Dear Miss Lonelyhearts Cold War Kids Downtown In "Miricle Mile," the opening track, of Dear Miss Lonelyhearts, Cold War Kids front man Nathan Willett jumps down your throat defiantly screaming, “I cut my ties, I sold my rings, I wanted none of this,” as the piano and snare angrily thump away. This is the music […]
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!
Rope Some Vinyl
Sad pop from The Smiths or fuzzy alt-rock from Jim O’Rourke cascade from out-of-sight speakers, and olfactory senses detect the strong 30-year buildup of old vinyl, hardwood flooring and Nag Champa incense. Flipping through vinyl 12-inchers from Black Joe Lewis, Grinderman and The Cars, a trip to Ranch Records in downtown Bend is a tumble […]
National Record Store Day
Before you go all middle-finger-in-the-air thinking that a day celebrating the tactile medium of vinyl recordings is a way to stick it to digital music, remember that the companies that make records are the same ones that churn out digital downloads to iTunes. Since its inaugural celebration in 2008, the third Saturday in April—known as […]
Vinyl Treasure
12″ Built to Spill / Live (double LP) / Warner Bros. / Limited release of 2,500 Absent a concert, live recordings are the best way to experience Boise, Idaho, alt-rock legend Built to Spill. This vinyl reissue of a collection of recordings made across the U.S. in 1999 and unavailable for the last decade includes […]
Live Stream Coachella here in Bend at 3:30 p.m.!
A live stream of sunny Coachella is only a click away!
National Record Store Day: Jack Daniel’s Vinyl
Our first preview of National Record Store Day vinyl
Molly’s New Wave
“Pretty in Pink,” The Psychedelic Furs As the story goes, Molly Ringwald—herself a fan of new wave music as a teenager—handed director and then-friend John Hughes a copy of The Psychedelic Furs album Talk Talk Talk, pointing him toward the song “Pretty in Pink.” It inspired Hughes to pen a screenplay. In an interview with […]
Screen Door Porch
In a state where livestock outnumber people six to one, getting a good turnout for a show in Wyoming can be hit and miss. Lucky for Screen Door Porch, a smoldering honkytonk husband-wife duo, they hit more than they strike out. “There are some towns [in Wyoming] with only like 20 people in them total,” […]

