Bend-based musician/producer Franchot Tone has been a busy fellow recently. Besides constantly working with other local artists and gigging all over town, Tone has been honing his own singing and songwriting skills as he inches closer to the release of his first original, solo material in the spring.
And that’s just the local side of Tone’s life. In between stays in Bend, he heads to Los Angeles, where he recently finished the third EP by Culver City Dub Collective, his retro-roots-reggae project with Adam Topol (who must never tire of being described as Jack Johnson’s drummer). Also on Tone’s L.A. schedule: writing tunes with Bedouin Soundclash’s Jay Malinowski, working with Topol on a soundtrack to a documentary about the South American wine industry, and singing back-up for Garth Brooks. (Wait ... what?)
Anyway, set SoCal aside; Tone is home now, and he’ll play Saturday night at the cozy downtown bar Velvet, backed by his buds Nate Berry (drums) and Craig Brown (bass). Whatever the thermometer reads outside, you can expect Tone to fill the place with heaps of warm guitar strum, breezy melodies and easygoing vibe. Check him out at www .reverbnation.com/franchottone.
Franchot Tone ; 7:30 p.m. Saturday; free; Velvet, 805 N.W. Wall St., Bend; 541-728-0303.
