The Cherry City Music Festival takes place on April 9-11 (that's next weekend!) in Salem, just a mere 50 miles south of Portland, and their lineup is shaping up nicely, with 140 different bands playing on various stages in our state's capital. Local favorites like the Thermals, Viva Voce, Portland Cello Project, Horse Feathers, and Boy Eats Drum Machine will be cranking out the tunes, as well as dozens of Salem bands. You can get an all-access three-day wristband for a mere $30 at the Tender Loving Empire store here in Portland (1720 NW Lovejoy #109). There's also a ton of free shit scheduled for the weekend, too, in case you're stone broke. This is definitely going to be worth the trip down I-5.

Full press release and complete lineup after the jump!

140 bands converge in Salem for Cherry City Music Festival

Salem, OR - March 30, 2009

In less than two weeks, more than 400 musicians will converge in Salem for three days of music, film, education, marketing and parties. Independent music makes a stand in 15 venues throughout downtown Salem during the 3rd Cherry City Music Festival April 9-11. Every genre from acoustic to zouk will be on stage to benefit Isaac's Room, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Mid-Valley Video Festival. International touring acts will join local musicians in Salem's oldest performance halls to perform jazz, punk, classical, rock, pop, blues, country, folk, hip hop reggae, latin and heavy metal, each supporting the do-it-yourself ethic of performance and self-promotion.

Independent labels Kill Rock Stars, K-Records, Tender Loving Empire and Boy Gorilla will each present some of their top acts on stage at the Grand Theater, Reed Opera House, and the Ike Box, including The Thermals, Viva Voce, Jeremy Jay, Jared Mees and the Grown Children, the black black black and many, many more.

Tickets prices for individual shows range from $5 to $19 and all-access wristbands are available for $30 online and at Ranch Records in Salem and Tender Loving Empire in Portland. The Cherry City Music festival is sponsored by Willamette University, Rumblefish, Delta Tau Delta Willamette University Chapter, 94.7 KNRK and Salem Monthly. For more information about the Cherry City Music Festival, visit cherrycitymusic.com.

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Why are we doing this, you ask?
Why are we celebrating independent music with 140 bands in Salem, Oregon smack dab in the middle of the worst recession in 30 years?

For the kids, that’s why - our future. We want to create a place where our kids can make something of themselves. And you should too.

If you’ve ever uttered the words “So lame”, “Snailem” or “Salem is boring”, you owe it to yourself and your community to join us in creating this transition - a transition into the 21st century where the 18 to 44 year-old demographic actually has a voice and helps create a viable local economy.

If you have ever heard someone tell you, “If you ever want to make something of yourself, leave Salem”, or “Salem’s great, we’re an hour from skiing, the beach and Portland”, you owe it to yourself to buy a three day wrist band for less than your wireless data plan and support some worthy causes AND hear the best independent music in the country. Many of these bands are coming straight from SXSW where all-access passes go for $1200. Most of the shows at Cherry City are an affordable $10. Beer’s cheaper here, too.

“But dude, the economic stimulus passed me by - I’m broke!”

We’ve got you covered. Take in “Songs for Cassavetes” Thursday and Saturday at 3 pm at the Hallie Ford Museum. This film explores the underground music scene of Olympia in the hey day of the 90’s and the balance between maintaining youthful innocence and incorporating ourselves into a world of money and success.
Or experience “How Art and Music Can Change the World”, a multimedia performance by Mecca Normal’s Jean Smith 1 pm Friday at Willamette University’s Montag Den.
More freebies are offered Saturday afternoon with the Musicians Bazaar, a market to buy, sell or trade music-related items at Micah Hall. The Hanami Blossom Day takes place at noon on the Capitol Mall with Monmouth Taiko under the flowering cherry trees. This traditional Japanese picnic observes the beauty of the cherry blossom and the onset of spring.
Into hip hop? There’s 4 hours of free hip hop on the Capitol steps all Saturday afternoon. All free.

So what are you waiting for? Make your plans now and get in on the fun as we create the transition in Salem.

