Music
Portland’s musical offerings are diverse as the city itself, with options including indie rock, jazz, classical, pop and more.
Home to indie darlings and internationally acclaimed artists alike (think Pink Martini, Esperanza Spalding, The Decemberists, The Shins and Elliott Smith), Portland is a haven for music lovers. Visitors can explore the city’s dozens of live music venues or take the stage themselves at one of Portland’s many open mic nights.
Music Events in Portland
Portland overflows year-round with live shows, festivals and music-centered things to do.
Live Music Venues
These five venues showcase some of the best live music in each of the city's five quadrants.
Local Musicians
Check out these up-and-coming musicians making a name for themselves in Portland.
The New Class of the Portland R&B Scene
A new generation of artists is attracting more light to the Portland R&B scene than ever before.
The Portland Hip-Hop Scene
Take a deep dive into the past, present and future of the Portland hip-hop scene with our expert guide to the best rap artists, showcases, shops and more.
Portland Filipino American Musician Mixes Island Heritage and Hip-Hop
Talilo Marfil, rapper and advocate, reflects on the power of community and takes readers through his favorite Portland hangs.
Upcoming Music Picks
Check out our events calendar to find music around the city.
Karaoke From Hell
The Northwest's original live karaoke band, Karaoke From Hell, has been rocking Portland for over 25 years and counting. The catalog boasts nearly 700 songs for you to sing, covering every genre from show tunes to skate punk. Catch it every Monday at Dante's and every Thursday at The Spare Room.
Portland Lindy Exchange
The Portland Lindy Exchange (PDXLX) is Portland’s annual dance exchange celebrating the vintage swing music and dances of the '20s – '50s, including Charleston, Lindy Hop, Balboa, and Collegiate Shag. PDXLX was first hosted in 1999.
Rockwood Market Hall Music Series
Each month, on a late Sunday afternoon, the Rockwood Market Hall hosts a local artist to perform for community members who enjoy their food while listening to live music in a relaxed, laid-back atmosphere. With various cuisine options, the Rockwood Market Hall is a great place to enjoy dinner with family and friends. See you…
Edgefield Concerts on the Lawn
With acts that have ranged from Al Green to ZZ Top, McMenamins Edgefield Concerts on the Lawn are an annual rite of summer and the hottest ticket in town.
Waterfront Blues Festival
Every Fourth of July weekend, the Waterfront Blues Festival takes over downtown Portland’s Waterfront Park.
Pickathon
Every August, Pickathon draws diverse musical performers to celebrate music and the outdoors at the lush Pendarvis Farm just outside of Portland.
El Grito
Join in the most important holiday celebrated by the Hispanic community in Oregon. El Grito 20th Anniversary immerses the rich traditions of the Latinx community with delicious Mexican cuisine and family-friendly entertainment, folkloric and Aztec dancers, live mariachi, salsa, cumbia and pop music, and interactive and educational community booths. The event also features contests, prizes, raffles,…
Slater
From seductive club bangers to therapeutic, night-time-cruising tunes, Slater has solidified his role as a tastemaker and star of the new wave of alternative pop. Since 2013, Southern California’s rising underground sensation, Slater, has blended the best elements of alternative, pop, and hip hop into a new, unique sound all of his own. Smooth, groovy,…
Low Bar Chorale
You show up at a bar or music venue. You grab a drink, and within minutes you’re singing the hell out of your favorite rock song with a hundred other folks and – wait for it – a live band of nationally known musicians. In three-part harmony, no less. Wait, what just happened? Welcome to…
Mania The ABBA Tribute
Take A Chance On MANIA……and you won’t be disappointed! This year the iconic Swedish pop group, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of their breakthrough hit single "Waterloo" and MANIA can’t wait to share the joy of this huge milestone! Mania the ABBA Tribute has successfully toured every continent in the world and has played over…
Neave Trio
“Neave” is a Gaelic name meaning “bright” and “radiant,” which certainly describes this trio’s performances. Since forming in 2010, the Neave Trio has earned enormous praise for its engaging, cutting-edge performances. “The performances balance passion with sensitivity and grace.” BBC Music Magazine Program: Mon, Mar 18 “Color Scape” Jennifer HIGDON Piano Trio DEBUSSY La Mer…
Lael Neale
Singer/songwriter Lael Neale started with a style that tangled together melancholic folk, sun-drenched country, and indie rock, putting her lilting voice at the forefront of gorgeous, sometimes twangy arrangements. After signing with Sub Pop and establishing a collaborative flow with producer and accompanist Guy Blakeslee, her subsequent albums embraced minimalism. 2021's Acquainted with Night stripped…
Jazz at Jo Bar
Jo Bar is jazzed (pun intended) to once again have live music flowing every Wednesday and Sunday. No cover, but it is suggested to make a reservation if you'd like a table. 12/13 — Mary Flower & The BBQ Boys, 12/17— Bossa PDX, 12/20 — Rebecca Kilgore, 12/27 — Beleza Project, 1/10 — Ryan Meagher Quartet, 1/14 — Christopher Woitach's Pedal…
PSU Laptop Ensemble Winter Concert
Come experience PSU Sonic Arts Music Production Laptop Ensemble, SAMPLe, as they give a collaborative winter concert showcasing original compositions exploring computer-mediated instruments, sound synthesis programming, and live interactive performance.
