PICKATHON 2023: Performances To Keep On Your Radar [Part 2]

The 2023 Pickathon Music Festival is less than a month away and whether you’re already planning on going, have decided that it’s not in the cards for you, or are still on the fence about attending, we figure it’s worth looking into the acts who will be performing to get a sense of what they have in store this year. As we confessed in the first installment of these previews, we were fairly lost when the lineup dropped and only recognized a very small handful of names. Of those names, the list of those who we knew anything substantial about was next to zero. With Pickathon‘s shining record of booking future breakout artists and amazing performers that are currently flying under the radar, this year’s roster had the potential to be truly remarkable, a complete bust, or anything in between. With plenty of discussion about this potentially being the last Pickathon ever, we figured that we better dig in to see what we were working with and determine that for ourselves.

The short answer to what we discovered is that the lineup is definitely packed with exciting talent clearly chosen for their ability to put on engaging live shows. In fact, we found so many great acts and I became so invested in the idea of sharing what we’ve uncovered that my “short festival preview” is now spilling into multiple installments just to allow me to better accomplish that. As with the previous installment, the artists featured here are suggested acts that we believe you should keep on your radar, in general. For those attending the festival, these are the performers we feel are worth making the most effort to see. Since every one of these artists will be performing at least twice over the weekend, we’re also including which set times and stages we like for each respective performer and why. For those still interested in going to Pickathon, but not familiar enough with the lineup to get you invested, the hope is that this might help provide you with enough information to determine whether or not you want to make the trip out to Happy Valley, Oregon.

Now that that’s covered, let’s get into it.

WITCH

Saturday @ 7 pm Woods Stage / Sunday @ 10 pm Paddock

While there was a large majority of acts that I didn’t recognize when the lineup dropped, there was at least one that I was instantly excited about who made it clear that getting back to the farm this year was a priority. W.I.T.C.H. (We Intend To Cause Havoc) formed in the early 1970s in post-revolutionary Zambia and became massively popular in their home country. Initially inspired by acts like the Rolling Stones, the band evolved well beyond their influences by fusing their African roots with psychedelic rock. They would spearhead the Zamrock movement, but their sound would mutate over time, eventually finding them making disco-funk tunes and then pivoting back to more Zambian kalinda-style music before disbanding around 1984. Due to political and economic issues within their country, it became less and less feasible for most of these Zamrock bands to exist after a while. Fortunately, the music endured and, as new people in the Western world began to discover what they had created, there was a great resurgence, discovery, and, demand for it in the new millennium.  Along with Zamrock compilations and reissues, this newfound interest indirectly resulted in the unlikely return of W.I.T.C.H. as a live act, as well.

In the 2019 documentary, We Intend To Cause Havoc, director, Gio Arlotta takes the opportunity to track down original W.I.T.C.H. frontman, Emanyeo “Jagari” Chanda, after being invited on an African cross-country trip that was passing through Zambia. In the film, we find Jagari as a born-again Christian working a labor-intensive job as a gem miner after losing his job as a music teacher many years earlier. Like so many other Zamrock artists, all other original members of his band had died — Chanda speculates that many of those deaths were from A.I.D.S., which was common, yet difficult to document early on. Much of the documentation of the Zamrock movement in general had been lost due to the details and history of the movement being primarily relegated to the stories and memories of those who were involved firsthand. Meanwhile, those very people’s numbers are dwindling. A charismatic and high-energy frontman, Jagari was a bonafide rockstar in his time, and his band was a legitimate phenomenon that reached and appealed to Zambians of all ages. When W.I.T.C.H. released their first album, it was not only an incredible inspiration for other bands, but for the people of Zambia who could finally purchase and own a physical release made by someone in their own country for the very first time. Whenever anyone was interviewed for the documentary, you could see their eyes light up, as the memories come flooding back to them.

When Arlotta returned to Zambia, he brought Dutch psych-rock musician/multi-instrumentalist, Jacco Gardner, and his drummer, Nico Mauskoviç to meet him. Both huge fans of his work, the pair got a chance to play music with Jagari, and, eventually, plans were made to reform the band with them both as official members. Keyboardist, Patrick Mwondela, was also added to the lineup. Mwondela was in the later incarnation of W.I.T.C.H. from 1979-1984, joining right before Jagari left, so his inclusion, which helps cover a broader scope of what the band accomplished, is great to see. With Jacco holding down the bass, the full lineup is now rounded out with Switzerland-based guitarist, Stefan Lilov (L’EClair, The Cats Never Sleep) and the highly accomplished German guitarist/bandleader/producer, JJ Whitefield, who recently dropped Ethios Meditations / Drama Al Dente, the incredible inaugural release for Madlib‘s new library record series. More than simply some nostalgia act with only one or 2 original members left, this is somewhat of an international supergroup. This new incarnation even just dropped a brand new album full of new material that stays true to the sound and soul of the original material, while managing to advance the music forward — Pickathon alum, Sampa The Great even appears on a track. You don’t want to miss these guys.

