South by Northwest: Zydeco remains a predictably unpredictable gem

Posted inFood & Drink

South by Northwest: Zydeco remains a predictably unpredictable gem

Alice Finer

Flavor piled high at Zydeco.Like so many of the best things in life, Zydeco isn't exactly as it
seems. You wouldn't guess that behind a modest façade tucked away among
car dealerships on Business 97 you'd find a country-Zen dining room
awash in sage tones and minimalist art or the subtly swanky lacquered
terra cotta bar dotted with colorful specialty cocktails sitting
beneath hanging droplet lights. And the food, too, is unexpected:
high-flown in execution yet completely down to earth in concept and
attitude. And rather than offering Cajun cuisine, as the name suggests
(it's actually a tribute to a family dog), the menu is American with a
pan-southern emphasis. All around, Zydeco is a series of happy
paradoxes, combining northwestern refinement with robust southern
flavors, urban sophistication with southern hospitality, and upscale
fare served up in impressively southern portions.

Posted inMusic

CD Review – Woven Hand

Mike Bookey

Woven Hand
Ten Stones
Sounds Familyre
Music dealing with spirituality, especially themes Christian in
ethos, struggle to set a high standard for artistic achievement. David
Eugene Edwards' current project, Woven Hand, is unlike most that
attempt to sing about the Divine. The message on Ten Stones (which was
released this past September) is generally the same as with any
recording by Edwards and company; Old Testament imagery coupled with
the ugliness of sin and beauty of redemption. However, Ten Stones is
much heavier sounding than previous albums. Ten Stones is hypnotic,
forceful, and inevitably haunting. The musicianship, as it is with any
Woven Hand album (also see 16 Horsepower), is incredible. The layering
is rich and each song dwells beside the next naturally while heavy
bass, raw guitars and pushing drums aggressively and fiercely weave an
explosively majestic album. Edwards' deep, untamed voice allows his
words to find their appropriate place. When he sings: "All these
tears/Gather together/Down your cheek/ Your neck and feathers" on "Iron
Feather," it's a simple reminder that few sound quite like this.

Posted inMusic

The Youth Movement: Finding an above-ground basement show

The Source Staff

The Kids are all right and they're all here.The youth music scene in Bend sometimes feels like one of those things
that you're pretty sure exists, but you've never actually seen, so
you're not sure - like a panda bear or a McRib sandwich.
After two
years of trying to track down some sort of high school basement show
where we could send a youthful reporter (or at least youthful looking
reporter), it seemed like we'd found a real-live teen-age rock show.
The show at PoetHouse Art on Saturday night was a fundraiser for Rise
Up International, the Bend-based socially conscious clothing retailer
and humanitarian outfit, and featured a lineup that included names like
Mosley Wotta and Empty Space Orchestra, but it was the other acts on
the bill like Mirf the Bing and others that filled the room with mostly
high-school aged fans.

Posted inCulture

Our Picks for the Week of 12/10-12/18

Mike Bookey

Slick Side Down CD Release Party
thursday 11
Bend's smooth
jazz/funk/R&B band is releasing their debut CD Eat At Joe's and
they want you to celebrate with them. The self-proclaimed "Loudest Band
in Bend" (we may have heard a few louder ones, but whatever) will have
you dancing in no time to the quartet's funky distinctive jazz fusion
sounds. No cover. 6:30pm. The Blacksmith Restaurant, 211 NW Greenwood
Ave, 318-0588.
The Summit Saloon & Stage
First Anniversary Party
thursday 11
Believe
it or not, the Summit has been open for an entire calendar year and the
popular nightspot is celebrating with what's sure to be a ripping set
from Moon Mountain Ramblers and then dancing late into the night with
DJ Moksha. The Summit has been through a bevy of entertainment changes
over the course of the year, going from a live music venue to a dance
hall and back again, but things are looking up over there on Oregon
Avenue. No cover. Summit Saloon and Stage, 125 NW Oregon Ave.

Posted inNews

Getting It Right — Far Right — in the GOP

The Source Staff

Oregon is moving to the left. The Democrats hold both houses of the Legislature, a Republican presidential candidate hasn't carried the state since 1984, the Republican Party hasn't elected a governor since that same year, and according to the Oregon Secretary of State's office, Democrats turned out at a higher percentage than Republicans this year for the first time in history.

Posted inMusic

Hip-Hop Do Gooder: Portland rapper Braille on faith, violence, and James Brown

The Source Staff

Braille: read him with your ears.Braille, the Portland-based rapper, is playing in Bend on Saturday night and the show is only his third appearance in town. One of the two other times was when he opened for James Brown at the Les Schwab Amphitheater. That's right…that James Brown, as in The Godfather or Soul, "Sex Machine", sequined cape James Brown.

The clean-mouthed hip-hop artist was picked by Brown's management to open shows for the Godfather between 2005 and 2006 in equal part for his positive (and f-bomb lacking) tunes and also his high-grade musical talent, both of which were thought to bode well with Brown's diverse and generation-spanning crowd. As Braille (real name Bryan Winchester) says, "You know, you don't want to be saying, 'Get your f'in hands in the air' when you've got somebody's grandma out in the crowd."

Posted inCulture

Theater-apalooza – Holiday Edition: Bend community theater, from Dickens to “Gunsmoke”

Mike Bookey

The Around the Bend players bring you some old timey Christmas shows.While the weather outside has yet to be frightful (although 62 degrees
in December is kind of scary), inside Bend's local theaters the holiday
season is underway and definitely delightful. Area theaters and
production companies have pulled out all the stops to ensure that
Bendites have the most Holly Jolly Christmas play lineup yet. While
Bend Theatre for Young People, Innovations Theater Works and one of the
Tower Theatre productions have already wrapped (see sidebar), there's
still plenty more to see. So even if it's 75 degrees outside next week
and Bachelor reopens its Frisbee golf course, you can still get into
the festive seasonal spirit thanks to Bend's diligent theater stewards. 

Posted inNews

WEEKEND WARRIOR 12/5-12/6

The Source Staff

Friday Night 12/5
Marv Ellis, Acoustic Minds at the Downtown Bendistillery Martini Bar

Ellis dishes out super jazzy and world-inspired hip-hop numbers accompanied by his innovative lyrical style. The Portland MC has played shows across the country, as well as in Europe, and this experience is evidenced in his live show, which tonight features Brooks B.

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