Homegrown Music Festival is evolving again — in a good way.

For a couple of years, it was a one-day cannabis-and-music event at Bunk & Brew in Bend, organized and operated by a local group called the High Desert Music Collective. Then in 2023, with help from a Bend Cultural Tourism Fund, it expanded to two days. And last year, it expanded again to three days, with six stages spread across four venues in town.

Under new management

Call Down Thunder plays Saturday at Domino Room during Homegrown. (Submitted photo)This year, Homegrown moves out from under the umbrella of the High Desert Music Collective and becomes its own entity, with local musician, booker and event producer Scottie McClelland taking over management of the event.

“I truly want to focus on this event and work on growing the momentum of Homegrown,” said McClelland, who plays in Billy and the Box Kid and the Spencer Marlyn Band. “Obviously, this is a festival that highlights Bend’s local music scene, but this year we involved some out-of-town bands (with) the idea that going forward, we’re going to bring in even bigger acts while still having a mostly local lineup.”

Expanding to region

The ultimate goal, he said, is to attract not only local fans of local music, but also to bring in visitors to Central Oregon who will support the local economy — and maybe even leave with a favorite new band from Bend. At the same time, booking out-of-town artists alongside local artists will provide networking opportunities among musicians from different areas. And with new fans and new band contacts in other towns, Central Oregon artists should find it easier to take on the daunting task of going on tour outside the region.

“If I’m in a band in Bend and I can make a connection with a band in Portland, then maybe I’ll come play a show with you over there and you can come play a show with my band over here,” McClelland said. “Strengthening the reach and the networks of our local artists is a big part of the Homegrown mission.”

Over the past couple of years, McClelland has taken over booking for the annual Bend Roots Revival, which happens each fall. Bend Roots is free and its schedule includes dozens of acts, from the most popular local bands to hobbyists to teens who are just getting started playing music together.

Working on that beloved event helped McClelland envision the possibilities for Homegrown, including selling tickets which, in turn, allows him to book the local acts that can draw a paying audience.

“Roots is awesome, it’s just a different deal,” he said. “It’s a very community focused event and a lot of people volunteer to make it happen. But at the end of the day, it takes a lot of time and effort to put on an event like this, so you have to make sure you’re investing in bands that are going to promote it and that can sell tickets.”

The 2025 version of Homegrown will get started with a kickoff party on Thursday, April 17, at Volcanic Theatre Pub, featuring local rockers CPTN Over and Amargoso.

Then, the bulk of the festival will happen April 18-20, when music will run throughout the day on three stages at Silver Moon Brewing, including sets by Portland’s Bodhi Mojo, Northern California’s Blü Egyptian and local faves such as Gbot & The Journeymen, Chiggi Momo, The Color Study, Leadbetter Band, Mari & The Dream, Helga, Rubbah Tree, The Hasbens and Oregon Fryer, among others.

On April 18 and 19, the festival will shift across Greenwood Avenue to the Domino Room for late-night shows. Friday night’s lineup at the Domino Room will feature Left On Tenth and Skillethead, while Saturday’s will be a “Trance Into Dead” dance party with Tyler Spencer, Spencer Marlyn Band and festival headliner Bend’s own Call Down Thunder.

Grow the scene

A $50 three-day festival pass will get you into all the shows at Silver Moon, as well as the two shows at the Domino Room. You can also buy separate individual tickets to the Domino Room shows. And you must buy separate tickets to attend the Thursday kickoff party at Volcanic.

Throughout its journey, the Homegrown festival has earned its name — not just on stage, but in the organizational stages, too.

“I really want people to know that it’s not just me, but the scene is really putting its blood, sweat and tears into this,” said McClelland, who made sure to call out his bandmate Spencer Marlyn as an integral player in the effort. “We all have the same goal: to grow it and help grow the Bend music scene.”

If You Go

April 17 kickoff party: CPTN Over and Amargoso, 7 p.m. at Volcanic Theatre Pub, 70 SW Century Drive, Bend. $15 in advance, $20 day of show available at volcanictheatre.com.

April 18-20: 6-11 p.m. Friday, 2-11 p.m. Saturday, 2-8:30 p.m. Sunday at Silver Moon Brewing, 24 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend. $50 for a three-day festival pass available at homegrownmf.com.

April 18 late-night show: Left On Tenth and Skillethead, 9 p.m. at the Domino Room, 51 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend. $13 at midtownballroom.com or a three-day festival pass.

April 19 late-night show: “Trance Into Dead” with Call Down Thunder, Spencer Marlyn Band and Tyler Spencer, 9 p.m. at the Domino Room, 51 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend. $15 at midtownballroom.com or a three-day festival pass.

For schedules, more information and to buy a three-day festival pass, visit homegrownmf.com.

Ben Salmon is a Bend-based music journalist and host of Left Of The Dial, which airs 8-10 p.m. Thursdays on KPOV, 88.9 FM and streams at kpov.org. You can find him on Bandcamp and X at @bcsalmon.