The band had barely mastered three chords and the lead singer brought new meaning to singing flat. Yet when all was said and done and their set was finished,they got a standing ovation. In fact every act, good, bad or indifferent, at a recent music festival got a standing O. In one case, […]
Skip The Standing O Please
Posted inMusic
Inside the Universe: The soul, funk and faith of Karl Denson
“You don't see Clark Kent and Superman at the same time, do you?” asks Karl Denson from his home in San Diego, the city where he's lived for the past 15 years.
He's talking about the difference between the saxophone and flute master's two bands, the Greyboy Allstars and Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, the latter of which is coming to Bend this weekend and has also just released its first full-length record in seven years. Denson's name is always associated not only with the jazz, blues and funk genres, but he also pulls some weight in the jam band and dance club circuits, with both Greyboy and his Tiny Universe playing well in all of those camps.
Posted inOutside
Recreational Drugs: Scientific support for addiction
It's Monday morning and I'm sitting at my computer. According to Doug Weber, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Pendleton, “For the whole area, today is going to be the last nice day in the current forecast.” The equinox came and went last week, daylight is waning, and it could be snowing in Bend when you read this. Youch. Time to move to the southern hemisphere… or turn to drugs.
Somehow the conversation turned to drugs at the Bend Roots Revival last Friday night. I know no one will believe me, but I've never dropped acid, snorted anything up my nose or even smoked pot. OK, I did puff on a joint once a long time ago, but I didn't actually inhale. Instead, these are my recreational drugs of choice:
Posted inOutside
Albino Birds: The brass tax when it comes to white birds
This is the time of year when birds and other wildlife unlucky enough to not have their normal colors become very noticeable, such as “leucisitic,” “albino” and “partial albino” forms. These unfortunate victims of a quirk of nature lack their natural colors that would normally protect them from the energy of our sun, keep them safe from inquisitive humans and predators, and be accepted as a member of their own social group.
Even the parents of their own young will sometimes shy away from their offspring if they're too far off their normal appearance. Once an albino robin begins to appear “different,” the parents will eventually try to avoid it. The albino bird, on the other hand, doesn't realize that it's different and keeps trying to join the group. The two photos above are case in point. They are both “loaners,” a partial albino robin, and one that almost made it, but has black eyes, not the unpigmented red eyes of a “true albino.”
Posted inCulture
Let Them Eat Cake: Vogue editor Anna Wintour gets photoshopped in The September Issue
There is nothing in The September Issue that could be described with the normal documentary vocabulary. Director RJ Cutler does not probe, investigate, expose or provide much insight into the world of Vogue. What we get instead is an entertaining effort in rebranding.
The fashion industry has taken the blame in recent years for a variety of social ills – credit card debt, anorexia, teenage pregnancy, drug addiction and more. Fashion magazines and the thin models contained within are now the go-to scapegoat for low self-esteem and its ever-expanding list of consequences. When the recession hit, fingers were jabbed more fiercely and the key players fell out of favor alongside celebrities, or anyone else living luxuriously. This film pointedly includes a money shot of a model trussed up in a corset happily biting into a huge cream pastry. We don't, however, see if she swallows.
Posted inCulture
Back To The Future: Surrogates' thought-provoking subject matter self-destructs in 10, 9, 8…
The concept of Surrogates might sound good, after all it's based on a graphic novel by Robert Venditti and Brett Weldel. Unfortunately, at the hands of the gang behind Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, it misfires, turning into a slow-paced, bland fiasco. This Disney fairy tale/sci-fi thriller plays out like an episode of Law and Order: Special Surrogates Unit – it's a glorified TV show without any redeeming qualities.
