Matt McCravey Indie-folk Musician & Songwriter
2026-08-27 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Porron Cellars, 210 Oak Street, Hood River, 97031, United States
Thursday March 26th, 6-8pm Live Music with Matt McCravey
(Every last Thursday)

All Jazz Considered
2026-08-27 17:00 - 19:00, 2026-08-20 17:00 - 19:00, 2026-08-13 17:00 - 19:00, 2026-08-06 17:00 - 19:00 | Phelps Creek Tasting Room, 301 Country Club Rd, Hood River
Locally-grown, free-range, jazz musicians gather at Phelps Tasting Room every Thursday to serve up a flight of jazz tunes in every genre. Good food and wine too.

The Lobbyists Live
2026-08-26 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-08-19 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-08-12 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-08-05 18:30 - 20:30 | The Lightwell Hotel & Spa, 201 Cascade Ave, Hood River, 97031
The Lobbyists live at Lightwell: The Lobbyists deliver the finest in instrumental Swing, Jazz, and Blues, featuring three of Hood River’s most exceptional musicians at The Lightwell.

Tim Ortlieb is a rare gem – a drummer who listens as deeply as he plays. Ronnie Ontiveros brings his infectious joy and masterful command of the upright bass.
Leading the trio, Ben Bonham draws from his rich experience both locally and in the UK, captivating audiences as a guitarist, songwriter, and entertainer.
The Lobbyists play with effortless style, deep musicality, and an undeniable passion for their craft, creating a sound that’s as refined as it is exhilarating.

Sunday Serenade: gardentender
2026-08-23 11:30 - 14:30 | Trout Lake Hall, 15 Guler Rd, Trout Lake, WA, 98650, United States
Sunday, August 23rd, 2026
$20 Advance // $25 Day Of Show11:30am Doors / 12:30pm ShowAll Ages*Limited Tickets*
Sunday Serenade is Trout Lake Hall’s new brunch music series. Each Sunday features an intimate, two-hour live set dedicated to a single style—jazz, Americana, groovy indie, country, folk—paired with delicious, chef-crafted brunch. With limited tickets and cozy seating, it’s a relaxed, up-close experience—perfect for lingering over food and gentle Sunday tunes. Come in for a real Sunday Funday!
GARDENTENDERgardentender is the songwriting duo of Kyle and Linoy — partners in life and music. Their songs, written together, are rooted in harmony and connection, weaving stories of love, growth, and quiet resilience. With a sound that draws from folk, indie, and Americana, gardentender offers a set that’s tender, textured, and deeply human. Their song “Happy Song” was a runner-up in the Portland Folk Fest 2026 Song Contest.

Cosmic Gnarly
2026-08-22 18:00 - 21:00 | Trout Lake Hall, 15 Guler Rd, Trout Lake, WA, 98650, United States
Saturday, August 22nd, 2026
$15 Advance // $20 Day Of Show6pm Doors / 7pm ShowAll Ages
COSMIC GNARLY‘Let the music play the band’ is the collective mindset for Portland, Oregon’s Cosmic Gnarly as they pay respect to the spirit, energy, and improvisational magic of the legendary American rock band, the Grateful Dead. Born strictly as a fun project safe from the hustle of other music and professional pursuits, these exploratory sessions cultivated an extensive repertoire of Grateful Dead tunes. Each member’s admiration for the Dead shines through in every set, as they strive to honor the natural flow and spirit of these timeless songs.
COSMIC GNARLY is:Ryan Bukstein: PercussionDana Buoy: Drums, VocalsPeter Christenberry: Guitar, VocalsRobert Haas: Guitar, VocalsAlan Moses: KeyboardsChris Petryszak: Bass

