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Redcast
Redcast
Bart Hafeman
Bart Hafeman
Mosby
Mosby
Berahmand
Berahmand
Brian Harrison and the Last Draw
Brian Harrison and the Last Draw
Metts, Ryan & Collins
Metts, Ryan & Collins
Michael Dean Damron and Kevin Hahn
Michael Dean Damron and Kevin Hahn
Michael Dean
Michael Dean
Redwood Son
Redwood Son
Lucy Gray
Lucy Gray
One From Many
One From Many
One From Many
One From Many
Black Powder County
Black Powder County
Addverse Effects
Addverse Effects
Tyranny of Hours
Tyranny of Hours
Tyranny of Hours
Tyranny of Hours
11/22/2015

MOGO Festival at Star Theater and Dante's 11/20/15 and 11/21/15 - Photos

By BRENT ANGELO // 

JFell Presentsis best known for its tribute bands and its annual, two day music festival, Harefest. Jason has really had a huge success in this area of music, but is now also branching off as a promoter and trying to help give back to the local music community he is a huge part of. This year he introduced his new MOGO - Portland Music Festival. This festival would feature some of Portland's original bands and help showcase their music to a new audience. The festival was held at two different venues, Dante's and the Star Theater over November 20 and the 21.

These local, original bands spanned various styles and included acoustic and electric performances. Opening acts played like they were headlining, taking advantage of every minute of their time slot. One such act was Redcast. They came out strong, were a lot of fun on stage and gave the audience a strong festival starting performance at the Star Theater. So, with the Dante's and Star Theater shows playing simultaneously, folks had to make a smart game plan to see as much as they could through the day. Thankfully, the venues were close enough to walk back and forth to, so this was an easy task. There were some standout performances. One such show was by One From Many, who played Dante's Saturday, in support of their new EP, 2911. Playing to a packed house, they brought their 'A' game for this one.

With that said, this was neither a competition nor about who was better than the other. These were two nights to simply explore some of what Portland can offer. It was great seeing these bands get that exposure and make some new fans in the process. That is really what matters here. We need to support these original groups by going to their shows and buying their music. It's so important to the future of our music community. I applaud Jason for not just staying with what is safe, but really take on this challenge and making it work.

With any new production like this, there is always learning curves and ways to get better. Out of the gate, MOGO delivered on talent, a fair ticket price and put on a good show overall between both venues. It would have been cool to see all the acts, but you can't be in two different places at once. Attendance was okay for its first attempt, but more in attendance could have really taken this show to an even higher level.

The packed One From Many performance was a great example. Bands feed off the energy of their crowds. The more fans who go and the better we are for the bands, the better the performance we will get in return. Hopefully the word gets out about MOGO and the festival continues to grow. Original music is a tough business nowadays. Gone are the days when the music business cared for new music and its artists. It's up to us and our music communities to help support our local music artists. Portland really has a wealth of talented musicians and, for two back-to-back nights, MOGO treated you to a bunch of them.

If you went to the shows and found some bands you really liked or missed the shows and want to learn more, one resource worth checking out is PDX Spotlight. The show has featured a bunch of these MOGO artists. It is a good way to see some of the MOGO band's taped, live performances, and you can get to know the band better through its interviews.

Band Schedule
________________________________________

Fri Nov 20 at Dante's
8pm - Flurries
9pm - Brian Harrison and The Last Draw
10pm - Metts, Ryan, and Collins
11pm - Michael Dean Damron
12am - pseudoboss

Fri Nov 20 at Star Theater
8pm - Redcast
9pm - Bart Hafeman
10pm - Haley Johnsen
11pm - Jordan Harris
12am - Mosby

Sat Nov 21 at Dante's
8pm - Redwood Son
9pm - Lucy Gray
10pm - One From Many
11pm - Black Powder County
12am - Tyranny of Hours

Sat Nov 21 at Star Theater
8pm - Harper
9pm - emotitron
10pm - Goldfoot
11pm - Berahmand
12am - ADDverse Effects

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