The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Live music has been severely curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic — but it hasn’t gone away completely.

Black Butte Ranch will offer its traditional Wednesday evening concerts on the lawn near the barn west of Lakeside Bistro. The expansive lawn allows plenty of room for groups of people to set up with appropriate physical distancing.

Americana folk outfit The Anvil Blasters will kick off the series on Wednesday, July 1, at 6 p.m. and will play again on July 8 and July 22.

“We’re looking forward to playing out again — it’s been a while,” said Jim Cornelius of The Anvil Blasters. “This is about the ideal set-up for music in these times; lots of room in the open air.”

Cornelius noted that, due to the pandemic, The Anvil Blasters bandmate Lynn Woodward opted to stay in North Carolina where she winters, rather than returning to Sisters for the summer. The band’s configuration for the Black Butte Ranch performances will be Jeff Wester (banjo/vocals); Jim Cornelius (guitar/harmonica/vocals); and Mike Biggers (guitar/mandolin/vocals).

“We’re going to miss Lynn,” Cornelius said. “And I know she hates missing these gigs. But she made the smart choice not to make a cross-country trip right now and to stay close to her family. I guess I’ll just steal a couple of my songs back from her while her back is turned.”

Cornelius noted that the band expects to be joined by a special guest or two for some of the Black Butte Ranch shows.