Central Oregon Music
Posted inMusic

Big Venues and Band Squabbles

Crossover Christian rockers Needtobreathe face the same issues that plague other popular bands
Alan Sculley

Success, obviously, has its perks—but it also brings a few challenges. Needtobreathe discovered that firsthand in touring for its 2014 album, “Rivers In the Wasteland.” As the venues got bigger, the group’s show and performing style had to change with it.  “The struggle or the difficulty of the last tour was, as the venues got […]

Posted inMusic

Gangster of Love

After five decades, Steve Miller keeps on rocking
Avatar photo Jared Rasic

Since a dozen of their songs have been floating around in my head for most of my days alive, I’ve always felt like I must know a lot about The Steve Miller Band. But when I sat down to write this piece, I realized I actually knew next to nothing about them except the weird […]

Posted inMusic

A Rock and Roll Heart

Trampled By Turtles slowly and steadily win the race
Avatar photo Jared Rasic

Trampled By Turtles has a bluegrass surface with rock and roll infused in every note. Straight out of Duluth, Minn., the band has released eight albums since 2004 and continues to evolve with each one. The band's most recent record, “Wild Animals” (2014), is more relaxed and haunting than what came before, and easily the […]

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This Dog and Pony Show Doesn’t Play on Repeat

Band Of Horses plays a new show, every time
Alan Sculley

Band Of Horses singer/guitarist Ben Bridwell can promise a couple of things to people who come to see the group in concert Aug. 22 in Bend. First off, expect the unexpected.  ”One thing that I do like about this band is, I don’t know that we’ve ever played the same set list twice,” Bridwell said in an early August […]

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Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Turns 50

John McEuen and crew have been producing influential music for half a century. #NGDB50
Danielle Meyers

“If anyone is curious about how we’ve been a band for 50 years, come see us play,” said John McEuen, founding member of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (NGDB) found its name in Long Beach, Calif., in the summer of 1966. They are often cited as a catalyst for an entire movement […]

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Making a Difference, One Note at a Time

Annual music festival helps feed the kids
Annette Benedetti

The night before the Christmas Valley Music Festival takes over the stage at RE Flowerree Memorial Park on Aug. 13, musicians, sponsors and supporters will gather at Rocker D Ranch, the home of co-founder Earl Diment. They will visit, drink and dine like good old friends often do, and before the night is over, music […]

Posted inMusic

Keeping it Real

Sister Carol converts the masses
Avatar photo Jared Rasic

Sister Carol has been making reggae music longer than I have been alive, and her message is only getting stronger. Born in Denham Town in West Kingston, Jamaica, she immigrated to Brooklyn when she was 14. Her father was an engineer with Radio Jamaica, so music was in her blood for as long as she […]

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In It Together

Spearhead’s new album combines the talents of new producers
Alan Sculley

Michael Franti has a discography that numbers nine studio albums with his current band, Spearhead, as well as one album with his first group, the Beatnigs, and a pair of titles with the influential group that preceded his solo career, the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy. But he’s never had a recording experience quite like the […]

Posted inCulture

Mozart in the Desert

Sunriver Music Festival presents its 39th season
Avatar photo Jared Rasic

The Sunriver Music Festival is so much more than a gathering of local musicians for a few days of fun, sun, and strumming. Professional musicians are handpicked from around the country and brought to Central Oregon for 12 days of some of the finest classical music in the nation. From classical guitar concerts to full […]

Posted inMusic

Acoustic Souls

Rodrigo y Gabriela play well together
Avatar photo Jared Rasic

Rodrigo y Gabriela don’t just make beautiful music together, they are beautiful music together. As an acoustic guitar duo out of Mexico City, their guitars complement each other flawlessly and create a wall of sound in which to get lost. Their acoustic guitars feel propulsive in a way acoustic guitars rarely have the chance to […]

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