🎉 The Dalles High School Class of 1991 – 35-Year Reunion 🎉
2026-08-22 17:00 - 20:00 | Freebridge Brewing
🎉 The Dalles High School Class of 1991 – 35-Year Reunion 🎉
(Yes… 35. We checked the math twice.)
📍 Freebridge Brewing
⏰ 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM-ish (or until we call it a night like responsible adults)
It’s hard to believe it’s been 35 years — but here we are! Join your fellow TDHS Class of ’91 classmates for a relaxed evening of catching up, sharing stories, and reconnecting.
We’ve reserved time at Freebridge Brewing to hang out, enjoy great food and drinks, and make up for lost time. Whether you’ve stayed close or haven’t seen everyone in years, we’d love to see you there.
Details:
• Casual, drop-in vibe – come when you can!
• No-host food & drinks
• Plenty of laughs, memories, and maybe a few “remember when…” moments
👉 RSVP so we know how big of a throwback crowd to expect.
👉 Feel free to invite any other TDHS ’91 classmates—we don’t have everyone!
Let’s reconnect, reminisce, and prove we can still hang… at least until 9pm. 🍻🎓

Jazz Piano
2026-08-22 16:00 - 18:00, 2026-08-15 16:00 - 18:00, 2026-08-08 16:00 - 18:00, 2026-08-01 16:00 - 18:00 | The Lightwell Hotel & Spa, 201 Cascade Ave, Hood River, 97031
Stop in to enjoy live jazz piano in the lobby of the Lightwell Hotel. Darryl Frank plays ballads and jazzy pop covers every Saturday this month from 4-6pm. The acoustics from their 100 year old piano are something to be heard. Enjoy food and beverage at the bar while taking in the sounds. No cover, tips appreciated.

Mr. Vale's Math Class
2026-08-21 18:00 - 21:00 | Trout Lake Hall, 15 Guler Rd, Trout Lake, WA, 98650, United States
Friday, August 21st, 2026
$15 Advance // $20 Day Of Show
6pm Doors / 7pm Show
All Ages
MR. VALE’S MATH CLASS
If Talking Heads & Vulfpeck bonded over their love of Math, this is the sound!
You may or may not learn anything with Mr. Vale’s Math Class but you’re guaranteed to have a good time. This six piece funk band has horns that knock down the door and percussion-laden grooves that are the perfect accompaniment to any dance party. While you’re at it, come grab some pots and pans & join in.
The Math Class has been busy spreading its unique mix of math and funk across the Pacific Northwest, with recent performances at festivals like Juniper Jam, Shift, NW Folklife, and Goodtime Campout. They’ve also shared the stage with acts such as Jamie Cullum, Marchfourth, and High Step Society. While you might not leave with a deeper understanding of math, you’re guaranteed to have a great time.

