Justin Townes Earle, Joe Pug, Damien Jurado, Horse Feathers, Laura Gibson, The Maldives, Rocky Votolato, and 20 or so other bands and artists that we slap with our Pickathon stamp of approval.

Here’s a bit more about the <a href="http://birdsonawirefest.com/">Birds on a Wire Festival</a>, in their own words:

œThe Birds on a Wire Festival is part of <a href="http://stereopathicmusic.com/">Stereopathic Music’s</a> ongoing labor of love to bring great bands to the Palouse. As it happens, a lot of the artists that’ve come through in the past"artists like Horse Feathers, Laura Gibson, Sera Cahoone (among many others)"happen to hail from the Pacific Northwest. As we’ve worked at this, we’ve come to a deeper appreciation for the truly great indie folk scene thriving in Portland and Seattle and thereabouts. We’re humbly pleased to be a part of that, not least because that kind of music"that slightly off-kilter, adventurous take on folk and country and other roots music"really resonates with us. This music is part of what pleases us to call the Northwest home.

Two day <a href="http://birdsonawirefest.com/#buytickets">tickets</a> are $35, and if you can get 10 friends together there is a group-rate available for $25 apiece in bundles of 10.

So take a trip up the Columbia, see some great music, and get an idea of what else the Northwest has to offer. You’ll be glad you did.