The Workshop Barn

Only FOUR DAYS left to fund this book, and we still need to raise some money to make it happen! If you're interested in pre-ordering a copy, you can back our project and get a copy for $25. See below for lots more info on the project and the festival.

This is a spread from Pickathonography, Vol. 1, a photographic tribute to Pickathon that I'm working on with photographer Tim LaBarge.

This is the opening image for the Workshop Barn section, photo, of course, by Tim.

Part of the beauty of Pickathon is that all the artists play multiple performances: maybe one on the main stage, or a rollicking sylvan set on the Woods Stage, and, ideally, a session in the Workshop Barn, where fans like me get to sit on the floor in front of our favorite musicians and hear not only their songs but the stories behind them, and more about what and why they play their music. It's part of what makes Pickathon such a rich musical and cultural experience.

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My design studio is working on an incredible book of photographs and stories from Pickathon and we need your help to make it happen.

Pickathon is an annual three-day-long music festival that happens out at Pendarvis Farm, southeast of Portland, in early August. I am not much for music festivals nowadays but Pickathon lured me in last year and paid me back for my intrepidness. It is not so much a music festival as it is a fantastic cultural event; one that brings together hipsters and hippies, moms and dads and kids, tambourines and theremins. Some people camp the whole weekend, others just show up for a day; there're stages big and small, one of the best food cart pods around, and an extremely congenial hang-out vibe. I don't really remember any of the bands, so much as I remember sprawling on the grass with our friends and our kids, listening to music and wondering whether we should go get ice cream now, or wait till later, or both.

Tim LaBarge, a Portland photographer, has been obsessively photographing the magic of Pickathon at Pendarvis for the past five years. This year he approached me about making a book out of it. I knew Tim had a massive collection of great photos, and that I could turn it into a magnificent book. The surprise, for me, has been how many writers and musicians have come out of the woodwork to contribute their stories and experiences. Every day I get more excited about this book. Thus far we have contributions from musicians Danny Barnes, Langhorne Slim, Dale Watson, Jill Andrews, and even Captain Bogg himself—just to name a few. Noted music writers Ryan White, Kim Ruehl, Ned Lanneman, and others have also contributed pieces for the book.

We've started a Kickstarter project for the book; we're relying on this initial funding to pay for the printing. It's going to be a gorgeous, full-color, sewn-binding, keepsake-quality book. Please check out the project and the video and, if you can, make a pledge to help us make this book a reality. (We're covering the rest of the expenses by selling a limited number of full-page ads; if you have interest in this, get in touch with me directly.)

You can pre-order a copy of the book for $25: you'll receive a copy of the book (retail value $20) and a copy of the 2010 Pickathon poster, as well as acknowledgment in the book for your help in making it possible.

If you are planning to go to Pickathon this year, think about this: back our project for $200, and you will get a weekend pass, a book, a stainless steel commemorative cup, and a signed copy of this year's poster — very nearly full retail value of your investment. It's a great way to celebrate the festival you love, and be a part of it as well.

Time is getting short and we need to hit that goal to make this work. I'll be posting spreads from the book as they come together. Thanks for reading this, and thanks for your support!

Love

Patrick