TEDxBend . . one of last year’s best talks
Yes, watching on your computer is pretty great. Being there in person is mindblowing. One of last year TEDxBend highlights:
TEDxBend . . one of last year’s best talks
Yes, last year’s TEDxBend was great; this year is even bigger!
TEDxBend . . .a reminder why to be excited! Portland Cello Project
Time is ticking away, and there are only so many tickets for the TEDxBend. And, a reminder, it isn’t all talk-talk-talking:
TEDxBend . . .a reminder why to be excited!
What, you haven’t bought your ticket for TEDxBend yet? Do you not remember how great last year was?
TONIGHT: Howlin’ Brothers at McMenamins
All the way from Nashville, The Howlin’ Brothers will perform their traditional bluesy bluegrass tonight, 7 pm at McMenamins for FREE. Check out their Folk Alley Session below, soft shoe dancing percussion included! Read more about the band here.
ALBUM REVIEW: Cosmos by Yellow Ostrich
Yellow Ostrich returns
Trailer: Mistaken for Strangers
Watch the trailer for a movie (sorta) about The National
TEDxBend tickets on sale. . .yes, better rush!
TEDxBend, the annual carnival ride of inspiration and information, is doing something pretty cool this year: Sponsor a student. When you buy your ticket – which I’d recommend doing today, as this event may/will sell-out – you also can buy a ticket to sponsor a high school student to attend. That’s right: Play it forward…
Sad Can Be Good
In The Player, the wonderfully dark 1992 comedy about the movie business, an aspiring screenwriter takes to task Tim Robbins, who plays a fast-talking and stoic Hollywood producer. “You would probably even give The Bicycle Thief a happy ending,” the writer says, scolding Tim Robbins for the tenancy of Hollywood to turn even the most…
Hops University
There may not be an online distance-learning course for the experimental hops project at Oregon State University, but there is remote access to the vast knowledge being cultivated by the plant geneticists and fermentation scientists at the school; it’s called a phone call with program donor and hops aficionado Roger Worthington of Bend’s Worthy Brewing.…
A Horse, Of Course
Like reality TV, but for horses, Cloud: Wild Stallion of the Rockies, is a remarkable and gripping hour-long documentary about Cloud, a wild stallion who has been chronicled since his birth in the Rockies in 1995. The footage is beautiful, with swooping aerial shots and hoof-pounding on the ground close-ups, that brings an intimacy to…
Malt Ball
In Bend, and throughout the Pacific Northwest, hops hog the spotlight. It is an understandable phenomenon. The lush Willamette Valley is home to a healthy collection of hop farms. And nearby breweries in Washington and Oregon produce some of the best IPAs in the world. Hops deserve high praise. But let’s also give credit where…
Southern, Meet Western
Without the traditional suit and tie, and instead country clad in 10-gallon hats, oversized belt buckles reserved for rodeo champions, pearl snaps and bolo ties, Cow Bop are snappy dressers for Central Oregon ranch life; but not what one would expect to see onstage at a jazz concert. An unlikely romance, southern meets jazz meets…
En Vogue
If “heroin chic” had a theme song, it would be the gripping “Almost There” by Portland singer Madeline Mahrie, who records as Machine. Doused in simple, yet thundering, grand piano, drums and knife-edged vocals, the less-is-more sound of not only that tune, but all of Machine’s steadily growing catalogue is the perfect musical manifestation of…
Howlin’ at the Moon
Last year the Howlin’ Brothers drove 48,000 miles in a minivan. The Nashville three-piece played 220 gigs and crossed the border from the States to Canada four separate times. During the first half of March, the band drove from Washington, D.C., to Austin, Tex., for a smattering of shows at the massive South by Southwest…
It’s the Water
Saying a beer tastes “watery” isn’t saying much at all. “About 95 percent of the final product of beer, give or take, is water,” said Deschutes Brewery assistant brewmaster Ryan Schmiege. It is true that paler beers, like pilsners, often contain a little more water while bigger, darker beers have less water and more sugar…
Out of Town 3/12-3/20
portland friday 14 Galactic Technically, Mardi Gras is over, but Galactic won’t tell anyone if you don’t. The New Orleans-based funk and jazz jam band brings its hip-hop influenced fusion of styles to the Northwest just in time to keep that carefree spirit going. It’s no secret that Bendites love a good jam band—just be…
The Yeast Beast
Oregon’s official animal is the beaver, the state bird is the Oregon Meadowlark, and unsurprisingly, last April the legislature approved brewer’s yeast as the official microbe, making Oregon the first state in the union to establish a state microbial. If anybody in Bend knows about the science of yeast, it’s Paul Arney, owner and innovative…
Make Locavore Habit
Just over a year ago, hyper-local food education organization, Locavore, opened its marketplace in a nearly abandoned, industrial corner of First Street. The mission of the market and the non-profit is to provide access to fresh, nutrient-dense and in seasonal local food, while educating the public about the sustainable benefits of locally produced food. Last…
Can Cans Taste As Good?
