Jason Cruz of the punk band Strung Out is nothing if not driven. When he formed the original lineup of Strung Out with guitarist Rob Ramos in 1989 in Simi Valley, Calif., Cruz was all in. This wasn’t going to be some casual hobby. “I made a decision I’m either going to get a straight […]
Alan Sculley
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Big Venues and Band Squabbles
Crossover Christian rockers Needtobreathe face the same issues that plague other popular bands
Success, obviously, has its perks—but it also brings a few challenges. Needtobreathe discovered that firsthand in touring for its 2014 album, “Rivers In the Wasteland.” As the venues got bigger, the group’s show and performing style had to change with it. “The struggle or the difficulty of the last tour was, as the venues got […]
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This Dog and Pony Show Doesn’t Play on Repeat
Band Of Horses plays a new show, every time
Band Of Horses singer/guitarist Ben Bridwell can promise a couple of things to people who come to see the group in concert Aug. 22 in Bend. First off, expect the unexpected. ”One thing that I do like about this band is, I don’t know that we’ve ever played the same set list twice,” Bridwell said in an early August […]
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In It Together
Spearhead’s new album combines the talents of new producers
Michael Franti has a discography that numbers nine studio albums with his current band, Spearhead, as well as one album with his first group, the Beatnigs, and a pair of titles with the influential group that preceded his solo career, the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy. But he’s never had a recording experience quite like the […]
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Persistence Pays Off for The Receiver
It shouldn’t be this hard to sell music
The Receiver, a synth-pop-centered duo from Columbus, Ohio, had to go quite a ways to get a stalled career restarted: all the way to England, in fact. Things got off to a reasonable enough start when brothers Casey Cooper (vocals/keyboards/bass) and Jesse Cooper (drums/vocals) started out a decade ago as The Receiver. Signed to a […]
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Ben Harper Returns to Les Schwab Amphitheater
It took seven years for Ben Harper to reunite with the Innocent Criminals, and he says in making “Call It What It Is,” his new album with his long-time band, there was a fundamental change in the dynamic. More than ever, billing “Call It What It Is” as a Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals […]
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Alabama Shakes’ Drummer Steve Johnson & ‘Sound & Color’
Sold out show in Bend kicks off summer music season
Alabama Shakes’ current album, “Sound & Color,” is one of the boldest second albums in recent years, taking the fairly straightforward (but stirring) blues and soul-rooted rock of the group’s 2012 debut, “Boys & Girls,” and turning it on its ear with a host of stylistic twists and an adventurous approach to the music. Some […]
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Top 10 Albums of 2015
I Struggled just to come up with 10 albums that would have contended for my annual list in past years. The top five on this list would hang with the best in most any year, but picking the last few slots was tricky. But it was that kind of year. There were plenty of good […]
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Instrument of Rock
Greensky Bluegrass turns a mandolin into something more
With Greensky Bluegrass, it isn’t just the name that’s the inverse of what’s expected, it’s the musical roots, too. Case in point: Bluegrass isn’t what Paul Hoffman, one of the two main songwriters in the bluegrass group, generally dials up when he wants to listen to music for fun. “I don’t listen to very much […]
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Third Time’s a Charm?
Phish reunion seems to be sticking
Twice before, Phish fans have had legitimate reason to wonder if they had witnessed the end of their beloved band. In 2000, Phish went on an open-ended hiatus, making no promises about when or if the group would resume. The band resurfaced for a 2002 New Year’s Eve concert, went on to release two albums […]