W.I.T.C.H. is scheduled to play an uncontested set on the Paddock stage on Sunday at 10 pm, ensuring that everyone who is on-site has an opportunity to see them. It’s bound to be amazing. Shows that are later in the evening on the last day can really feel like a celebration and be invigorating for those who are coming through the other end after sticking it out all weekend. Plus, having no other acts performing at the same time is always a bonus. With that said, catching them on the Woods stage is definitely enticing. They’re scheduled to perform there on Saturday at 7 pm.

Rich Ruth

Sunday @ 5 pm Galaxy Barn

My guess is that Rich Ruth is among the easiest names to overlook on the lineup, especially without the name recognition to warrant the big font on the flyer. Looking him up, I came across a photo of a man who resembled a young Ricky Skaggs, back when he had the mustache. There’s nothing flashy here, but first impressions were that Ruth likely fell into the singer/songwriter realm at minimum, if not the folk, country, or bluegrass worlds. The initial information that I discovered was that Rich Ruth is a project of Michael Rich Ruth, a Nashville multi-instrumentalist who seems to be firmly integrated into the local scene. He’s played sideman in various other projects and can be found backing SG Goodman in a Tiny Desk concert from 8 months ago. In that performance, Ruth is pulling off some slick Southern-tinged indie guitar work, but he’s doing it all while sporting a KLF hat. I found a short clip of someone interviewing him outside the venue of an SG Goodman gig where he responds to how he centers himself on tour by saying that he essentially zones out to whatever music he’s “really into” at the time, “whether it’s ambient music or death metal or spiritual jazz. One day it’s Carcass and the next day it’s Pharoah Sanders.” In Ruth‘s solo work, you can hear the wealth of disparate references that he draws from and, in a very similar capacity, he seems to be aiming to provide music for others to zone out to and/or center themselves, as well.

Rich Ruth self-released the album Calming Signals in 2019, followed by the EP Where There’s Life in 2021. In large part, the creation of Calming Signals operated as a healing tool and a way to direct his focus toward something constructive after two people carjacked him at gunpoint one morning outside of his home. The ambient release is overflowing with lush shimmering soundscapes and sustained waves of spiritual jazz, while incorporating driving, almost motorik-style drumbeats, exploratory free jazz sax moments, and subtle electronic accents manifesting in the background. There are moments that resemble the doomier droney side of Krautrock and eerie synths. At times Cluster-esque, there are points that sound like Neu meets Philip Glass but with new-age native flute music over Tangerine Dream horror synths. These recordings began as solo ambient compositions but, once Rich began recruiting friends to contribute, the sound really found a new dimension and filled out in ways that were more satisfying and less predictable. In contrast, Where There’s Life is a collection of mediation pieces created at the beginning of the pandemic. Drawing from feelings of “uncertainty” and “isolation,” these incredibly serene compositions are stripped back to nothing except guitar, saxophone, and synths.

The album, I Survived, It’s Over was put out by Third Man Records in 2022. This time there are noticeably more drums and, while the sound is a bit more out there, the players also feel more cohesive as a unit. At points, it can enter Bitches Brew territory; twisting mutated horns lay over smooth new-age foundations that blend surprisingly well. Rich isn’t afraid to take his moments to let his guitar fly in little psychedelic runs. There are even glimpses of post-rock pioneers, Tortoise, particularly in the percussive elements. The songs grow and unfurl. The spiritual jazz has been upped alongside more organic sounds which almost feel as if a song is breathing, allowing one track to gradually and seamlessly build up to tunnels of ominous synth. Rich doesn’t seem content with just sitting on one drone, preferring to create sprouting sonic ecosystems complete with flora and fauna. There’s a precision yet effortlessness to how the electronics are sprinkled in. He’s blending the organic elements with the electronic components in a way where backward-shuffling effects can conjure images of birds and synths melds into wind to the point where you forget where it all started. With song titles like, “Older But Not Less Confused” and “Desensitization And Reprocessing” coupled with the name of the LP itself, this is clearly the sound of a bolder Rich coming out the other side and ready to start getting/taking his power back. As someone who’s been struggling with some fairly crippling anxiety of my own, I welcome whatever Rich chooses to unleash on the farm. Whether he leans more subdued and meditative or comes crashing through like a wave, both approaches have their merit and hold their own power.

