River floating, camping, hiking, pub cycling-the list of must-do Bend summertime activities is long, but not complete without adding one last thing—a Summerfest concert by flamenco guitarist Todd Haaby. Of course, there is a lot more than just music at Summerfest, but concerts are a big part of the annual downtown street fair. They’re also […]
On Stage
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Live Music Provided
House concerts are everywhere—if you know where to look
When it comes to entertainment for a backyard BBQ or a stylish evening get-together at home, a live band beats a shuffled iPod playlist every day of the week, and twice on Sundays. With little advertising to the general public, house concerts happen more often than most people know. Some shows end up impromptu rock […]
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Home Sweet Home
Singer, fiddler Carrie Rodriguez returns to Austin
Austin, Texas: Live Music Capital of the World. At least that’s what Austin’s City Hall claims. Fiddle player and singer Carrie Rodriguez—who grew up there and moved back a couple of years ago after a stint in Brooklyn—agrees; it’s a special place. “I think in Brooklyn it’s virtually impossible to make a living out of […]
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Harvesting Fruit Borne of Harsh Times
Iconic folk singer John Prine
Sometimes it takes a messy life to make meaningful music. It would be hard to argue that folk singer John Prine doesn’t fit that bill. Though not one to suffer any of the self-inflicted and unnecessary difficulties typically associated with musicians—oh, say, the cliché alcohol or drug addiction—Prine has instead navigated the kind of trials […]
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Musical Opiate
The music of Portland’s Blind Pilot is habit-forming
Addiction is human nature. People return to the same pleasures over and over again. A favorite hiking trail, an enthralling novel or, in the case of Ryan Dobrowski (the drummer for Portland indie folk band Blind Pilot), a tasty food cart can hold sway over where we spend our time and our money. “Recently I’ve […]
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Coming (Back) to America
Oregon singer Ryan T. Jacobs ends self-imposed European exile
The cliché is that young Americans go to Europe to find themselves. Sometimes all they do is spend Mom and Dad’s hard-earned money partying and learning how to swear in new languages. But sometimes, the trip is a journey, and the time abroad produces a changed person (see Lost Generation of the 20s). For singer/songwriter […]
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I Like Big Lumps and I Cannot Lie
Presidents of the United States of America returns
Thirteen years ago, Seattle band The Presidents of the United States of America (PUSA)—known for the hits “Lump” and “Peaches”—was in Bend, and it wasn't alone. The band lit up the now-defunct Club 97 with a collaborative band featuring none other than rapper Sir Mix-A-Lot (best known for his 1992 hit, “Baby Got Back”). Apparently, […]
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Journey to the Orient
MarchFourth Marching Band fill unlikely role as U.S. ambassadors to China
Forget about Dennis Rodman’s goodwill tour of North Korea; that was nothing more than tabloid fodder. Portland’s giant marching band MarchFourth (M4) just returned to the states after completing a two-week U.S. State Department-sponsored exchange to improve relations with China. As unconventional as it may seem to have an American marching band playing at universities […]
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More Than a Name Change
Once Ascetic Junkies, now There Is No Mountain
Sometimes the second act is sweeter. That is what happened when Matt Harmon and Kali Giaritta—formerly of the Ascetic Junkies—struck out on their own to become There Is No Mountain. As great as The Ascetic Junkies' bluegrass whiskey stomp was—making them a Bend favorite for five years—the music of There Is No Mountain is even […]
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Portland bands that really need to return
A wishlist
Weinland It’s shocking that this Rose City vintage rock band has been away from Bend for years now. It's perfect for this town. Lead singer Adam Shearer is a beard-toting, city-fied mountain man. He fronts one of Portland’s most likeable bands and writes ’70s rock songs that blend acoustic and electric guitar with harmonies that […]
