Travis Ehrenstrom has been a part of the Central Oregon music scene since age 14, attending Sisters High School and taking part in the Americana Project. He remembers playing shows with Mark Ransom and Leif James and other Bend music scene strongholds from a young age, and now continues to evolve as an indie folk-rock […]
Music
Gung Ho For Shows: Sisters Folk Festival
Sisters Folk Festival is right around the cornerโand the skies are (knock on wood) smoke free. The festival, as many will remember, was canceled last year due to smoke from forest fires. Revered by Central Oregonians and visitors from across the Pacific Northwest, SFF operates something like a film festivalโscattering performances among 11 small venues […]
Dream Playlist
For Bend’s indie rock lovers, this weekend will go down as one of the best of the summer, thanks to back-to-back performances from alternative rock titans Portugal. The Man Friday night at the Les Schwab Amphitheater and Cold War Kids Saturday night at Oregon Spirit Distillers. In prep for the big weekend, I accumulated a […]
Back to the Blues
Jonny Lang says his current album, “Signs,” is an example of just letting an album be what it wanted to be musically. “I don’t know what will come next,” Lang said in a recent phone interview. “But yeah, this one was just the record that felt right in this season of my life.” “Signs” is the […]
Drink Up
“It takes a huge level of commitment with every step you take with music,” Victory Swig bassist Barrett Dash says. “We try to balance our daily schedules, work schedules, recreation schedulesโeverything people do in Bendโ as well as book the gigs and get the most fun shows. It’s a lot of work to make it […]
Honesty and Craft
In a day and age when artists spawned by YouTube and reality show competitions are here today and gone tomorrow, Brandi Carlile represents a throwback to an era when truly gifted musicians achieved a level of respected longevity. With the recent release of “By the Way, I Forgive You,” Carlile’s sixth studio outing, she’s firmly […]
Gung Ho For Shows: Appaloosa
Another Friday has arrived โ quick, make plans! If you’re getting antsy this afternoon at the office, why not bug out early to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Sisters Farmers Market? Friday, Aug. 17, local Americana band Appaloosa will be recording their fourth album live at the market. Formed in 2013 by husband and […]
Stage Mom
The last time I interviewed Jessica Hernandez, things were different. She wasn’t married and her 6-month-old daughter Stella hadn’t yet made her debut. For the last five or six years, I’ve seen Hernandez and her band The Deltas perform a handful of timesโeach time a worthy, sweat-filled dance session. And now with a baby in […]
Irish Heritage
As humans, it could be said that music is our legacy. Altan performs traditional Irish music that ranges from reels and jigs to heartwarming and sensitive old Irish songs. For Altan and founding member Mairรฉad Nรญ Mhaonaigh, the traditional music of Ireland is a great heritage that has survived for generations. The band has spread […]
Shakey Graves Turns Up the Rock at Oregon Spirit Distillers
On Tuesday, Aug. 7, a sold-out crowd filled the new concert space at Oregon Spirit Distillers. Smokey skies didnโt stop a full house from packing the venue to hear an array of songs from the Shakey Gravesโ entire catalogue. Graves, fresh off of a performance at Portlandโs famed Pickathon festival, started the night off with […]

