Experimental jazz, lo-fi poetry, and risk-takers. Meet the artists challenging the status quo at Pickathon 2026.
START YOUR LISTENING JOURNEY
Don’t recognize a name? That is the point. We designed these playlists to be your roadmap. Press play and find your new favorite band before you see them in the woods.
Spotify | Apple Music | Amazon Music | YouTube Music | Tidal
Alela Diane
GUITAR GENIUS
Mary Halvorson is widely considered one of the most innovative guitarists of her generation. She plays jazz, but deconstructs it—bending notes, shifting rhythms, and creating sounds you didn’t think a guitar could make.
WHY WE PICKED THEM
We book for the brain, too. Pickathon audiences love to be challenged, and Mary provides the intellectual fireworks. Watching her play is like watching a master painter at work.
🎧 LISTEN ON THE PICKATHON 2026 PLAYLIST | ARTIST BIO
Hudson Freeman
LO-FI BEDROOM POETRY
Hudson Freeman makes music that feels like it was recorded on a cassette tape in a living room. It’s fragile, beautiful, and deeply personal. In a loud world, his music is a whisper you have to lean in to hear.
WHY WE PICKED THEM
The “Anti-Festival” act. We booked Hudson because his music creates an immediate intimacy. It turns a crowd of hundreds into a private conversation.
🎧 LISTEN ON THE PICKATHON 2026 PLAYLIST | ARTIST BIO
The South Hill Experiment
NO RULES APPLIED
This LA duo (Baird and Goldwash) is impossible to pin down. They mix funk, indie rock, electronic, and jazz into a blender. It’s playful, virtuosic, and totally unpredictable.
WHY WE PICKED THEM
We love the risk-takers. We booked them because they play with a sense of freedom that is infectious. They are the band you see when you want to be surprised.
🎧 LISTEN ON THE PICKATHON 2026 PLAYLIST | ARTIST BIO
Prewn
RAW NERVE ROCK
The project of Izzy Hagerup, Prewn makes slow-burning, explosive indie rock that recalls the raw emotion of the 90s. It’s wobbly, distorted, and incredibly cathartic.
WHY WE PICKED THEM
For the emotional release. We booked Prewn because the songs feel massive. It’s the perfect soundtrack for looking up at the stars and feeling everything at once.
🎧 LISTEN ON THE PICKATHON 2026 PLAYLIST | ARTIST BIO
Setting
ORGANIC TRANCE & PSYCHEDELIC JAZZ
This is the supergroup of the underground, comprising Nathan Bowles (banjo/keys), Jaime Fennelly (harmonium/synths), and Joe Westerlund (percussion). Setting isn’t just ambient; it is a collision of trance, jazz, and deep improvisation. They build “organic drone” structures that lock into hypnotic rhythms, creating a sound that feels like a mix between a spiritual jazz record and a UFO sinking into a peat bog.
WHY WE PICKED THEM
Pickathon has always been a haven for the “heads”—the people who want to close their eyes and go somewhere else. Setting is the ultimate immersive band. We picked them because they force you to slow down and listen. In a weekend of high stimulation, their set will be a necessary, psychedelic “sound bath” that resets your nervous system.