Rich Ruth plays at 7 pm on Friday at the Cherry Hill stage and again at 5 pm on Sunday in the Galaxy Barn. Both sets could have conflicts with other acts depending on what you’re hoping to see and/or depending on what you were able to check off your list beforehand. Ideally, this sort of thing would be amazing on the Woods stage, but either of these other two locations has its own appeal. Personally, we might be leaning toward the Galaxy Barn if everything else pans out. If you’ve hit everything hard leading up to it, Sunday can become a lazy day at Pickathon where things are less urgent and it’s nice to have something you’re still looking forward to. Being indoors for Rich Ruth may seem counterintuitive, but, if you can’t have the woods, there’s something nice about dipping into a little venue to watch something more ethereal and jazzy in the middle of the day. If we were discussing the old days prior to when the Galaxy Barn was equipped with air conditioning, I’d probably be urging you to avoid it at all costs, but these days it can be a nice little change of tone and scenery, plus a good environment to escape to and actually avoid the heat in the process.

Mike Dillon & Punkadelick

Saturday @ noon The Grove Stage

I’m calling it right now that Mike Dillon is going to be one of the biggest sleeper acts of the festival. There’s a formula to Pickathon that, once you recognize it, can provide a pretty good indication of how something is going to fit in and work with the overall program. For whatever reason, the jazz acts seem to have a history of being some of the biggest surprises, along with the heavier doom-metal bookings. Certain things are a given for festival-goers like there being folk and country-oriented performers or women songwriters. There is always going to be a hip-hop act or two mixed in and psych, garage, and/or post-punk bands have taken on the annual task of balancing things out from the more relaxed sets. Soul music and indie bands always find representation. It’s true that international acts — of which there are numerous — are guaranteed to bring something eye-opening and unexpected, but even then, there is an expectation going in that Pickathon will provide that and people attend these sets knowing they will be exposed to cultures they are unfamiliar with. Jazz, on the other hand, comes from somewhat of a different world where I doubt that a large portion of the Pickathon demographic really has a proper understanding of what to expect. Not unlike with metal, there are preconceptions that don’t necessarily apply to the artists that Pickathon books in those genres, and, even within the jazz world, Mike Dillon is somewhat of a wild card.

What Mike Dillon does is very specific, but he’s versatile in its application. The most general way to describe him is as a “percussionist,” but he incorporates everything from tablas and congas to timbales and the triangle, while a large percentage of the time consists of him wailing away on a vibraphone. More than just a background musician tasked with filling out the sound, Dillon has the ability to define and shape it, regularly being one of the most integral components of the ensembles that he is involved with. My first introduction to him was as a member of Seattle jazz/Afro-funk/electronic outfit, Critters Buggin alongside frequent collaborator, Skerik, as well as Matt Chamberlain and Brad Houser (both formerly of Edie Brickell And The New Bohemians). Mike was also part of Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe and later in such projects as Garage A Trois, The Dead Kenny G’s, and Les Claypool’s Flying Frog Brigade, while appearing on several Claypool solo projects which followed. What I wasn’t aware of was that, prior to any of this, Dillon was the percussionist for alternative radio-friendly jazzy “hip-hop” project, MC 900 Ft. Jesus. He’s collaborated in more experimental-leaning projects like Secret Chiefs 3, appeared on more expected neo-jazz projects by the likes of Benevento/Russo Duo, Robert Walter’s 20th Congress, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey and Galactic, and supplied percussion to the electric blues album, My Future Past, by the late Walter “Wolfman” Washington. What’s, perhaps, more surprising is his appearances on multiple Polyphonic Spree albums and several Ani Difranco live and studio releases. In 2018, Dillon played tablas for the Jonathan Davis (Korn) solo album only to then contribute vibraphone on a Rickie Lee Jones song the following year. The last time that I saw a Mike Dillon-led project live, he was opening for Dean Ween Group and Norwood Fisher of Fishbone was his bassist. After he plays Pickathon with his project, Punkadelick, they will join up with the hard rock band Clutch to open for them on tour, because… I guess Dillon is in that band, too.

Punkadelick is the perfect name for a Mike Dillon project with all his funk and jazz-punk tendencies. And that’s the thing that I anticipate taking people off guard, the fact that he’s such an aggressive and dynamic live performer, especially for those unfamiliar with jazz in this sort of freewheeling and unhinged format. Completing the trio is drummer, Nikki Glaspie (Beyonce, Maceo Parker, Dumpstaphunk) and organist, Brian Haas (Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey), who I’ve personally witnessed unleash on his keys like a cyclone on multiple occasions. From the footage I’ve seen of them, Dillon is incorporating plenty of effects into his performances, as well. Punkadelick has the potential to conjure up not only some of the most swinging and danceable moments of the weekend, but also some of the most spaced-out and chaotic. Back in 2013, Marco Benevento brought a similar offering to Pendarvis farm and won everyone over to such a degree that he was invited back to perform again the following year. I expect something very similar this time around.

