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Our Picks for 3/2 – 3/10: The Staxx Brothers, Queens of the Mic CD Release, First Friday, Water & Bodies and more

What’s going on in Bend, Oregon this week?
Source Weekly

The Staxx Brothers
wednesday 2
Seattle's funky, funky rockers, The Staxx Brothers are returning to Bend, and this time the show is totally free. The Staxx Bros mix funk and hip-hop with a thriving funk sound to keep the party rocking and chances are we'll hear a few songs off the band's forthcoming album, Jungle Cat. And did we mention there are about 47 people in this band? OK, more like seven, but it looks like 47 when they're all up on stage funking out all at once. 7pm. McMenamins Old St. Francis School, 700 NW Bond St.

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Us: 1, Freaky Snow Storm: 0 How we made a newspaper without, well, much of anything.

A look back at the ridiculous surprise snowstorm on February 15 in Bend.
Mike Bookey

“It snowed.”
I opened one eye to see my wife standing in our bedroom, hair half done, toothbrush in hand and about 47 times more excited than is appropriate for 7 a.m. on a Tuesday. I propped myself up in bed, pried open the shutters and gradually both of my eyelids to verify that it had, in fact, snowed. My verification wasn't because my wife is a liar – which she isn't, and especially not about meteorological events – but rather because I'd come to understand that winter ended a good month ago, giving way to temperatures in the mid 50s and the thought of snowfall had been shelved deep in my mind until next November. Also, it couldn't be snowing. There was nothing about snow in the forecast. Not on KTVZ, not on the Weather Channel, not on the NOAA website, not on that goddamn Weatherbug that chirps from the corner of my laptop despite repeated uninstallation attempts.

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Theatrical Precipitation: A strong cast and direction make 2nd Street's Rainmaker a hit

Administrator

This weekend, 2nd Street Theatre owner Maralyn Thoma welcomed guests with an opening night champagne reception and red velvet cupcakes while expounding on the virtues of The Rainmaker.
“It’s a sweet play,” she said, handing out playbills and warm smiles. “It’ll make you cry.”
The dust bowl drama, written in 1954 by N. Richard Nash, was made famous by Burt Lancaster’s riveting rendition of the play’s charismatic con man who tries to swindle a small town’s hopes and dreams during an epic drought.
Sisters’ thespian Shawn O’Hern landed the lead role of slick grifter, Bill Starbuck.

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Breaking the Fourth Wall: Spin Cycle bends narrative structure and delivers a solid story

Suzanne Burns

Spin Cycle, brought to Central Oregon by Innovation Theatre Works under the direction of ITW co-founder Brad Hills and starring Chris Rennolds, another co-founder, is a play that will appeal to both baby boomers and those who enjoy a modern twist on narrative storytelling. The play, with cast member Eileen DeSandre as the elderly mother of siblings Wendy (Rennolds) and Mikey, played by Derek Sitter, uses the technique of multiple asides, where each character addresses the audience, breaking the fourth wall between “us” and “them.” Hills' light directorial hand enables each character the freedom to explore his or her own familial Sturm und Drang while literally staring right at us, causing the audience to empathize with the characters while doubting their narrative reliability.

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Our Picks 2/23-3/3: Oscar NIght, Telluride fest and more!

Administrator

Hilst & Coffey
thursday 24
Hit up this week's Sound section for the story of unlikely songwriter Tim Coffey and his excellent new CD, the release of which he's celebrating at this free show. 7pm. McMenamins Old St. Francis School, 700 NW Bond St.
PUSH Skate Deck Auction
friday 25
One of the coolest community-driven projects in Bend has been the Division Street Skatepark Project, which has been slowly working toward realizing its goal of a high-end skatepark under Highway 97 at Division Street for nearly three years now. This auction, back for another year, features custom-painted skate decks by more than 50 local and regional artists that are auctioned off to benefit the skatepark. In addition to the decks, you'll also hear some music, and enjoy drinks and snacks. 6pm Old Boomtown location, 910 NW Harriman St.

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Our Picks for 2/16 – 2/24: Y La Bamba, Bend WinterFest, Golden Gloves Championship, Zwicklemania and more

What to do in Central Oregon the week of February 16-24, 2011.
Source Weekly

Y La Bamba
wednesday 16
One of the bloggers over on our brand-cranking-new Bent blog has been raving about this show for a while now and we have to agree, this is a really excellent band. Cramming seven members onto the stage, this Portland act manages to weave a few Mexican influences and numbers into its incredibly smooth indie folk sound. Think of a slightly spicier Blind Pilot and you've got this band. Free. 7pm. McMenamins Old St. Francis School

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Soldiering On: New editor aboard, High Desert Journal finds plenty to share

Suzanne Burns

The High Desert Journal recently released its 12th issue. This biannual literary magazine continues to focus on its mission statement of “dedicating itself to further understanding the people, places and issues of the interior West” though in my opinion, the journal is going off in new and exciting areas that may have seemed absent in earlier issues.
When I spoke with editor Elizabeth Quinn about the surprises contained in the glossy, full-color pages, she highlighted several authors, both local and regional, that help make this issue more forward moving, and thinking. One of our state's favorite poets, Oregon Poet Laureate Paulann Petersen, has two poems in this issue. Her work always contains that surprise or turn-of-phrase that demands further readings. The poem “Speak, harsh land” by 18-year-old poet Nathaniel Dunaway, who was discovered through The Nature of Words, also appears in issue 12.

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Science in the Pub: OSU-Cascades makes learning fun by adding beer to the equation

A pub might be thought of as a place where you’re supposed to drink, but not talk about matters like science, literature and politics.
Mike Bookey

A pub might be thought of as a place where you're supposed to drink, but not talk about matters like science, literature and politics. And a classroom is a place where you're expected to talk only about things like science, literature and politic, but not drink. The two places seem mutually exclusive.
But according to OSU-Cascades, that's not exactly true, as evidenced by the university's wildly popular Science Pub events, which have been packing a room at McMenamins Old St. Francis School once a month for more than a year now. This week, a professor from the Corvallis campus will be on hand and he'll be talking about the phenomenon of 20-somethings taking a slower path to adulthood. It won't be a stuffy academic lecture, mostly because the majority of those listening intently will have a beer in hand. The professor might have one, too; who knows.

Posted inCulture

Winter Theater Season in Full Swing

The winter theater season has proven to be vibrant and jam-packed full of variety, just the way we like it.
Anne Pick

The winter theater season has proven to be vibrant and jam-packed full of variety, just the way we like it. Whether you're looking for a one-man show with a historical twist, or a warm romantic comedy, Bend's local theater scene looks like it should be able to please you in the coming months.

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Our Picks for 2/9 – 2/17: Spoken Word Poet Buddy Wakefield, Conspirator, Break Science, Trivia Bee, Oliver! and more

Looking for something to do in Central Oregon this week? Check out Our Picks!
Source Weekly

Ignite Bend 6
wednesday 9
Believe it or not, this is the sixth installment of Bend's take on the world-popular Ignite events, which place a presenter on the stage for five minutes, armed only with a microphone and a Power Point presentation of their choosing. Bend is just one of 50-plus Ignite events taking place across the world this week – so we're not the only ones who like this sort of thing. 7pm. Tower Theatre, 835 NW Wall St.

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