Thursday April 9

K-Records Stage
Reed Opera House $15 advance
6p Jewelia Owens
7p The Curious Mystery
8p Arrington De Dionyso
9p Wallpaper
10p hive Dwellers/Chain & the Gang
11p Jeremy Jay

Rafter and Friends
Ike Box $10 advance
6p Massive Moth
7p Rafter
8p The Shaky Hands
9p Super XX Man
10p And I’ve Landed

Ethereal Pop
Cone Chapel $10 advance
6p D.S.R.x
7p Arctic Fields
8p Mecca Normal
9p talkdemonic

Experimental Pop
Coffee House Cafe $7 at the door
6p Insects
7p Jerry Highland
8p Breviamor
9p Right on John
10p Sandvig
11p The Timbreines

Metal stage
The Space $7 at the door
7p Auburn
8p ISSA
9p The Grey Effect
10p Harvest the Rabbit

Boon's $5 donation
8p Halie Loren
9p Courtney Jones
10p Breanna Paletta

The Beanery $5 donation
7p Saffron Slumber
8p Stephen Nance
9p Abraham

Cafe Noir $5 donation
7p Ronan Baker
8p Waterfall
9p Blue Moon Society

Venti's Cafe $5 donation
9p Liana Bumstead
10p A Starlight Incident

Friday, April 10

Kill Rock Stars Stage
Grand Theater $15 advance
6 Horse Feathers
7 Explode into Colors
8 The Falcon
9 Panther
10 The Thermals

Salem ROCKS! Stage
Reed Opera House $10 advance
6p Purple Heart
7p Motae
8p First Sleep
9p JAMalia
10p Hundred Dollar Jayhawks
11p Office Diving

Electronica Stage
Ike Box $10 advance
6p Solar Powered
6:45p genre?
7:30 Bumtech
8:15p Quirk Monarch
9p Atole
10p Copy

Jazz Stage
Cone Chapel $10 advance
6p Alison Losik
6:40p Ken Luker
7:15p All in Perspective
8p Disco Organica
9p Eleven Eyes

Power Pop Stage
Coffee House Cafe $7 at the door
6p Sorceress
7p Ministry of Love
8p Bombs into You
9p Vanishing Kids
10p Speaker Speaker
11p Chalkline

Alt Pop Stage
The Space $7 at the door
6 Seahorse
6:45 Violet Isle
7:30 John Fro
8:15 Patterns
9 Joshua DuChene
9:45 Johnathan Westfall
10:30 Half Shark Half Jesus

Boon's $5 donation
8p Mik Gobel
9p True North
10p Rick Bartow and the Backseat Drivers

The Beanery $5 donation
7p Justin Bennett
8p Agent Ribbon
9p Mill Race

Cafe Noir $5 donation
7p Raj Rasa
8p Maggie Felber
9p Lucky Beltran

Venti's Cafe $5 donation
9p Whiskey Priest
10p Dale Reynolds

Saturday, April 11

Classical Pop
Elsinore Theater $19 advance
7:30 Motz-Art
8p Portland Cello Project
9:30 Viva Voce

Blues Americana Country
Reed Opera House $10 advance
1 Kites and Crows
2 Sam Cooper
3 One Horse Shy
4 Jack Sanford
5 Daily
6 Eugene Christopher
7 BlueMax
8 Large Louie Band
9 Yarn Owl
10 Nick Jaina
11 Gusto Brothers

Boy Gorilla Birtday with
Tender Loving Empire
Ike Box $10 advance
4p Gratitillium
4:45 wampire
5:30 World’s Greatest Ghosts
6:15 ghosties
7p Boy Eats Drum Machine
7:45 elec morin
8:30 Jared Mees and the Grown Children
9:15p phantom
10p Finn Riggins
10:45p black black black

World Music Latin Stage
Micah Hall $10 advance
7p I-Chele and the Circle of Light
8p Enemigos
9p Blaxicano
10p Candente

Mixed Genre Stage
Roxxy's Nightclub and Pizzeria $10 advance
2p symmetry/symmetry
3p The Dimes
4p Ingredients the Band
5p Derby
6p Maus Haus
7p Oregon Valley Boys

Hip Hop Stage
Capitol Mall FREE
1p Monmouth Taiko
2p L-Train
3p 684
4p Unified Theory

Indie Pop Stage
Coffee House Cafe $7 at the door
3p Shift
4p Strays
5p Sugar Sugar Sugar
6p Fez Fatale
7p New Century Schoolbook
8p Slade and the BIG NOTHING!
9p Genldick
10p Curious Hands
11p Angelo Spencer

Punk Stage
The Space $7 at the door
6p Aim to Fail
7p Potatoe Famine
8p Daddy’s Dirty Socks
9p Cold Dead Hands
10p The Awful Din
11p Kill the Kids

The Beanery $5 donation
7p Easterly
8p Shy Seasons
9p Cavalier

Cafe Noir $5 donation
7p JonRo’s Tunes
8p Charlie and Ophelia
9p The Easy Western

Venti's Cafe $5 donation
9p Casey Hurt
10p Jettison Bend