Random Acts of Netflix: Meteor
Hey folks! Jared here. Every Thursday I’m going to go on Netflixroulette.com, spin the wheel and then watch whatever the damn thing tells me to. In case you haven’t heard of Netflix Roulette, it’s basically a silly website that allows you to spin a virtual wheel which then chooses a film or TV show at…
Sisters Folk Festival announces its lineup
It’s a long list!
This Week in the Source: Editor’s Note
Since the third grade, I have been a “bike commuter.” At the time, in the late ’70s, I think it was just called “riding your bike to school,” and I was lucky to grow up in a bike-friendly city, Madison, Wisconsin, where people owned twice as many bikes as cars. In fact, I have been…
Les Schwab Amphitheater Announces Ben Harper Coming to Bend September 6
Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals are performing in Bend at the Les Schwab Amphitheater September 6. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 6 at 10 am at bendconcerts.com and at the Ticket Mill in the Old Mill District. General admission only, $45 (plus service fees).
The Price of Fame: The Reality of Television Contracts
By Christopher Heaps Reposted with permission from HeapsLaw.com The Source has a story this week about a mysterious casting company seeking Benditos who are interested in being on a “reality show” set here. Some people think it’s fake, and it sure is goofy. For example, the first version of the casting call webpage referred to…
Oregon Zoo Says Goodbye to Gus, Oldest Male Stellar Sea Lion
The Oregon Zoo laid to rest a 27-year-old male sea lion named Gus—the oldest male stellar sea lion in the United States, and perhaps the world—Sunday, following complications of advanced age. In the wild, male stellar sea lions rarely live past age 18, the Oregon Zoo said in a release. “Gus was sweet-tempered, gentle and…
Willie Nelson and Alison Krauss Coming to Les Schwab Amphitheater June 25
Les Schwab Amphitheater announced today that legendary folk singer Willie Nelson and 27-time Grammy Award-winning bluegrass-country singer Alison Krauss will perform in Bend June 25. The big name bill also includes Jerry Douglas. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 6. Online Presale is Thursday, March 5 from 10 am to 5 pm with the password “local.”…
City of Bend Survey Seeks Input on Quality of Life, Spending Priorities
Remember when we told you about the results of a recent DHM Research survey showing how Bendites feel about living and working in Bend? Well, the City is gearing up for the next iteration of that survey. If your perspective wasn’t represented, head on over and share your thoughts about the general quality of life…
Winter Weather Advisory: Snow Expected Today
Can it be? According to the National Weather Service, Central Oregon (especially the areas south and west of Bend) will see some snow today and tonight. About 2-4 inches is expected, starting at 4 pm. Read the official advisory: …MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW TODAY AND TONIGHT… .A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL TRACK ACROSS THE REGION…
Film Event: Archaeology Channel Film Fest
The best archaeology-related films in the world are coming to Bend! Come to see some outstanding films and help us support TAC Festival 2015 by enjoying our mini-festival for four evenings (a different 2-hour show each evening). These are the top films from The Archaeology Channel International Film Festival that took place last May. All…
Tell Us How You Really Feel: Riding Bikes
Bend has gained a bit of a reputation as a destination for bike-lovers. But biking is a broad category, including a wide range of recreational styles as well as commuting. Each type of cyclist has different habits, preferences and, dare we say, a different personalities. One thing we’ve noticed is that there seems to be…
Yee-haw!
Over the past five decades, the demographics in America have dramatically shifted from rural to urban. In 1950, some half of Americans lived in rural areas, with lifestyles closer to the sensibility and demands of land than their urban counterparts. But by 2000, that balance had shifted to only one out of five Americans still…
The Micro Brew of Salsa
Six years ago, Perla and Bill Pearce packed up their life in Tuscon, Arizona, and moved north to Bend, Oregon. But they weren’t ready to leave the flavor of the southwest behind—and brought along with them their gourmet salsa company. With its now-somewhat geographically askew name, the Southwest Salsa Co. was created when the founders…
Sorry Partner, No Chaps
More than a decade ago, brothers Damon and Nick Vracin were traveling down parallel paths in separate cities—Damon in San Diego, and Nick in Portland—gaining a foothold in their respective markets for their handcrafted leather accessories. But it wasn’t until the brothers moved to Central Oregon that Nomad Leather really started to take off. “We…
Poetry to the People
As a teenager, Diane Lane couldn’t be bothered with poetry. Despite the passion her teachers tried to impart, she just couldn’t get into poems about flora and fauna, written by dead white dudes. “I didn’t give a hoot about flora,” Lane tells the Source. “I was from New Jersey. So I cared about the height…
Farewell to Skyline Forest?
