Culture Features
Posted inCulture

Our Picks for the Week 7/9-7/16

Mike Bookey

Suzanne Burns/Matt Love Book Release Party
thursday 9
Flip back into the culture section and check out a review of Source contributor Suzanne Burns's new short story collection, Misfits and Other Heroes. Also appearing at this reading is Matt Love, author of Super Sunday in Newport: Notes From My First Year in Town. 7pm Thursday, Jul 9. Between the Covers, 645 NW Delaware Ave. 385-4766.
The Pimps of Joytime
friday 10
Just by hearing their name, you know when you head down for The Pimps of Joytime show, you're going to have a good time. This Brooklyn-based foursome blends funk, soul and indie rock, creating beats that have you grooving in a throwback sorta way. If you missed them in February, here's your chance to catch the funky four before they head back east. 8pm The Summit Saloon & Stage, 125 NW Oregon Ave. Free.

Posted inCulture

The Other U-Haul: Moving a House – Make That Household – by bike

Helmet? Check. Water Bottle? Check. Worldly possessions? Check. I have to admit I was ecstatic when I received several e-mails packed with far too many
Bob Woodward

Helmet? Check. Water Bottle? Check. Worldly possessions? Check. I have to admit I was ecstatic when I received several e-mails packed with far too many exclamation points announcing that a house would be moved from Southwest Bend to Northwest Bend by bicyclists this past Saturday afternoon. Wow, someone's crib put on wheels pulled through Bend streets by pedal power? How amazing would that be?

And sure enough a gaggle of cyclists hove into sight about 3 p.m. headed down toward the Old Mill District from the Reed Market roundabout. But what's this? No house? Wasn't this supposed to be a house move?
Leading the cycling contingent was Cascade Couriers' Daniel Brewster, who from time to time can be seen dropping copies of the Source throughout downtown Bend, pulling along a nice double bed followed by cyclists hauling packing boxes, potted plants, artwork, sports gear, rugs, a futon, and dirty laundry. In short, pretty much everything Brewster and his wife own. As I watched the parade of goods go by, it hit me that through the mysteries of the English language, that "house" being moved should have perhaps been more accurately described as a "household" being moved.

Posted inCulture

Our Picks for the Week of 7/2-7/9

Mike Bookey

Empty Space Orchestra, Ruins of Ooah
saturday 4
For the second year in a row, Empty Space is playing the Moon on the 4th of July in the shadow of Pilot Butte as it erupts in fireworks. This time around, the band is teaming up with the weirdly danceable grooves of Ruins of Ooah, allowing you to celebrate your country's independence by shaking your ass off. 9pm. $5. Silver Moon Brewery, 24 NW Greenwood Ave.
Pet Parade
saturday 4
Start out the fourth right and prepare to say, "awwww," by heading to downtown Bend for this annual display of cute kids and their equally adorable pets. You'll be sure to see a variety of animals, including dogs, llamas, horses, lizards, goats, and at least a few stuffed animals at this annual tradition. Show up a bit early to snag a good viewing location. No registration is required; participants need only show up with their special pets. Just remember to leave the rabbits and cats at home…isn't it kind of sad that they have to even say that? 10am. Wall St, next to School Admin Building.

Posted inCulture

That’s Dwight!: Rainn Wilson, the man behind Schrute, tells us about faith, art and ninjas

Where’s the mustard-colored shirt and wrist calculator?We caught up with Rainn Wilson, as in “the guy who plays Dwight Schrute on The Office,” last week
Mike Bookey

Where's the mustard-colored shirt and wrist calculator?We caught up with Rainn Wilson, as in "the guy who plays Dwight Schrute on The Office," last week to talk about the part-time Central Oregonian's upcoming philosophical lecture at the Old Stone Church on Thursday. Here's what he had to say about his hit TV show, his cerebral website and his new projects, especially his script centered on a "down-and-out ninja."

tSW: The title of your talk here in Bend is "Art and Faith," can you tell me more about what you'll be talking about?
Rainn Wilson: It's essentially just talking about some of the ideas behind the website that I helped create called Soul Pancake (www.soulpancake.com). It has to do with stuff that really intrigues me and turns me on. When I was in high school I took a great books course. We spent a couple of years just debating the great books, the philosophers, books of the Bible, religious thinkers, fiction writers and the ideas that underpinned their work and came to realize that there are only a handful of life's big questions. There's no place on the Internet that deals with life's big questions. As I became more famous and well-known, I wanted to just make a place to be able to dig into life's big questions and specifically for me, the links between creativity and spirituality, which for most cultures in the world are quite obvious…our culture kind of compartmentalizes these things.

Posted inCulture

Our Picks for the Week of 6/25-7/1

Mike Bookey

 
Bend Pride '09
through saturday 27
The fifth annual celebration of cultural tolerance is well underway with an Open Mic for Rights on Wednesday 6/24 (7pm) at the Silver Moon Brewing Co. On Thursday 6/25, the whole family is invited to an evening of outdoor, old-fashioned "Gaymes" at Juniper Park (5-8pm). The all-ages Queer Prom is Friday night (8pm), and you're welcome to don your sweetest prom attire (which is required) and get down to DJs Babylove and Lucius to support the Human Dignity Coalition's Queer and Allied Youth Program. The big event is Saturday for the Pride Festival on Troy Field (1pm) where you can meet up at Troy Field and decorate your bike before riding through downtown. If you need more details, visit humandignitycoalition.org.
Rainn Wilson: Art and Faith
thursday 25
Check out our interview with Mr. Wilson (better known as Dwight from The Office) in the Culture section and then head to the Old Stone this Thursday night and see Wilson's discussion regarding faith and creativity. 7:30pm. Spiritual Awareness Community at Old Stone Church, 157 NW Franklin Ave.

