Anne Pick

The hardest working stoners in the biz. Hello there,
Kottonmouth Kings fans. Put down your giant bongs, step away from the
half-eaten bag of Cheetos and come up from your parents stank basement. Safely
find your way down to the Midtown Ballroom for a night of worship for the Kings
of your kingdom. The Kottonmouth Kings, a rap-rock crossover based out of
Orange County, California, come to Bend to promote the green movement, and
we're not talking sustainability and recycling here.

The Kottonmouth
Kings have described themselves as "psychedelic hip-hop punk rock" and the
band's latest, The Green Album, reached number five on the Billboard
Top Rap Albums chart and is the outfit's tenth full length studio album. The
tracks range from the straight-up rap anthem "K.O.T.T.O.N.M.O.U.T.H. Song" to
the more rock-influenced "Where I'm Going?" The Kottonmouth Kings are probably
the hardest working stoners in the business-running their own record label,
which hosts 24 other acts as well as their own clothing line.

If you're more on
the straight-up hip-hop side of things, Vancouver, BC hip-hop heavy hitters
Swollen Members split the headlining bill. In Canada, Swollen Members are one
of the best selling urban acts of all time and have worked hard over the years
to create a name for themselves in the international hip-hop community. The
Members create hip-hop in which the strength lies in the songs, not in flashy
grills and gimmicks. Which is probably why they've taken home multiple Juno
Awards (aka the Canadian Grammy) for Best Rap Recording, most recording for
their song "Black Magik."

Holy Rolling Empire will build their psychedelic-rock empire from
the ground up, literally. Three of the five Tucson, Arizona emperors
worked in construction while recording their full-length debut album,
Gigantis. The other two make a living as bartenders, so you know in
their kingdom they will serve up wickedly good rock and roll cocktails.

The band, formerly known as The Crowd, signed to indie label
Burning House Records after touring up and down the West Coast in
support of their self-released six-song EP, Secret Serpents. The band
started work on their debut and what resulted is an album full of
intricate, polished songs influenced by psychedelia and the classic
rock of the '60 and '70s, but with modern pop riffs and melodies.
Their
leadoff single "Bi-Polar Bear Mania" has been described as sounding
Beatles-esque. The lyrics are all over the place, which makes sense
with the title. My favorite quip from the should-be hit: "I am not
convinced. There's a hole in the wall where the camera's rolling.
They've got film of everyone," which basically describes the mania in a
post-1984, post-Patriot Act, "Big Brother" America.
 

We're dutch, isn't that crazy?!If there is one thing the Central Oregon music scene is severely lacking its electro, indie-pop, which is a shame because, well, it's a pretty freaking awesome genre. But the time has finally come for synth-rocking electronica to make an appearance and Anderson, a Netherlands-based duo, is the band to bring it to the High Desert. We caught up with Jeroen van der Werken to talk about the band's U.S. tour and their Postal Service-ish sound.

tSW: How did you guys get started together?
Jeroen van der Werken: About five years ago, Bas and I met in the Netherlands when we were camping out in the summer. We found out that we both were working on writing songs and that we were into the same music. I really liked his stuff and he really liked mine, and one thing led to another.
Coming to America, what are you guys most excited to see? Experience? Try?
Jeroen: The West Coast is made for being on the road, we love it! Long drives, empty roads, good music on the iPod, meeting nice people, enjoying local food. We just spent some time in Los Angeles - we had our album release party in Hollywood and that was great. We're very much looking forward to visiting San Francisco, but also to our time in the Northwest, our favorite part of the U.S.

Smooth, Deep
and
Local

Kim Kelley
Bending Blue
Odds
are over the years you've heard the velvety vocals of long-time Bend
resident Kim Kelley. She started out as the lead singer and banjo
player in bluegrass band Mean Willy. Maybe you caught her in the
folk/fusion band Goober. Most recently, Kelley's gone solo and has been
performing around town with other local musicians like Deb Yager.
Kelley's
been warming up for the release of her debut solo disc Bending Blue, a
soulful, folksy album featuring striking vocals and irresistibly smooth
rhythms. The music behind the personal lyrics is strong with percussion
on many of the songs blending with the folk melodies to create
memorable beats like on "Into Your Blue," "Earth" and "Together."