Live in Bend on May 27: Death Cab for Cutie, Bright Eyes, Jenny and Johnny
Yes, this is really happening — Death Cab for Cutie, Bright Eyes and Jenny and Johnny are all playing on one night here in Bend on May 27 at the Les Schwab Amphitheater. This marks the first concert announcement of the 2011 LSA schedule, and given that all three of these bands are playing the…
Valentine’s Day: Staff Picks
I’m just gonna say it. Valentine’s Day confuses the hell out of me. The day that may or may not have been created by a greeting card company seems to have become a day of mandatory gift giving. If you’re single, you’ll probably have to endure a day full of couples making out in front…
Well Good Morning, Valentine’s Day! Have a Cupcake
Happy Valentine’s Day, Bent Readers! Here, have a cupcake:
Probably one of the best Valentine’s presents I’ve received in a while was waking up this morning at my house on Hill Street and Delaware and realizing that I could, for the first time ever, walk across the street and buy a muffin and a cup…
Pickathon Announces 2011 Lineup
Picakthon, Portland’s increasingly popular outdoor roots and indie rock festival, announced its lineup this morning and the collection of acts set to play between August 5 to 7 looks as strong as any of the event previous offerings. And that’s saying something, judging from the quality of last year’s festival.
Bend’s New Downtown Japanese Spot
Sushi lovers have been eagerly anticipating the announcement that the new Japanese restaurant from Kanpai’s owner would be opening soon and they got their wish Friday when chef Michael Murphy and owner Justin Cook announced that Boken is taking reservations. The restaurant is located in the Breezeway adjacent to Mirror Pond Plaza in the former…
Download The Strokes new single “Under Cover of Darkness” for free!
At long last The Strokes have resurfaced and today is your last chance to download their new single “Under Cover of Darkness” for free. The band’s highly anticipated new album, Angles, comes out on March 22 and if this single is any indicator, it’s going to be pretty awesome.
Soldiering On: New editor aboard, High Desert Journal finds plenty to share
The High Desert Journal recently released its 12th issue. This biannual literary magazine continues to focus on its mission statement of “dedicating itself to further understanding the people, places and issues of the interior West” though in my opinion, the journal is going off in new and exciting areas that may have seemed absent in…
Live Music Pick: Y La Bamba
It’s getting easier to find great live music in Bend these days. Still, there are shows that get scheduled that definitely rise above the rest and are must see performances.
USFS Accepts Mt. Bachelor’s Master Development Plan
While the dearth of snowfall over the past six weeks has been maddening, skiers and snowboarders did get some good news this week as the path for expansion and improvements at Mt. Bachelor took a step forward as the U.
2011 Lust List Results
Hottest Male Teacher: Derek Sitter (Actor's Realm)
Hottest Female Teacher: Ally Thompson (COCC)
Hottest Male Barista: Steve Cheprinka (Thump) Hottest Female Barista: TIE: Kaycee (Lone Pine) and Meghan (Strictly Organic) Hottest Male Server: Jason Knight (Ariana) Hottest Female Server: Lexi (Bo Restobar) Hottest Male Public Official: Chuck Arnold Hottest Female Public Official: Tammy Baney Hottest…
The Lust List: The hottest hotties ever to get hot in Central Oregon!
Hottest Librarian Name: Shawna Dailey Age: 26 Profession: Library Assistant, Deschutes Public Library System What's the sexiest book you've ever read, and was Fabio on the cover? The Sookie Stackhouse novels are pretty scandalous and full of vampire smut. Also, Chelsea Handler's “My Horizontal Life” is a riot. Sadly, Fabio was nowhere to be seen…
Romantic Comedies: Let the Hijinks Ensue!
Every man knows to rent When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, Pretty Woman and The Notebook to romance his lady friend(s). Instead of providing you with the same old song and dance, here's a list of romantic comedies I like that would be good for a romantic movie night this Valentine's Day. Eternal Sunshine…
The Smut Made Me Do It: What happens when you take the sex out of porn?
