Anna Tivel is an American indie folk artist from Portland, Oregon who is critically recognized as "one of the finest songwriters of her generation." She is noted for being a "masterful storyteller" with her music often compared to that of Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker, as well as Elliott Smith and Paul Simon.

Frequently collaborating with engineer Brian Joseph (Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver) and producer Shane Leonard (Mipso, Field Report), Tivel has released six studio albums of new original songs on the Portland-based label Fluff & Gravy Records and one with Mama Bird Recording Co. She also regularly records and releases alternative or acoustic versions of her past work. Tivel's NPR Tiny Desk concert premiered on May 22, 2023 with critic Ann Powers commenting, "Tivel's remarkable empathy elevates her folk-based, jazz-touched compositions from mere stories to secular prayers."

Anna Tivel is an American indie folk artist from Portland, Oregon who is critically recognized as "one of the finest songwriters of her generation." She is noted for being a "masterful storyteller" with her music often compared to that of Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker, as well as Elliott Smith and Paul Simon.

Frequently collaborating with engineer Brian Joseph (Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver) and producer Shane Leonard (Mipso, Field Report), Tivel has released six studio albums of new original songs on the Portland-based label Fluff & Gravy Records and one with Mama Bird Recording Co. She also regularly records and releases alternative or acoustic versions of her past work. Tivel's NPR Tiny Desk concert premiered on May 22, 2023 with critic Ann Powers commenting, "Tivel's remarkable empathy elevates her folk-based, jazz-touched compositions from mere stories to secular prayers."

Trinity Jane:
Hailing from Appalachia, Trinity Jane writes songs for anyone who’s ever wanted more and held on anyway. Blending folk-Americana with the raw edge of ’90s alternative, her music carries the grit of old mountain storytelling and restless modern ache. Her debut record Wishbone is a collage of songs about love, loss, and how to let go and how to hang on with a tight grip for too long. The young writer and her band perform these 13 arrangements with power and honesty. This release show marks the end of the beginning for Trinity Jane.

Essie and The Hum:
Essie and The Hum craft ethereal indie-folk rock shaped by the magic of live performance. Based in Portland, OR, their sound drifts from intimate, slow-burn ballads to full-throttle rock moments, pulling listeners into a wormhole they won’t want to leave. 

Brenna Bruce:

Brenna Bruce is a singer-songwriter based in Seattle. Following a path of curiosity and introspection, her music moves with a quiet power, balancing sharpness and tenderness with an understood patience. 

Bruce pulls from the tradition of vulnerable folk through delicate and crystalline vocal prowess akin to Courtney Marie Andrews and Emmylou Harris, with the simplicity and focus of Gillian Welch’s storytelling. On her forthcoming debut EP Honest Bloom, Bruce weaves ambling stories of the heart with peripheral landscapes passing through the deserts, rivers, and mountains of her past in the southwest, and present in the Pacific Northwest.

Honest Bloom inhabits spaces of liminality and cyclical growth, spinning themes of connection, belonging, and becoming, with lilting pedal steel and string arrangements, tethered by pulsing percussion and the intentional delivery of Brenna’s vocal harmonies carrying each sentiment to fruition. Honest Bloom is a capsule of time, reckoning with the ever-unfolding path of being and learning life’s lessons, and Brenna Bruce is an artist burgeoning with timeless truths.

Idea The Artist is a Guatemalan-American singer, songwriter, painter, and writer currently living in the Pacific Northwest United States. Her crystalline vocals soar over lush arrangements and captivating lyricism, creating vivid soundscapes rooted in a love of the mythic, triumphant, and bittersweet.

As a bicultural magical-realism artist, she explores the in-between in every medium, always conveying a sense of otherworldliness and wonder. Her paintings celebrate the magic of the ordinary, of resilience, and hope. As an Archaeologist and Folklorist, her work is fused with history and myth, and revolves around an anthropological understanding of essential humanity.

Since 2008, she has released multiple full-length records of her own, while also contributing vocals, piano, guitar, and cello to many other projects across the US and Europe.