Bart Budwig (full band) / Bryan John Appleby
2026-08-20 18:00 - 21:00 | Trout Lake Hall, 15 Guler Rd, Trout Lake, WA, 98650, United States
Thursday, August 20th, 2026
$15 Advance // $20 Day Of Show6pm Doors / 7pm ShowAll Ages
BART BUDWIGBart Budwig is a son of Idaho, a cosmic country crooner, a rousing trumpet player, and cryin’-style soul singer. His music is made up of seemingly incongruous parts; thrum & strum country rhythms, jazz guitar melodies, R&B vocals. When Bart sings he draws out words into meditative mantras, whole note neologisms that keep you hanging on until his raspy voice trails off in a ragged edge. His forthcoming album, Another Burn On The AstroTurf (January 24, 2020, Fluff and Gravy Records) was recorded over five days by a seven-piece band inside the OK Theater. It’s a melancholy rhapsody that recalls the uncorked rock n’ roll spirituality of king mystic Van Morrison, the gloomy nostalgia of dark prince Nick Drake and the songcraft sans self-seriousness of 70s Muscle Shoals.
Like those psycho-spiritual song crafters, his power comes from vocal idiosyncrasies – intonations of love, impermanence, hope, humor. The album opens with Budwig originals “Time For Two”, “First To Go”, and “Strong Coffee”– originally presented with just solo guitar (and crackling wood stove) on the album Sabai. The songs are recorded here live, full band, in medley, with hot electric guitar, woody double bass, and drums. The band electrifies and scourges the flesh of the songs into fully formed folk rock stunners.
There is what the Romans called a “divine lustre” about Bart Budwig. His blonde hair and beard wrap around his collar,and frame his smile in a nimbus of gold. His radiance belies the loyalty he commands of an army of talent. He’d sooner tell you a joke than reveal to you he’s recorded dozens of albums and hundreds of songs in the last few years. Bart’s mastery of dramatic irony turns his work with complex emotional states of being into comforting, uplifting, relatable music.
It’s this ability to combine tragedy and comedy in his humanist hallelujahs that makes Budwig a gravitational force and industry chimera. The studio general, the clown prince, the sensitive songwriter with a rugged voice. The soul singer with a cosmic country band. The creator of a folk universe drawing musicians from everywhere to the middle of nowhere. It’s this juxtaposition that makes Another Burn On The AstroTurfanother success for Bart Budwig, and a must listen for you. – Sean Jewell
BRYAN JOHN APPLEBY
Bryan John Appleby has been writing, recording, and performing original music for almosttwo decades. Based in Seattle, his folk-centric body of work incorporates breezy mid century pop, intricate fingerpicking, lush cinematic layers, and lyrics that often evoke hisCentral Coast origins.
His latest full-length, Underwater Easy Breathing, exemplifies his distinct productionpalette. Oceanic and synth-laced, the album is a natural next step in his wandering, oftendensely layered repertoire. Previous works include The Narrow Valley (2015), a maximalistconcept album drenched in dreamy, orchestral elements and experimental sounds, andFire on the Vine (2011), a darker collection with more conventional folk structures andorganic instrumentation.
With a house show tour circuit taking him throughout the Western States, Appleby has shared the stage with artists such as Damien Jurado, Deep Sea Diver, Tomo Nakayama, YLa Bamba, Shaina Shepherd, Dean Johnson, and Sera Cahoone and many others.

Sean Hayes
2026-08-19 18:00 - 21:00 | Trout Lake Hall, 15 Guler Rd, Trout Lake, WA, 98650, United States
Wednesday, August 19th, 2026
$25 Advanced // $30 Day of Show
6pm Doors / 7p Show
All Ages
SEAN HAYES
Sean Hayes is a San Francisco Bay Area-based singer-songwriter known for a unique, gritty blend of folk, soul, and R&B-inflected roots music. His sound has been described as dusty, warm, and effortless, featuring a gravelly, soulful voice that blends intimate storytelling with danceable rhythms.
Hayes has collaborated and toured with artists including Aimee Mann, Frazey Ford, Charley Crockett, Jolie Holland, The Wood Brothers, Ani DiFranco and The Cold War Kids among many more; his work has been remixed by house DJ Mark Farina and featured on NPR, NBC and HBO. Known for his raw vocals and timeless songs, Hayes has built a loyal following across the country, whether stripped-down or with a full-band, his shows are simply a night of good music.

Sunday Serenade: Savannah Clancy & Ben Larsen at Trout Lake Hall
2026-08-16 11:30 - 14:30 | Trout Lake Hall, 15 Guler Rd, Trout Lake, WA, 98650, United States
Sunday, August 16th, 2026
$20 Advance // $25 Day Of Show11:30am Doors / 12:30pm ShowAll Ages*Limited Tickets*
Sunday Serenade is Trout Lake Hall’s new brunch music series. Each Sunday features an intimate, two-hour live set dedicated to a single style—jazz, Americana, groovy indie, country, folk—paired with delicious, chef-crafted brunch. With limited tickets and cozy seating, it’s a relaxed, up-close experience—perfect for lingering over food and gentle Sunday tunes. Come in for a real Sunday Funday!
SAVANNAH CLANCY
Savannah Clancy is a folk singer-songwriter who moves through the world like the seasons — always changing, always returning. Rooted in the wild elements and the ancient rhythms of ancestry and place, her music is an intimate conversation between the human heart and the living earth. Writing songs since the age of twelve, Savannah has long understood songwriting as a sacred alchemy — a way of transforming the raw material of life into something that connects, heals, and endures.
Her debut album Roots in the Water (March 2024) offered love songs for the earth and a prayer for the planet — music born from deep reverence for the world we inhabit. Now, with her second album arriving June 13th, 2026, Savannah turns tenderly inward. These honey-sweet songs with an Americana sound are of finding home, stepping into motherhood, and weaving community — threaded through with longing, nostalgia, grief, and the quiet wonder of love in all its forms.
a place to call home (June 2026) is produced by friend and fellow musician Ben Larsen. After the many hours of devoted time working on this project, the two of them are excited to be playing and singing together in person.
BEN LARSEN
For over a decade Larsen has been performing up and down the west coast and nationally as a solo artist. He recently returned home to the Pacific Northwest after spending a year and half in New York City, writing and producing his third studio record Clarity, out fall of 2024.

