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Posted inMusic

Local Christmas Tunes: 'Zat You, Santa?

An original take on Christmas classics.
Source Weekly

Two members of our local music community, both of them named Andy and both of them insanely accomplished and talented, teamed up to released a Christmas album this year. Andy Stokes (vocals) and Andy Warr (Saxophone) recorded 'Zat You Santa over the summer of this year and managed to create a crafty, jazz-influenced take on a number of classic holiday tunes and one show tune (“My Favorite Things”).
With a sexy, jazzy feel, Warr and Stokes employ an early '90s R&B milieu to songs like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “This Christmas” while maintaining the ability to create more subdued sounds when they slow things down for “Silent Night.” Stokes, a longtime veteran of the Oregon music scene and member of the Oregon Music Hall of Fame, has a strong voice that blends nicely with Warr's saxophone riffs that makes these two an excellent pairing.

Posted inOutside

In Search of a Silver Lining: You don't need snow to celebrate the solstice

Getting the most out of your winter solstice.
Source Weekly

Happy winter solstice, girls and boys. Time to decide how (and when) to celebrate the longest night of the year. Back in 46 BC, Julius Caesar arbitrarily picked December 25 as the Roman winter solstice. These days we know the beginning of longer days arrives Dec. 21 or 22. Although if you listen to country music, you know the longest night can occur any time of year, but namely when a deep voiced, tight-jean-wearing cowboy gets jilted by a lover.
While its original importance rested in a community's ability to survive the winter, these days I see solstice as a reason to celebrate the arrival of winter. While times have changed, some traditions endure. Once upon a time, cattle were slaughtered as beer and wine were fermented and made ready to be consumed. And with the recent onslaught of breweries and butcher shops in town, Bend has aligned itself nicely with the, “last feast celebration” theme.

Posted inOpinion

Occupying the Invisible Congressman

Occupy movement putting heat on Rep. Greg Walden.
Source Weekly

On Dec. 6, a group of constituents went to Rep. Greg Walden's office in Bend. The congressman wasn't there, which wasn't surprising; he rarely is. Other groups showed up at Walden's offices in Medford and LaGrande. (He wasn't there either.)
Holding signs saying We Are the 99 Percent and a banner that asked Where's Walden? The protesters demanded that Walden hold more town hall meetings in places where more of his constituents can conveniently attend.
The response of Walden's staffers to that perfectly reasonable request was to call the cops. A total of 14 Occupy Walden demonstrators were arrested, cited for criminal trespass, and ordered not to visit Walden's offices again unless invited.

Posted inOpinion

Make a Difference This Season

Express kindness this holiday season.
Source Weekly

Red light! Cold outside. You look at the snow on the ground. Cold, hard, unforgiving snow. Then you see a man on the side of the road. You are wondering, what can I give this man? Frantically searching, you look for some change in your car. “Darn, I just got a muffin and used all of my change.” Green light. You smile because that's all you can do. He smiles back at you. Thud, that experience just made you sad. You then feel a little selfish knowing that you have so much.
You wonder, is it a good idea to give change? But then you have a second thought, where is that change going? Is it going to drugs and alcohol or the right purposes? Because of this chance, you should always try to give the [less fortunate] food or stuff to keep them warm. And if you don’t have any of these items, then a smile would lighten their day a little.

Posted inOpinion

Don't Surrender Our Surface Water

Expansion of Bend is a costly project.
Source Weekly

A city cannot expand and increase population for free. It takes money, vision, common sense and a will to look into the future beyond the “hood ornament.” A successful business always sets aside money for maintenance and improvement to the business. How much did our former mayors participate in this process? The snake oil merchants of yore have “morphed” into a variety of “experts” – attorneys, car salesmen, developers, former mayors, and other self-serving sorts. The amazing thing is these folks storm into our city council meetings,saying this surface water project needs more study! This planning process has been going on for several years. Where have these “nay-sayers” been? Along the way I had concerns that if it were studied anymore we will slam into a federal deadline and our water delivery system would further deteriorate. Keep in mind, this is a cooperative effort to “save” money and install the pipeline and rebuild the road at the same time.

