music festivals

This weekend in Portland, Oregon, a house off East Burnside will be packed with folks coming out for two nights of amazing music brought to you by FOC Fest. Featuring women of color musicians from the Pacific Northwest, FOC Fest (short for Females of Color) started last year and was a total blast. As their 2011 zine stated, "we hope to bring FOC musicians together and recognize the awesome contribution they make to our respective music communities so that we can all support each other....It don’t matter what you look like, smell like, sex like, or dress like. FOC Fest holds a mission to recognize difference and feel empowered in this recognition." This inclusive, all-ages show is local, DIY music organizing at its finest, and you're invited! 

This year means a whole new lineup of acts, from the post-punk of Old Wars, to the genre-bending mariachi of Edna Vasquez, to the experimental sampling solo work of Amenta Abioto (and yes, a compilation album will be available at the festival!).

I spoke with Katherine Paul, one of the organizers and founders (and a member of Forest Park) about why FOC Fest is important, how she feels a year after the first one, and more. Read on for the Q&A and the full lineup of this year's festival. 

Despite the impressive amount of revelers who came out to enjoy last weekend's 8th annual Afropunk Festival in Brooklyn's Commodore Barry Park, there were looming criticisms about how this year's festival deviated from the nonconformist and anti-consumerism philosophy at the heart of the Afropunk scene.


Erykah Badu on stage with Cannabinoids.

It took me two showers to wash off the dirt from Portland-based roots music festival Pickathon last weekend, but I'm still basking in the glow of new music discoveries. Some of my faves after the jump, with links to band websites and performances...

I'm pleased as punch to be headed out to Pickathon, an inde and roots music festival all-weekend camp-a-thon in Portland. From this year's lineup, at least 15 bands are women or feature women prominently, including their big headliner for the festival, Neko Case. This week's Bitchtapes gives you a sampling of the folk, roots, and jams of Pickathon. If you can't make the festival, Seattle's KEXP will be livecasting the festival—check out their broadcast schedule so you can plan your viewing accordingly! Track list and more Pickathon after the jump!

Pickathon 2012 from BitchTapes on 8tracks.

Girl Fest Hawaii is now in its sixth year of combating violence against women through a week of art, music, and workshops. This year's festival, which runs from this Saturday, Nov 7th until the 14th in Honolulu is going to be just as great as ever! Check out these five (of many) reasons to attend or support Girl Fest Hawaii after the jump!

Portland's annual women-centered arts fest Siren Nation is back, from November 5-8! This three-day festival is packed with women musicians, filmmakers, artists, and craftsters. Siren Nation's mission is to showcase and support women in the arts--and inspire other women to make their own. This year's festival promises to be as great as ever! The film lineup alone is awesome: four documentaries on four strong women, including Ahead of the Majority on Patsy Mink, the first Asian-American woman to run for president, and Ridin' and Rhymin' on cowgirl-cum-poet Georgie Sicking. As for music, check out this rundown of lineup, including Lovers and Tender Forever:

Northwesterners, get your tickets now! For non-Portlanders, it's worth it to check out the line-up for unknown artists you didn't know you were missing.

A celebration of all things queer, Homo-A-Gogo will take place August 13th-16th in San Francisco, CA.

(Photo by Erica Beckman)