One Community Health 40th Anniversary Block Party
2026-08-15 15:00 - 19:00 | One Community Health
You’re Invited!

Join One Community Health as we celebrate 40 years of caring for the Gorge and launch the One Community Health Foundation.

Enjoy great food, family activities, local artisan vendors, live entertainment, and more as we bring the community together for an evening of connection and celebration.

Come celebrate this exciting milestone with us and be part of what’s next for community health in the Gorge.

Saturday, August 15th
3 PM – 7 PM
849 Pacific Ave, Hood River, OR 97031

BARN BURNER: Outer Orbit at Trout Lake Hall
2026-08-14 18:00 - 21:00 | Trout Lake Hall, 15 Guler Rd, Trout Lake, WA, 98650, United States
Friday, August 14th, 2026
$17 Advance // $20 Day Of Show6pm Doors / 7pm ShowAll Ages
BARN BURNER shows are all about the dancing! No matter who might be on the stage, you are guaranteed to groove.
OUTER ORBITOuter Orbit is a funk soul collective led by Galen Clark (Trio Subtonic, Anna Tivel, Sleater-Kinney) and fronted by vocalist Sarah Clarke (The Motet, Dirty Revival, Portugal, The Man). The band features an all-star lineup of PDX musicians including members of Ghost-Note, Allen Stone, Portland Cello Project, Mono Neon, Skerik Band, Swatkins and more. Outer Orbit brings original soul and pocket heavy funk while drawing on a range of influences from Sly Stone to Emily King.
Outer Orbit’s second album, Heart Shaped Plane, out May 2026, features Sarah Clarke, Peter Knudsen, Tyrone Hendrix, Damian Erskine, Michael Elson, Galen Clark, Carlin White and special guest John Medeski. Heart Shaped Plane showcases high energy funk, dynamic songwriting, soaring ballads and the band’s joyful approach to making music.

Wasco County Fair & Rodeo
2026-08-13 - 2026-08-17 | Wasco County Fair and Rodeo
Experience the enduring tradition of the Wasco County Fair and Rodeo in Tygh Valley, Oregon. This annual family-friendly event blends classic fair attractions with high-energy rodeo action.
Highlights often include:

NPRA Rodeo: Two nights of professional rodeo competition.
Demolition Derby: The grand finale on Sunday.
Family Entertainment: Livestock exhibits, 4-H displays, live music, a beer garden, and strolling entertainers like magicians and circus acts.
Special Events: Look for a Family Free Day on Thursday and a spectacular drone and laser light show after the rodeo on Friday and Saturday nights.

It’s a celebration of agriculture, youth, and community spirit in a beautiful, old-time country atmosphere!
The Wasco County Fair may be over 110 years old, but there’s always something new to enjoy.

