blues, country, folk, soul, and whatever else he wants to throw in has quickly developed a following with the locals around these parts, making Oregon a sort of home away from home for the NYC-based artist. Langhorne Slim & the War Eagles play the first of three weekend sets tonight at 7:00 on the Mountain View stage (see the full schedule here).

MP3: Langhorne Slim- "Rebel Side of Heaven"

Thus begins our coverage of Pickathon X, coming to you all weekend long with somewhat hurried, hopefully not too sloppy updates here on the blog, including photos, reviews, previews and more, as well as in-studio sessions with Bombadil and The Everybodyfields. Got a can't miss act of your own you're looking forward to? Let us know! Saw a set that blew your mind? We want to know about it....

Posted by jpetersen on Friday, August 1 at 3:06pm