Downhill Ryder: ‘the big one’

Self-released

First, the bad news: After more than two decades in Bend, singer-songwriter and Downhill Ryder frontwoman Kim Kelley is moving to Durango, Colorado.

The good news: She and Downhill Ryder have some new tunes to share with Central Oregon first. The rootsy five-piece’s sophomore album “The Big One” follows its 2014 debut and showcases the evolution of the last three years. The keyboards are out (though former keyboardist Chad Peterson has a songwriting credit on the title track), giving these seven tracks a much more wide-open, hard-hitting feel, as heard in the band’s shows the last few years.

Kelley is the sole songwriter on album-opening “Dangerous Place” and the bluesy stomper “Nothin’ Means Somethin’,” but most of these songs are collaborations. The wide array of styles on display — the title track’s upbeat pop/rock, the laid-back groove of “Going Under” (with one of several killer bass lines from John Allen), the slow deliberation of album closer “One-Two Punch” — creates a sound at once familiar and fresh.

The six-plus minute “Cycle of Life” is the album’s centerpiece. The full-band composition plays as such, seamlessly integrating Kelley and percussionist Lynda Beauchamp’s harmonies with an extended jam led by guitarist Matthew Finfer.

The band plays an album release show at McMenamins Old St. Francis School on May 24. It’s far from the end of Downhill Ryder, though: The band plans to reveal Kelley’s replacement that night.

Downhill Ryder CD release party: 7 p.m. May 24; free; McMenamins Old St. Francis School, 700 NW Bond St., Bend; mcmenamins.com or 541-382-5174.

wayward soul: ‘wayward soul’

Cypress Studios Records

Reminder: Six-piece country-rock group Wayward Soul, the last band standing from 2015’s Make-A-Band competition, releases its self-titled debut album at Volcanic Theatre Pub on Friday. The 11 songs mix country, classic rock, reggae and jazz into a sound that’s tailor-made for the Bend area, with highlights including the almost progressive “We Used To” and the harmony-laden “Burn it Down.” While every member pulls their weight, the band has an honest-to-goodness, diamond-in-rough star in 16-year-old vocalist Grace Cooper, whose powerful voice lights up every track.

Wayward Soul CD release party, with Bad Dirt: 9 p.m. Friday; $8 plus fees in advance, $10 at the door; Volcanic Theatre Pub, 70 SW Century Drive, Bend; volcanictheatrepub.com or 541-323-1881.

— Brian McElhiney, The Bulletin