thursday 2
Sugar Bowl
FOOTBALL—The top ranked team for nearly the entire season, Alabama, stumbled in its final game with the most improbable play in football history (Auburn returned a missed field goal 109 yards for a TD). For the first time in three years, Alabama ("roll tide!") won't play in the National Championship, but expect a powerhouse game against Big 12 giant, Oklahoma, in the next best game. 5:30 pm. Volcanic Theatre Pub. 70 SW Century. Free.
friday 3
First Friday
ART WALK—The REAL First Friday—the first one of the year! Brave the cold and revel in all the local art, free-flowing wine and street music. Things to seek out: Katie Scott's dark, fantastical animal paintings at Dojo and live music, beer, cider, snacks and raffle items (among the prizes, a free night at the Oxford Hotel) at Visit Bend. 5-9 pm. Downtown Bend. Free.
friday 3
Okaidja & Shokoto
MUSIC—With marimba, a variety of hand drums and other traditional African and world instruments, this West African-born, now Portland-based group creates warm songs with complex rhythms (especially in percussion) that bring the bright cultural landscape of Ghana to the Americas. 6 pm. Crow's Feet Commons, 875 NW Brooks St. Free.
friday 3
Acoustic Minds
MUSIC—Portland's Acoustic Minds is a self described "soul-tronic new millennium dance-pop band," with twin sisters Amanda and Jenni Price leading the charge. The description is accurate enough—songs range from driving, thumping drum and bass to trance-heavy trip fests through fields of electronic daisies, all anchored by Price's rich, syrupy vocals. 9 pm. Dojo, 852 NW Brooks St. Free.
saturday 4
Bus to Bachelor
CHEAP SKIING—Really, this pick is for your Portland friends and family members. Here's the deal: $99 buys a roundtrip bus ticket to Mt. Bachelor (from Portland), lift ticket, on-mountain beer, and a beer dinner at Deschutes afterward! The bus leaves from Portland's Deschutes pub at 6 am. Buy a ticket and hop on! 6 am-11 pm. Portland to Mt. Bachelor and back again. $99 at mtbachelor.com.
saturday 4
Stand Up Comedy Showcase
LAUGHS—Bend's comedy scene has been growing as of late, particularly with the advent of weekly comedy shows put on by Bend Comedy and others in back alleys, bars and theaters. Jake Woodmansee is returning to Bend from Alaska—he has long been a name in local comedy and will test out new material alongside funnyman Brad Knowles. 8 pm. 2nd Street Theater, 220 NE Lafayette Ave. $8-10.
saturday 4
Tom VandenAvond
MUSIC—With cracked, sunburned vocals that tell traveler's tales of salty, hard-drinking friends, terrible wives and sputtering Rolls-Royces, Tom VandenAvond is a throwback folk gem. Magnified by his talented backing band (featuring members of Larry and His Flask) VandenAvond's rambling approach makes for a gritty country set. 8:30 pm. Pakit Liquidators, 903 SE Armour Rd. $5.
sunday 5
Quiet Culture
MUSIC—Quiet Culture has slowly been working its way through small venues in town, and has gathered a following thanks to its easy-going, elegant songs. They're intricately woven with powerful lyrics, and even though they're sung at a whisper, the songs are studded with confident guitar chords, crashing drums and somehow come across not as a punch to the face, but as a warm embrace. 7 pm, Broken Top Bottle Shop, 740 NW Pence Lane. Free.
tuesday 7
What's Brewing: Bend's Priorities?
TOWN HALL—After ringing in the new year, it's worth setting some goals—call them resolutions. At this Bend Chamber event, hear what a few of Bend's leaders think are the three things Bend most needs to implement in the next three years. This is also your opportunity to weigh in and join the discussion (with pint in hand, of course). 5-6 pm. Volcanic Theater, 70 SW Century. $15 members/$20 non-members.
thursday 9
The California Honeydrops
MUSIC—And for something completely different...Lech Wierzynski, frontman for soulful blues band The California Honeydrops, was born in Warsaw, Poland, but sings Curtis Mayfield like he was the late singer's brother. Seriously, this five-man, Bay-area, R&B-leaning band can belt out the classics just as well as it can write catchy originals. 7 pm. Sister High Auditorium, 1700 W. McKinney Butte Rd., Sisters. $20 at sistersfolkfestival.org.
