Goin’ To A Hukilau: Laying the theme on thick at Bungalow

Posted inFood & Drink

Goin’ To A Hukilau: Laying the theme on thick at Bungalow

Intern

BungatimeTheme is king at the Bungalow Tropical Bar and Grille, a new no-holds-barred tropical fusion restaurant in north Bend, where cabana boys greet outside the front door. "Aloha," they crooned to our group, while shivering in Hawaiian shirts, and directing us to the stairs that led up to the expansive second-floor.
Once inside, we were greeted with more "Alohas!" this time by young women in print sundresses who asked us if we want "formal" or "casual." Peering around a wall of water, we saw half of the restaurant outfitted with high-backed chairs and white linens with rain forest sounds piped in for that extra tropical boost.
The other side is split between the "Sand Bar," which is covered with the requisite grass shack roof, headquarters for "Bungatime" (otherwise known as happy hour) and a dining area with booths decorated in mini surfboards. At the Bungalow there's no skimping on atmosphere-enhancing props. A soundtrack marked by Jimmy Buffet's "Margaritaville" resonated from overhead in the Sand Bar as surf films played on the big screen TV. There's also a large tropical fish tank to help set the ocean tone.

Posted inMusic

Liner Notes: Super Freaks

Intern

Nylon is always in style
David Bowie and Dennis Rodman face new extra-terrestrial competition in the form of Taboo (guitar), Intellijamus (bass), Otto E. Roticize (drums) and their adopted father Dr. Wonder Bred (keys) of Seattle's Super Sonic Soul Pimps.
According to the band's Website (which we take as gospel, as we do all Websites), the three "humaliens" were adopted by Dr. Bred after the death of their pimp father in the heat of "cruel alien passion" with the triplet's alien mother. The three hybrid triplets and their adopted mad scientist father have managed to keep under government radar long enough to release three CDs and gather quite the following of fans.
While their ancestral planet is unnamed, it's probably somewhere near whatever galaxy Parliament and George Clinton hail from. Super Sonic Soul Pimps spin out a blend of funk, rock and even some metal-sounding songs that are unlike anything you've ever heard. From weird Axl Rose-style screams and Beavis and Butt-head voices to funked out guitar riffs and beats, SSSP never fails to surprise their human listener. And they do it all in skin-tight leotards because whatever planet they're from they clearly believe that spandex is a right not a privilege.

Posted inMusic

The Sound Check Fitness Program

Mike Bookey

Get Your Stomp On
Sound Check's legs are tired after this weekend and here's why: We were out running our not-so-in-shape bodies around town lending our ears to whatever free (or at least affordable) music we could find. With the mercury stretching its neck into the mid 60s and the sun peeking out for more than it has in weeks, Bendites emerged from their homes, shedding winter jackets and pretending that summer has finally arrived.
Once we arranged our sweatbands properly, we jogged down to the Mirror Pond Plaza for the first-ever Downtown Sound gathering. We caught an earful about the horn section attack of Necktie Killers from a loyal fan while we watched a retooled Empty Space Orchestra (now with guitar and vocals!) play a well-received set to a swirl cone mix of 150-or-so local heads and curious fanny packing tourists.
With our heart rates in the 140s and anti-chafe cream applied liberally to our thighs, we strode to the Old Mill District for the Balloons Over Bend festival where Leif James' Springsteen-esque voice was melting nicely into his folk-rock strumming. He even tossed in bluesy takes on American traditionals (made famous by the Dead) like "Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad" and "I Know You Rider."
Gatorade be damned, we slammed a couple pints (needed the carbohydrates) and returned to Downtown Sound where the sun was setting, beanies were topping heads and the stage featured hip-hop artist Benzo hyping a depleted crowd and one terrifyingly confident and vodka-soaked young woman dancing in front of the stage with a toddler in one arm and a middle finger extending from the other. Gary Busey-style partiers aside, Sound Check did nonetheless give Downtown Sound a passing grade for its first time out.

Posted inMusic

Rising Up: Roots of Creation are out to save the world and your faith in reggae

Intern

Jah Man!On a freezing cold Friday night on the last day of November, my friend and I throw back our margaritas, bundle up and head out into the snow to make our way to Armadillo's Burritos in Keene, New Hampshire to see a band called Roots of Creation. Even though we get there early, the bar is already filled and the beer line goes almost to the door. I'm skeptical about the band, but by the second song, I'm sold. Roots of Creation has that sort of effect on people. Seven months and one cross-country move from Vermont to Bend later, it seems like the band has followed me across the continent for two Central Oregon shows.
The New Hampshire reggae-fueled jam band is set to light up Les Schwab Amphitheater this Sunday for a free Summer Sundays gig, then return just a week later to play the Bite of Bend. The band has perfected a mix of intelligent lyrics (think a less political Rage Against The Machine) and a laid-back reggae feel (similar to Sublime) but no two songs are exactly alike. Whether it's the infectious pop tune "That's How Strong My Love Is," the smooth Marley-esque crooning about utopian society in "Babylon" or straight-up guitar-driven rock jam in "(A) Peace, Love and Music," this band keeps the listener interested. And just when you think you might have their sound pigeonholed they burst out with a soul-infused "Breathe It > Exhale" and "Made for Me," a quiet little rock song with a tinge of twangy country guitar. The band, which cites everyone from Sublime to Paul McCartney and Operation Ivy as influences, manages to tie everything into a cohesive unit with consistent vocals and beats.

