Cicada Omega, Sunday, June 22
Hellfire and salvation with one hard-to-pigeonhole Portland band.
November 19th, 2008
Critical Juncture | Point Juncture, WA is ready for the big time—but it’s not really a priority.0 comments
November 19th, 2008
What I love about Willie Nelson | Casey Neill is a Portland-based singer-songwriter who will perform at the Wonder Ballroom’s Willie Nelson Tribute this Friday night.0 comments
November 19th, 2008
Metal 101 | This high-school club’s got one rule: “Respect thy metal.”3 comments
November 19th, 2008
Little Sue Saturday, Nov. 22 | Susannah “Little Sue” Weaver talks cross-alt-country journeying.0 comments
November 12th, 2008
Blue Horns | Blue Horns’ attention span is short; its rock ’n’ roll songs are even shorter.0 comments
November 12th, 2008
Lickity | Lickity’s electro-party-punk was kind of an accident. No one’s complaining.0 comments
November 12th, 2008
One Mic | Longtime Portland MC Mic Censhaw finally makes a solo stand.0 comments
November 5th, 2008
Reviews: Oh Captain My Captain and Pink Widower0 comments
November 5th, 2008
An Anne For All Seasons | Grey Anne’s debut sparkles, whether or not she’s around to defend it.0 comments
October 29th, 2008
The Estranged. Friday, Oct. 31 | A post-punk life fits these ex-crust rockers just fine.0 comments
![]() |
[July 18th, 2007]
[JUNKYARD BLUES] "Did you get saved up there?" asks Cicada Omega drummer Dave Rue, grinning and sweaty after a set last Tuesday at Dante's. We're standing in the basement of the brimstone-inspired venue on the hottest day of the year so far, and—in the aftermath of the band's fiery set of gospel-laden blues—the question seems most apt.
See, Cicada Omega is led by a bona fide minister: singer, guitarist and "snake charmer" Barry "Rev. B.D." Winfield. And his band's hypnotic, R.L. Burnside-inspired junkyard blues—which rattle with unconventional percussion (kitchen utensils, truck parts, gardening tools)—leave you feeling dazed, if not exalted. The band, whose name echoes the Bible (Revelation portends a swarm of locusts, often confused with cicadas) and the players' homeland (Kentucky), aims to inspire—but it's no gimmick. "What we do is the realest [sic] thing there is," says Winfield in a thick drawl.
The band realizes its image, which includes playing homemade instruments and listing whiskey, the Bible, Col. Sanders and death as its top four MySpace friends, could be perceived as novel. But Winfield is so sincere when discussing his beliefs that he seems downright uncomfortable. "I am a very spiritual person," he explains. "For me, religion's the whole package: the devil, God and everything in between." And Cicada Omega's custom instruments—bassist Daniyel Hicks alternates between a suitcase bass (which doubles as a bourbon holder) and an oil-drum bass—are the real deal, too: "It's funny, 'cause we see people who are creatively trying to do stuff like that, and we did it out of necessity," says Winfield. "Seriously, we made [our own] instruments because we didn't have any money."
Now the band (which runs Blue Pepper Records on the side) is just trying to make a name for itself, which can be difficult with such an unclassifiable sound. "If we say any one thing that we do, it's misleading," explains drummer Rue. Percussionist Salim Sundiata Sanchez chimes in with a story about playing a Cascade Blues Association event: "[The crowd] didn't know what to make of us. [Everything else] was...Chicago blues, very by the book." Rue cuts him off, "Almost every song was about how 'my baby left me.'" "Their babies didn't leave them," interjects Winfield.
Winfield may best encompass the band's sound when he describes its namesake: "If you've even been around cicadas, they're really loud and musical," he says. And Cicada Omega—which plans to release its debut full-length this fall—is certainly both. Winfield wails on the guitar and harmonica like he's truly emancipating damned souls, and the band's heavy-hitting rhythmic threesome adds a trancelike element that's both grounded and bewitching. "Everyone's lookin' for something real to grasp onto," says Winfield. "When shit hits the fan, you want somethin' real you can feel in your soul." .
RECENT COMMENTS ON “Cicada Omega, Sunday, June 22”
I just wanted to write and say thanks to Amy. I have been there since the beginning, and have watched the music grow. It is a very serious and beautiful and important part of our lives. Thanks for see...









