“We’re just some guys who make music and have fun doing it”

   The Rum And The Sea grew from its start a few years ago as a folky trio into a six piece band that seemed to literally always be playing somewhere in Bend, before settling down to its current well polished incarnation that features the singer/songwriter talent of Jason D. Schweitzer, backing vocals and bluesy keyboard by Chris Youngers, hearty bass plucking by Ben Samples, killer lead riffs on electric guitar from Tim Schroeder, and a superb rhythmic framework from Brent Barnett on drums.  Today, the band has an eclectic set list that focuses on their own originals, which include punk/rock-leaning love ballads to roller derby girls, quietly powerful blues tunes with emotional storylines, folk/bluegrass romps, and nearly every other genre of music you could think of, somehow seamlessly melded into an intensely powerful live show.  Peppered in among these, however, are reimagined classics that get even first time listeners out of their chairs and singing along.

   The band seems just as comfortable playing huge festivals around town as they do popping into small venues for a quick set, and perhaps that’s mostly due to the large amount of time they devote to live shows.  TRATS has shared stages with a wide variety of local and touring acts, and has even featured some of the best local talent Bend has to offer as guest musicians, including Keez(Brad Jones), Gabe Johnson, and David Miller.

   The fact that even in a town saturated with excellent bands, and short on venues, The Rum And The Sea still manages to not only stay busy, but also keep fans coming to successive shows, speaks to their ability to fit comfortably into whatever venue they happen to be blowing the roof off of.  If you still haven’t made it out to a show, stop reading this and go do it!