The Austin, Texas band The Preservation is playing at The Horned Hand (507 N.W. Colorado Ave., Bend) tonight. 8 p.m. start time, and a $5 cover. Well worth it to see these folks make mighty fine music.
I actually saw them play at Silver Moon back in the summer of 2010, when I described them thusly:
(The Preservation sounds) like the Austin, Texas music scene come to life: a pinch of twang-pop, a dash of of rockabilly and swing, a smidgen of soul, and a healthy splash of margarita mix and festive chili pepper lights. Think the Beatles/Kinks/Velvet Underground, Wilco, The Derailers and Loretta Lynn’s “Portland, Oregon,” and you’re barking up the right taco stand.
That still stands, I think. But you can hear them for yourself on their Bandcamp site, where they’ve posted their most recent album “Two Sisters” for free streaming:
BONUS: Excellent local doom-folk band Rural Demons open!
After listening to a bunch of his stuff this morning, I’m thinking maybe I sold him a bit short, artistically. My bad.
But that’s not why we’re here. We’re here to talk about the local openers for tonight’s show: Mindscape and Doc & Wyatt.
For those unfamiliar, here’s a little local historical hip-hop math: Mindscape = Mike Fish of Central Oregon’s biggest and — I think it’s fair to say — best-ever rap collective, the now-defunct Person People. And Doc & Wyatt = KP and Mez of Person People. That’s 3/7ths of what I would consider the group’s classic lineup.
Anyway, all these guys are still making music well after Person People’s demise. Last summer, Mindscape released his third solo album, called “Rap/98.3,” which features his trademark loquacious-yet-level-headed flow over beats created from nothing but samples of classic rock songs. It’s a terrific listen:
Doc & Wyatt is a little harder to get an ear on. KP and Mez have made a bunch of tracks, and there is an EP that (at least half of) the duo considers unfinished, so it either hasn’t yet been released or never will be. But the songs are great, and they live in a set at Mez’s Soundcloud. You can hear ‘em here:
Fish lives in California now, and Mez lives in Utah, but these three guys have made some of the best rap music Bend has to offer. Tonight, the Domino Room doors will open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 9, so peel yourself off your couch/barstool and get there on time to support your local hip-hoppers.
For years, Franchot Tone was an integral behind-the-scenes player in Central Oregon’s music scene, working as a producer with popular local acts like Eric Tollefson and Hilst & Coffey, and as a producer/sideman for Reed Thomas Lawrence.
Then a couple years ago, Tone got the bug to make his own music for the first time. He started writing songs and training to become a better singer. He stepped to the front of the stage and started playing gigs under his own name. And he started piecing together his debut album.
Last year, Tone and his family moved to Los Angeles, but tonight, he’s back in town to celebrate the release of his first full-length album, “Thanks For This,” with a show a McMenamins Old St. Francis School. He’ll get started around 7 p.m., and it’s free to get in.
By phone this morning, Tone said moving back to California — where he knows lots of well-connected musicians and studio types — was a “catalyst” for finally finishing his record.
“It became abundantly clear that I had to have an album, and I’d just never made it,” he said. “So now I’m in this spot with all the best players in the world. I see ‘em daily, and I can just go over at any time to their studio and have ‘em do this track or that track or whatever.
This is almost certainly going to be a blast, folks. And the promoters are on Facebook right now saying it’s not sold out and they will have tickets at the door. FYI.
Harley Bourbon is, from left, Casey Cathcart, Collin Rhoton, John Forrest and Maxine Roach.
Local roots-rockers Harley Bourbon stopped by the office last week and dropped off a copy of their new album, “Old Empty Bottle.” Not one of those fancy-pants official versions with cover art and a track list and all that stuff … we’re talking the whole thing on one 40:43 minute track on a blank CD that says “Harley Bourbon” and “mastered” in black-marker chicken scratches.
I popped it into the computer, and laughed when this came up:
Apparently, according to the database that iTunes uses to identify CDs, “Linnea Bradley” also released one 40:43-long track at some point called “Smoking Cessation.” New Age, no less.
I went ahead and imported the CD. I’ll fix the info … eventually … maybe.