Priya Ragu
Priya Ragu’s debut mixtape damnshestamil, was alight with music so vibrant, fluid and musically broad that it transcended the artist making it and took on a life of its own, finding love among a global community of fans and critics alike, who celebrated its “eruption of inventive, deftly executed ideas'' (NME) and “addictive pop energy”…
Video Age
Video Age make breezy and timeless songs that are so ineffable, they can only be the result of a decades-long friendship and songwriting partnership. Across four albums, Ross Farbe and Ray Micarelli have gleefully worn their influences on their sleeve, writing inviting tunes that reference sounds ranging from disco to pop and indie rock. On…
Briston Maroney
A rootsy Nashville-based singer/songwriter, Briston Maroney mixes an earnest folksiness with a '90s-style indie rock melodicism. Following a handful of singles, he gained acclaim at the end of the 2010s for a pair of EPs before making his major-label debut with 2021's full-length Sunflower. Live and deluxe versions of the album followed over the next…
Charli XCX Dance Night
VROOM VROOM: A Charli XCX Dance Night is back again by popular demand. A dance party exploring the music of Charli XCX, her collaborators, producers, and related artists, as well as the hyper pop, PC Music and experimental avant-garde dance/pop realms. (Think artists like Shygirl, A.G. Cook, Caroline Poloachek, Kero Kero Bonito, Lady Gaga, Sophie,…
Concerts at Ardiri Winery
Allow Ardiri Winery to appeal to your senses with delicious wines, stunning views, and intimate concerts by various local artists and performers. Featuring concerts from a number of artists who bring the dulcet tones of jazz and funk to the winery while Ardiri brings the wine. Whether the Oregon forecast brings rain, shine, or snow,…
March Madness // Music Videos and Comedy
Celebrate March Madness, not with basketball brackets, but by basking in the glorious shimmer of locally made music videos. Not only will your eyes and ears commingle in a pool of joyful ecstasy, but local comedians Lee H Tillman, Kelly Thomas, and special guest emcee Michelle Kicherer of Banana Pitch will bring this event full circle with plenty of hearty…
Portland Opera presents Thompson's The Snowy Day
Smiling snowmen, snow angels, and warm bubble baths: experience the magic of Ezra Jack Keats’ beloved children’s book come to life on the opera stage. The Snowy Day follows the adventures of young Peter as he explores his neighborhood on a snowy day, making new friends and encountering unexpected wonders along the way. With music by Joel Thompson and…
'80s New Wave Video Dance Attack
Portland’s longest running video dance night is now featuring a special New Wave & Alternative edition of 80s Video Dance Attack at Polaris Hall. 80s New Wave Video Dance Attack dives into our archives to feature videos from artists like Depeche Mode, Yaz, The Cure, A-ha, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Thompson Twins, New Order, Adam…
Maya De Vitry
Maya de Vitry’s dynamic and vibrant voice seems to rise out of some necessity of bringing songs to life, embracing listeners with what Folk Alley calls a “soulful intimacy”. She grew up in a musical family in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, understanding music to be a place of gathering, a way to spend a summer night…
Juice Drum & Bass 19th Anniversary
Announcing the 19th Anniversary celebration, featuring this legend and one of the bosses of the genre — MAKOTO (Human Elements / Hospital / UK-Japan), for his first appearance in Portland. To add to the fire of this session is another PDX first, welcome the mighty DEGS (Hospital / UK) for a very special vocal/DJ set….
