Project Pabst 2025's Unmissable Artists: Japanese Breakfast, Cap'n Jazz, & Say She She

When it comes to music festivals with personality, Project Pabst stands in a league of its own. Returning to Waterfront Park in Portland, Oregon on July 26-27, 2025, this year’s edition promises to be one of the most memorable yet. Known for its eclectic mix of legends, cult favorites, and future stars — all soundtracked by the clink of tallboys and a setting sun over the Willamette River — Project Pabst is where Portland’s indie heart beats loudest.

The 2025 lineup is stacked, with Iggy Pop, Death Cab for Cutie, and Devo leading the charge. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll find a handful of must-see performances that might just steal the weekend. Here are the three acts we’re most excited to catch at this year’s Project Pabst:

Japanese Breakfast

Fresh off a string of acclaimed festival sets and the continued success of her album Jubilee, Japanese Breakfast returns to Portland as one of indie rock’s most exciting headliners. Michelle Zauner’s ability to weave joy, grief, and cosmic wonder into glittering, synth-drenched anthems makes her a can’t-miss act this year. Expect a set packed with shimmering guitars, soaring vocals, and maybe even a gong or two. Her live performances are known for balancing delicacy and euphoria — and on a summer night along the waterfront, it’s going to feel downright transcendent.

Cap’n Jazz

For the first time in decades, the influential emo pioneers Cap’n Jazz are back together and hitting the festival circuit — and their Project Pabst appearance might be one of the most talked-about sets of the weekend. Known for their chaotic, kinetic live shows in the ‘90s, Tim Kinsella and company helped lay the foundation for the modern emo and indie scenes, and their surprise reunion is pure catnip for those in the know. Expect a gloriously unhinged, shout-along set with plenty of old-school basement show energy.

Say She She

If you’re not yet familiar with Say She She, Project Pabst 2025 is your perfect opportunity. This New York-based outfit delivers lush, vintage-inspired disco-soul that feels tailor-made for warm summer nights. Channeling the spirit of 70’s girl groups with a modern feminist edge, their harmonies are impeccable, their grooves infectious, and their energy impossible to resist. It’s the kind of set you wander into out of curiosity and leave wondering how you ever lived without.

Project Pabst 2025 is shaping up to be a weekend of cross-generational brilliance — where punk legends, indie darlings, and genre-hopping innovators share a bill that could only happen in Portland. Between the killer lineup, riverside views, and signature weirdness, this year’s fest is a lock for one of the best weekends of the summer. Tickets are on sale now, and if history’s any indication, they won’t last long.

Make sure to grab your tickets HERE and we’ll see you there!