The McMenamins chain’s Great Northwest Music Tour has brought a bunch of great bands to Bend over the years, including Bombadil, Langhorne Slim, The Everybodyfields and the Avett Brothers. (Now that the Avetts are big stars playing big theaters, can I just say how much I regret skipping their free show inside Old St. Francis School’s tiny Father Luke’s Room only 18 months ago? Because I do.)
Add two more to the roster: Fast-rising alt-country(ish) acts Deer Tick and Samantha Crain & The Midnight Shivers are set to play our local McMenamins branch in September and October, respectively.
Deer Tick, in particular, seems to be a band on the verge of breaking out. Once a one-man band, the now-quartet is led by John Joseph McCauley III, a man who writes rustic folk tunes, cranks ‘em up and turns ‘em into rock songs, and sings through what Rolling Stone magazine calls a “warm Lucky Strike croak.” Also, one of the world’s most recognizable newsmen digs ‘em. (If you can’t see the video below, watch it here.)
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BriTunes! I totally get it.
Samantha Crain’s making a name for herself, too. The Oklahoma singer-songwriter is the latest find for the terrific North Carolina label Ramseur Records, and her band plays well-executed roots music. But it’s Crain’s vocals that get the most notice; strong, deep, and perfectly quivering, her voice is the kind of voice that can, on its own, catapult an artist into stardom. (See Case, Neko.)
Both acts have new albums out, both are touring a bunch this summer, and both have a significant publicity push right now. Deer Tick’s here on Sept. 23, and Crain on Oct. 7. It’ll be interesting to see whether either (or both) are a considerably bigger deal when they play Bend then they are today.
RT @frequencyblog: Cool bands coming to McMenamins http://bit.ly/CboM6 #music #inbend
Crain opened for the Avett’s when I saw them and she was fantastic.