Lo Pony is a queer folk group based in Portland, Oregon. Known for their intricate three-part harmonies, dreamy soundscapes, and quirky social media presence, they have shared stages with artists like Katy Kirby, Chris Pureka, and Anna Tivel, and built up a dedicated following within the queer community. Their EP, “Elephant Sky,” is an exploration of loss, nostalgia, and an appreciation for the slow beauty of everyday life. This tender 6-song debut features Lo Pony’s signature blend of delicate vocals and lush, expansive instrumentals reminiscent of the sweeping landscapes of the Shasta Valley region where the songs originate.

—

For thirty years, David Bazan has been writing about what it means to believe in something-and what it means when those beliefs fray. When Pedro the Lion released It’s Hard to Find a Friend in 1998, Bazan was already a keen observer of moral and existential conflict, capturing minor human disappointments with devastating attention. By the time Control came out, his writing had sharpened, slicing through suburban politeness and the American dream with pinpoint precision. For over a decade, he built Pedro the Lion into one of indie rock’s most quietly radical projects, chronicling doubt, faith, guilt, and the messy pursuit of grace in a way that felt both deeply personal and universally resonant.

MAITA is a Portland indie-rock project fronted by Maria Maita-Keppeler, who KEXP calls “a master storyteller who can turn intimate moments into quippy, catchy indie-rock songs,”  found an expressive avenue out of her childhood shyness through music. Named the Willamette Week's 2020 "Best New Band," MAITA has gone on to reach national acclaim, opening for the likes of Mirah, Blind Pilot, Horse Feathers, Broken Social Scene, Typhoon, as well as performing at SXSW and Treefort.

Margaret Wehr is a Portland-based singer-songwriter, violinist, vocalist, and member of queer folk group, Lo Pony. 

Known for her intuitive harmonies and ability to seamlessly blend with any vocal texture, Margaret has recorded and performed with more than 80 bands over the past two decades. She has had the honor of collaborating with Sleater-Kinney, Y La Bamba, Chris Pureka, Anna Tivel, Jacob Miller, Alexis Mahler, MAITA, Moorea Masa & The Mood, EL VY, Haley Johnsen, and many others, happily making her mark on the Portland music scene from side stage.

Rooted in an eclectic blend of folk, country, classical, and pop influences, Margaret grew up listening to The Chicks and Christina Aguilera, Martina McBride and Sara Bareilles, orchestral film scores and whatever radio show host “Delilah” was playing. You know the one. These days, she draws inspiration from her favorite musical storytellers: Madison Cunningham, Anna Tivel, Adrianne Lenker, and Angie McMahon.

As a songwriter, Margaret pairs vulnerable, honest storytelling with rhythmic acoustic guitar and intricate fingerpicking, creating songs that feel both intimate and expansive. She approaches the voice not just as a vehicle for lyrics, but as a fully expressive instrument, weaving delicate, ethereal melodies with a quiet precision and grounded clarity that elevate and transform the emotional core of her music.

Lo Pony is a queer folk group based in Portland, Oregon. Known for their intricate three-part harmonies, dreamy soundscapes, and quirky social media presence, they have shared stages with artists like Katy Kirby, Chris Pureka, and Anna Tivel, and built up a dedicated following within the queer community. Their EP, “Elephant Sky,” is an exploration of loss, nostalgia, and an appreciation for the slow beauty of everyday life. This tender 6-song debut features Lo Pony’s signature blend of delicate vocals and lush, expansive instrumentals reminiscent of the sweeping landscapes of the Shasta Valley region where the songs originate.

Idea The Artist is a Guatemalan-American singer, songwriter, painter, and writer currently living in the Pacific Northwest United States. Her crystalline vocals soar over lush arrangements and captivating lyricism, creating vivid soundscapes rooted in a love of the mythic, triumphant, and bittersweet.

As a bicultural magical-realism artist, she explores the in-between in every medium, always conveying a sense of otherworldliness and wonder. Her paintings celebrate the magic of the ordinary, of resilience, and hope. As an Archaeologist and Folklorist, her work is fused with history and myth, and revolves around an anthropological understanding of essential humanity.

Since 2008, she has released multiple full-length records of her own, while also contributing vocals, piano, guitar, and cello to many other projects across the US and Europe.

