Saturday, July 2, 6:30pm - $34
Ween, the genre-crossing group hailing from New Hope, Penn., is known to have a substantial cult following. And perhaps nowhere is that more prevalent than here in Bend, where Ween’s 2009 appearance at the Les Schwab Ampitheater saw thousands of Bend fans rocking out to Ween’s catchy, experimental rock sounds, tongue-in-cheek lyrics and sometimes ridiculous antics.
Formed in 1984 by Aaron Freeman (Gene Ween) and Mickey Melchiondo (Dean Ween), then 14-year-olds trying to survive 8th grade, Ween gained popularity in the early ‘90s during the alternative rock explosion, signing with Elektra and releasing their most popular record to date, Pure Guava. The group has since released an unbelievable 17 albums in their 27-year existence, the latest, At the Cat’s Cradle, 1992, is a re-recording of a live set in – you guessed it – 1992.
Saturday, July 9, 6:30pm - $62/reserved, $39/gemeral admission
Krauss, originally from Decatur, Ill., began her career a bluegrass wunderkind, signing with Rounder Records at the age of 14. Krauss’s silky smooth voice and effortless fiddle playing has garnered her millions of loyal followers and her fresh-faced, Claire Danes-esque looks don’t hurt her substantial male fan base, either.
With 14 (and sometimes more) members and a penchant for singing in as many as 12 languages during any given show, Portland’s Pink Martini isn’t shy on ambition.
The “little-orchestra,” as the band sometimes dubs itself, is led by a pair of Harvard-educated musical aficionados – pianist and bandleader Thomas Lauderdale and vocalist China Forbes— both of whom have made a life’s work of studying the history of all the world’s music. The band was formed by Lauderdale in 1994 when he gathered musicians to play with him at political functions – something Pink Martini continues to do to this day.
Pink Martini drastically shifts genres and cultural influences throughout its records as well as onstage, going from Russian-language tunes to contemporary, American-style songs in no time flat. The band’s debut album, Sympathique, was a surprise hit and since its 2004 release has sold more than 1.3 million copies worldwide. Touring the globe and the U.S. extensively, the band has formed a wide-reaching audience with it’s distinctively worldly sound. Although clearly worldly in its influences, Lauderdale told the Source Weekly that the band is actually quite American, in a way.
“Part of the mission of the band is to reclaim the larger, more diverse, real America. I consider this to be a very American project in a way; it’s a reclaiming of what it means to be American,” said Lauderdale. “It’s our celebration of a country that’s very diverse, with people of every religion and language. It’s a more accurate depiction of Modern America.”
More recently, the band released Splendor in the Grass, another collection of multi-genre, multicultural and multilanguage songs that are sung in five different languages. Pink Martini also showed its endless creativity and flexibility when it released its first holiday album, Joy to the World, which in true Pink Martini style, featured holiday songs from around the world.
In searching for influences, Lauderdale and company scan antique shops and vintage record stores, scouring the record bins for lost sounds. Whether it’s the glamour of a 1940s Hollywood glam piece or a big-band-tinged swing number, Pink Martini has a penchant for reviving lost sounds while adding their own uniquely modern twist.
“I really like the old-fashioned songwriting of the 30s, 40s, 50s and early 60s. They’re beautiful. They’ve got beautiful melodies and these great lyrics,” Lauderdale told the Source Weekly.
This little orchestra is no stranger to the Les Schwab Amphitheater, having played several shows at venue, including appearances in 2007 and 2009. When Pink Martini played most recently, they were joined by the Oregon 234th Army Band to play a custom-built show of Oregon-inspired. This time around, the band will be on their own, but with a small army of their own up on stage, Pink Martini will be able to make plenty of sound.
At least once each summer, the Les Schwab Amphitheater plays host to a big name in the country music world. In past years it’s been Brooks & Dunn or Willie Nelson, but this time around, the venue is bringing to town one of the genre’s most celebrated young artists in Dierks Bentley, an energetic singer-songwriter who brings a modern rock-and-roll edge to his country tunes.
A native of Phoenix, Bentley eventually moved to Nashville, like so many other artists before him, to pursue a music career. But it wasn’t until 2003 that he got his big break when his self-titled debut record launched his popularity, landing him plenty of festival appearances and award nominations. Most of that acclaim came from the hook-laden single, “What Was I Thinkin’.” In fact, that debut album helped him win prizes at the CMT Music Awards, Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association Awards. He followed that album up with an even stronger effort, Modern Day Drifter, in 2005. That record, featuring some throwback country influences – including a track with the Del McCoury Band providing the backing – coupled with Bentley’s crooning voice, won him further acclaim and cemented the artist near the top of the country music hierarchy.