A screen capture of former Bulletin music writer Brian McElhiney’s new music blog, Mr. B’s Ballroom.

Visit Mr. B’s Ballroom virtually — “Mr. B’s Ballroom” is no longer just a DEVO song, if it’s permissible to write the words “just a DEVO song” in any context. It’s also the new blog from music writer Brian McElhiney, who during his almost-five years in Bend made a name for himself as one of Central Oregon’s premier music writers and live music boosters, right in the pages of GO!

McElhiney was among Bulletin and other EO Media staffers laid off (we miss you, Brian!) amid survival belt-tightening measures last month, and things just haven’t been the same around our home offices without McElhiney’s trenchant observations, acid wit and charming irascibility.

Rather than go rusty, McElhiney did what he does best, sat down and worked. He has a few projects in the offing: “The Wounding Tooth” is his webcomic/graphic novel about the adventures of dinosaurs in space (thewoundingtooth.thecomicseries.com). Along with self-professed film geek Alec Kerr, he started a new podcast, “Two Broke Nerds,” in which the two candidly dish on topics related to their geeky pursuits (anchor.fm/alec-kerr). In the few weeks they’ve been conversing for all to hear, Kerr and McElhiney have covered the tragic loss of prolific power-pop songwriting great Adam Schlesinger from COVID-19 (“his work was not done”), the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and other matters of pop-culture import.

Perhaps of most interest to McElhiney’s longtime readers of his music writing here, he launched a new music blog, Mr. B’s Ballroom, in which he talks to and writes about just the sorts of musicians he covered in GO! Mag, from previewing streaming live concerts to an interview with local singer-songwriter and Latin/funk devotee Shireen Amini (mrbballroom.blogspot.com).

Head to the sites mentioned above, or give

McElhiney a follow at facebook.com/brianmcelhiney, where he also shares updates on these projects.