Lo Pony is a queer folk group based in Portland, Oregon. Known for their intricate three-part harmonies, dreamy soundscapes, and quirky social media presence, they have shared stages with artists like Katy Kirby, Chris Pureka, and Anna Tivel, and built up a dedicated following within the queer community. Their EP, “Elephant Sky,” is an exploration of loss, nostalgia, and an appreciation for the slow beauty of everyday life. This tender 6-song debut features Lo Pony’s signature blend of delicate vocals and lush, expansive instrumentals reminiscent of the sweeping landscapes of the Shasta Valley region where the songs originate.

—

Julian Morris (b. 1989; Boston, MA) has been writing and recording as Layperson for 10 years. Culling inspiration from salt of the earth lyricists like Iris Dement and Townes Van Zandt, Julian’s music is earnest and true to his life experience. Julian transitioned in 2015, which permanently altered his singing voice. Re-learning the voice as a new instrument allowed him deeper access to expression. Julian moved to Portland, OR in 2008. He writes and records the majority of his music from home. Julian has released records with Portland based label Good Cheer and NY based Lobby Art.

—

Adrianne Daley will open the night with their original folk songs.

MAITA is a Portland indie-rock project fronted by Maria Maita-Keppeler, who KEXP calls “a master storyteller who can turn intimate moments into quippy, catchy indie-rock songs,”  found an expressive avenue out of her childhood shyness through music. Named the Willamette Week's 2020 "Best New Band," MAITA has gone on to reach national acclaim, opening for the likes of Mirah, Blind Pilot, Horse Feathers, Broken Social Scene, Typhoon, as well as performing at SXSW and Treefort.

MAITA is a Portland indie-rock project fronted by Maria Maita-Keppeler, who KEXP calls “a master storyteller who can turn intimate moments into quippy, catchy indie-rock songs,”  found an expressive avenue out of her childhood shyness through music. Named the Willamette Week's 2020 "Best New Band," MAITA has gone on to reach national acclaim, opening for the likes of Mirah, Blind Pilot, Horse Feathers, Broken Social Scene, Typhoon, as well as performing at SXSW and Treefort.

Anna Tivel is an American indie folk artist from Portland, Oregon who is critically recognized as "one of the finest songwriters of her generation." She is noted for being a "masterful storyteller" with her music often compared to that of Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker, as well as Elliott Smith and Paul Simon.

Frequently collaborating with engineer Brian Joseph (Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver) and producer Shane Leonard (Mipso, Field Report), Tivel has released six studio albums of new original songs on the Portland-based label Fluff & Gravy Records and one with Mama Bird Recording Co. She also regularly records and releases alternative or acoustic versions of her past work. Tivel's NPR Tiny Desk concert premiered on May 22, 2023 with critic Ann Powers commenting, "Tivel's remarkable empathy elevates her folk-based, jazz-touched compositions from mere stories to secular prayers."

Margaret Wehr is a Portland-based singer-songwriter, violinist, vocalist, and member of queer folk group, Lo Pony. 

Known for her intuitive harmonies and ability to seamlessly blend with any vocal texture, Margaret has recorded and performed with more than 80 bands over the past two decades. She has had the honor of collaborating with Sleater-Kinney, Y La Bamba, Chris Pureka, Anna Tivel, Jacob Miller, Alexis Mahler, MAITA, Moorea Masa & The Mood, EL VY, Haley Johnsen, and many others, happily making her mark on the Portland music scene from side stage.

Rooted in an eclectic blend of folk, country, classical, and pop influences, Margaret grew up listening to The Chicks and Christina Aguilera, Martina McBride and Sara Bareilles, orchestral film scores and whatever radio show host “Delilah” was playing. You know the one. These days, she draws inspiration from her favorite musical storytellers: Madison Cunningham, Anna Tivel, Adrianne Lenker, and Angie McMahon.

As a songwriter, Margaret pairs vulnerable, honest storytelling with rhythmic acoustic guitar and intricate fingerpicking, creating songs that feel both intimate and expansive. She approaches the voice not just as a vehicle for lyrics, but as a fully expressive instrument, weaving delicate, ethereal melodies with a quiet precision and grounded clarity that elevate and transform the emotional core of her music.

