Over the ultimate weekend in June, followers of indie nation music made their strategy to Pendleton, Oregon for the 2025 Jackalope Jamboree to soak up three days of music, beer and meals! From being immersed on this competition for the three days, we will confidently say that these followers had a good time.
Six years in, the Jackalope Jamboree has turn into one of many best festivals of indie-country round. When it started in 2019, it was a one-day occasion that expanded to 2 days in 2021 because the 2020 was paused. Then with the 2022 competition it expanded to its present three-day format with further levels.
This yr’s headliners have been 49 Winchester, Paul Cauthen, and Midland that was supported by a stable undercard. However lately because the indie-country features extra momentum, it has turn into a bit tougher to draw the most well-liked expertise as different festivals with deeper pockets have popped up.
Simply two years in the past, C3 Productions, that’s majority owned by Reside Nation, debuted the Farewell Pageant in Redmond, Oregon. With this possession, it is ready to write contracts that prohibit artists from performing a set variety of days prior or after the Farewell Pageant. Clearly, this hurts smaller festivals such because the Jackalope Jamboree that depends on the reserving of bands which can be out on tour within the Pacific Northwest in late June. However this dynamic is one which performs out every year and it permits for festivals such because the Jackalope Jamboree to remain related with artists which can be actually near the followers.
The opposite profit with a competition just like the Jackalope is that tickets are affordably priced and the lineup brings forth some well-known artists alongside some new discoveries. And it’s the discoveries that we actually sit up for every year!
From partaking on this yr’s Jackalope Jamboree, over the course of three days we found loads of new music whereas having fun with artists that we have been a bit conversant in. It was nice to see headliners 49 Winchester, Paul Cauthen, and Midland, however it’s the undercard that really makes this competition shine!
Every day of the competition, The Nice Pacific, in downtown Pendleton, hosts the primary efficiency of the day at 1:00pm. It’s a fantastic spot to seize lunch with its top-notch meals choices and its properly curated checklist of beers from the area’s finesse craft breweries.
The 2025 Jackalope Jamboree formally kicked off on Thursday, June 26 with Darby Sparkman taking the stage at The Nice Pacific at 1:00pm. After her efficiency, issues moved all the way down to the Glad Canyon Area, situated subsequent door to the legendary Pendleton Spherical Up. The afternoon performances befell from 2:05pm to 4:45pm on the Queens Barn Stage. From there, the Jackalope takes over the 2 out of doors levels on the Glad Canyon Area with some nice nation that lasts till about 10:30pm.
The primary day performances have been nice and allowed for us to search out some exceptional bands. We arrived in time to catch Darby after which made a cease for a beer at Prodigal Son Brewery the place the beer is providing one thing intriguing.
As soon as on the Glad Canyon Area on the Thursday we loved a set from Clover County within the Queens Barn Stage. The duo affords a type of emo leaning nation songs, together with a brand new tune, Virginia Slim, about giving up and transferring on from love and relationships.
On the Blue Mountain Stage our highlights of the day have been Rachel Baiman and The Lowdown Drifters. Baiman was a fantastic new discovery for us on the Jackalope, Her sound is a bit harking back to Gillian Welch in type and a bit within the songwriting.
However the band we have been most intrigued by on this stage was the stage’s headliner, The Lowdown Drifters. Shaped ten years in the past in Stanwood, Washington, the band has gone via just a few modifications however has been led by Huge John Cannon since its infancy. Now primarily based in Fort Value, Texas, the bang was certainly one of our favorites of the weekend with its songs about some severe laborious livin’. We’ll be seeing them the subsequent time they make their strategy to Portland!
Over on the Hodgen Foremost Stage, the Thursday bands that made it to the highest of our checklist have been Taylor Hunnicut and 49 Winchester, the stage’s headliner. Taylor Hunnicut, referred to as “The Queen of Alabama”, introduced her southern nation rock sound to the plenty. She even ventured over to the Blue Mountain Stage after her set to carry out the duet, Fireplace In Her Eyes, she recorded with The Lowdown Drifters. A terrific performer that livened up the group!
The night’s headliners, 49 Windhester, took the stage to boisterous fanfare. The Virginia primarily based band introduced their A-game to the stage and carried out their most acknowledged songs for the followers. Lead singer, Isaac Gibson, may simply be fronting a ZZ Prime tribute band together with his killer learn beard, however his vocals supplied songs of despair with an ideal mixture of alt-country and rock n’ roll.
Jackalope’s Friday lineup was the one we have been trying ahead to being headlined by Huge Velvet or higher referred to as Paul Cauthen. However previous to his set the opposite bands on the each the Blue Mountain Stage and Hodgen Foremost Stage have been those we have been most enthusiastic about!
Sadly, Ken Pomeroy needed to cancel her efficiency contained in the Queens Barn Stage as a result of journey delays, however that didn’t dampen our temper. She was one of many artists we actually wished to take a look at, however thankfully she’ll be making her approach right here to Portland this fall to Mississippi Studios on October 8.
