The Prodigal Sons Return | The Source Weekly - Bend

The Prodigal Sons Return

It's a LAHF riot

Larry and his Flask have shifted and evolved as a band in the nearly 15 years they've been together. Bend's favorite local band several years running started out leaning more punk, then eventually more bluegrass, until finally finding a perfect symbiosis of both. As they exploded on the music scene playing the Warped Tour and touring with bands like Streetlight Manifesto and Dropkick Murphys, the number of local shows slowed down.

The prodigal sons return next week for their first Bend show since March, but playing Central Oregon is still very important to the band. "Right now I live on a small island in the Caribbean and I hardly ever get to play music with the guys," says drummer Jamin Marshall. "Also, it's always a ton of fun to play a show for the hometown crowd. Central Oregon is our home base and it's where we began this crazy musical journey, so it's a special occasion to be able to come back and rock out with our friends and family. It's all about the love of music and the community that we are a part of."

Marshall looks at each stage he plays as a unique experience. "Every different stage has potential," says Marshall. "Every show can be terrific or horrific. There are so many factors at play. I have had wonderful shows in tiny basements with a few people watching and I have had wonderful shows at huge outdoor festivals with 5,000 people in attendance. On the other hand I've had terrible shows that by all rights should have been my best. But I think it has more to do with the vibe of the crowd and my own personal headspace than anything else."

The evolution of their sound happened so gradually that it was hard to notice until they were already walking the line of punk and bluegrass. "I think for us it was more of a natural progression of our sound," says Marshall. "You could even call it a happy accident. When our members would need to leave for personal reasons it would force us to adapt and change. We added members and therefore brought their own unique sound to the table. Sometimes change is painful and difficult but for us; I think it has worked out great."

There hasn't been a new LAHF album since 2013's "By the Lamplight," but maybe we won't have to wait much longer. "All I can say about that is that we are working on two band new songs and we will make them available as soon as we get them completed," says Marshall. "As a matter of fact I'm going into the studio tonight to lay down the drums. And a full length album will be in the works some day soon."

Whether we get them constantly or only a couple of times a year, it's always good to have LAHF back.

Larry and His Flask

Saturday, Nov. 12, 9pm

Volcanic Theatre Pub, 70 SW Century Dr., Bend

$12 adv., $15 door