Idea The Artist is a Guatemalan-American singer, songwriter, painter, and writer currently living in the Pacific Northwest United States. Her crystalline vocals soar over lush arrangements and captivating lyricism, creating vivid soundscapes rooted in a love of the mythic, triumphant, and bittersweet.

As a bicultural magical-realism artist, she explores the in-between in every medium, always conveying a sense of otherworldliness and wonder. Her paintings celebrate the magic of the ordinary, of resilience, and hope. As an Archaeologist and Folklorist, her work is fused with history and myth, and revolves around an anthropological understanding of essential humanity.

Since 2008, she has released multiple full-length records of her own, while also contributing vocals, piano, guitar, and cello to many other projects across the US and Europe.

Lo Pony is a queer folk group based in Portland, Oregon. Known for their intricate three-part harmonies, dreamy soundscapes, and quirky social media presence, they have shared stages with artists like Katy Kirby, Chris Pureka, and Anna Tivel, and built up a dedicated following within the queer community. Their EP, “Elephant Sky,” is an exploration of loss, nostalgia, and an appreciation for the slow beauty of everyday life. This tender 6-song debut features Lo Pony’s signature blend of delicate vocals and lush, expansive instrumentals reminiscent of the sweeping landscapes of the Shasta Valley region where the songs originate.

—

Julian Morris (b. 1989; Boston, MA) has been writing and recording as Layperson for 10 years. Culling inspiration from salt of the earth lyricists like Iris Dement and Townes Van Zandt, Julian’s music is earnest and true to his life experience. Julian transitioned in 2015, which permanently altered his singing voice. Re-learning the voice as a new instrument allowed him deeper access to expression. Julian moved to Portland, OR in 2008. He writes and records the majority of his music from home. Julian has released records with Portland based label Good Cheer and NY based Lobby Art.

—

Adrianne Daley will open the night with their original folk songs.

Idea The Artist is a Guatemalan-American singer, songwriter, painter, and writer currently living in the Pacific Northwest United States. Her crystalline vocals soar over lush arrangements and captivating lyricism, creating vivid soundscapes rooted in a love of the mythic, triumphant, and bittersweet.

As a bicultural magical-realism artist, she explores the in-between in every medium, always conveying a sense of otherworldliness and wonder. Her paintings celebrate the magic of the ordinary, of resilience, and hope. As an Archaeologist and Folklorist, her work is fused with history and myth, and revolves around an anthropological understanding of essential humanity.

Since 2008, she has released multiple full-length records of her own, while also contributing vocals, piano, guitar, and cello to many other projects across the US and Europe.

E. Ellison is the solo project of Lizzy Ellison (Radiation City, Cardioid). Her most recent debut, PILLARS, time capsules her experience re-emerging as a musician post pandemic, while simultaneously navigating a new relationship in a different hemisphere. While she traveled back and forth, she chronicled her time using film photography, field recordings, and writing/recording what would become PILLARS. The album is dark and slow, with harmonies driven by dry lead vocals, sad pianos, and acoustic guitars in ricocheted balance.

Since the release of PILLARS, her life has found balance, and with it a reinterpretation of the music. Now as a four piece, the music can breathe with an ease the record withholds, expressing a personal confidence previously unfelt. On September 14th, E.Ellison will perform an intimate set at Mother Foucault’s Bookstore.

E. Ellison is the solo project of Lizzy Ellison (Radiation City, Cardioid). Her most recent debut, PILLARS, time capsules her experience re-emerging as a musician post pandemic, while simultaneously navigating a new relationship in a different hemisphere. While she traveled back and forth, she chronicled her time using film photography, field recordings, and writing/recording what would become PILLARS. The album is dark and slow, with harmonies driven by dry lead vocals, sad pianos, and acoustic guitars in ricocheted balance.

Since the release of PILLARS, her life has found balance, and with it a reinterpretation of the music. Now as a four piece, the music can breathe with an ease the record withholds, expressing a personal confidence previously unfelt. On August 23rd, E.Ellison and her incredible cast of musicians will take the stage at Dekum Street Theater. Accompanied by the field recordings and video projections from her travels, Ellison creates an immersive experience into the world of PILLARS. This performance will be recorded live and pressed to vinyl, fitting perfectly into the gatefold in which the original record currently lives, giving you both versions of how this music exists.

