Sound Stories & Interviews

Ed Roland doesn’t hesitate to say the current version of Collective Soul is the best version of the long-running band. To the singer/guitarist, the arrival of drummer Johnny Rabb in 2012 and guitarist Jesse Triplett in 2014 reinvigorated Collective Soul and has made his job much easier. “I don’t have to worry about anything other […]

Standing before a Jackson Pollock painting is like embarking on a visual journey into the depths of creativity and emotion. The vibrant colors and dynamic patterns seem to dance and pulsate with a life of their own, evoking a whirlwind of emotions, from excitement to contemplation. It’s within this seemingly random chaos that one discovers […]

Pride month might be over, but we’re never done bragging about Bend’s queer community. Transgender and queer artist and singer songwriter, Matti Joy challenges the status quo of gender, sexuality, religion and culture, describing her original gender-fluid music as “Fingerstyle guitar and lyrically driven folk to make you laugh, cry, swoon and fight for your […]

Faisal Abu-Nawwas was born in Portland, Oregon, and has had music in his blood since he was a child. His grandmother was in a band for most of his childhood and played all over the Pacific Northwest. In high school, Abu-Nawwas discovered his voice while trying out for jazz choir. After high school, he taught […]

The Hollywood Independent Music Awards was founded by Brent Harvey, Executive Producer of the Hollywood Music In Media Awards — where you can find incredible recent winners such as Academy Award-winning musicians Danny Elfman and Diane Warren. HIMA has a smaller and more independent scope, honoring submission-based indie artists of a wide spectrum of genres […]

You can catch Carson Hackbart and Draven Kaylin — previous Mountain View High School jazz band students who graduated in ’22 — serenading downtown hotspots quite frequently. Whether you catch one or both of them serenading the lively streets, expect some George Michael “Careless Whisper” energy. These rock speakers made every ’90s poolside a glowing […]

Jordan Davis was well aware that he’d have a lot at stake when he turned his attention to making his second album. “I don’t know how true it is, but I believed it,” Davis said in a mid-May phone interview. “The first album is kind of where you showed up to the party and then […]

From classic country to French pop rock to ’90s grunge adjacent American rock — Bend’s got quite the plethora of big names in the industry coming to town, and it feels like it’s safe to say a summer in Central Oregon is becoming an ongoing music festival. Like, who are we? We’re pretty lucky, folks! […]