The choice between drinking beer from a can versus drinking from a bottle has been a distinguishing feature in the beer debate for nearly a century, almost as a distinct indicator about taste and class as choosing to wear cut-off blue jean shorts or Brooks Brother slacks. But with gathering momentum, that attitude has shifted…
Failure is an Option
“Failure is not the opposite of success; it’s part of success,” Arianna Huffington once famously said. It may have been describing her early life, but the quote is also a fitting description of 10 Barrel Brewing’s current seasonal offering, “Project: Failed.” Setting out to make something completely different, they failed—but certainly succeeded with a high-quality…
Hops Swapping
Bend’s thriving craft beer culture is attracting collaborations from brewers near and far. That cross-pollination of talent and ideas inspires local brewers to up their game and gives beer drinkers the opportunity to try unique and limited edition takes on their favorite brews without leaving town. “Craft brewers are inherently creative. We inspire each other and…
Source Suds
Experimental beers are brewing at its best. It is only through trial and error that brewers arrive at the recipes that become the tried and true. Some experimental beers may prove interesting, but not yet ready for prime time. Others become classics and find their way into bottles, cans and kegs. Sampling all the local,…
Locally-grown solutions
In most simple terms, there are five ways to manage conflict: Avoidance, just turning and walking away; or, as my ex preferred, to just ignore the problem. Accommodating, which is the yielding behavior I did to placate her. Compromising, when each side gives up something they want in order to reach an agreement. Or, competition,…
Cheryl Strayed’s Next Chapter
Author Cheryl Strayed skyrocketed to literary stardom with her 2012 memoir, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, which recounts her 1,100-mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. It has earned countless awards, will soon be released as a feature film starring Reese Witherspoon, and brings Strayed to Bend this week as…
One Day at a Time
MONDAY 3 Is the violent, abusive Chris Brown following in the footsteps of Amanda Bynes and actually coming to terms with his psychological issues? According to court documents obtained by TMZ, an official from the rehab where Chris was staying explained the singer’s past behavior thusly: “Mr. Brown became aggressive and acted out physically due…
Mo Money Mo Problems
There’s a reason why the week leading up to opening night of a show is called “Hell Week.” Quite simply, it is not pleasant. Usually, those final days are spent adding the final drops of paint to the set, hanging lights and setting cues so the actors aren’t standing in the dark and mostly just…
One Day at a Time
MONDAY 3 Is the violent, abusive Chris Brown following in the footsteps of Amanda Bynes and actually coming to terms with his psychological issues? According to court documents obtained by TMZ, an official from the rehab where Chris was staying explained the singer’s past behavior thusly: “Mr. Brown became aggressive and acted out physically due…
Our Picks 3/12-3/20
thursday 15 Blue Light Special MUSIC AND FOOD—Plant your bottom on one of The Lot’s deluxe heated benches, warm your chilly digits by its gas fireplaces, munch on some of the delicious surrounding food cart grub, drink a beer and listen to local bluegrass crew Blue Light Special pick its way into the evening. Live…
Letters 3/5-3/11
Watchable Wildlife Etiquette Approved by Jim Anderson—written by Barb Rumer A mountain goat is again part of our community. I am excited! The opportunity for close proximity to our natural world is why many of us live in Central Oregon. I enjoy the mountains, the high desert and the wildlife. And yet, I was saddened…
Kicking the Tires
Last Wednesday Pacific Power gave city and park district officials an exclusive tour of the beleaguered Newport Avenue Dam. A few media representatives were also allowed to tag along, but with a few caveats. First, we signed our lives away with a waiver and were required to wear steel-toed boots during the tour. Before entering…
Like a Fine Wine
In late February, Bend’s Sarah Max, a 39-year-old working mother of twins, braved single digit temperatures, massive crowds and 50 kilometers of Nordic ski trails to finish 10th among all the women at the American Birkebeiner, the country’s largest Nordic ski race. For context, more than 10,000 others competed in this storied event, which for…
Green Machine
The Medford City Council could not even wait until the ink dried on Oregon Senate Bill 1531, which allows cities and towns to enforce restrictive regulations on medical marijuana dispensaries. On Thursday evening, without even formally giving notice of its motion, the city council in Medford became the first to take such a motion when…
Beer Games
Bend loves beer. Bend also loves the outdoors. Adding the two together is a sum greater than its parts. Hash Runs: A simple, community-building, beer-drinking, fitness-oriented event, Hash Runs have been picking up momentum for years. A pack of runners follow clues/directions left on the ground, usually in flour. Runners follow the markings, often misleading,…
The Beer Issue
Dave Berry, that eternal fountain of wit, once quipped, “Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza.” We agree! For our first Beer Issue, we have pulled apart…
Checking In, with Baggage
‘The excellent phrase, “a glimmer of civilization in the barbaric slaughterhouse we know as humanity,” is used twice in The Grand Budapest Hotel. Those words could describe a few things. They could refer to 1) the Grand Budapest Hotel, a pink and white and pristine resort that, like a colossal, obnoxiously ornate gâteau, sits high…
A Brewing Timeline
Twenty-seven breweries. Yep that’s right, 27—all in Central Oregon, with Bend playing host to 18 beer-making and beer-pouring facilities. Consider your pint filled. When did this all happen? The fun began in 1988 with Fish Brewing, AKA Deschutes Brewery. But others were slow to join—by 2005 there were still only five breweries in Central Oregon.…
