The New Blues: How Box Car Stringband went from jug band to rock powerhouse

Posted inMusic

The New Blues: How Box Car Stringband went from jug band to rock powerhouse

Mike Bookey

Joseph Balsamo is a multitasker. But not in the manner you'd expect from a musician like him. It's not that he can sing and play the guitar – which he can – but if you drop him a line on a Friday afternoon and he's painting the inside of a house to prepare for new renters, he'll gladly pick up the phone. But that doesn't mean he'll stop painting.
Over the next half-hour, as he applies a layer of interior paint to the walls of his home, Balsamo talks by way of a hands-free device about his music career and Box Car Stringband, the dirty blues and rockabilly duo-turned-trio that is quickly making strides as one of the area's most engaging live rock shows. While Balsamo, a longtime blues fan, has played for a while as a solo act in local bars and cafes, its with Box Car that his songs really take off.

Posted inMusic

Ravishers – Ravishers

Avatar photo Ethan Maffey

The self-titled debut LP from Portland band Ravishers, is seriously… cool. Not cool without merit, like that guy in high school who was only popular because his parents had money, but cool like Arthur Fonzarelli. You know, naturally cool.
Ravishers (formerly known as Dominic Castillo & The Rock Savants), have spent the last few years putting together this album and the attention to detail on each song is proof. The shifts from down to up-tempo beats within each song are subtly constructed and perfectly timed. You're going to hear some exceptionally stoic vocals on most every track (think The Cure or The National), but they're often rolled in with such sugary piano, horns, drum beat, and even hand claps that Dominic's smooth singing becomes more indie-pop sounding than anything else. This is especially evident on “Keep You Around,” (a track from the Savant days) that with the harmonized vocals of Kelly Masigat becomes an open road kind of summertime song.

Posted inMusic

Out of Town 5/4 – 5/12: Pato Banton, KT Tunstall, Citizen Cope, The Kills

Source Weekly

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Pato Banton
Odds are if you're a reggae fan living in Bend, you've likely had the opportunity to see famed reggae musician Pato Banton at some point during your residency here. The Los Angeles-based (by way of Jamaica) singer has made several stops in Bend within the last couple years and even though you'll have to travel to Portland this time around, it'll be worth it to catch his roots- and ska-influenced reggae in person. 9pm, Mt. Tabor Theater.

Posted inCulture

Our Picks for 5/4 – 5/12: Cinco de Mayo Party, Moon Mountain Ramblers, Last Band Standing, Bend Bicycle Film Festival, Chicken Coop Tour and more

Source Weekly

Cinco de Mayo Party: Ozomatli, Rubblebucket, Todd Haaby & Sola Via

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There is plenty going on for Cinco de Mayo: Brandi Carlile is playing the Tower Theatre for a show that's already sold out. Cash'd Out will be doing its best Man in Black impression at the Domino Room and there are plenty of other parties. But where many of you will find yourself is out on Wall Street where Ozomatli jams its cross-cultural rock, hip-hop and more with a big assist from the horn heavy and spacy sounds of Rubblebucket. Also on hand, Todd Haaby and Sola Via, and plenty of Mexican arts and crafts, Mexican food and Mexican beers. Free. 4:30pm-10pm. Downtown Bend on Wall Street.

Posted inNews

Win Tickets to see The Sweet Harlots at Three Creeks Brewing on Thursday

The Source Staff

This week in our continuing Three Creeks Brewing Co. giveaways we’ve got tickets for The Sweet Harlots show up for grabs. The lucky winner will receive two tickets to see The Sweet Harlots, which is fronted by local musician Laurel Brauns, and a voucher for two free appetizers. The Sweet Harlots play acoustic alternative folk music, which is a great option for your Cinco de Mayo in Sisters. The show starts at 7pm on Thursday, May 5.

Posted inNews

Doubling Down Central Oregon's breweries are betting that the craft brew market isn't yet tapped

Eric Flowers

A little-known fact: a year from now, barring any unforeseen setbacks, the capacity of the Central Oregon brewing industrywill increase by about 60 percent.
All of a sudden, six of the region's ten breweries are expanding,twobig newbrewhousesare opening and Deschutes Brewery is upping capacity by 30 percent.
After all the changes (see the What's Happening sidebar for details), we are talking about Central Oregon being capable of putting out 350,000 barrels, or more than 10 million gallons, of beer per year.
That's a lot of beer. In fact, that’s more microbrew than the entire state of Oregon consumed in 2008, according to the 2010 Oregon Brewfest fact sheet.
All theselocal companiesare trying to grab a share of the ever-growing national microbrew industry. They are betting that the Bend brand will help them do it and, regardless of a coming battle for Central Oregon's tap handles, brewers in this town say there is room for more.
Beer industry analyst Bump Williams isn't surprised at their optimism. Last year alone, and during a recession, craft sales increased somewhere in the neighborhood of 11 to 13 percent, said the former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher who is now a beer industry consultant and regularly prepares reports for The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.
There are also more breweries in America than ever before, according to The Brewers Association, the trade organization that represents breweries around the nation. As of March, the association estimates that there are more than 600 new breweries in the planning stages around the country.

Posted inOpinion

Yes on 9-83 (Bend Street Bond)

Eric Flowers

It's a favorite shell game played by politicians all over the country and Central Oregon is no exception; it's called Hide the Tax Increase. And it works like this: A city or other taxing entity sees the sunset of a temporary tax coming over the horizon and, being government, it finds a way to reallocate that money to another unfunded need at no “new” cost to taxpayers. It's happening right now in Bend as city leaders attempt to convince voters to replace the soon-to-expire downtown urban renewal tax – that's right, you've been paying it for years without even knowing it – with a new $30 million road improvement bond designed to address Bend's growing backlog of road improvement work, which today stands at roughly $100 million. The impact on individual homeowners – like most funding measures, it's a property tax assessment – varies, depending on how much your home, or homes, are valued at. But it comes to about $81 per house for the owner of a home valued at $300,000.

Posted inOpinion

For Bend-La Pine School Board Zone 6: Peggy Kinkade

Eric Flowers

The choice in this race is an easy one. Peggy Kinkade has dedicated countless hours of service to the local schools both as a board member and a volunteer for the Bend-La Pine Education Foundation. Before that, Ms. Kinkade worked diligently to pass the school construction bond that helped alleviate the serious overcrowding in the district. Most recently, she has served as the board's chairwoman, which has put her in the high-profile position of acting as the head of the board and the liaison between the elected officers, the administration and the public. By all accounts, she has served admirably in that position.

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