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 […]
Section Feature
Posted inMusic
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 […]
Posted inMusic
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 […]
Posted inOutside
Righty-O, Old Sport!
Pop your collar and mingle outside with the bourgeoisie
Tennis Surprisingly, the least cost-prohibitive preppy sport is tennis. Yes, so middle-class. But really, Andre Agassi dreams can start with minimal cash outlay: a pair of running shoes, three tennis balls (which cost less than a downtown martini), and a $19.95 tennis racquet from Fred Meyer-or, better, shop locally at The Racquet Shoppe (542 NW […]
Posted inCulture
Apocalyp-dicks
This Is the End Provides rapturous laughs
There are many good laughs to be had in This Is the End—perhaps the first apocalypse movie centering around a Hollywood brat pack—but the best moment comes when pop star Rihanna slaps the ever-loving shit out of Arrested Development's Michael Cera. It is a slap for the ages, and so very, very gratifying. It's worth […]
Posted inMusic
No Bullies Allowed
Portland singer Sallie Ford lays down the law about gender roles
One kick to the groin, two faces smacked by serving trays, four jabs to the jaw, four beer bottles smashed over heads, an elbow to the chest and, for good measure, a punch to the gut; that’s how singer Sallie Ford handles a group of rowdy bullies in the video for “Party Kids” off her […]
Posted inMusic
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 […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Little Bites: No Fear
Fearless Baking bravely goes to the delicious zone
These days, to be competitive, eateries west of the Rocky Mountains need to appear sensitive to the yawning litany of emerging food allergies and diet preferences. Made-from-scratch foods using local ingredients doesn’t cut it anymore—for the hyper-demanding, über-conscious customers of the American West, a bakery must cater to the picky/sickly/dieting/impossibly fit patrons who require gluten-free, […]
Posted inNews
Floating Toward a Solution
Steering committee closes in on a Mirror Pond solution
The long wait is over. Last week, the Mirror Pond Steering Committee rolled out seven potential solutions—much-anticipated visual representations of what could be done in regard to the silt-laden stretch of the Deschutes River as it runs past downtown Bend—and asked for public input. But don’t break out the champagne just yet. A recent meeting […]
Posted inNews
The Good, The Bad, and The Noisy
The Horned Hand shuts off the PA
A home for wayward taxidermy, that’s how owner Callie Young describes the décor of The Horned Hand, a music venue/bar/vintage shop/art gallery nestled on a dirt portion of Lava Street a stone’s throw from downtown Bend. She and husband Wesley Ladd have built a reputation on the Horned Hand’s alternative decoration—walls covered in dead animals […]
