PORTLAND, Ore.--As about 300 bands descended upon 21 clubs throughout downtown Portland over the course of four nights (9/20-23), the North By Northwest (NXNW) music conference took on a raw, unpolished vibe with unknown bands cranking out everything from high-powered alt-country to stripped-down power-pop to tripped-out psychedelic jazz.

Several groups hit the mark and wowed audiences. Take for instance Portland’s Systemwide, who pummeled the crowd with its infectious industrial dub, or San Diego’s hard-hitting instrumentalists Tristeza, whose undulating jams played with everyone’s heads, or Seattle’s roots-rock outfit Mountain Con, who stretched its Dylan-esque sounds to innovative places.

It must also be mentioned, however, that many bands fell flat, churning out schlock that has been regurgitated more times than the projectile stuff in “The Exorcist.”

It may not be chock-full of big names, or as glamorous as Austin’s SXSW conference, but that’s the point of NXNW--it’s about exposing the unexposed and opening your ears to sounds you don’t hear on the radio or read about in Rolling Stone and SPIN (which happens to be the lead sponsor of the event). Even with all its musical warts, NXNW comes off as the ultimate music conference for the under-appreciated and unsigned.

A day-by-day review last week’s NXNW festival can be found at liveDaily sister site portland.citysearch.com.