I try to go into films wide open, hoping to love each one I see. I take no pleasure in ripping a movie to shreds, because the amount of work that goes into making them is staggering and no one intends to make a terrible film. Still, I wasn’t quite sold on “La La Land.” […]
Bend Source
The Great Wall
I had a pretty terrible stepfather growing up; a redneck cop who spent his free time encouraging me not to read, think or grow. When I moved out, I carried this weird mixture of fear and rage with me. I eventually grew up and tried to let it go. I barely think about him anymore, […]
Stoners and Driving
The word “billion” comes up a lot when discussing cannabis use in the United States these days. For starters, Colorado surpassed $1 billion in cannabis sales in 2016. In 2017, the newly-legal recreational cannabis market in Los Angeles is expected to exceed $1 billion. That’s right, the size of the cannabis market in L.A. alone […]
Legends Never Die
When it comes to hip-hop legends, far too many have passed on. No doubt, Notorious B.I.G., 2Pac or Big L would find lots to rhyme about in 2016 and 2017. I bet 2Pac, for one, would have some pretty powerful things to say about a Trump presidency. Unfortunately we’ll never have a chance to find […]
You Bet Your Jazz
Mt. Bachelor Riverhouse Jazz isn’t merely bringing incredible artists to the Central Oregon music scene, they’re packing some of the finest jazz artists on the planet into the series. As part of the seven-month-long series, January sees the arrival of the Tierney Sutton Band, yet another groundbreaking jazz ensemble. With a dozen albums, Tierney Sutton […]
Best of the Web
The readers of BendSource.com are an entertaining bunch. Sometimes they leave us mean comments. Other times they spark threads of provocative commentary on stories new and strange. Here’s a peek at the top web stories of the year. Nina de la Tierra: Child of the Earth The mystery of the Jerusalem Cricket (2009) Jim Anderson […]
Extraordinary Women, Ancient Life in Oregon and More
In covering feature stories, my goal is to find unique content that deviates from the standard approach. One thing that differentiates me from other media outlets is that I like to cover stories "first hand," talking to people face to face. I find it provides a deeper and richer experience that enables me to tell […]
Pop These on your Record Player
The year in music seems likely to be remembered for its major losses. This was a year when we lost artists who were not merely stars, but icons whose albums helped shape entire genres of music. A couple of them, even as death approached, managed to make the Sources’ top albums of 2016 list. 1 […]
Puttin’ on a Good Show
Over the past year more theatre was produced in Central Oregon than ever before, and a wide majority of those productions were performed for sold out houses. With all of the productions that happened last year, we asked some of the myriad theatre folk in the region what their favorite shows across 2016 were. The […]
2016’s Best Books by Genre
When it comes to choosing some of the best reads of 2016, we knew no one would be more well-read than Tom Beans, owner of Dudley’s BookShop Cafe in downtown Bend. These may not be the critics’ picks for best books of the year, but they certainly were his favorites. Fiction To The Bright Edge […]

