With the turn of the calendar to a new year, it’s an excellent time to look ahead and some of the live-music highlights on the calendar for Central Oregon over the next few months.

As usual, there’s a little something here for … OK, not everyone, but most people. Also, please note that these are just some selected highlights of what’s coming up. You can find many more events and more information in The Bulletin’s event calendar and on individual venue websites. To save space, we won’t list them all here; if you need direction, let Google be your guide!

January tunes

Each January, the local music scene takes a week or two to come out of the holiday deep freeze. The second half of the month looks hot at Bend’s Volcanic Theatre Pub, which will host Portland heavies Hippie Death Cult (Jan. 13), popular bluegrassers Yonder Mountain String Band (Jan. 14), dance-rock band Papadosio (Jan. 21) and alt-rockers Slothrust (Jan. 23).

Elsewhere, The Belfry in Sisters has a big month planned with singer-songwriter May Erlewine and bluegrass rippers The Henhouse Prowlers visiting on back-to-back nights, plus an incredible double-bill — soulful folk singers Sunny War and Chris Pierce — set for Jan. 19. That show in that space, friends, is a can’t miss.

Other highlights: Blues star Ana Popovic plays the Tower Theatre on Jan. 16. Portland-based Jeffrey Silverstein will bring his far-out country sounds to The Suttle Lodge near Sisters on Jan. 18. Americana band The Sweet Lillies visit Silver Moon Brewing on Jan. 19. Jam-band giants moe. hit Midtown Ballroom Jan. 25.

Leap into February

The year’s shortest month — one day longer than usual in 2024! — brings a bunch of touring acts to the multi-faceted Greenwood Avenue venue Silver Moon Brewing, including Texas bedroom-pop artist San Gabriel (Feb. 2), Boise country-rockers Tylor & The Train Robbers (Feb. 10), beach-pop bro DENM (Feb. 23), N’awlins funk ‘n’ soul band The Deslondes (Feb. 27) and rootsy NorCal act The Coffis Brothers (Feb. 28).

Elsewhere, the annual Jazz at the Oxford concert series will continue Feb. 9-10 at the Oxford Hotel in downtown Bend, where soul singer and virtuosic pianist Jarrod Lawson will light up an intimate room. That should be a very cool experience. Also, in case you hadn’t already seen: AC/DC cover band Hell’s Belles and “Right Thurr” rapper Chingy will headline Bend WinterFest Feb. 16-18 in the Old Mill District.

Other highlights: Bend’s Midtown Ballroom hosts jammy faves Lotus (Feb. 2), Dark Star Orchestra (Feb. 7) and Kitchen Dwellers (Feb. 23). Electronic musician Champagne Drip comes home for a Feb. 9 show at Volcanic Theatre Pub, which will also host “disco-delic” trio Say She She on Feb. 4 and celebrated Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré on Feb. 20. Last but not least, Sisters Folk Festival hero Steve Poltz hits The Belfry Feb. 9.

Marching on

Calendars for March are still filling in, but there are already some shows worth circling in red on the books. If you’re a fan of acoustic music and world-class guitar pickers, one of those is definitely Aussie six-string savant Tommy Emmanuel’s March 2 date at the Tower Theatre, where the opening act is the terrific duo of Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley.

Bluesman Tommy Castro returns to The Belfry March 1. Pop-rock star Grace Potter plays Midtown Ballroom March 4. Heavy mariachi band Metalachi visits Silver Moon March 19. And Volcanic Theatre is busy, busy, busy, with touring acts coming through including Coco Montoya, Toubab Krewe, Big Something, That 1 Guy, Snotty Nose Rez Kids and Lindsay Lou. Whew!