Around 1994, I was at the peak of my career as a smut peddler, delivering videos and magazines to East Bay liquor stores for all to consume. At Zero Distribution, we handed out Playboy, Penthouse, Hustler and Jugs (to name a few), but we also handled the XXX-rated stuff. Spending Friday afternoons in the warehouse…
Keeping Things Lusty
Whether you've just started dating or you're 12 years, two kids, a bad back and 10 pounds of belly fat into a relationship, keeping your love life from getting boring can be difficult. We went to the unofficial sex experts of Bend – or “sexperts” if you're getting all technical – the staff of the…
Historical Hottie: George Putnam
The folks over at the Des Chutes Historical Society like to keep us in tune with our town's history, so we went ahead and let them vote off-ballot for a category they created all on their own: Historical Bend Hottie. Here is the message we received.
It’s Really Hot in Bend Today, Apparently
I thought it had been a really warm winter in Bend, but now it’s official after I saw this online a few minutes ago:
Conspirator and Break Science Tonight at Silver Moon
In another last-minute booking of a national touring act, Silver Moon is bringing electro jammers Conspirator (featuring members of the Disco Biscuits) and live drum/programming act Break Science in for a groove-athon tonight. The show is at 9pm and the cover is $15.
King Corn Screening Tonight at COCC
Do you eat corn? Yes? Well, have I got a movie for you. Have fun sleeping after this, corn-lover! Slow Food High Desert is screening King Corn tonight at COCC – Grandview Hall at 6:30 p.
Di Lusso Bakery Cafe in Downtown Bend Closes
On my way downtown this afternoon (to pump some iron, of course) I noticed a printed sign on the door of Di Lusso Bakery Cafe explaining that yesterday was the popular coffee shop and bakery’s last day in operation. The sign cites “unforeseen circumstances” as the reason for the abrupt closure and offers some heartfelt…
Where to Eat on Valentine’s Day
There are a couple options for what to give the object of your affection on Valentine’s Day. There’s always the heart-shaped box of chocolates or chalky candy hearts from a drug store, and the ubiquitous cliche cards that say something like “I choo-choo-choose you!” above a picture of a train. Of course, you could splurge…
Da Pack: A Sunday afternoon on the sidelines with the Packers
In the afterglow of the Green Bay Packers win at last weekend’s Super Bowl, I started thinking about how I came to being of those “once a Packer fan, always a Packer fan” people. It began when I first got interested in pro football at age 10. My dad, a Wisconsin Badger through and through,…
The lost world of Paulina Lake Lodge
Travel to the lost world of Paulina Lake Lodge, just 45 minutes from Bend and you will feel transported to a wintry haven, far from the traffic lights and noise that can at times feel claustrophobic to so many of us who made the move to Bend for a life of serenity. I embarked on…
Buy This Stuff! What football fans like to buy, according to the ads I saw during the Super Bowl
So, yeah. My prediction that the Steelers would win the Super Bowl by way of a vast, mind-boggling conspiracy didn't exactly pan out. Whatever, who cares? I'm onto more important things now – like going out and purchasing all the items the Super Bowl advertisements told me I, as a football fan, should want. People,…
When Animals Eat Bullets: The tragedy of lead ammunition
An animal being shot by a lead projectile is one thing, and a creature eating lead is another, but usually the outcome is the same, the animal dies. That’s what’s facing our eagles all too often. Recently, Jeff Cooney, a local raptor rehabilitation expert, and his sidekick, Jeannette Bonomo, were out near Millican driving on…
Throw This Gaping Hole a Lifeline: Drowning in stupidity, Sanctum creates its own watery grave
Here are two marketing ploys that are really not working for me anymore: “Based on true facts” and “shot in real 3D.” I figured that James Cameron's role as producer and the 3D cinema magic would all but force Sanctum to deliver. It doesn't. I know I'm not known for being lavish with my praise,…
Some Kind of Crazy: Predictable plot and cheesy clichés hinder The Roommate
When viewers first see the trailer or hear the plot for The Roommate, the new psychological thriller starring Leighton Meester and Minka Kelly, the first thing to come to mind is the 1992 film Single White Female. The films feature similar plots, leading some to wonder if The Roommate is actually a remake of Single…
A Lesson in Love
Valentine's Day is this week! Which is why I'm taking this opportunity to advise you on what you're doing WRONG in your romantic relationships. Just think of me like Dr. Phil – except I'm not pear-shaped, I don't wear a pedophile mustache, I don't talk like Deputy Dawg, I don't offer people the absolute worst…
Cheesy Gore: Splatterhouse misses the horror game mark