The opening provides background history through news footage: the crime rate is down dramatically now that everyone is living through robotic surrogate bodies. People seem to function with regular jobs and have non-stop fun with no apparent risk to their own bodies (beyond atrophy). Users at home operate sexy, physically perfect mechanical versions of themselves as they grow weak, feeble and unhealthy from dentist-chair-like recliners. That is until some craggy faced “meat bag” on a motorcycle yanks out a death ray and ices some surrogates, mysteriously killing their real users at home. This brings in surrogate FBI agents Greer and Peters (Bruce Willis, Rhada Mitchell) and a whole bunch of convoluted plot twists and turns. Apparently, things in a super-fake world just aren't as they seem. Agent Greer, forced to go solo, discovers a vast conspiracy behind the surrogate phenomenon. Abandoning his surrogate, he risks his life to unravel the mystery uncomfortably interacting with a city full of pretty mannequins.
Posted inCulture
No Joking Around: Arkham faithfully recreates the franchise's noir feel
The Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane – or just Arkham to the good citizens of Gotham – is the semi-permanent address of some of the world's most celebrated criminals. The Penguin, Two-Face and The Riddler have all made the crumbling madhouse-mansion their home at one time or another. And most of them have escaped, only to be captured and hauled back by their dedicated nemesis Batman.
But at the beginning of Batman: Arkham Asylum, the most famous inmate can't wait to get back inside. Joker has been caught again by Batman, and he's delighted that his old foe is escorting him back – so delighted that he promptly escapes and rolls out the welcome wagon. Within minutes, Joker has released the institution's collection of psychos and sociopaths. The inmates are running the asylum.
Posted inFood & Drink
ยกSi, Estamos Abiertos!: Mexican markets spice up Bend's culinary scene
For a relatively small place, it's impressive how well Bend replicates the benefits of big city living without any of the hassle that usually goes along with it. Per capita, Bend probably has more musicians, artists, galleries, readings and performances, microbrews, bars, gourmands and restaurants than most large urban areas. And while a backyard of snowcapped mountains and wildflowers makes up for most everything else, like a grocery store I can walk to and reasonable public transportation, the only real loss I have felt from my former big city life is diversity. I feel this acutely in many aspects of the day-to-day. But as an appreciator of food, its impact can be devastating.
There is, fortunately, one steadily growing ethnic enclave in Central Oregon and with that has come culinary treats. The Mexican community has more than doubled since 1990 ushering in a stream of taquerias and ristorantes. More exciting, since the population reached a critical mass about 10 years ago, Bend has seen the opening of its first ethnic markets.
Posted inFood & Drink
ยกSi, Estamos Abiertos!: Mexican markets spice up Bend's culinary scene
For a relatively small place, it's impressive how well Bend replicates the benefits of big city living without any of the hassle that usually goes along with it. Per capita, Bend probably has more musicians, artists, galleries, readings and performances, microbrews, bars, gourmands and restaurants than most large urban areas. And while a backyard of snowcapped mountains and wildflowers makes up for most everything else, like a grocery store I can walk to and reasonable public transportation, the only real loss I have felt from my former big city life is diversity. I feel this acutely in many aspects of the day-to-day. But as an appreciator of food, its impact can be devastating.
There is, fortunately, one steadily growing ethnic enclave in Central Oregon and with that has come culinary treats. The Mexican community has more than doubled since 1990 ushering in a stream of taquerias and ristorantes. More exciting, since the population reached a critical mass about 10 years ago, Bend has seen the opening of its first ethnic markets.
Posted inFood & Drink
Feeling So Good!
Been on vacation lately and thought you were feeling so much better for the much-needed rest and relaxation? Or could it be you spent a week downing blended drinks where there's a heap of anti-depressants in the drinking water? Why cities are afraid to post results of what's mingling in their municipal water supply is a real shame, especially since almost half of bottled water is really tap water. Cities could be using this information to their advantage for a whole new genre of marketing. Wouldn't it be great to choose your water according to your needs and desires?
Feeling a little run down, choose water from a source that has high levels of anti-biotics in it. Sport teams looking for a leg up, they can have their training camps where trenabolic and other anabolic steroids mingle in the drinking water. The entire art of mixology could change – as you certainly can't add pharmaceuticals to people's drinks – but you can add water.