Peaches & Pavement 🛻💨🍑
2026-08-08 11:00 - 14:00 | KickStand Coffee & Kitchen, 1235 State St, Hood River, OR, 97031, United States
🍑✨ Lady Yotas | Hood River Fruit Loop Run ✨🍑
Queens, we’re taking it to the Gorge! Join us for a scenic drive through Hood River’s iconic Fruit Loop, we’re talking mountain views, orchard stops, and good vibes all around.
We’ll meet up for lunch at Kickstand Coffee & Kitchen before hitting the road for Draper Girls Farm for peach picking and our group photo moment. 🌿📸
📍 Convoy Meetups (PDX/Vancouver Queens)
• Oregon City Home Depot → Arrive 9:15am | Depart 9:30am
• Troutdale Boot Barn → Arrive 10:00am | Depart 10:15am
🍽️ Lunch at Kickstand Coffee & Kitchen | 11:00am
🚗 Fruit Loop Departure 12:30/1:00pm
🍑 Destination – Draper Girls Farm | Peach picking + group photos
📅 August 8th
Heads up, Hood River parking can be tricky, so we may not be able to park as a full convoy. Don’t stress it! We’ll reunite at Draper Girls Farm for our group shot. 🩷🖤✨
Please note, 18 MAX and this is our August Coffee as Kickstand Coffee & Kitchen is women owned 💁🏽‍♀️

*SOLD OUT* Apocalypse, Never! Tour Nick Shoulders at Trout Lake Hall
2026-08-07 18:00 - 21:00 | Trout Lake Hall, 15 Guler Rd, Trout Lake, WA, 98650, United States
**Tickets Presale release Wednesday April 8 at 10am!**
Friday, August 7th, 2026
$28 Advance // $35 Day Of Show6pm Doors / 7pm ShowAll Ages
NICK SHOULDERS
Refugia Blues, the fifth album from Nick Shoulders, is a record of big ideas and small, intimate moments.
These nine songs are rooted in the stylings of Southern traditional music. Sparse, timeless, and unamplified, they’re older than the sounds Shoulders saluted on albums like 2023’s All Bad, with its loud, whooping anthems for roadhouses and sweaty dancehalls. Here, Shoulders isn’t shouting over a band. He isn’t bringing a crowd to its feet with dance-ready tempos. Rather, he’s exploring another side of his craft by stepping up to a ribbon microphone as a solo performer, delivering each song with acoustic instruments and a voice that’s equal parts country croon, Appalachian yodel, and high-lonesome field holler. As he explains it, Refugia Blues isn’t just a call to action; it’s a call to rest, too.
“This is my Nebraska,” he says, nodding to Bruce Springsteen’s lo-fi acoustic record from 1982. “Some people listen to Bruce for the E Street Band and the big radio hits, but I like the intimacy and rawness of Nebraska instead. I’d like to think of Refugia Blues as a little window into the heart, as opposed to the drumbeat of a revolution.”
Even so, Refugia Blues resolutely pushes for change. Shoulders’ interpretation of American roots music has always been more progressive and punky than the trucks-and-beers conservatism that passes for modern-day country, and he isn’t checking his activism at the door anytime soon. Refugia Blues does dive into personal territory, from “Bored Fightin'” (a self-effacing look at Shoulders’ reputation as a left-of-center radical) to the heart-on-sleeve love song “Tatum Spring,” but it balances the micro with the macro, too. Topics like climate collapse, radical anthropology, generative disruption, and southern identity run throughout the record, adding weight to Shoulders’ melodies, balancing his witty humor with topical weight. The purpose, he says, is to utilize his music as “a Trojan Horse that can be accepted by people who don’t hear anything to challenge their sense of comfort and superiority. That’s always been the goal — to say what needs to be said, but to intersperse it with joy, humor, and melody.”
It’s a balance that Shoulders has struck in the past, but never so nakedly alone as he does on the opening track, “Apocalypse Never.” He wrote the a cappella ballad in the front seat of his band’s shuttle bus, taking a hard look at each passing town, noting all the “individualized apocalypses” — houseless encampments, impoverished communities, barren cornfields — that unfolded on the other side of the windshield. “Our world has been through countless apocalypses,” he says. “The refusal to give in to the direness of our circumstances, while still acknowledging it, is key to surviving this moment in our history.”
For Shoulders, singing isn’t just a passion; it’s practically a birthright. Born to a musical family with deep roots in Arkansas, Appalachia, and Louisiana, he grew up listening to old-world folk music, black gospel, and other sounds that existed long before genres were even invented. “My vocal style is rooted as much in growing up in mountainous Arkansas and having to shout across vast distances to greet my neighbors as it is in my family’s very old way of singing,” he says. “The way I sing is older than capitalism. Being part of this tradition isn’t meant to be regressive; it’s meant to be liberating. There were time before cash registers and factories, where people sang like this when they sowed their corn, and I’m trying to embody that.”
Refugia Blues was recorded in a home studio outside of Fayetteville, Arkansas. Tracked to analog tape in two inspired days and laced with light touches of guitar, banjo, and fiddle, the album explores the slower, softer textures of Shoulders’ music without pulling any punches. On his bare-boned cover of Randy Travis’ “Diggin’ Up Bones,” he slows down the uptempo classic to a warbling waltz. On “Deux Hurry,” he taps into his inner Roger Miller, using wordplay to make light of the darkness that lives within all of us. On “Hill Folk,” he nods sympathetically to the southerners who’ve witnessed their cultural inheritance become commodified and commercialized over the past half-century. And on the brave, bold “Dixie Be Damned,” he sings about “manifest destitution” and the sickness of contemporary American consciousness, packaging everything into a three-and-a-half minute country gem that’s as tuneful as it is topical.
By bridging the gap between past and present, Shoulders speaks pointedly and poetically about today’s problems, even as he nods to styles that existed long before the 21st century. “When you listen to the origins of country music in the ’20s and ’30s, you’re hearing the voice of southern rural dissent against coal companies, repression, and depression,” he says. “The old ballad singers of the Ozarks were conduits for current events, documenting not only their own lives, but also dispossession and economic strife on a much bigger scale. Being part of that great stream of rural protest music is something I’m trying to tap into. I want to say things that feel timeless, deep, and rooted, but also touch on topics like endless war and a government collapsing into dictatorship. I want to be part of that tradition of dissent.”
At once academic and accessible, Refugia Blues isn’t just a deep dive into southernness, but also into Shoulders himself. Released during an era of big-budget country-pop smashes, it stands tall as something else entirely: a raw, resolute version of American country music, punctuated with humor and heavy insights, stacked high with songs that go down easy but linger in the minds of those willing to invest the time.

