The summer calendar is already spotted with music festivals happening throughout the Portland metro area and many outlying areas. But the announcement of the Sometimes A Great Notion Festival should make the experimental music lovers of the city sit up and take notice.

Happening on the last weekend of July (the 27th through the 29th) at Disjecta Arts Centre, SAGN has been curated by Metal Postcard Records, a label based in Hong Kong. And just as that label releases material from a wide swathe of artists, the festival brings together musicians from tab on the genre index. You get EDM (Natasha Kmeto, Mattress, Jeffrey Jerusalem), country & folk (Nick Jaina, The Felice Brothers), and a dash of vintage soul (Dennis Coffey).

What should have readers of this blog excited are some of the more challenging sounds that will be happening as part of the weekend. Saints co-founder Ed Kuepper will be headlining the Saturday lineup, and Peaking Lights (the band behind the incredible new album Lucifer) will be headlining on Sunday. Along the way, you’ll get sets by one man modular synth orchestra Pulse Emitter, the spacious ambient explorations of Rake Wickman, Australian freak folkster Swoop Swoop, and the longform drones of Grapefruit. I’m also excited to learn about what’s going to be afoot at this outside stage supposedly being curated by something called the “Psych Stoner Club”. Hope to see you there.

As you may or may not know, guitarist Tom Carter of Charalambides has been hospitalized in Berlin for about two weeks now after contracting severe pneumonia. And as you likely know, health care is not cheap, especially for uninsured musicians working in the underground as Carter has for the past few decades. His supporters and fans have been rallying support for Carter to help stave off the costs of health care and to help get him back on his feet and playing his guitar.

The folks behind Volcanic Tongue have made it especially easy for you to help, setting up this donation page to help get the money to Carter with ease. Even better, the people handling the funds don’t take any portion of it – all of it goes to Tom.

To inaugurate this new blog endeavor – here’s a fantastic new track from Golden Retriever, taken from their upcoming Thrill Jockey release Occupied with the Unspoken