Dillon & Punkadelick, who are perfect for late-night lunacy, have a 9 pm Galaxy Barn slot on Friday that they’re guaranteed to tear up like a speeding ticket. That said, the Friday set is scheduled at the same time as Lee Fields in the Woods. Instead, I really like the sound of their noon set in the Grove on Saturday. Surrounded by trees, this thing is going to break out into a forest party and, at that point in the weekend, it’s exactly what I’m going to need to recharge my energy and kick off the day on the good foot.

They Hate Change

Friday @ 11 pm Galaxy Barn / Sunday @ 3 pm Woods Stage

I’m really happy that we decided to delve into this year’s lineup for these previews; otherwise, so many of these artists would have slipped right past me. When I saw the name They Hate Change, it felt like it should be sewn onto the back of an XFL jersey. Listening to what they do and understanding a little bit more about who they are now makes me feel like they couldn’t have chosen a better moniker for their project. For a duo from Tampa with a non-binary member and DIY ethic that’s testing the parameters of hip-hop in the “don’t say gay” state known for flashy, materialistic figures like DJ Khaled, Rick Ross, and Pitbull, I’m sure they’ve faced consistent reminders of just how much, and how many, ignorant clowns really do “hate change,” first hand.

As teenagers, Vonne Park and André Gainey lived in the same apartment complex where they explored, shared, and created music with one another. Both are producers and, although the original plan was for Vonne to be the sole rapper, both have grown into solid lyricists and emcees. Working as DJs in the Tampa scene, they honed their crafts and cracked the code of blending all of their varied influences into something both fresh and cohesive. The first track that I listened to was “X-Ray Spex,” its title a nod to the late-70s English punk band of the same name. Vonne‘s flow on the song is reminiscent of Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler (Digable Planets, Shabazz Palaces), at times, while Dré sounds as if he could be a missing member of Flatbush Zombies. The beat they’ve created is whirling electricity and has life to it. High-energy and propulsive, danceable, hard-hitting, and persistent; they manage to skim the gutters while blasting out shimmering pulses throughout. THC makes some engaging stuff that can reflect elements of jungle music just as easily as moments of Outkast. In their brand new single, “stunt (when i see u),” Vonne has a line where they explain, “This that Gulf Coast Soul, Post-Punk Crunk Music.” Earlier in the song, Dré references two former Pickathon performers by saying, “We just did a show with Courtney B. and the homie Lucy Dacus.” The cover art for the single is actually a copy of a hand-written letter from Courtney Barnett thanking the duo for playing the Here And There festival that she curated with Dacus on the bill. In it, she explains how happy she was to discover their work while searching for X-Ray Spex music.

They Hate Change is expressing a lot through everything from their production and lyrics to their visuals/imagery and even in just how they carry themselves. The video for “X-Ray Spex” (above) makes poignant social commentaries by adopting themes from the John Carpenter classic, They Live. This is made even more relevant by the fact that their state is banning books by the truckload. Digging back to their 2018 Deathbomb Arc release, Now, And Never Again, THC unload their unapologetic truths right out the gate. In the opening track, “Opposite Side Of A Bad Day,” Vonne asks, “Who the fuck’d say they got me, if not me?” Adding “I’ve gotta hold it down for Vonne.” They then call out both anti-trans conservatism and neo-liberal TERFs with the lines, “And the kid don’t take no shit from no cisgender prick / or white feminist that see me as the enemy / and can’t get a grip on the basics of identity / so seeing me in drag is a goddam obscenity.” In some of the earlier material, I can almost hear an Earl Sweatshirt quality to the delivery, but their sound has always been difficult to pinpoint and only continues to evolve. Miami bass, IDM, jook music and ghetto tech.. even grime and krautrock are all mixed in here. They have a newer song called “Breathing” that subtly and organically mutates, shapeshifts, buzzes, and illuminates throughout. They’re doing more than simply creating beats and then penning rhymes to spit over them. They Hate Change have the ability and drive to handle all aspects of their work allowing them to meticulously sculpt entire multi-dimensional sound pieces.

THC has an 11 pm Friday night set in the Galaxy Barn that they are bound to kill. For a couple of artists with roots DJ-ing in Tampa, their production should be great in that indoor space at night. That said, I also really like the idea of their set at 3 pm on Sunday at the Woods stage. The barn might be more of what they’re used to, but these two are clearly into expansion and exploration. While the crowd is guaranteed to be enthralled while being exposed to what they do, there’s something about seeing performers mesmerized by their environment in the unique way that the Woods stage can provide. Something tells me that they’ll be up for the experience, which, in turn, should radiate from their performance.