Cruise the Gorge - Neon Cruise - Show in the Shade
2026-08-07 16:00 - 2026-08-09 14:00 | Downtown The Dalles, E 1st St, The Dalles, OR, 97058, United States
Cruise the Gorge 2026 is ON, August 7-8-9, 2026

Coming up on our 33rd year, and still going strong. Dennis Gage (“My Classic Car” TV) liked it so much he put it on his “Greatest Hits” tour in 2025. Check our webpage www.midcolumbiacarclub.org or on YouTube for the episodes featuring our 2016 and 2025 shows.

Everything kicks off with the “Neon Cruise”, Friday evening, downtown The Dalles. It’s an “open” cruise, just like back in the day, so just show up and start showing off (NO burnouts however). Cruisin’ runs from 7 to 9:45pm, and it looks like the city will turn the lights to flashing yellow this year! Yea! This is the favorite part of the weekend for many of the locals, and the sidewalks up and down 2nd and 3rd streets fill up with enthusiastic spectators. You can also pre-register for the show and/or pick up your Goodie Bag, and check out T-shirt/hat and raffle ticket sales at Burgerville on 3rd St. between 4 and 7 pm.

Then Saturday brings the “Show in the Shade”, on the grass in beautiful SOROSIS PARK, 300E Scenic Dr. Gate opens at 8am, judging until Noon, and the Parade of Champions awards ceremony beginning at 2pm. Goodie bags and dash plaques to the 1st 250 vehicles. $25 pre-entry, $30 after July 31. 40+ awesome awards, food and specialty vendors, special entertainment, oldies music and plenty of raffle prizes.