Posted inCulture

You Make Me Feel There Are Songs to be Sung: My Way – A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra

Suzanne Burns

It was a night of gin martinis and evening gloves at the Tower Theatre, an homage to Ol'
Blue Eyes that all ages will fall for. My Way: A Musical Tribute to
Frank Sinatra, produced by Innovation Theatre Works under the artistic
direction of Chris Rennolds and Brad Hills, is a journey to a time
where elegance ruled, men loved dames, dames loved mink stoles, and the
world, at least for the duration of a song, believed in the fable of
perfect love.

An ensemble cast, led by Broadway veteran Daniel
Guzman, croons through a medley of fifty-eight standards intermixed
with Sinatra tidbits delivered with the affability of a vintage
nightclub act. Guzman, a haberdasher's dream endowed with an engaging
sense of "cool" and a lush voice that refuses to lose its masculine
edge, is the highlight of My Way from the time the curtain opens on his
iconic, tuxedoed silhouette to the magnetic way he commands such
classic songs as That's Life and New York, New York. Guzman's reverence
and dedication to the material never drops to the level of
impersonation. My Way is Guzman's heartfelt and charismatic tribute. He
acknowledges there can only ever be one Chairman of the Board¸ but
effortlessly manages to transfix the audience from his very first note.

Posted inCulture

Our Picks for the Week of 6/19-6/25

Mike Bookey

Hillstomp, Quick and Easy Boys

friday 19
If you think there is another Northwest band as loved in Bend as Hillstomp, you deserve a slap in the face, because you're wrong, my friend. The junkyard blues-rock outfit is back in town and ready to kick off Bite of Bend with what's sure to be a raucous show at the Old Stone. Fellow Portlanders Quick and Easy Boys open the show. 8pm door, 9pm show. $10. Old Stone Church, 157 NW Franklin Ave.
Voodoo Fix
friday 19
This Los Angeles-based band blends blues, rock and funk for a quintessentially rootsy blend. The quartet formed at Whittier College as the school's blues band and has since cultivated their sound in LA clubs and bars, but are now on the road for a show at Seven on Friday night and out at Scoots in Sisters come Saturday. 8pm, Seven Nightclub 1033NW Wall St.

Posted inCulture

Fire Walk With Me: How I took a stroll on a field of hot embers and lived to tell about it

Mike Bookey

It's early Saturday morning, and I awake with a start. Throwing back
the covers, I pull off my socks and examine my feet. My socks, which
were soaking wet when I went to sleep, are bone dry and smell like a
campfire. My feet appear normal, except for a small red smudge on the
top of one toe; not quite a blister, this is what is apparently known
as a fire kiss. A hint of gray ashiness is the only other evidence of
what happened the previous night.

I whisper to myself with a grin, "I walked on fire."

For weeks, I had noticed fliers hanging up around the Mandala Yoga
Center announcing a firewalking clinic. The morning of the clinic,
instead of glancing, I paused. In a split second I decided,
matter-of-factly, this is exactly how I should spend my Friday night.

Posted inCulture

Our Picks for the Week of 6/10-6/18

The Source Staff

Barry Lopez

thursday 11
Oregon author Barry Lopez has been
called the "nation's premiere nature writer" and we tend to agree with
that assertion. His non-fiction book Arctic Dreams earned him a
national book award in 1986 and in 2004 his novel Resistance was the
winner of the Oregon book award. So, yeah, he's definitely not light in
the resume department. At this event, Lopez will read and also be on
hand to sign your books. 7pm Thursday, Jun 11. Bend Public Library, 601
NW Wall St.
Holden Young Trio
thursday 11
Both
funky and rootsy, Holden Young and his Boulder-based trio descend on
the Moon for what is almost guaranteed to be a perfectly danceable
night. The band jumps genres but seems rooted in Colorado groove-based
roots rock. 9pm. $3. Silver Moon Brewery, 24 NW Greenwood Ave.

Posted inCulture

Cross-Dressed and Ready to Go: La Cage Aux Folles brings the circus to CTC

Breast in the WestWith everything from whips cracking to hips popping, the circus has come to town and has jammed itself into the cozy confines
Eric Flowers

Breast in the WestWith everything from whips cracking to hips popping, the circus has come to town and has jammed itself into the cozy confines of the CTC in the form of a striking production of La Cage Aux Folles.
As I watched the play, the laughter ringing in my ears behind me was the real show; the La Cage Aux Folles isn't shy on the audience participation. We  threw our heads back, clapping and shaking with the music, extreme fun and flamboyance unfolding on the stage.

Verify your email

We'll send a verification code to .

Sign up for newsletters

Get the best of The Source - Bend, Oregon directly in your email inbox.

Sending to:

Gift this article