A balm for the past two years, Jonathan Foster is a singer-songwriter in the John Denver or John Prine vein. He performs on Wednesday, April 27 in Medford at Johnny B’s. He recently caught up with the Messenger for a quick Q&A. RVM: Who are some of your musical heroes?

There was a genre in the early 90s that never quite breached into mainstream; it was there with bands like Minneapolis’ Gear Daddies and Texas-based James McMurtry. Basic upbeat guitar chords harmonized with checky lyrics fantasizing about quirky, better lives. At his most mainstream, Bryan Bielanski taps into this tone

Apparently I am the only person who shelved Lisa Loeb to the 90s. Shame on me! In the process, I’ve missed out on a quarter-century of talent. Loeb first jumped into the fray as a breakout star from the seminal 90s film “Reality Bites.” At the time, in a twist

At first blush, it may seem like a goofball joke, the Steve Martin Banjo Award. But for those who haven’t updated their Steve Martin knowledge since his wild-and-crazy days, you may still vaguely remember that the comedian often stood on stage with a banjo. Since then, though, Martin has amassed

New Year’s Eve should be about recognizing the familiar—and introducing some optimism. If all done to the rhythm of a booty-shaking sound band and out on the dance floor, all the better! Cue:  Eugene’s own fearsome four-piece, Fortune’s Folly: an alternative “make party with me” rock band made up of

When Frankie Hernandez arrived on the Southern Oregon music scene sixteen years ago, he immediately immersed himself. In time he had played nearly every major venue in this area. Hernandez has had his songs featured on TV shows like Myth Busters and Hotel Hell, and he’s shared the stage with

Raised in Ashland, Shae Celine got her start studying vocal performance under Pamela Fry at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Currently, she is the lead singer of six different band configurations in Southern Oregon. She continues to perform every weekend at various venues. Because of her accumulated experience with

Raised in Alaska, Danielle Kelly absorbed every bit of performing arts experience she could. In school, she was in every play, every choir; she became smitten with jazz, practicing it all the way through high school. These days, Kelly and her band, Danielle Kelly Soul Project (DKSP) are fresh off

What would you look for when buying new speakers in 2021? You may not be aware that there are several distinguishing features of speakers. And this is what makes them unique. So, if you are planning on getting yourself a better sound quality, learn a few things about them. When

Released earlier this year, Loveland features Rick Millward playing each of the featured instruments, short the saxophone and steel pedal guitar. Not quite a one-man band, but pretty darn (multi) talented. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Millward lived in Nashville for years before returning to the west coast. But that