Entertainment roundup: Music happenings for the week ending August 7

By BEN OLSON/for The Herald  —  I haven’t heard anyone utter the phrase, “hot enough for ya?”, yet. It was hot enough for me when the afternoon temps reached 84 and I still needed a jacket for my morning dog walks. Yesterday, on my way to play at Odell Lake Lodge, the road was wet when I got to the pass, and was like that until about a mile before the road to the east end of the lake. No rain during my gig but, as I was finishing up my final song, “Turn Out the Lights, The Party’s Over”, a few drops fell from the sky. Bring on a rain event that doesn’t include the accompanying lightning.

At Odell Lake Lodge this Saturday evening, August 6, The Indecisions will be performing out on the deck from six until 8 p.m. As I am a reporter who likes to dig deep into the story, I consulted the oracle for more information. I have learned on Facebook that there are bands called the Indecisions in Pennsylvania and New York. Unless one of these bands is making a long road trip, I will assume there is a third band located closer to Odell Lake that will be playing on the deck on Saturday.

The Lodge serves dinners- both inside and on the deck and has a full bar. There is no cover charge. The turnoff to Odell Lake Lodge is right by milepost 67 on Highway 58.

Back down in Oakridge

About 3800 feet lower in elevation, in the city of Oakridge, the 3 Legged Crane will be featuring a variety of live acts this week. I’ll be running the open mic this Thursday evening, August 4th, from seven until 9. In my perfect world, there would be so many pickers coming in that I would just get to accompany everyone as their bass player. On Monday, August 8, I will be just a bass player, backing up my own singing.

This experiment is going better than I had originally expected and I’m coming up with an interesting list of songs that work in that format. I get started around 6:30. On Saturday evening, August 6th, Bekkah McAlvage will be taking the stage at 7 p.m. with a mix of bluegrass and folk tunes. Bekkah lives on the Oregon coast and does much of her playing there. The 3 Legged Crane serves sandwiches and dinners and has a great selection of craft beers and ales. There is no cover charge for the live music.

Music for a cause

A couple blocks further west on 1st Street in Oakridge, is the Deep Woods Distillery. A benefit will be held this Saturday, August 6th to help save TV Butte from being turned into a quarry. The music starts at 3 p.m. with a number of acts from Eugene and points beyond. Scheduled are alt- bluegrass mavens, Foraging and The Rattling Bones and the Moon Mountain String Band. Also on the bill are Stuff and Spencer Graham and Elias Beryl, as well.

As of press time, the food concession is still to be determined. However, Mick’s fine Deep Woods products will be mixed up for you to slake your thirst and encourage you to get up and dance. There is a $5 cover charge to get into the concert area. This is a fundraiser for a cause that means a lot to some residents here in Oakridge. Mick and Cindy would love to see the crowd dig deep into their wallets to help this worthy cause.

I’ll be playing my ukulele at the Lion Mountain Bakery this Sunday, August 7, from 9 a.m. until about 10:30. It’s all acoustic and I cover a number of different genres. The Lion Mountain serves both a breakfast and lunch menu and has tables scattered throughout the spacious dining area, for those concerned about social distancing. There isn’t, nor should there be, a cover charge to hear me play.

DLC – West end music

The Dexter Lake Club, down by milepost 12 on Highway 58, will be featuring the HipBillys on Friday evening, August 5th. Tom and Craig are slated to start out in the beer garden at 6:30 p.m. I’ll be there on Wednesday, August 3rd playing guitar and covering songs from a bygone era of American music. There will be a few newer tunes sprinkled in, as well.

On Sunday evening, Brian Chevalier will be orchestrating the open mic and jam session. That kicks off a little after 6:00 p.m. There is no cover charge for any of these music events. The Dexter Lake Club has a full bar and the adjoining Rattlesnake BBQ has a sandwich, dinner, and appetizer menu.

Here’s hoping the heat will break soon. Maybe a nice quiet weather system will roll into our area and give us the rain we’d like to see. Although, preferably not on a night when me or one of my colleagues is scheduled to play outside. Until next week, stay hydrated and keep cool.