Frequency blog: Music news and reviews from Bend and Central Oregon, by Ben Salmon | The Bulletin

As I’ve said a few times already, the Bend Roots Revival is a special, special thing, a grassroots celebration of local arts that has grown organically over four years from simple get-together to one of the very best events in an event-heavy town. (Read my extensive recap of the 2009 festival here.)

So last September, it was no surprise — very nice, but no surprise — to see that the Bend Roots Revival had pretty obviously outgrown its home for the past four years, Parrilla Grill and The Victorian Cafe, and their respective parking lots. Especially on Friday and Saturday evenings, the venues were thick with people, and throughout the weekend, crowds spilled out into the busy roundabout at 14th Street and Galveston Avenue, creating what was, at best, a nervous situation for organizers. When too many people show up to your event and force you to look elsewhere to accommodate them, that’s a good problem to have.

But it’s still a problem, and Bend Roots founder Mark Ransom may have found a solution at the old Brightwood mill at the corner of Southwest 14th Street and Commerce Avenue in Bend.

Last night, I stopped by there to take a little tour of the property with Ransom, representatives from the Bend Police department and Bend’s community radio station, KPOV, and a couple other interested parties, including Dave Hill, who has owned the 9-acre property since 1986, according to this article in The Bulletin.

Hill is in the process of redeveloping the old mill, with the West Bend Tennis Center already in place, a U.S. Bank branch planned for construction, and retail tenants on the way. There’s a cluster of warehouse-sized buildings to the northeast of the Cascade West bar where Hall has done some major cleaning and renovation, creating a very nice courtyard area surrounded on all sides by buildings and bay doors.

The former Brightwood mill and possible future home of the Bend Roots Revival.

In the photo above, take note of the backward “L” shape among the buildings. That’s Bend Roots’ new home, if Ransom’s vision becomes a reality. A main stage would be located at the top of the “L,” against Commerce Avenue, and a second stage would be at the west end of the “L,” adjacent to the building that fronts Century Drive. The festival’s workshops — hand drumming, didgeridoo, navigating the music business, etc. — and maybe the late-night DJ parties would be held in rooms along the bottom of the “L.”

Everyone at last night’s meeting seemed to be on board with the idea, and Ransom said the biggest obstacle at this point is money. In a tough economy, sponsorships that supported Bend Roots in previous year aren’t yet signed, sealed and delivered. And while the festival is free and open to the public, Ransom insists on paying the artists a nominal fee for their appearances. “More than anything, it’s a small thank you to the artists,” he said.

If you’d like to contribute to the cause, contact Ransom at 541-390-2940. And stay tuned to Frequency for further developments on the festival’s possible relocation.