Portland Queer Music Festival

Imperial Teen, photo by Marina Chavez

In Portland, you can toss a dart at a calendar and you’re likely to hit a music festival. From blues to bluegrass, there seems to be a set list for everyone — even more so, now that the Portland Queer Music Festival is in full swing. Launched last year, this full day of LGBTQ talent hits its stride on Sunday, July 22, when two dozen bands take over Backspace, for an all-ages set, and the Someday Lounge, for a 21+ celebration of song.

Founder Samuel Thomas started the festival last year, and word spread like wildfire for the follow-up effort. More than 600 people attended 2011′s shows, and this year more than 80 artists asked about joining the fray.

Headlined by San Francisco-based, indie-pop favorites Imperial Teen at Backspace and L.A. singer-songwriter Sacha Sacket at Someday, the all-day event is an incredible value for all music fans, with admission for both venues at just $12, or $10 for the underage-friendly shows alone. In addition to the national names, plenty of Portland talent will be in on the act, including post-funk darlings Magic Mouth and electric rockers Mattachine Social. Music links us together like nothing else, so let loose and dance the day away, together.