This weekend–September 2 and 3–the Portland mini-festival Lose Yr Mind initiates its eighth incarnation. This little indie fest started in warehouses and regular houses, both long-time staples of the Portland underground music venue network. This year LYM inhabits four proper venues in the Southeast Industrial area, right by the coffee roasters and the Revival Drum Shop and the best Goodwill in town.

The roster includes several touring artists, but we’re going to skip most of those. Fuck ‘em. But there are several “local” (meaning “Portland-based”) artists, and we’re going to do you the added favor of dropping their Bandcamp links here–just in time for The Return of Fee Free First Friday.

Now, as with any festival, there’s zero chance of catching every musical act, even if you limit yourself to The Locals–unless, of course, you want to get all ADHDJ about it and just hear like one song from each band and spend most of your time walking around Southeast in the dark.

We recommend following one of a few different courses in order to maximize your locavore experience. Think of these forking paths as a sort of Lose Yr Own Adventure.

It’s Friday night, where the weed at?

Whichever way you end up going, start Friday night at the Vitalidad Movement Arts & Events Center at SE First and Yamhill. Abronia performs at 6:20, with a novel lineup of “two guitars, pedal steel, tenor saxophone, bass, and a big drum,” which sounds exactly like what it sounds like it sounds like. They’re followed quite appropriately by the beloved “cumbia psicodelica” of Orquestra Pacifico Tropical at 7:15.

Orquestra Pacifico Tropical, El Tren

Abronia, Map of Dawn

Here your path forks. You could head over to Swan Dive on SE Grand and Morrison for this month’s iteration of the long-running all-local hip-hop showcase The Thesis. That starts at 8 with customary Thesis opener DJ Verbz, followed by Lord Lawrence, Sotaè, Bathlete, and Bird Bennet.

BATHLETE, BACKBURNER

Bird Bennett, “i wanna be in love with you”

Or you could head to The Get Down on SE Alder for an all-local gothtastic show featuring Orkis, Darkswoon, Ritual Veil, and Soft Kill.

Orkis, VISCERA

Darkswoon, Eaten by Wolves EP

Ritual Veil, Keep Looking Down

Soft Kill, Dead Kids, R.I.P. City

If you’re not digging the vibe there, bounce after Orkis and head over to Bunk Bar on Water Avenue for some of their famous sandwiches. Shadowgraphs go on at 8:50, followed by The Macks at 9:50.

Shadowgraphs, Shadowgraphs

The Macks, Rabbit

There’s no good way to squeeze in Roselit Bone at Vitalidad without missing everything else happening close to their 9:05 slot. But if you’ve ever caught this band’s remarkable act live, you’re probably going to make it happen anyways.

Roselit Bone, Crisis Actor

Whichever forking path you follow, you want to end the night back at Vitalidad for the legendary Portland band with the amazingly puntastic name: The Dandy Warhols. They go on at 11:10.

The Dandy Warhols, It’s A Fast Drivin Friday With The Dandy Warhols Thirty Seconds Volume One

S! A! T-U-R! D-A-Y! NIGHT!

Saturday is easier, in a way. Just like you did on Friday, start at Vitalidad. The gonzo-as-fuck !mindparade performs at 6:25, with the ironically-named Pool Boys following at 7:15.

!mindparade, Hypertonic

Pool Boys, Obviously, Doctor

For a local label, Mama Bird Recording Co. has a surprising number of Californians performing in their LYM showcase on Saturday at Swan Dive. One local artist stands out, though: Ryan Oxford, whose 2017 album Fa Fa Fa Fired is still available on cassette. One of your potential paths takes you to see him at 8, after Pool Boys. And if you decide to go that way, you’ll have enough time to catch Shaylee at Bunk Bar at 8:50.

Ryan Oxford, Fa Fa Fa Fired

Shaylee, Short-Sighted Security

What you really ought to do, though, is spend most of your Saturday at The Get Down for local bands Launderette, Yuvees, and Slang (featuring Janet from Quasi). That show closes quite fittingly with the only touring group that’s worth your while: New York’s Bush Tetras.

Launderette, Dressing for Pleasure

Yuvees, Human Dance

Slang, Cockroach in a Ghost Town

Bush Tetras, Rhythm and Paranoia

Aaaaaaaand if you have any energy left after all that, you can probably get another sandwich and the end of Maita’s set back at Bunk Bar: she goes on at 10:50.

Maita, I Just Want To Be Wild For You