Finally, there’s the Dufur Threshing Bee Car Show, on Sunday in the Dufur Community Park, just 13 miles South of The Dalles, starting at 9am.

So, one day, two days or all three, how much fun do you want to have?

Esther Rose
2026-08-06 18:00 - 21:00 | Trout Lake Hall, 15 Guler Rd, Trout Lake, WA, 98650, United States
Thursday, August 6th, 2026
$23 Advance // $28 Day Of Show6pm Doors / 7pm ShowAll Ages
ESTHER ROSE
Esther Rose was on a long solo drive when she started writing the opening title track of Want, her stunning fifth album. At first, the words seemed almost like a joke, something to keep herself amused as the miles passed. “I want a puppy, but I don’t want a mess. I want to know where I’m going without GPS,” she sang from behind the wheel. Soon, the idea snowballed into a list of desires that spanned existential, spiritual, and mundane; romantic to platonic to familial; at once wildly ambitious yet piercingly relatable; all set to a catchy melody that blends her pop instincts with country storytelling and the raw immediacy of a basement punk show. In other words, she was on her way to another classic Esther Rose song.
This precise blend has made the Santa Fe-based artist one of her generation’s most beloved songwriters: someone whose live shows are known to conclude in mass tears and group hugs. Still, something was different this time. “For me, these songs felt like revelations,” she explains, comparing the 11-song record to a memoir, alive with kinetic storytelling and personal insight. In its newly direct and stirringly nuanced writing, you’ll hear about rock bottom encounters, shifting relationships with substances, evolving perspectives on adult partnership, and, as evidenced by those early lines in “Want,” a few jokes along the way. Vivid and bracing, Want places you in the passenger seat while each of these feelings arrive.
To match the multi-dimensional tone of the writing, Rose has made the most adventurous, hardest-hitting record of her career. Working with producer Ross Farbe and recording live-to-tape in Nashville’s Bomb Shelter, she travels as far as she’s been from the stripped-down classic country of celebrated early work like 2017’s This Time Last Night and 2019’s You Made It This Far. Following the wide-open serenity of 2023’s momentous Safe to Run, she now leans toward confrontational arrangements full of distortion and full-band spontaneity, never sacrificing a classicist’s gift for melody that makes each song instantly memorable.
“Making this album was the most beautiful experience of my life,” Rose explains, describing the euphoria of sharing these intimate stories among trusted collaborators like guitarist Kunal Prakash, drummer Howe Pearson, bassist Gina Leslie, and pedal steel player John James Tourville. She also enlisted friends like singer-songwriter Dean Johnson (who duets in the stunning “Scars”) and New Orleans rock band Video Age (who she co-wrote “tailspin” with) to flesh out her vision. Ranging from stark solo performances to grungy blowouts, the album maintains a steady focus while never staying too long in one place. (Like David Bowie, Rose would arrive at the studio in carefully chosen outfits to set the tone for each session, guiding her bandmates to follow the mood.)
To reach this level of confidence, Rose had to recalibrate her entire relationship with music. When she concluded the tour for Safe to Run, she considered quitting altogether, feeling exhausted and depleted, seeing no way to continue at her relentless pace. But after quitting drinking and finding new momentum in therapy, she devoted herself to the new material, letting ideas flow without worrying about the final product. She considered making an electro-pop album; a self-titled acoustic record. Eventually, she began categorizing her disparate ideas under the working title The Therapy LP.
“There are things that I have tiptoed around in my writing—and in my life—that I wasn’t ready to look at,” she reflects, “and now I’m going for it.” The results are breakthroughs like “Had To” and “Rescue You” that tether her tightly structured melodies to narratives that bring distressing subject matter down to earth. And where her love songs in the past often found universal resonance in simple questions about heartbreak, these ones explore complex subjects like accountability and true connection: “Baby, I’ve got scars that you cannot see/Love them for what they gave to me,” she sings boldly in “Scars.”
This level of vulnerability is new from Esther Rose—a vow to be known more fully by her audience, herself, and the people in her life. “Each time I write a new album, I go a little deeper,” she says. “For me, it’s been very challenging to stay… I’m always packing the Subaru in my mind.” And while she can still craft a road song like nobody else—“Two days on the highway, solo drive/Today is the greatest day of my life,” she sings in “tailspin”—she now searches for stability, even when that means confronting internal chaos. The album’s closing song, titled “Want Pt. 2,” returns Rose to her old hometown of New Orleans during Mardi Gras, watching a Rolling Stones cover band in a bar she frequented back in the day. She’s teary-eyed, surrounded by loved ones, finding new profundity in a shaky rendition of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” As she reflects on the scene—even interpolating some of the Stones’ lyrics and melodic cues—her friends provide celebratory backing vocals as the band thrashes away. It’s a fitting finale for the strongest, widest-reaching album of her career—a moment when the past, present, and future collide, a panorama of emotions, the kind of party you never want to leave.