Anyway, this little bit of metadata confusion is especially funny because of Harley Bourbon frontman John Forrest’s voice, an gnarly cocktail of sandpaper and glass shards. Please note that I have no idea if Forrest has ever smoked a cigarette in his life. But he sounds like he has smoked them all.
Regardless, he’s blessed with the pipes for this kind of music; think Paul Westerberg, Shane MacGowan, Bobby Bare Jr. But the most obvious point of reference is Ben Nichols of Lucero. Like that guy, Forrest delivers perfectly and consistently coarse vocals without mangling his memorable melodies. And like Nichols, he’s backed by a mighty fine band. The other three Harley Bourbon-ites — bassist Casey Cathcart, drummer Maxine Roach and guitarist Collin Rhoton — are a well-oiled unit, adept at bashing out a mix of punk-folk, outlaw country, rockabilly and hardcore twang that’s catchy and well-crafted, but also hefty and rough around the edges.
Short version: “Old Empty Bottle” is packed top to bottom with strong songs and strong performances. It’s a heck of a listen. And if you get out and about tonight and end up at McMenamins, you can buy a copy from the band. They’re playing Father Luke’s Room at 9 p.m., and it’s $5 to get in. (Next door in the movie theater, a tribute to The Band called Across The Great Divide — including Gabe Johnson, Tyler Mason and an all-star lineup of other locals — will play at the same time with the same cover charge. Find more info on McMenamins’ party plans here.)
Here’s a taste of “Old Empty Bottle,” a song called “Won’t Be Lonely” … enjoy.
This is pretty late notice, but maybe you’re sitting there in your living room, feeling the itch to go out but not sure what to do.
Here’s a suggestion: Go to The Horned Hand (507 N.W. Colorado Ave., Bend) around 9 p.m. (it’s free) and check out Thumbprint Collective, local producer of electronic music for both your booty and your brain.
Head Thumbprinter Chris makes some of my favorite bleepy/bloopy music in town, primarily because his stuff is glitchy and beat-driven, but also mellow, subtly melodic and just enough left of center to keep things interesting. This isn’t the aggressive kind of electronic music you’ve been reading about in magazines and seeing in cereal commercials. This is the ideal soundtrack to a super-chilled evening of noddin’ heads and gettin’ fuzzy.
If you want a taste of what Thumbprint Collective does, you’re in luck. He just released a new album called “Listening Energy,” and you can stream it below or download it at his Bandcamp site. He’ll let you name your price; I suggest you name something more than $0. Support art and support artists, you know?
Local band The Rum and The Sea plays at Silver Moon tonight. I wrote a little blurb about them in Friday’s paper (look to the right, under “Highlights”), but when I saw the cool poster for their gig, I had to add it to our archive. The art is by Dale Jamison, who, according to the band, does lots of drawings for local roller derby teams.
Fans of the loud and the heavy should probably get down to The Horned Hand tonight for two Portland bands with local connections: The Autonomics and Black Pussy. The former plays blues-punk with spittle-flying urgency, and the latter is a sludgy, swaggering stoner-rock band. Both are excellent. Read more about them here, and find details for the show on the poster below.
Tonight at Liquid Lounge, the Northwest Best concert series bathes itself in string-band jams with Fruition and Dead Winter Carpenters. The show gets started around 8:30 p.m. (or a bit after), and ticket details are on the sweet, seasonally appropriate poster below.
There has been much afoot recently in the local arts/music community with regard to the City of Bend’s new noise ordinance and the effect it has had on the town’s music scene and venues. I wish I’d been covering the situation more diligently, but a certain 13-day-old baby has been getting most of my attention in the past few weeks.
Anyway, the two groups are holding a meeting tonight at 6 at The Horned Hand, 507 N.W. Colorado Ave., in Bend. Here’s what the Facebook event page for the meeting says:
This will be a informational meeting for all interested in the new Noise Ordinance, how it is being interpreted/enforced and proposed changes. All are welcome to attend. Please share this with any musicians/artists/ or concerned patrons of the arts. We will also be discussing the newly formed Central Oregon Music and Arts Coalition.
Again, that’s 6 p.m. at The Horned Hand. Just two hours away. Sorry for the late notice; I’m catching up, too.
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