The new Star Wars movie just got a big boost in “star” power!
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 inNews
Stream Some Bend Hip Hop: Amsterdam’s Avarice
Stream the new album from Bend rap artist Amsterdam
Posted inMusic
From Oxiliary
From Oxiliary Avarice Amsterdam Label: Independent By Ethan Maffey From the opening track, in which Bend rapper Gabe Van Eikeren—who goes by Amsterdam—quotes “Mad Men’s” Don Draper, Avarice is one damn good hip-hop album. The solo effort by one half of the rap duo Top Shelf surprises with atypical ambient hip-hop beats on the first […]
Posted inMusic
Friday Mixtape
This week, our Friday Mixtape is something special. Not only is it absolutely huge, but every single song is from an artist who will be appearing at the 2013 SASQUATCH! Music Festival. With 105 songs and over six hours of music, this playlist should carry you well into the weekend. Scan the QR code and […]
Posted inMusic
Golden Touch
Oxiliary recording studio is producing Bend’s best hip-hop
Somewhere in Bend, an amateur rapper is sitting in a basement, garage or bedroom scribbling rhymes on scraps of paper and constructing beats on a laptop. When that person finally decides to turn their rudimentary work into an album, they’d do well to give Rory Restani—owner of Bend’s Oxiliary recording studio—a call. After all, the […]
Posted inMusic
A Note of Innovation
Bend upstart SoundKicker creates a Pandora alternative using only independent tunes
Take a geeky computer programmer, mix in someone who loves music but is tired of Top 40 artists, and add a little innovation—you’ll end up with Bendite Jimmy Sbarra, creator of SoundKicker.com. SoundKicker, still in its beta form, isn’t too hard to define. Its slogan—”Like Pandora, But for Independent Artists”—pretty much says it all. Just […]
Posted inMusic
Concert Wish List Part II
Who can put these lineups together the fastest?
A few weeks back I wrote about some bands I really want to see in Bend. They were bands Bendites would love and turn out for. To my delight, the good folks over at Les Schwab Amphitheater were apparently listening. They booked Tumbleweed Wanderers to play one of Sunday Free Music shows this summer. Big […]