Lindsey Elias Courtesy Tara Miller

Eric Tollefson

singer-songwriter

1. Watching the music scene in Bend evolve immensely over the past year. Acts here have been incredible at providing a mutually respectful environment across genres. It’s a great environment to learn from peers and have the time of your life sharing a stage with them. It is unlike any music scene I have ever been a part of.

2. Empty Space Orchestra. Hands down an explosive conglomerate of young assassins. Where they will be in three to four years is scary to think about.

3. Bend Roots Revival. Amazing this year.

4. Brandi Carlile at the Tower Theatre singing “Let it Be” acoustic on a grand piano. One of the most beautiful versions I have ever heard. She is incredible.

5. Releasing an album and giving it everything I’ve got alongside (bandmates) Tim, Pat, and Lindsey. I’m blessed to have the outfit I have. It’s been very exciting knowing we have more fun to come.

“The ‘vibe’ at the 2009 Bend Roots Revival. This community rocks!”

— Dale Largent, percussionist

“Playing and watching fellow musicians at Bend Roots Revival. This year was the best hands down! Every single act I caught was amazing!”

— Anastacia Beth Scott, Sisters singer-songwriter

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Jamie Houghton

bass/vocals, Broken Down Guitars

1. Tim Reynolds dressed like an alien at Domino Room last February.

2. Smokestack and the Foothill Fury rockin’ one-man-band style at Silver Moon in September.

3. The Lemonheads’ new cover album “Varshons.”

4. Larry and His Flask playing ninja-style on the streets of Bend all summer.

5. Phish at The Gorge. Even though it wasn’t in Central Oregon I saw many, many faces from Bend there!

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Eric Metzger

bassist, Warm Gadget

There are so many more than five. But off the top of my head:

1. The privilege of sharing a rehearsal studio with some of my favorite and the most talented and dedicated musicians in town. Empty Space Orchestra, Person People and Warm Gadget are the core, but every band has at least one member with a great side or solo project, from Anastacia and some not-yet-debuted new bands, to Mindscape and Mosley Wotta, the people sharing our creative space continue to amaze me.

2. Spending hours and hours on the bass, with Jared Forqueran finally playing some “out there” drums to Tim and Colten’s odd-time signatures and creepy electro-stoner metal!

3. Marv Ellis with DJ DV8 and twin-girl backup singers Acoustic Minds at the Bendistillery Martini Bar, several times over the past year. Unconditional love!

4. Going to a very slow Metal Monday at the Black Horse Saloon and unexpectedly hearing Season of Suffering for the first time. HOLY S–T they are good. True metal!

5. DJ Barisone’s first set back at home (at Bendistillery Martini Bar on Thanksgiving weekend) since moving to Portland.

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Erin Cole-Baker

singer-songwriter

1. My extremely amazing new Breedlove 000 Revival series guitar. It seriously blows me away acoustic or plugged in!

2. Touring France playing music with Erin Zurflu and finishing my new CD “Talon and Spur”!

3. William Fitzsimmons. What a velvety voice!

4. Singer-songwriter Haley Bonar.

5. Seeing the Great Lake Swimmers in Paris. Sooooooooo good!

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Willie Carmichael

folk singer

1. The Avett Brothers’ YouTube video of their song “Murder in the City.” It technically came out in 2008 but I didn’t see it until this year, so I think it counts.

2. Steve Neth’s cover of said Avett song at Cork Cellars in Sisters Nov. 14. Steve’s goofy, but he can sing.

3. Selling my big-ass, heavy PA in favor of a Fishman SoloAmp. Sounds great and weighs about 30 pounds. If there’s a little drop in sound quality, who cares? I get by on looks and charm anyway.

4. The announcement in February that Muzak had filed for bankruptcy. The bad news is they’re going to save the company after all. Dang!

5. Listening to Jonathan Byrd’s song “Diana Jones” two hours nonstop in the Denver airport: “People talk about her still, how she’d take a $20 bill and write across Jackson’s face ‘Diana Jones.’” Thank God for songs that make us laugh and cry.

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Ross Rogers

singer-songwriter

1. A must-listen: The Swell Season, “Strict Joy”

2. Check out new local artist Dan Shanahan

3. Todd Snider live at the Sisters Folk Festival

4. Brandi Carlile at the Tower Theatre

5. Releasing my new CD “The Good Life”!

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Jonah Brindley

Tower Theatre production manager and audio engineer

Best shows at The Tower:

1. Brandi Carlile

2. Dweezil Zappa Plays Zappa

3. Peking Acrobats

4. Marc Broussard

5. Riders in the Sky

“Brandi Carlile Rocking the Tower Theatre HARD!”

— Dori Donoho, Clear 101.7 FM

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Shane Thomas

guitarist, Empty Space Orchestra

1. Mastodon, “Crack The Skye”

2. The Flaming Lips, “Embryonic”

3. Patrick Watson, “Wooden Arms”

4. Them Crooked Vultures

5. Akron/Family, “Set ’em Wild, Set ’em Free”

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Thomas T.

bass, The River Pigs, The Wise Guise and Mosley Wotta

1. Best concert I was in the audience for: Dweezil Zappa at the Tower Theatre.

2. Best outdoor concert I was in: Tied between Bend Roots Revival and Bite of Bend.

3. Best indoor show I was in: Backing Mosley Wotta (with my two sons Jason and Erik performing) at Silver Moon.

4. Favorite new bass I own: Local brand Breedlove Atlas acoustic-electric fretless bass.

5. Favorite album: The Derek Trucks Band, “Down in the Flood”

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Jason Schmidt

drummer, Goodbye Dyna

1. Ween at Les Schwab Amphitheater. Despite many late nights watching “Live in Chicago,” they never get old!

2. Jason Webley Trio at McMenamins. Jherek was especially incredible. Plus, it was FREE!

3. Warm Gadget. It’s great to see veteran friends spark something new to our scene.

4. Larry and His Flask’s mutation into an acoustic band. When they lost Beau (one of Central Oregon’s best drummers) I thought it was over. Then they reinvented themselves only to become even stronger and more entertaining!

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Shireen Amini

singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist

1. Singing my lungs out with my guitar while walking the streets of Old Havana, Cuba with my host family until 3 a.m.

2. Having my 8-year-old sister join me in singing “Man in the Mirror” to pay homage to Michael Jackson (R.I.P.) at Parrilla Grill.

3. Sisters Folk Festival and Americana Song Academy — always so inspiring and always makes me more deeply connected to song and committed to making music.

4. Every Brent Alan and His Funky Friends show.

5. My new beautiful, blazin’ red Fender Stratocaster, a gracious gift from Mark Ransom giving new life to my emerging soul-rock band. (I love you guys and your groove-making skills!)

6. Chicks with Picks benefit for Saving Grace at the Silver Moon. Having lead singers of The Royal Fiasco, Broken Down Guitars, and The Sofa Kings come together and create the most beautiful gospel choir harmonies I could ever have imagined for my song “Saving Grace”!

7. Rodrigo y Gabriela album “11:11.” Sweet, innovative Latin guitar.

“Empty Space Orchestra at Bend Roots Revival. ESO is probably sick and tired of hearing about that ‘girl drummer’ (Lindsey Elias), but man, have you seen that girl drummer!? She ROCKS.”

— Mark Quon, singer-songwriter, The Quons

“Getting my first ever $100 bill in the tip jar at Chow Restaurant on Sunday, Sept. 13. May there be many more for all of us local musicians.”

— Allan Byer, folk singer