Idea The Artist is a Guatemalan-American singer, songwriter, painter, and writer currently living in the Pacific Northwest United States. Her crystalline vocals soar over lush arrangements and captivating lyricism, creating vivid soundscapes rooted in a love of the mythic, triumphant, and bittersweet.

As a bicultural magical-realism artist, she explores the in-between in every medium, always conveying a sense of otherworldliness and wonder. Her paintings celebrate the magic of the ordinary, of resilience, and hope. As an Archaeologist and Folklorist, her work is fused with history and myth, and revolves around an anthropological understanding of essential humanity.

Since 2008, she has released multiple full-length records of her own, while also contributing vocals, piano, guitar, and cello to many other projects across the US and Europe.

The Annual Queer Joy Celebration, is a benefit show about creating community, multi-generational bridges and harnessing and sharing resources.

This year is a collaborative effort to raise money for a critical queer youth services program SMYRC (Sexual & Gender Minority Youth Resource Center), which provides a safe, harassment-free space for queer and trans youth ages 13-24. SMYRC offers recreational opportunities, support groups and other services.

At a time when queer and trans folks are being threatened in ways we couldn’t have imagined, now is the time to come together and celebrate our communities. This is a moment to celebrate our beauty with each other and be in solidarity.

This evening is in partnership with Friends of Noise - an organization supporting creative youth in Portland through all ages concerts, workshops, and experience navigating the music scene. The evening will begin with tabling by local queer groups, including The Marie Equi Center, True Colors Recovery Center and a local law team donating trans legal support.

We invite all those who want to be in community with each other, enjoy some music, and take the opportunity to show our support for a group doing critical work for our queer and trans youth.

The Cabin Project - a group of all women and non-binary Portland-based musicians - is a musical hybrid of orchestral folk, rock, and indie. The band’s sound stems from haunting choruses, harmonies, and orchestral elements. Sonically expansive, but heartfelt and intimate, The Cabin Project has used the last 15 years of writing and performing together to hone a sound all their own.

Forest Veil is the solo project of Portland producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter Monica Metzler. Following the echoes of her elusive muse, Forest Veil creates hypnotic psych-folk that maps the emotional terrain of humanity and its place in the cosmos. Melding a voice that sounds like smokey quartz with psychedelic guitar riffs and enigmatic lyricism, Forest Veil’s sound evokes a haunting nostalgia for other worlds. Though she primarily writes on her own, Forest Veilrecords and performs with others. An avid guitarist for over 25 years, ForestVeil's music showcases virtuosic guitar shredding and dynamic musicality. Forest Veil's music has been placed in ads, movies, and TV shows.

Annelise McNally is a singer/songwriter from the Portland area. Her songs are stories of adolescence, love, and loss, with folk and indie influences.The Cabin Project - a group of all women and non-binary Portland-based musicians - is a musical hybrid of orchestral folk, rock, and indie. The band’s sound stems from haunting choruses, harmonies, and orchestral elements.

Lo Pony is a queer folk group based in Portland, Oregon. Known for their intricate three-part harmonies, dreamy soundscapes, and quirky social media presence, they have shared stages with artists like Katy Kirby, Chris Pureka, and Anna Tivel, and built up a dedicated following within the queer community. Their EP, “Elephant Sky,” is an exploration of loss, nostalgia, and an appreciation for the slow beauty of everyday life. This tender 6-song debut features Lo Pony’s signature blend of delicate vocals and lush, expansive instrumentals reminiscent of the sweeping landscapes of the Shasta Valley region where the songs originate.

Anna Tivel is an American indie folk artist from Portland, Oregon who is critically recognized as "one of the finest songwriters of her generation." She is noted for being a "masterful storyteller" with her music often compared to that of Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker, as well as Elliott Smith and Paul Simon.

Frequently collaborating with engineer Brian Joseph (Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver) and producer Shane Leonard (Mipso, Field Report), Tivel has released six studio albums of new original songs on the Portland-based label Fluff & Gravy Records and one with Mama Bird Recording Co. She also regularly records and releases alternative or acoustic versions of her past work. Tivel's NPR Tiny Desk concert premiered on May 22, 2023 with critic Ann Powers commenting, "Tivel's remarkable empathy elevates her folk-based, jazz-touched compositions from mere stories to secular prayers."