Posted inMusic

The Devil and the Burrito Explaining The Devil Makes Three through hypothetical metaphors

Mike Bookey

Okay, so which one is the devil?The Devil Makes Three is used to inspiring confusion. When the Davis, California-based trio played one of the last shows at the Grove about a year ago, there were a lot of people excitedly talking about the "bluegrass band" playing that night.
But as guitarist and lead singer Pete Bernhard, as well as anyone who's ever seen the drummer-less, almost acoustic trio knows, The Devil Makes Three is not bluegrass at all.
"Most of the time when people see the stand up bass, they immediately think bluegrass. But that's not what we do," Bernhard says.
To explain the Devil Makes Three conundrum, let's propose a hypothetical scenario. You're at a wedding reception where you know hardly anyone, so you spend a considerable amount of time strolling through the buffet line where you see what appears to be a platter of burritos. The tortillas are rolled with the ends tucked in, adhering to proper burrito folding prototype and they're warm to the touch, just how you like your burritos. So you, as a casual burrito enthusiast, excitedly bite into the tortilla, only to find that this isn't a burrito at all, but rather some sort of spinach, turkey and cream cheese wrap. You're disappointed because you wanted a burrito, but you eat it, not wanting to be seen spitting fake burrito into the garbage can. But as you eat, you realize that you like spinach, turkey and cream cheese wraps and proceed to devour the remainder of the platter in a display of unbridled gluttony.

Posted inCulture

Our Picks for the week of 6/13-6/15

Mike Bookey

Broken Soviet
friday 13
First Kruschev, now this?We don't know much about this act, other than that they've got a solid rock attack and have some high profile venues on their touring schedule. The band is actually from Portland, not mother Russia, as we mistakenly thought, and has a summer tour schedule comprised exclusively of stops at Hollywood's Whiskey A Go Go as well as Phoenix and Germany and that's it. That's a lot of traveling for three shows. 9:30pm. Long Shots Pub. 314 SE 3rd St.

Posted inNews

Making an Ass of Themselves: Democrats could play the donkey card in Denver(

Intern

It's been said that burros, beans and brawn won the West. Now, organizers of the Democratic National Convention are weighing whether iconic images of the Old West should be used to market the event in Denver this summer. The debate is not without significance. Democrats, who have been unable to gain a foothold in Southern states in recent presidential elections, have begun portraying the West as the "New South." And donkeys have an honorable history in both the West and the South.
The donkey has been associated with the Democratic Party ever since Andrew Jackson, a Southerner, adopted it as a symbol when he ran for president in 1828. Originally assigned to Jackson by the opposition in an attempt to brand him a jackass, Jackson turned the icon to his advantage and won the presidency by a large margin. By the late 1800s, the donkey was firmly established as the party's official symbol.
In this spirit, Democratic leaders at the National Western Stock Show in January chose a donkey to serve as the official mascot for the convention. The selection of a burro called "Mordecai," owned by sometime Democratic political candidate Curtis Imrie, brought lots of media attention.
Those of us who know donkeys - I've raised and trained several over the last quarter-century, but hesitate to use the word "owned" - know that their stubbornness isn't just obstinacy; it's caused by the human's failure to grasp their intelligence and cautiousness. Donkeys also can be quick and strong, and many possess an uncanny courage and endurance - all necessary qualities for any candidate.

Posted inNews

Into the Wild: Advocates hope Badlands serves as a model for eastside wilderness

Eric Flowers

The Badlands doesn't give up its mystique easily. On a recent field trip to survey the proposed Wilderness area east of Bend, my guide and I hiked more than an hour over dusty trails, winding through an ancient, but not necessarily, awe-inspiring juniper forest before we reached our destination - a massive lava rock formation that erupts from the sandy desert floor in jagged arches and columns.
This is Flatiron rock, one of several major geologic sites within the Badlands and one of the reasons that the Bureau of Land Management designated the Badlands as a Wilderness Study Area in 1980.
It's here that it becomes clear why - despite the presence of old jeep trails, the occasional tree stump and other tell tale signs of human impact - supporters say that the Badlands is deserving of the federal government's highest level of environmental protection.
Geologists describe Flatirons as an inflated lava feature, a product of a fissure in a lava tube that pushed molten rock to the surface of the Badlands shield volcano 80,000 years ago. It's a clue to the area's violent geologic history and the forces that shaped the surrounding region, including Bend. Today, it's an attraction for hikers who start at the trailhead about 15 miles east of Bend on Hwy. 20, and one of the reasons that Congress is looking to make Badlands only the second wilderness area east of the Cascades in Oregon.

Posted inOpinion

Direct From Killington: A new face at Mt. B, Downtown Bend valet, more

Intern

New Brass on the Mountain
Three weeks to the day after firing Matt Janney, who served as Mt. Bachelor's president, the ski resort has announced the hiring of Dave Rathbun to take the top position at the mountain.
After what Mt. Bachelor described as a "nationwide search," the result was the hiring of yet another POWDR Corp. (Mt. Bachelor's parent company) employee in Rathbun, who has previously worked as director of marketing, sales, reservations and golf at Killington Resort and Pico mountain, both located in Vermont. Rathbun, who was touted as having more than 20 years of resort experience, will serve as both president and general manager at Bachelor.
POWDR purchased Killington resort as a joint investment with SP Land Co. The pair had plans for a large scale resort development at the base of Killington - not unlike what POWDR has discussed for Mt. Bachelor. However, SP Land backed out of the deal earlier this year over what it said was community opposition, according to the Rutland Herald.

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