The Blue Mountain Stage hosted just a few heavy hitters on the Friday night. Shelby Stone kicked issues off along with her Texas rock and was adopted by certainly one of our favorites from Idaho, Tylor & The Prepare Robbers. Just a few nice songwriting and acting from Tylor and his band! However rattling did the Rob Leines, the stage’s headliner, steal the present with some glorious Southern Rock from his finely tuned trio. Even Rob cherished it as he exclaimed from his set, “God rattling, I really like this competition!”
Over on the Hodgen Foremost Stage noticed a lineup that included a band from Portland, William Surly & The Barroom Gospel Band, that we’ll be trying out as soon as once more on their dwelling turf. However it was the subsequent act that was one which placed on one hell of a closing present, Sarah Shook & The Disarmers.
Sure, the band has referred to as it quits and determined to take action on the Jackalope Jamboree. The band’s farewell tour lineup consisted of Blake Tallent on guitar, Mason Thomas on bass, Ethan Customary on drums, the wonderful Taylor Swan on pedal metal and naturally River Shook on vocals and guitar. For its closing present, this lineup performed the among the finest songs from the catalog and even a model new one, however appeared a bit extra refined than the band’s early days.
Friday night time’s headliner Paul Cauthen didn’t disappoint. He introduced his soulful nation sound to Pendleton and the followers took all of it in. Earlier this yr in March, Cauthen revealed that he was battling thyroid most cancers and instantly cancelled all upcoming dates, however said he hoped to maintain just a few of those summer time festivals and he positive did. This prognosis might have made him a bit extra humble and positively grateful; the remaining positive did him properly as he was transferring everywhere in the stage from singing to enjoying guitar. Huge Velvet was a spotlight of the weekend and his cowl of Folsom Jail Blues was spectacular.
The ultimate day of the 2025 Jackalope Jamboree introduced us out early to catch a intriguing efficiency at The Nice Pacific from songwriter turned writer Willy Vlautin with Paul Brainard on pedal metal. This 45-minute set featured Vlautin studying excerpts from his lates ebook, The Horse, with some nice pedal metal from Brainard. The duo additionally carried out just a few songs and even got here again for a mid-afternoon encore. Boy did this set remind us on how a lot we miss his performances!
Again down on the Glad Canyon Area, we made it in time to catch Rose Gerber’s set contained in the Queens Barn Stage. The Portland primarily based musician was backed by a six-piece band with nice harmonies and Tucker Jackson on pedal metal.
Over on the Blue Mountain Stage we have been patiently ready to see the extra misplaced musician on the competition’s invoice, Samantha Crain. She was a last-minute addition to exchange Christian Hayes who was unable to make it to Pendleton. Crain introduced her indie rock leaning sound to the Jackalope and her trio was tight whereas performing many songs from her newest album, Gumshoe. This one has been on our rotation because it got here out the opposite month.
To shut out the three-day competition, the Hodgen Foremost Stage featured a few heavy hitters, Vandoliers and the night time’s headliner, Midland. Previous to the Vandoliers taking the stage, Portland primarily based musician Haley Johnsen warmed up the group wither her soulful nation sound.
After Johnsen’s efficiency the Vandoliers took the stage and introduced the Jackalope crowd to their ft within the pit. Possibly probably the most energetic the pit was all the weekend! That is the third consecutive yr that the Vandoliers have carried out on the competition, every year gaining a stronger spot within the lineup.
The Texas primarily based band is at present touring behind its newest album, Life Behind Bars, with the title observe that brings the Outdated 97s to thoughts. Now fronted by Jeni Rose, previously referred to as Joshua Fleming, she is a real band chief.
To bid the competition farewell for 2025, Midland headlined the Hodgen Foremost Stage to a crowd of devoted followers for 90 minutes. This extra polished nation act options 4 musicians on guitars on the entrance of the stage which can be backed by three backing musicians on piano, pedal metal and drums. One member, Jess Carson is from Sheridan, Oregon.
Frontman, Mark Wystrach does a nice job at partaking the viewers and even instructed a pleasant native story of buying on the Pendleton Hat Firm earlier within the dat. He even said his true appreciation of his new hat. Later within the set Wystrach held up a bottle of Insolito to cheers the group. That is the tequila model that the band is a part of.
General, the Jackalope Jamboree does a wonderful job at reserving a stable lineup of indie-country music. And with that, a good variety of feminine performers! In contrast to many different festivals, no performances overlap and the levels are so shut that there isn’t a must run between levels. Plus, followers are in a position to simply nice a fantastic vantage level, shut sufficient to the stage to soak up the music.
The one draw back to this yr, and to that many different festivals, it seems that the variety of crowd talkers in the course of the performances appear to extend every year. There’s not a lot that the competition can do about this however it’s only a bit annoying if you place your self up entrance to be subsequent to folks having 15-minute conversations. That mentioned, we sit up for attending subsequent yr and as soon as the dates are confirmed, we’ll replace this text to incorporate these particulars.
Right here’s a rundown of images from the three days spent on the 2025 Jackalope Jamboree!
