Daybreak The Cancel Ukraine has had a little cultural obsession with trying to be more like America, from what I can tell. They smoke American cigarettes, watch American TV shows and try like hell to make American style music. It’s just that, typically, Ukrainian music plays off sounds buried deep within our country’s past. One […]
Sound Stories & Interviews
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Music Discovery Guide Part II
Put some work into finding new tunes and you’ll be the coolest
People love getting recommendations for cool new things. Increasing your clout among friends is as easy as turning them on to an awesome new restaurant, hot spot or electronic device. The same goes for passing along kickass music. That’s where our music discovery guide comes in. Anybody can turn on a radio station or Pandora […]
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Friday Office Party!
If you follow BENT, our daily blog, you’ve probably noticed that on Fridays, we post an office party playlist on Spotify. Past installments have included the latest album from pop duo Matt & Kim, a “Then and Now” look at R&B groups whose members attempted solo careers, and some of the hippest music being made […]
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Out of Town: 1/16 – 1/24
Portland friday 18 Denver, Widower and What Hearts Denver is a seriously American band. Bald eagles, empty whiskey bottles, and the good ol’ red, white and blue permeate their traditional Southwestern country, along with killer harmonica riffs and slide guitar for days. Seattle-based Widower is just days away from releasing his new album, and if […]
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One of a Kind
Portland’s Jackpot Records does more than just sell vinyl. They release it, too.
To the untrained eye, most independent record stores seem the same. Retail space is largely allocated to compact discs and used DVDs, with a much smaller area reserved for vinyl record sales. Many stores host live performances by local bands or touring artists—although some do it with more frequency than others. Typically, the main difference […]
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Concert Wish List
With any luck, we'll get to see these bands in Bend at some point this year
I spend a ton of time listening to music at home—much of it on my turntable. It’s a great way to experience a lot of what’s out there. Spending quality time with an album allows me to unlock the lyrics of the songs, discover nuances in the instrumentation and generally figure out my response to […]
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Much More than Funk
Olympia’s The Brown Edition deserves its own genre
I, for one, hate applying labels to bands. After all, these days, almost no band follows in the footsteps of a singular genre. Typically, bands are a mash of sounds they’ve fallen in love with or have been exposed to dating back to the time they were kids. That can lead to an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach […]
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Music of the Gods
Folk singer Dar Williams gets conceptual on latest album
Concept albums aren’t only for art-pop or hip-hop; they’re for singer-songwriters, too. For proof, listen to the trilogy of albums by Manchester Orchestra in which front man Andy Hull based all the songs on a 17th century sailor. For New York singer Dar Williams, her concept album comes by way of her ninth studio release, […]
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Out of Town: 1/9 – 1/17
portland friday 11-saturday 12 Big Ass Boombox Billed as a loud pop festival, Big Ass Boombox showcases more than 40 of Portland’s best musical acts alongside 15 writers, at four venues, all within walking distance. Best of all, it’s totally free! Bands include Just Lions, Animal Eyes, Your Rival, Lee Corey Oswald, Friends & Family, […]
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Listen Local
Bend sludge-rock band Silvero might just be our town’s best-kept, live-music secret
A friend sends you an email telling you to check out a band you’ve never heard of. Naturally, the next step is plugging that band’s name into a search engine. When this happens to me, I always hope the band is kick ass—no one wants to tell a friend that their taste in music sucks. […]