Blues, reggae and funk fill Midtown complex

Published 4:00 am Friday, November 23, 2007

It’s a busy weekend at the Midtown complex on Greenwood Avenue in Bend. Besides the Larry and His Flask show (see above), there’ll be shows by the Rose City Kings tonight and Jah Sun on Saturday.

After holding down Bend’s biggest stage during a Summer Sunday concert at Les Schwab Amphitheater in August, Portland-based blueshounds the Rose City Kings will return to town tonight to play a much more intimate venue — The Annex.

The Kings, led by singularly named lead singer and guitarist Kolvane, make classic, upbeat blues, drawing from the genre’s roots in Chicago and Mississippi. The band has won back-to-back Muddy Awards from the Cascade Blues Association and has three records under its belt, including the live album “Holler Out for More,” from 2005.

Tonight, the Kings will help you shake off all those extra calories you consumed on Thanksgiving with a show at 9 p.m. Cover is $7.

On Saturday, good vibes are the name of the game as Jah Sun plays the Domino Room.

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Jah Sun is from Arcata, Calif., and he’s a reggae-head through and through, as you’ll see when you check out www.myspace.com/jahsunmusic. A white-guy reggae act from Humboldt County? I know, shocking. But this guy seems to have a bounce that many others don’t. For evidence, check out his nifty collaboration with hip-hop legend KRS-One on the MySpace.

Opening for Jah Sun will be Bend’s own funk juggernaut, El Dante. Check out some of their live stuff at www.myspace.com/eldantefunk. Local reggae dude and scene veteran MC Mystic is also on the bill.

The festivities will begin at about 9 p.m., doors open at 8 p.m., and cover is $10.

Both The Annex and the Domino Room are located inside the Midtown complex at 51 N.W. Greenwood Ave., in Bend.

Contact: 388-1106.

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