Guardian of the Underdog

As a six-piece band, Guardian of the Underdog — this week’s featured artist in the Central Oregon Creative Artists Relief Effort — couldn’t do much during the shutdowns in Oregon.

The band did play a handful of shows in the summer. But even practices were verboten for much of 2020, as the six-member band was one person over the suggested limits for small gatherings.

But each of its members have kept busy. Leader Jeshua Marshall is tracking his first solo album with Mad Caddies drummer Todd Rosenberg at his Bend studio, FVZZ Recording, with help from the rest of the Guardians (the album will be credited to Jeshua Marshall and Guardian of the Underdog). Marshall has been recovering from whiplash and other minor injuries he received in a recent car accident, and that has delayed the album.

“There’s basically one last song that needs to be tracked fully; it’s partially done right now,” he said. “I had to push back the recording sessions a little bit because of my car accident and whatnot, but I’m hoping to get in there soon.”

Guitarist Seth Acquarolo also is tracking a solo record at FVZZ; cellist Billy Mickelson relocated to the Phoenix area for about six months and has been doing session recording; trumpeter Miguel Mendoza also works with Bend band The Color Study; and bassist Davey Hemm focused on solo electronic music. (Rosenberg has been filling in on drums.)

“I’ve been hearing this term a lot through this: lemonade,” Marshall said. “That is the phrase of the pandemic, just trying to make the best out of it. In the last few years, I haven’t been touring as much as I used to when (Larry and His) Flask was doing 200 and 250 shows a year, but for so many musicians this has been obviously super unfortunate circumstances. But I think a lot of folks are really taking the time, this unexpected year off, to be at home and work on many other projects and interests, and also having that time to focus on their mental health, which is huge as a touring musician.”

Marshall has long been a champion of Central Oregon’s music scene, and that’s carried on through the pandemic. In mid-2020 he helped launch the High Desert Music Collective and curated the 59-track compilation, “High Desert Calling, Volume One” (https://highdesertmusiccollective.bandcamp.com/releases), released in July. He continues to book artists for the collective’s live stream shows at Silver Moon Brewing and Bunk+Brew, as well as booking acts for The Brown Owl, which is currently scheduling performances in April, May and June.

He was supposed to tour Europe for five weeks in June and July with The Whiskey Shivers, but that was one of the first things to be canceled after COVID-19. He estimated he lost out on “multiple thousands of dollars of my income,” and is grateful for community members and businesses stepping up to help with CO CAREs.

“I’m personally very grateful that I live in a community where businesses and people are taking the initiative to help out,” he said.