Best of the Fest
Possessed by Paul James Konrad Wert, known as Possessed by Paul James, is a one-man band from Austin, Texas, who performs rootsy folk-punk music. Possessed by Paul James uses a variety of string instruments, including fiddle, guitar, and banjo, to create his unique rocking sound. Konrad is a true entertainer, captivating audiences with his songs,…
Hawaiian Born Rasta
Mike Love makes roots rock reggae music with a gentle Hawaiian vibe. His new album, Love Will Find A Way, was released on September 1 and he started touring the country just a week later in support of it. There are many things to say about Mike Love, but let’s hear them in his own…
Source Suggests
Kinzel & Hyde While September still means beautiful, warm days, the nights begin to get chillier, which means it’s necessary to take advantage of as much outdoor music as possible while we still can. Cascade Blues Association Hall of Fame inductees Kinzel and Hyde take listeners on a bluesy road trip for their ears at…
A Plague on the Klamath River
Nearly one year ago, Mike Belchik, a senior biologist for the Yurok Tribe, was overseeing an emergency laboratory on a remote gravel bar in the Klamath River on the tribe’s Northern California reservation. That morning, crews had netted two dozen salmon from a 20-mile stretch of the lower river. Now they were inspecting their catch…
Putting the Pot in Politics
Rep. Earl Blumenauer gave a rousing speech to cannabis industry members on September 1 in Bend that was both visionary and practical, in which he laid out his priorities for key policy changes in Congress and predicted that Oregon is poised to “set the world standard for cannabis.” Introduced by Oregrown founder Aviv Hadar, Blumenauer…
The Boot
“You can’t make me,” is a favorite retort of school children, and often precedes a tantrum. But that type of defiance seems to be emerging from a growing number of limelight- seeking government officials. In the past few weeks, elected officials in Kentucky and Oregon have offered similar responses when asked to issue marriage licenses…
Bend Brunch Begins Beguiling
As Bend quickly and quietly continues its transformation into a Portlandia sketch, we are now sinking in to the brunch portion of our metamorphosis. Bend has always been a breakfast town, but herald the crepes and blintzes coming out and the closing times inching closer to 3 pm. Being that I am equally good at…
How The Bruery Got Its Groove Back
The Bruery, the Orange County-based craft beer maker founded by Patrick Rue in 2008, has nothing if not a colorful lineup. Known for intense experimentation (and, often, equally intense pricing on its 750-milliliter bottles), The Bruery’s beers run the gamut from light, refreshing saisons to enormous beasts like Black Tuesday, their bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout—2015’s…
Artwatch
From a young age, Jason Waldron knew he wanted to be a professional artist—he just hadn’t found his medium yet. It wasn’t until he saw some guys carving logs into bears using chainsaws that inspiration struck. “I got a log from a friend and picked up a cheap electric chainsaw and started caving a great…
Clocking Miles for Migraines
Three years ago, Dearric Winchester couldn’t run a quarter mile before excruciating knee pain set in. Today, he’s tearing through shoes as he trains for a 50-mile solo run later this month. “After a lot of rehab I was able to run a little and I set a goal of completing a half marathon. Thankfully,…
Puppets Are People, Too
Avenue Q is a better show than you think it is. Unless you have already seen it or heard snippits from it or watched Youtube videos, the only thing you might know about the show is that it is summed up in a sentence as “An R-rated episode of Sesame Street.” While that’s accurate to…
On the Rocks
Think rock climbing in Central Oregon and the mind naturally gravitates to Smith Rock State Park, termed the birthplace of American sport climbing, and its thousands of bolted routes. But, for those less experienced climbers seeking the thrill of scaling walls, Bend Endurance Academy’s Climbing Program Director Mike Rougeux, a 15-year climbing veteran, has some…
A Friend of Weed is a Friend Indeed
Congressman Earl Blumenauer looks more like Bill Nye the Science Guy than some tie-dyed, Cheech & Chong-loving marijuana activist. But the 67-year-old member of Oregon’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives is at the vanguard of the effort to change pot policy on a national scale. Blumenauer is pro-pot for many of the same…
The Biggest Stinker of Them All
Back in 1979 I was the manger of Ramsey Canyon Preserve in southeast Arizona, once known as the “Hummingbird Capitol of the World.” Unbeknownst, however, to the birders who labeled that beautiful place for the 12-or-so hummingbirds that were around in summer, it is also the “Skunk Capitol of the World.” All four skunks native…
Sidenotes
Whether you’re a professional snoop or you’re just looking for some light reading, the first batch of former Gov. John Kitzhaber’s emails should be of interest. Released Tuesday by Gov. Kate Brown’s office in response to public records requests, the emails are from the Gmail account Kitzhaber used to conduct official business in lieu of…
Take Me Home
Real estate investors have a huge opportunity to make money on the fading American Dream of home ownership. There are approximately 80 million members of Generation Y and they are less interested in home ownership than any generation before them. Survey after survey suggests that these uncertain economic times, in which many Millennials have reached adulthood, are…
Opinion
IN REPLY TO “DON’T MIND THE GAPS” (9/1) Here is an idea to raise revenue for the trail….Actually fine the dog owners who can not read. The revenue would be enormous. I was on trail today and of the 23 dogs I saw one (yes, only one) was on leash. If the money does not…
Choose To Accept Him
Some of y’all hate Tom Cruise. And that’s fine. People have actors they can’t stand, sometimes for perfectly sound reasons and sometimes there’s just something primal and instinctual about that hatred that defies all logic and reason. I hate Jon Voight. I think he is a horrible human and the reason he always plays bad…
Film Events
Mayweather vs. Berto Live Two grown men punching each other for your viewing pleasure (and also for a ton of cash). Floyd Mayweather takes on two-time welterweight champion Andre Berto in this bout that has people who like this sort of thing very excited. The running time on this event is four hours, so bring…
Big in Sweden
Growing up, Eric Bibb was immersed in music. His father Leon was an integral part of the 1960s folk scene, his uncle John Lewis composed and played piano for the Modern Jazz Quintet, and his civil rights icon godfather Paul Robeson was a part of the Harlem Renaissance. But rather than making a name for…