Delicate Steve
Written and recorded on a 1966 Fender Stratocaster that reignited his love for the instrument, Delicate Steve’s captivating new album, After Hours, marks a first for Marion, an earnest, easygoing collection that revels in the simple joys of plugging in and playing. The songs are sweet and breezy here, pairing vintage soul grooves with mesmerizing,…
Hundreds of Beavers with Jet Black Pearl
This modern-day silent film feels like a live-action cartoon, complete with slapstick comedy and humans dressed up in fuzzy beaver costumes. A crowd-favorite at festivals around the country, this is a fun one to bring your pals to. Portland-via-Europe musician Jet Black Pearl will perform a live looped accordion set. ON SCREEN: Hundreds of Beavers 2022. Directed by Mike…
MēAgan Sky
MEAGAN SKY is soul singer and poetically vulnerable songwriter, a mother of twins and is on a mission to shed light on the journey of self-love through music, events & self-help tools that inspire fans to honor their inner calling and be their most authentic selves.
Amber Russell and Kate Wilde
Join an evening of live music featuring talented string players from Portland. Enjoy a night of great tunes and good vibes showcasing the musical talents of two local musicians: Amber Russell and Kate Wilde. While enjoying the show, quench your thirst and satisfy your cravings with drinks, including wine, cider, and beer, accompanied by tasty snacks…
Nicotine Dolls
Nicotine Dolls make the kind of music you can’t hide from. The storytelling is front-and-center, beckoning your attention like a dusty old novel you can’t put down until the last page. The vocals are gritty and honest, holding nothing back in fits of joy, regret, and sadness, similar to a phone call from one of…
Mandy Patinkin
Before he was an Emmy-winning TV star, Mandy Patinkin was already a Tony-winning Broadway legend. Mandy Patinkin in Concert: BEING ALIVE, presents the acclaimed actor / singer / storyteller in his most electrifying role: concert performer. “MandyPatinkin is in the business of showstopping,” raves The New Yorker, and that’s exactly what he does in this…
Ashley McBryde
Ashley McBryde is a vocalist and songwriter with a touch of rock and roll swagger, a honky tonk heart, and a lyrical voice that puts a modern-day spin on classic country themes. After self-releasing an eponymous album in 2006, she relocated from Arkansas to Nashville, spending the next decade slugging it out before her 2016…
CMAT
A self-described global pop star from Dublin, CMAT crafts sunny radio-friendly pop songs that have a pronounced country influence. Citing Dolly Parton and Katy Perry as equal influences, CMAT's songs examine everyday life through the lens of kitschy pop culture, finding room to comment on relationships, mental health, and self-image with serious intent and a…
Israel Nash
Recorded with producer Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket, Ray LaMontagne), Nash’s rousing new collection, Ozarker, is indeed an ode to his roots, but more than that, it’s a meditation on love and family, on the beauty and the pain we pass down through generations, on the ties that bind us through good times and bad. The…
Go On and Love
Centered on Joel Thompson’s compelling choral masterpiece, Seven Last Words of the Unarmed, the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus sings in solidarity with all oppressed peoples.Go on and Love explores the real, tangible ways that thoughts, words, and deeds have the potential to fight against violence, racism, and brutality in helping build towards a better world.
HUNTER : PRESENTS nolongerhuman with Fraqtured : Sound and Ghost Motor
A long overdue celebration of Portland's dark underground with nolongerhuman, Fraqtured : Sound, and Ghost Motor. nolongerhuman has long been a celebrated staple of the international and North American aggressive electronic music scenes but has spent most of those years operating as an instrumental and driving force in the architecture of Portland's cultural contributions to…
Los Huracanes Del Norte
With more than 40 years at the top of the regional Mexican music market and a discography boasting better than 50 titles, Los Huracanes del Norte are commonly known as one of música norteña's most influential groups. Though the group's musicians originated from the state of Michoacán, it was in San Jose, California that they…
Kim Dracula
Samuel Wellings, known professionally as Kim Dracula, is an Australian alternative/indie music artist from Hobart, Tasmania whose songs have achieved popularity on TikTok. They are known both for original work and for metal covers of songs not typically associated with the genre.