Anna Tivel is an American indie folk artist from Portland, Oregon who is critically recognized as "one of the finest songwriters of her generation." She is noted for being a "masterful storyteller" with her music often compared to that of Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker, as well as Elliott Smith and Paul Simon.

Frequently collaborating with engineer Brian Joseph (Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver) and producer Shane Leonard (Mipso, Field Report), Tivel has released six studio albums of new original songs on the Portland-based label Fluff & Gravy Records and one with Mama Bird Recording Co. She also regularly records and releases alternative or acoustic versions of her past work. Tivel's NPR Tiny Desk concert premiered on May 22, 2023 with critic Ann Powers commenting, "Tivel's remarkable empathy elevates her folk-based, jazz-touched compositions from mere stories to secular prayers."

——

Lo Pony is a queer folk group based in Portland, Oregon. Known for their intricate three-part harmonies, dreamy soundscapes, and quirky social media presence, they have shared stages with artists like Katy Kirby, Chris Pureka, and Anna Tivel, and built up a dedicated following within the queer community. Their EP, “Elephant Sky,” is an exploration of loss, nostalgia, and an appreciation for the slow beauty of everyday life. This tender 6-song debut features Lo Pony’s signature blend of delicate vocals and lush, expansive instrumentals reminiscent of the sweeping landscapes of the Shasta Valley region where the songs originate.

Anna Tivel is an American indie folk artist from Portland, Oregon who is critically recognized as "one of the finest songwriters of her generation." She is noted for being a "masterful storyteller" with her music often compared to that of Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker, as well as Elliott Smith and Paul Simon.

Frequently collaborating with engineer Brian Joseph (Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver) and producer Shane Leonard (Mipso, Field Report), Tivel has released six studio albums of new original songs on the Portland-based label Fluff & Gravy Records and one with Mama Bird Recording Co. She also regularly records and releases alternative or acoustic versions of her past work. Tivel's NPR Tiny Desk concert premiered on May 22, 2023 with critic Ann Powers commenting, "Tivel's remarkable empathy elevates her folk-based, jazz-touched compositions from mere stories to secular prayers."

——

Lo Pony is a queer folk group based in Portland, Oregon. Known for their intricate three-part harmonies, dreamy soundscapes, and quirky social media presence, they have shared stages with artists like Katy Kirby, Chris Pureka, and Anna Tivel, and built up a dedicated following within the queer community. Their EP, “Elephant Sky,” is an exploration of loss, nostalgia, and an appreciation for the slow beauty of everyday life. This tender 6-song debut features Lo Pony’s signature blend of delicate vocals and lush, expansive instrumentals reminiscent of the sweeping landscapes of the Shasta Valley region where the songs originate.

Anna Tivel is an American indie folk artist from Portland, Oregon who is critically recognized as "one of the finest songwriters of her generation." She is noted for being a "masterful storyteller" with her music often compared to that of Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker, as well as Elliott Smith and Paul Simon.

Frequently collaborating with engineer Brian Joseph (Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver) and producer Shane Leonard (Mipso, Field Report), Tivel has released six studio albums of new original songs on the Portland-based label Fluff & Gravy Records and one with Mama Bird Recording Co. She also regularly records and releases alternative or acoustic versions of her past work. Tivel's NPR Tiny Desk concert premiered on May 22, 2023 with critic Ann Powers commenting, "Tivel's remarkable empathy elevates her folk-based, jazz-touched compositions from mere stories to secular prayers."

——

Lo Pony is a queer folk group based in Portland, Oregon. Known for their intricate three-part harmonies, dreamy soundscapes, and quirky social media presence, they have shared stages with artists like Katy Kirby, Chris Pureka, and Anna Tivel, and built up a dedicated following within the queer community. Their EP, “Elephant Sky,” is an exploration of loss, nostalgia, and an appreciation for the slow beauty of everyday life. This tender 6-song debut features Lo Pony’s signature blend of delicate vocals and lush, expansive instrumentals reminiscent of the sweeping landscapes of the Shasta Valley region where the songs originate.