As Americana artist and legend Robert Earl Keen—who actually has been credited at times with inventing the “Americana” genre—describes the tiny one-room limestone songwriting hideaway that he lovingly calls his “scriptorium,” my imagination travels to a state of tranquil lucidity. Almost immediately, I am standing amid a small gathering of tchotchkes gazing out into the […]
Ethan Maffey
Both a writer and a fan of vinyl records since age 5, it wasn't until nearly three decades later that Oregon Native Ethan Maffey derived a plan to marry the two passions by writing about music. From blogging on MySpace in 2007 and then Blogspot, to launching his own website, 83Music, and eventually freelancing for publications in the Pacific Northwest, like Spokane’s alt-weekly Inlander, Ethan’s aim has been to provide fans of music alternatives to the mundane and overplayed. This included a nearly two year stint as the music editor for the Source, where he scoured the Bend music scene drawing attention to local talent and notable touring acts as they passed through town. In addition to deep knowledge of the local music scene, Ethan has an uncanny ability to quote lines from the television show “Friends.” He also has an eye for women’s fashion and feels a kinship with Lucky Day, Steve Martin’s character in ¡Three Amigos!
Posted inMusic
Pants on Fire
Unconventional hip-hop artist Buck 65 is a liar—and a good one
Al Pachino said it in Scarface: “I always tell the truth; even when I lie.” For some reason, Nova Scotia hip-hop artist Buck 65—born Richard Terfry—lives that quote out each time he’s asked him where he got his stage name. His responses are so quick and packed with so much detail, he oozes authenticity. In […]
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Before and After
A jumbled raw supplies depot gets ready for Bend Roots Revival
I’m standing in the middle of what once was a graveyard of discarded toilets at Pak-It Liquidators and, surprisingly, the ground is pleasingly sparse; stout plywood stages ready for live music now rest in opposite corners, ready for the return of Bend Roots Revival. At the writing of this article, though—seven days before the festival—there […]
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TONIGHT’S LIVE MUSIC: Matt the Electrician
Head out to a great venue, for a great concert; tonight in Sisters.
Posted inMusic
In Love with Language
English major Tory Ford turns honest literature into song
Thirty-five-year old San Francisco singer Tory Ford isn’t sure whether the songwriting she takes on with her band Upstairs Downstairs would impress her old English professors. Clearly, though, the firm grasp of poetic dialogue in the songs she comes up with would at least make some of their heads turn. Take the lyrics for “Parkas […]
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Wired to be Vulnerable
Acoustic Americana archetype Matt the Electrician is an open book
A song portraying the very personal struggles a spouse goes through when losing a parent is about as forthright as one can get with their musical craft. And that’s just what listeners get with woodsy Austin singer/songwriter Matt Sever, aka Matt the Electrician: the hard truth. Rather than shroud such events in metaphor and vague […]
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New Music Video from Father John Misty (and more)
New FJM music video: things that make you go hmmm…