MFNW Creates Eastside v. Westside Dilemma

[Jaymee R. Cuti]

Musicfest Northwest is about to get tricky. Unless you have Hermione's time changer, the simultaneous offerings of local powerhouses are going to split the scene.

SATURDAY
Oh Captain My Captain is an obvious pick for the 5 p.m. slot. This opener, who dabbles in classic rock and psychedelia, will steal the show. Oh Captain My Captain demonstrates what happens when Weezer meets Herman's Hermits and The Beach Boys meets Radiohead, This great Northwest band has deep local roots, including a history of supporting neighbors Quasi and Loch Lomond. Tonight they open for a long slew of bands at Rontoms, 600 E. Burnside St.

You can leisurely make your way to Roseland Theater, 8 N.W. Sixth Ave. next for Portugal. The Man at 9:40 p.m. The best thing to come out of Wasilla, Ala., this soulful and politically-charged band fits neatly in the apocalyptic rock box. The Get Up Kids follow at 10:45 p.m.

Waste no time scampering to Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W. Burnside St., for the 11 p.m. The Builders And The Butchers show. When I reference the church of rock, I pray to The Builders And The Butchers, along with other revivalist bands including The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Spindrift, Portland’s own Federale and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. The Builders And The Butchers, a band best sampled live, joins banjos and guitars for a dark, stripped-down gospel sound. Blind Pilot, a band that undeniably attests to The Decemberist’s regional influence, takes the stage at midnight.

At midnight, I panic. Two big-leaguers rockers create a dead heat, pitting Eastside and Westside against each other in a contest of cool. Who’s cooler than Frank Black? The Pixie frontman's band, Black Francis, brings Leonard Cohen-Elvis Costello-style storytelling to Dante’s, 1 S.W. Third Ave., at midnight. At the same time, avant-garde queercore spearhead Donna Dresch and her team explode into sound at midnight at Rotture, 315 S.E. Third Ave. Team Dresch, pictured, is the voice of a Northwest-born movement that continues to prove its relevance. That’s the Eastside v. Westside dilemma.

SUNDAY
Sunday kindly dawns as a no brainer. Yes, you’ve overheard Modest Mouse jam from their practice space off Southeast Belmont Street, but hell, they deserve your embrace when they actually intend for you to listen. Consider it your civic duty to see their 10 p.m. show at Crystal Ballroom. I consider them one of the hippest bands to garner attention beyond Portland since Paul Revere and the Raiders. Morning Teleportation, Mimicking Birds and Love as Laughter open at 7, 8 and 9 p.m., respectively.

Click here for the wristband.