Posted inOutside

Less Crowds, More Routes: Smith Rock shines in winter's solitude

Source Weekly

Puffy coats and wool beanies at belay stations. Handwarmers tucked into chalkbags. Thin socks in shoes a half size larger than normal. Sun on south facing rock. Thermoses filled with hot tea. Classic lines with no crowds, and temperatures perfect for sending. Welcome to central Oregon winter rock climbing.
While many locals have been busy deriding the weather for a lack of snow, a few have taken to celebrating the recent high pressure for its resulting extension of the fall climbing season at Smith Rock and local bouldering areas.
Climbers prepared to suffer the relatively small and short-lived discomforts of frosty mornings and early darkness are reaping huge rewards in the form of 50 degree air temperatures, sun-warmed rocks, a noticeable lack of greasy hold and walk-on access to routes that in the summer have parties stacked up for hours waiting a turn.
“Most folks think summer is climbing season at Smith Rock, but that is definitely not the case,” said Chris Wright, a certified American Mountain Guide Association Rock and Alpine guide for Timberline Mountain Guides. “If the sun is shining it's almost never too cold to climb.”

Posted inCulture

Our Picks for 12/15-12/22

A collection of noteworthy events for your enjoyment.
Source Weekly

Tacos for Life Party with Strive Roots
thursday 15
Amalia's likes to go big, as we learned last year when the downtown Mexican eatery sponsored the enormous Cindo de Mayo street party that featured the sounds of Ozomatli and the screams of about, oh, 87 million people. Now, Amalia's is holding a contest that gives its winner “tacos for life” – meaning they get a free taco every damn day until they die.

Posted inFood & Drink

South of the Border, Southside Style: Reyes Tortilleria brings authentic Mexican fare to the south side

Extremely authentic Mexican food in Bend.
Source Weekly

Hidden in the southside's unassuming Scandia Village shopping plaza off of Reed Market Road is the most authentic Mexican food joint I have found in Bend to date. Reyes Tortilleria owners Carlos and Martha Reyes of Michoacán, Mexico, started the business in 2003 simply as a tortilleria. Their amazing fresh corn tortillas, only $2.70 for a roughly half-foot stack, now sit displayed in the back corner of what has expanded into a heavily trafficked Mexican market, deli, bakery and eatery.
This is truly one-stop shopping for all things Mexican from piñatas to soap, sunglasses to conchas (Mexican sweet bread), calling cards to cabeza de puerco (pig's head). The kitchen is the centerpiece of Reyes, serving a refreshingly less Americanized version of Mexican fare from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Posted inCulture

What to Play: Game On's guide to buying the best games this holiday season

A video game gift guide of sorts.
Source Weekly

Every year around the holidays I need to escape. Maybe it’s the relentless Christmas marketing. Maybe it’s the way the cold wind makes my face sting. Maybe it’s the long nights. But every year I find something that I need to get away from.
And so I open a videogame. I find a quiet corner and pull a DS out of my pocket. Or I sneak downstairs on a sleepless night and turn on the PlayStation. Within minutes, I’ve abandoned this artificially heated, oversold and crowded holiday season, and taken up residence in another world.
Videogames create imaginary worlds – worlds so real that we can walk through them. We can race around them firing weapons and driving cars. We can fly above them, or stay on the virtual ground examining every detail. And this season, no game creates as magical and detailed a world as Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Rated Mature; PS3, 360, Windows PC).

Posted inOpinion

Our Straight Poop Is Sometimes Naughty but Always Nice

A gathering of news makers from the previous week.
Source Weekly

Monday, Dec. 5
Not Putin' up with it anymore: Thousands take to streets in Moscow shouting “Death to Putin!” after Prime Minister Vladimir's party accused of rigging parliamentary elections … New Deal: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nikolas Sarkozy call for new European Union treaty that will punish countries for overspending … No exit sign: Afghan government says it'll need US troops until 2024 and US money until 2030 – at least … The Newt & Nancy Show: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says she has dirt on Newt Gingrich from 1990s ethics investigation and will use it; Newt says if she does it'll be a violation of congressional rules … Meanwhile investigation by Reuters finds Mitt Romney spent $100,000 to hide records when he left office as governor of Massachusetts … At least he wasn't flying: Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Randy Babbitt put on leave after DUI bust.

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