The old band went the way of the steam engine.  A solid, powerful design, but the gasoline engine won out. Given the right conditions, maybe we could have been something great.  We all had other callings to answer, and so our opportunity to make music is lost, perhaps for good. But not to worry.  Even [...]

[link="http://www.localsguide.com/music/album/id_85/"]Listen to Living Roots NOW![/link] “Irie,” Olivei said more than once, much like one might use punctuation or grunts of approval.  I make no secret of my love for Rastafarian lingo, with all of its colorful and mish-mash turns of phrase.  Despite hearing the word on dozens of reggae records, it wasn’t until I met [...]

Just a few spicy bits to share… The Vinyl Club in Ashland will hold an open mic every Tuesday from 9 PM to Midnight, starting tomorrow night!  For information or sign up, call Zack at (541) 646-6381. I got an email from [link="http://www.livingrootsband.com/"]The Living Roots[/link], a funky little raggae band from Ashland.  They’re holding a [...]

I recently sat down with Matt Fawcett, a practicing lawyer in Medford, to record seven original songs.  Matt was the first to take part in my [link="http://www.localsguide.com/blog/view/id_799/title_free-demo-recording%2521%2521/ "]community recording project,[/link] and he set the bar pretty high.  Playing several unique, beautiful guitars and a mandolin, Matt performed these songs in a single sitting, and with [...]

This is very simple, I hope, and it seems to be catching on: I will bring my to your rehearsal space, record a handful of tracks, take a few pictures, and hang out. A few days later, I’ll hand you a shiny, new demo. You provide only and that’s it. No money involved. Optionally, you [...]

   

From Left:  Nick and Brandon, hosts of KSKQ’s Fungle Junk, chatting off the air.  All photos by rockstardave.  I dropped by KSKQ studios in Ashland tonight to hang out with Brandon and Nick, hosts of the music/talk program, Fungle Junk.  I’ve been on the radio a couple times before, but I’ve never been interviewed [...]

From Ashland: The Oxygen Collective’s biodiesel bus.  Photo from www.02collective.org.  Staying out of debt on tour is about the choices and sacrifices a band makes.  Everyone chooses to take time away from day jobs and significant others in search of uncertain rewards.  They sleep on the bus instead of a hotel.  They eat whatever [...]

   

 Teachers Syd Smith (at center left on guitar) and Crystal Reeves (at center right on violin) step up to play a song.  I discovered the Be-In-a-Band Workshop while browsing local events on the Internet. The premise of the class seemed straightforward enough: learn to play music with other people over six two-hour sessions, culminating in a final public performance.   Musical collaborations often lead to wholly unexpected feelings and relationships, to say the [...]

Turned Up Missing @ Band Practice. March 15, 2008.     Today, I stopped by Turned Up Missing’s rehearsal space on the outskirts of Ashland, and my ears are still ringing.  I met Chase, Ben, Rafe, Andy, and Luke, and they were kind enough to share a few songs with me, including some brand-spankin’ new tunes.  [...]

  Analog Kabin @ Alex’s.  March 13, 2008   My roommates and I were supposed to see Chesterfield @ Johnny B’s in Medford last night, but the drums weren’t even set up at 9:30 PM.  Admittedly, it was my first time at JB’s—I’m going well after 10 PM next time.  Meghan noticed a crowd at [...]

Don’t sit inside all weekend!   Go see live music!   I’ll be at Chesterfield @ Johnny B’s tonight.   Here’s a few extra suggestions:              

Kim Boekbinder tap dancing with a marionette.  Vermillion Lies @ The Black Sheep.  March 5, 2008. If you don’t feel like reading this long review, just read the next sentence. Vermillion Lies is a lot of fun for first graders, college kids, and your parents, though it’s not exactly “family” entertainment. The Boekbinder sisters describe [...]

Midnite @ Ashland Armory, February 29, 2008.    I expect certain things from a reggae show.  Real Rastafarians, colorful crowds, and the ever present “fog machine.”  By my standards, Friday night was on point. Kinky reggae now: Midnite and Prezident Brown rippin’ one at the Ashland Armory.  From the islands of St. Croix and Jamaica, respectively, [...]

Mury @ Diversions.  February 23, 2008.       I usually wont go to a show and gush about the promoters, but the Officers of The Ashland Avengers are truly special.    The Avengers are a group of mostly eighteen-year-old Southern Oregon University students.  Numbering roughly a dozen Officers, the Avengers decided Ashland needed more live music. They [...]