It’s a view that keeps building heights low and spirits high—the majestic, snow-capped Cascades, skirted by ponderosa forests. But the future of that view may be in jeopardy. That’s because the 33,000-acre swath of forestland west of Bend known as Skyline Forest—where Bendites mountain bike, hike, and ride horseback on user-created trails—doesn’t belong to the…
Kombucha Nation
Overheard conversation between two seniors in a Bend café on a Sunday morning: “Hey, what are you drinking there?” the first one asks. “It’s kombucha!” the second replies enthusiastically. “It’s supposed to make me more energetic, and help my digestive system…and make me smarter, ha!” That’s right, kombucha and all of its alleged wonderful benefits…
Sibling Hatred
More than a frame to hold the actors and the storyline, the set—as well as the soundtrack—plays a central role in the charm of 2nd Street Theater’s current production of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane. Front-and-center is a stripped-down space that does triple-time as a 1910 cabaret, a 1935 movie set and a 1962…
The Cowboy’s Six-Pack
What’s the difference between a beer…and a cowboy beer? A sort of weather-beaten, leathery manliness, perhaps? Well, craft beer’s got you covered there—have you seen some of the beards people lining the Crux bar are sporting these days? Ignoring the fact that real cowboys would likely prefer cheap whiskey, a good cowboy beer should involve…
Side Notes 2/25-3/4
Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel announced last Thursday that he will not file charges against Kevin Perry and Amanda Weinman in the shooting death of Shane Munoz on June 23, 2012. He explained at a press conference that, based on the available evidence and witness testimony, he is “confident” that a crime was not…
Get Your Freak On
Ever since its debut in 2013 with the Tough Love barrel-aged imperial stout, Crux Fermentation Project’s [BANISHED] series has represented the most avant-garde experimental side of the brewery. The 2014 version of Freakcake officially came out last week—and to celebrate, Crux also offered a four-pack at the brewery. Freakcake is a barrel-aged Oud Bruin ale…
Open Your Ears
Last Thursday, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission hosted the first official “listening session” on Measure 91 in Central Oregon. The ballot measure legalizing the recreational use of marijuana was passed by statewide voters in November (and passed in Deschutes County 51.9 percent to 48.1 percent), and will take effect on July 1. As evidenced by…
Source Suggests 2/25-3/4
Jive Coulis As part of Broken Top Bottle Shop’s Brews & Band series, which features free live music in the company of many fine brews, Jive Coulis brings its classic rock and roll from southern Oregon to Bend. This is the type of funky, rock and blues jams that sounds pulled from Almost Famous. Guitar…
Letters 2/17-2/24
IN REPLY TO “FIDELITY SELLS SKYLINE FOREST TO SINGAPORE-BASED COMPANY” (2/20) We can only move forward with what we have or give up. Stay the course Brad, we have your back. —Mark Davis via bendsource.com Words can’t even describe my disappointment in this sale. The slow and methodical takeover of our lands and resources by…
Film Events 2/25-3/4
Rousey vs. Zingano Ronda Rousey is the first ever women’s Bantamweight Champion, while Cat Zingano is the first woman to win a UFC fight by TKO. When these two fierce warriors are placed in the octagon will we get a tooth shattering explosion of blood and sinew, or will it be an anticlimax like most…
Out of Town 2/25-3/4
Portland wednesday 26 Fade to Light: A Multidimensional Fashion Event Now that winter is on the way out and the New Year’s workout regimens are taking effect (right?), time for new wardrobe ideas. Fresh collections from designers like Adelheid Bergin, Altar HouseLine, Primal Haunt, Stefanie Saysm Rogue Minx, and the graduating students from Portland Sewing’s…
Environmentalism on Film
Since the Telluride Mountain Film Festival launched in 1979, the definition of “environmentalist” has both broadened and become much more diverse. Likewise, the collection of films for this annual festival—and its subsequent tour of short films around the country—has become more complicated and more nuanced about the definition it provides for modern-day environmentalism. Duke &…
Picks 2/25-3/4
thursday 26 Back from the Dead BLUEBRASS—No one plays by the rules anymore. But that’s fine. As a result, we come across a new musical portmanteau at least once a week. This week’s winner: blue-brass, a fusion of bluegrass and brass band. Think Tom Waits meets Louis Armstrong, with the lyrical sensibilities of Johnny Cash.…
Bacon, Eggs and Coffee!
The scene is bucolic as I arrive at Gunpowder Roasting Ranch. The sun is warm, the air is fresh; goat and pigs are in pasture. At 10 acres, Gunpowder Ranch is modest and easily missed when driving along Marsh Road just a few miles northeast of Tumalo, but it is not soon forgotten. Started just…
Art Watch 2/25-3/4
Nestled in the Blue Lakes wilderness near Sisters is an isolated oasis where small groups of artists are invited each year to spend a month-long residency creating and collaborating at the expansive Caldera Arts Center. What does a month spent in the Cascade foothills without cell phone service in the dead of winter inspire? Well,…
Idolize This
You know what they say: you can spend your entire life as a performing musician, but compete on one season of the highest-rated singing show in America and that’s all people remember you for. Aside from that one time Crystal Bowersox was the runner-up on American Idol, she’s best known for her powerfully soulful vocals…
Boulder Bash Blows Up
For the past five years, the Bend Rock Gym has been hosting a competitive bouldering series called “Boulder Bashes.” But, these events have largely been self-contained to the climbers there to show off their skills. That is, until last weekend. On Saturday, the Bend Rock Gym hosted its final “Boulder Bash” of the season—and, Bend’s…
From the Forest to the Stage
The guitar. It’s iconic. Even as children, we’re not raised playing “air piano” or “air oboe.” It’s air guitar. No offense to those other instruments, but the guitar just has a certain coolness that’s both unmeasurable and unmatched by any other musical device. It seems only natural that the most beautiful guitars, both visually and…
Ghost Towns
Growing up in the west, few things set my childhood imagination on fire like the dilapidated remains of once-booming frontier towns. As it turns out, they have that same effect on my somewhere-north-of-thirtysomething imagination as well. I was delighted to discover a slew of ghost towns within daytrip distance of Bend. This six-hour loop takes…
An Orchestral Treaty
Inspired by the poetic writings of Native Americans from the 1400s to present, composer Clyde Thompson’s concert-length cantata, We Have Spoken: Voices from Native America, spins those stories and historical accounts into rich musical tapestry rooted in classical orchestral sensibilities. There are no traditional Native American sounds here—no drums, no chanting. “The music is my…
The Hat Makes The Woman
Cate Havstad believes in signs. While a student at University of California-Santa Cruz, she was struggling with whether formal education was the right path for her. A friend, musician Willy Tea Taylor, invited her to join on a road trip and film project—and to sweeten the deal, he offered her a vintage cowboy hat. “That…
