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PDX Pop Now! Festival is a nice, free weekend thing that’s beginning to shape up as a showcase for the best Portland has to offer, music-wise.  Is it too early to call the festival a city insituition?  Even if you wouldn’t, it’s definitely on the same level as the Willamette Week’s NW MusicFest, given it’s DIY ‘tude, the limitations of only having local bands and keeping the cost free. 

Over a stretch from July 24 – 26, beginning Friday afternoon and ending early Monday morning, nearly 50 local bands will decend on Rotture for what looks like a rowdy weekend.  One band at a time, both inside and outside stages. 

Things kick off with the Dirty Mittens on Friday and end with Menomena the vampiric hours of Monday.  In between you’ll hear the likes of The Shaky Hands, Au, Laura Gibson, Nurses, Explode into Colors, Red Fang, Ah Holly Fam’ly, The Mint Chicks, The Old Believers, and on and on and on. 

What’s amazing to me is that even looking over the list of bands, I could still name another 20 or so PDXers that do the city’s music scene proud.  It’s insane.  Full lineup and schedule after the jump. 

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