When it comes to entertainment for a backyard BBQ or a stylish evening get-together at home, a live band beats a shuffled iPod playlist every day of the week, and twice on Sundays. With little advertising to the general public, house concerts happen more often than most people know. Some shows end up impromptu rock […]
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!
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Musical Ashram
Fanciful and serious, Y La Bamba blends cultures
The singer for Portland’s abstract folk band Y La Bamba, Luz Elena Mendoza, opens her song with a reference to a trip to India that Mendoza took a decade ago, one that initiated an unintended spiritual journey that even today haunts the statuesque Mexican-American and native Oregonian. Her cool voice is heavy with the weight […]
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The British are Coming (to Dance!)
An Independence Day celebration with UK break beats DJ Krafty Kuts
If Paul Revere were alive today and charged with warning Bendites of a pending British invasion, he might be doing it by stapling flyers to telephone poles advertising a July 4 show for U.K. electronic music producer and breakbeats pioneer Kafty Kuts (aka Martin Reeves) at Bend’s Liquid Lounge. After all, in place of bayonetted […]
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LISTEN LOCAL: Isles recording live show Saturday
Locals boys Isles have a ‘can’t miss’ show coming up in Bend.
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Home Sweet Home
Singer, fiddler Carrie Rodriguez returns to Austin
Austin, Texas: Live Music Capital of the World. At least that’s what Austin’s City Hall claims. Fiddle player and singer Carrie Rodriguez—who grew up there and moved back a couple of years ago after a stint in Brooklyn—agrees; it’s a special place. “I think in Brooklyn it’s virtually impossible to make a living out of […]
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Harvesting Fruit Borne of Harsh Times
Iconic folk singer John Prine
Sometimes it takes a messy life to make meaningful music. It would be hard to argue that folk singer John Prine doesn’t fit that bill. Though not one to suffer any of the self-inflicted and unnecessary difficulties typically associated with musicians—oh, say, the cliché alcohol or drug addiction—Prine has instead navigated the kind of trials […]
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Musical Opiate
The music of Portland’s Blind Pilot is habit-forming
Addiction is human nature. People return to the same pleasures over and over again. A favorite hiking trail, an enthralling novel or, in the case of Ryan Dobrowski (the drummer for Portland indie folk band Blind Pilot), a tasty food cart can hold sway over where we spend our time and our money. “Recently I’ve […]
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Stop Talking
Pacific Air | Republic Records
Much like their first single—the beach-y sounding “Float” released in 2012—Santa Ana, Calif. brother duo Pacific Air’s debut album, Stop Talking, has instant appeal. Ten seconds into the opening track, “Lose My Mind,” the song takes off with big-time summertime pop. And even though the song revolves around the serious topic of mastering one’s chaotic […]