Mary Timony
For more than 30 years, singer-songwriter and guitar hero Mary Timony has cut a distinctive path through the world of independent music, most recently as vocalist and guitarist of acclaimed garage-pop power trio Ex Hex (Merge) but also as a member of seminal post-punk band Autoclave (Dischord), celebrated leader of the deeply influential Helium (Matador),…
Slow Hollows
After a three-year hiatus, Slow Hollows returns reinvented, sharing a new single and video “Old Yeller.” The genre-defying Los Angeles band founded by songwriter Austin Feinstein is now his solo project. Though the group amicably disbanded in early 2020, the now 25-year-old artist never stopped writing songs. The more he fleshed out new material, the more Feinstein realized it…
Country Music Night
Every Sunday Portland's premier country music DJs, The Country Co-Op plays outlaw country and honky tonk music at The Sandy Hut. The bar is always packed with people dancing and singing.
Alkaline Trio
Since the mid-'90s, punk trio Alkaline Trio have delivered urgent punk blasts with a dark, driving edge that helped them remain commercially viable without sacrificing their raucous spirit. Slowly ascending through the Warped Tour ranks into the early 2000s, they reached the Billboard Top 20 with 2003's mainstream breakthrough Good Mourning. They hit a peak…
Destin Conrad
Los Angeles-based Destin Conrad creates harmonically rich R&B tracks. After establishing himself as a social media personality, he expanded his range and began releasing intimate, vivid singles. Conrad collected nine tracks for his 2021 release COLORWAY. He returned in 2022 with the smooth and velvety Satin, and released the sultry Submissive in 2023. He teamed…
Wild Party
After a multi-year hiatus, the indie pop maestros Wild Party are set to release a new full-length album in 2023. After releasing their debut record, Phantom Pop, in October 2014, the band toured extensively during the following year and a half before finally calling it quits at the end of 2015. While Phantom Pop’s infectious melodies and…
Mike Mains & The Branches
Midwest outfit Mike Mains & the Branches is a spiritually-centered indie rock band that emerged in the late 2000s. They issued a trio of albums in the 2010s, including the driving debut Home, as well as a pair of EPs. Following the release of their pensive sophomore effort, they were quiet for five years before…
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
This is an impossible to believe, yet, true story. Once upon a time there was a teenage boy working on his family farm in apartheid South Africa. The year was 1960. This boy loved to sing, in fact he loved to sing so much that he allowed himself an impossible dream. In his dream he…
Remo Drive
Remo Drive returned to where it all began: their parents’ basement to find their muse again. It had been a long time coming for the Paulson brothers — Erik (vocals, guitar) and Stephen (bass) — who formed Remo Drive in Bloomington, Minnesota, in 2013 and have since captivated audiences around the world with an earnest,…
Sir Chloe
Dana Foote put Sir Chloe together in college to serve as her senior thesis. She wrote “Michelle” and “Animal,” songs that would become the band’s first major hits a few years later, on the floor of her college dorm. The band recorded the songs in the early hours of the morning, the only time their…
Chelsea Wolfe
A singer/songwriter with a striking soprano voice and an equally compelling flair for imagery, Chelsea Wolfe imbues her music with different shades of darkness on every project. She crafted haunting electric folk songs on early albums such as 2011's Apokalypsis, but she soon brought other dimensions to her style. She stripped her music to its…
KMFDM
KMFDM (originally Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid, loosely translated by the band as “no pity for the majority”) is a multinational industrial band from Hamburg, Germany, led by Sascha Konietzko, who founded the band in 1984 as a performance art project in Paris, France. The band’s earliest albums were recorded in Germany before they moved…
Torres
TORRES — aka Mackenzie Scott — presents “I got the fear,” her new single/video from her forthcoming album, What an Enormous Room, out January 26th on Merge. Produced by Scott and Sarah Jaffe, “I got the fear” begins with a sparse, programmed drum beat before the howl of a lone electric guitar dris in. A…
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