Updates on the live-music schedule at The Horned Hand (507 N.W. Colorado Ave., Bend) have been coming in more frequently recently, and they are glorious.
The lineup is getting longer and longer, giving me hope that the venue/bar/art space/mead hall/cool-kid hangout will stick around for a while after some scary quotes about an uncertain future around the first of the year. Fingers crossed.
Here’s what’s happening over there this week:
• Tonight brings the return of Seattle indie rock band The Horde & The Harem, a quintet of gents and a lady whose music recalls the fervent clatter of Arcade Fire (but less apocalyptic, more life-affirming) and whose vocals sound like five happy hearts bursting from their chests in perfect harmony. Their ragged, twangy side will pair nicely with the other band on the bill, the partially local alt-country band The Beautiful Train Wrecks. 8 p.m. $5.
• On Saturday, the bar will host one of its most Bend-popular bands in recent memory, the Portland-based junk-blues band Hillstomp. The duo comprises Henry Kammerer on scorching slide guitar and John Johnson bashing around on a drum kit of buckets, cans, duct tape and the like. Their blend of Mississippi Delta trance-blues and Portland basement-punk rage is a blast to watch and hear. Just get there early. They’ve played bigger rooms than this in Bend. Mike Brown opens. 8 p.m. $10, plus fees in advance at www.bendticket.com.
• The Hand’s new Tuesday night open mic is a permanent thing, with occasional out-of-town artists sitting in as special guests. Next week, that guest is Kate Brown, an upbeat folk singer from Eugene whose music sounds a bit like Ani DiFranco. Pick along with her, maybe? 8 p.m. Free.
• Classic country. If you love it, you’ll love Johnny Outlaw and the Johnson Creek Stranglers, who’ll roll into town Wednesday night. Their Reverbnation profile says it all: “Sounds like: Dale Watson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, David (Allan) Coe, Merle Haggard." Song titles include “Nashville" and “Honky Tonker" and “Hank III 4 President." What else do you need to know? This is real country music with a mean streak. 8 p.m. $5.
The best ways to keep up with The Horned Hand’s doings are at www.facebook.com/thehorned hand and www.reverbnation.com/ venue/thehornedhand.