Canvas of Calm
2026-08-06 10:00 - 12:00
Nature. Mindfulness. Art.
Join Emily Martin, mindfulness instructor, for a morning of nature awareness, watercolor painting, and cultural exploration at The History Museum of Hood River County. We’ll set up art tables under the trees, grounding ourselves in nature before diving into painting. Each participant will receive an outline of the landscape by local artist Marcella Kriebel, along with watercolor supplies and easy instructions to create your painting. All materials are provided, including the Gorge Art Box with supplies and iconic Gorge sketches. You’ll take home your hand-painted souvenir and the remaining contents of the Art Box to continue your creative journey. Your experience also includes entry to TheHistory Museum to add a cultural touch to your day. No painting experience required—just a love for nature and creativity. $45/person. Register with the Hood River County Museum directly here.

Summer Camp: Kids in the Kitchen
2026-08-04 09:00 - 15:00 | The Makery, 800 Country Club, Hood River, OR, United States, Oregon 97031
Give your elementary-aged child a delicious passport to the world! Our “Around the World” culinary camp is a hands-on journey where young chefs (ages 5-12) explore diverse cultures, one recipe at a time. Participants will learning authentic cooking techniques, discovering exciting new flavors, and follow multiple recipes each day of camp from start to finish.After tasting their creations, students will box them up for home (if there is any left)!
Culinary classes in The Makery are not only fun and tasty, but expose children to learning self-reliance, reading comprehension, units of measurement, fractions, utensil skills, kitchen safety, planning, and patience.
Each child needs to bring a lunch and a water bottle. Plenty snacks will be provided.
Kelsey is the instructor for this camp.She has been working with young children for over a decade andenjoys bringing her creative side to classes in The Makery.
Ages 6-10Hours 9:00a-3:00p
https://www.facebook.com/events/946626694632000/?event_time_id=946626701298666

LowDown Brass Band at Trout Lake Hall
2026-08-01 18:00 - 21:00 | Trout Lake Hall, 15 Guler Rd, Trout Lake, WA, 98650, United States
Saturday, August 1st, 2026
$17 Advance // $25 Day Of Show6pm Doors / 7pm ShowAll Ages
LOWDOWN BRASS BAND
Embodying the vibrant Chicago music culture, LowDown Brass Band is a one-of-a-kind horn ensemble weaving the rhythm of the streets with conscious hip hop, reggae, and soul.Rigorously touring, LowDown has performed on the most unique stages, from the Montreal Jazz Fest to the Cotai Jazz Fest.
Despite the last four years, LowDown has stayed busy, releasing Three albums, “The Reel Sessions, LowDown Nights and $itizens of the World”, which showcase their unique sound and further push the boundaries of their genre.
Leaning on their talent and unconventional style, LowDown Brass Band continues to carve out a path, defying convention and charting their own course in the ever-evolving landscape of music.
