“Mercy Me,” by KENZI

Well, it’s certainly been a year. It doesn’t seem likely anyone’s going to miss 2020 that much (is elaboration really necessary?). But for local music fans, there was some good that came out of it all. Central Oregon artists have cranked out new albums, EPs and singles faster than GO! Magazine could keep track of them (though this reporter made a valiant effort). In that spirit, here’s the final review roundup of 2020. Here’s to a better 2021 (please, please, please).

“9 Meals From Anarchy,” The Old Revival (self-released)

The Old Revival’s sophomore album, “9 Meals From Anarchy,” captures a band coming into its own. Guitarist, singer and songwriter Brandon Prinzing launched the band in 2018 as a vehicle for his songs, hence the original name: Brandon Prinzing and The Old Revival. Debut album “Hear This” was recorded by Prinzing with Underoath drummer and The Almost leader Aaron Gillespie, seemingly reinforcing the solo-artist-with-a-band approach.

But that was never the plan, as “9 Meals From Anarchy” proves. The album is the group’s first collective work, and it shows in just about every aspect. While “Hear This” was no slouch by any stretch of the imagination, Prinzing’s songs benefit from the energy his now five-piece band brings to the recordings. This results in a huge, layered sound that rewards introspective headphone listening but begs to be cranked on the biggest speakers you can find.

The refined sound also brings the band closer to Prinzing’s original concept behind the Old Revival moniker: a return to meat-and-potatoes rock ’n’ roll. Much of it is thanks to the band’s newest members, lead guitarist/producer Ian Cook and keyboardist/horn player Andrew Carew, both of Larry and His Flask. Cook and Carew weave effortless harmonies through the tracks, imbuing songs such as the charging “Beggar’s Dime” and “One For Running” with Thin Lizzy-esque leads and dizzying, three-part vocal harmonies.

Bassist Jesse Martinez and drummer Gus Hulstein anchor everything with muscular rhythms, especially shining on “Alleyway” and the pseudo-metallic riffs of “Brittle Bone.” That leaves Prinzing, who seems inspired by his bandmates to deliver some of the best songs he’s written, with the title track, “When This Thing Ends” and closer “Purgatory Row” standing out.

The album takes inspiration (and its title) from a quote by American journalist Alfred Henry Lewis, who stated that there are “nine meals between mankind and anarchy.” Given everything 2020 has thrown at us, it seems more than appropriate.

“Stories, Tales, Truth,” Doc Ryan (self-released)

The third full-length release from Michael “Doc” Ryan is a Sisters family affair, featuring contributions from longtime local musicians such as Shireen Amini, Bob Beach and Dennis McGregor and frequent visitors to the city, including David Jacobs-Strain and Beth Wood. Ryan originally intended for his long-running band, The Wychus Creek Band, to perform on the album, but the group had to step aside due to health issues with bassist Joe Leonardi. Undeterred, Ryan formed The Dirt Trio, and was inspired to record at The Belfry with Grange Recorders owner Keith Banning after playing a live stream from the venue in June.

The heart of the record remains Ryan’s plaintive songwriting, which runs the gamut from humorous to deeply moving. The Texas-born orthopedic surgeon and longtime Bendite is in a contemplative mood throughout much of “Stories, Tales, Truth.” Opening track “For What You Are Not” is a mature love song that celebrates a more settled kind of romance, with a soaring chorus that kicks off with the line, “How can I write about falling hard when it’s been so long?” Elsewhere, Ryan laments growing apart from his son on “Rectify Me” and nurses regret and loss on the mournful “They Were For You.”

It’s not all somber, however. There are laugh-out-loud moments in the rowdy “Viva Terlingua” and the live bonus track, “Riverside,” in which Ryan sings about playing the banjo in his underwear (to a nifty banjo hook, naturally). Songs such as “Eat at Joe’s” and the heavy slide blues of “Love Coma” further help balance out the more serious moments.

As mentioned above, Ryan assembled a who’s who of players to help bring these songs to life. Ryan and Jacobs-Strain’s muscular acoustic guitar playing sets the template for many of these songs, locking in with the percussion to create sinewy, hypnotic rhythms. There’s no full rock drum kit on any of these songs, but even on rockers such as “My Business” or the aforementioned “Love Coma,” it’s not missed.

The online version of the album concludes with a faithful cover of the traditional song “Sinnerman,” as performed by Nina Simone. The old spiritual suits Ryan, and seems fitting given everything the last year has thrown at us.

“2020” (single), Dan Larsson (Self-released)

The boys in Bend’s long-running Beatles band, JuJu Eyeball, go punk on “2020,” a fitting send-off to a not-so-great year. A solo release from JuJu’s bassist and co-founder, Dan Larsson, the track features Larsson on bass and vocals, JuJu co-founder Paul Eddy on drums and Kye Kennedy (another JuJu member) on guitar.

A sample of Franklin Roosevelt’s famous “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself” quote gives way to a fittingly angry riff, as Larsson tackles COVID-19, protests against systemic racism (Larsson, a longtime immigration lawyer, can certainly comment on that), the division between right and left and everything else that made 2020 great. The chorus culminates with Larsson’s indictment: “2020, you’re a giant cluster,” with a choir of Beatlesque “na-na-na’s” drowning out the expected swear.

“Mercy Me” and “On Your Own Time” (singles), KENZI (self-released)

Even during a pandemic, Bend continues to attract creative types. Singer-songwriter and producer KENZI, the musical pen name of Spencer Mackenzie Brown, is one of the latest additions to Central Oregon’s vibrant music scene. Originally from Kansas, KENZI traveled to California and Hawaii before moving to Oregon in 2016. He’s been a Bend resident for about seven months now.

He produced and performed his latest singles, “Mercy Me” and “On Your Own Time,” solo at his Bend home studio. Both released earlier this month, and showcase KENZI’s fluid production skills and crooning vocals (his voice bears a passing resemblance to Iron and Wine’s Sam Beam). “Mercy Me” leans more toward indie rock with an R&B edge, with the title becoming a mantra to close out the track. “On Your Own Time” delivers slow-burning bedroom soul, with KENZI again showcasing his pipes over a meticulously crafted beat.

KENZI has more singles streaming on his Spotify page.