The Hill Dogs visit Cabin 22
Published 2:44 pm Thursday, June 4, 2015
Bend’s beloved Pole Pedal Paddle race is on Saturday, and a bunch of folks will ski, bike, boat and run from Mt. Bachelor to Bend’s Old Mill District.
I don’t know what kind of distances are associated with each of those race legs. I suspect you can find that info elsewhere in today’s newspaper.
I can tell you, however, that it is about 1 mile from the PPP finish line at Les Schwab Amphitheater to Cabin 22 on Southwest Century Drive, where The Hill Dogs will be playing a post-PPP celebration Saturday night.
One mile. That’s a pretty short distance to travel between the thrill of competition and the afterparty. You should find a way to cover that ground and check out this Newberg band. They’re good!
The Hill Dogs have been around for a few years, playing shows and recording tunes. They’ve got two full-length albums under their belt — 2013’s “Ghosts of Champoeg” and this year’s “Hang in There” — and when you listen to ’em, you’ll hear a likable blend of folk, pop and rock that reminds me of the Philadelphia band Dr. Dog, but with a little more twang and a little less pure pop sunshine. Frontman Taylor Kingman belongs in the same Scruffy Emotive Voice Club as Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst and The Felice Brothers. Kayla Stoik’s violin adds a nice bit of elegant texture to the mix.
This is psychedelic roots-pop-rock, then. On the band’s Reverb Nation, it cites Polecat and Fruition as similar acts, which should bode well for The Hill Dogs’ connection with Bend, since those two bands do really well here.
Hear The Hill Dogs at www.hilldogs.bandcamp.com.
The Hill Dogs; 9 p.m. Saturday; free; Cabin 22, 25 SW Century Drive, Bend; www.p44p.biz or 541-306-3322.