Videogames have done well with the Orpheus myth. Mario descended into the fiery underworld of Bowser’s castle to rescue his beloved princess. I fondly recall exploring lava-laced caverns in pursuit of my pet frog in Master Blaster. A few years ago, I chased my girlfriend into Viewtiful Joe and more recently I pursued her through…
For Good Luck and Prosperity: Five Fusion's Chinese New Year ushers in goodwill with an eight-course feast
For anyone who's been to any city with a sizable Chinese population on the Chinese New Year, you know the holiday as an explosion of good luck charms, music, firecrackers, people in dragon costumes crawling through the streets and an abundance of all things red. It's a celebration of the year to come, calling for…
Little Bites: Catering To You Gluten-free bakery, wine shop and catering company all slated to open
The cycle of life continues even in the world of restaurants and retail shops. The fall of one business allows another to open, and while we mourn previous enterprises, we also rejoice in new ventures. At the end of 2010, the Pure Skate Shop next to the Taco Stand shut its doors and local skaters…
Hitting the Road: From church to hip-hop, Joanna Lee heads to Austin for the next step in her career
When most girls her age were, well, doing whatever it is 11-year-old kids did in the mid 1990s, Joanna Lee was already writing songs. And now, 14 years later, she's recorded one of those tracks, filmed a video for it and the tune has become a calling card of sorts for her unique blend of…
Iron and Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean
The sonic backgrounds on “Walking Far From Home,” the first track on Iron and Wine's new album Kiss Each Other Clean, craftily connects Iron and Wine's impressive effort on The Shepherd's Dog while, as the song title suggests, being away in a new time and place. We could infer, by studying the cover's illustration of…
Science in the Pub: OSU-Cascades makes learning fun by adding beer to the equation
A pub might be thought of as a place where you're supposed to drink, but not talk about matters like science, literature and politics. And a classroom is a place where you're expected to talk only about things like science, literature and politic, but not drink. The two places seem mutually exclusive. But according to…
Winter Theater Season in Full Swing
The winter theater season has proven to be vibrant and jam-packed full of variety, just the way we like it. Whether you're looking for a one-man show with a historical twist, or a warm romantic comedy, Bend's local theater scene looks like it should be able to please you in the coming months.
Our Picks for 2/9 – 2/17: Spoken Word Poet Buddy Wakefield, Conspirator, Break Science, Trivia Bee, Oliver! and more
Ignite Bend 6 wednesday 9 Believe it or not, this is the sixth installment of Bend's take on the world-popular Ignite events, which place a presenter on the stage for five minutes, armed only with a microphone and a Power Point presentation of their choosing. Bend is just one of 50-plus Ignite events taking place…
Bend's Road Tax Pitch: City to asks residents to pony up for improvements
Bend's Transportation Costs Bend residents will have an opportunity this week to weigh in on a proposal that would create a new street tax to tackle some $30 million worth of needed street projects that currently have no source of funding. City staff last week presented councilors with several ways to approach the almost $100…
Lawmakers, Ban That Bag
Behold the humble plastic grocery bag. It is small, flimsy and almost weightless, but in numbers it is mighty. Since its introduction about 30 years ago, the plastic grocery bag has become as ubiquitous as the cockroach, but a lot more harmful to the Earth. An estimated 500 billion of the things are used worldwide…
The Super-Duper Straight Poop From All Over
Monday, Jan. 31 Second Amendment fun: Utah Legislature considering a bill to make the Browning M1911 handgun the official state firearm. “It’s an implement of freedom that has defended America for 100 years,” said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Carl Wimmer. “This firearm is Utah” … Unconscious irony: Former US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, a chief…
Don't Shoot Your TV!
KTVZ ran a piece this week about issues surrounding gun sales and firearm possession in Central Oregon in the wake of the Tucson shootings. The story – which was hardly controversial in its reporting – featured gun owners, a gun club leader, but also the director of Ceasefire Oregon, a gun control advocacy group… and…
What's up With Mt. Bachelor's Holiday Pricing?
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Conflict in the 9th Circuit Threatens Old Growth Forests
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Buddy Wakefield is Back in Bend
Two time individual World Poetry Slam champion Buddy Wakefield will be giving a free performance on Thursday, February 10th starting at 7pm in the Hitchcock Auditorium at COCC. Last fall Wakefield, with his athletic frame and troubling, expressive eyes, ushered forth both tears and a standing ovation as part of the Revival tour that stopped…
