Pass by the High Desert Music Hall this summer, and you’re likely to hear sounds thumping from deep within the building’s blood-red walls. Nestled within a former church, a growing number of musicians from across the country are gathering with fans to sing and sway to the beat of piano keys and guitar strings.

On Wednesday, July 13, Amythyst Kiah, a Grammy-nominated artist, will be the one standing out front and belting out powerful chords and words. On July 20, Leo Kottke, a legendary guitarist known for his fingerpicking style, will take the stage.

These two artists arrive in Redmond to perform at the High Desert Music Hall during Cascades Radio Hour‘s live-music series, which will continue to feature a variety of blues and Americana artists through August 24.

The series, a collaboration between KJIV Radio — commonly referred to as JIVE Radio and found on 96.5FM — and High Desert Music Hall is a match that reflects Redmond’s own growth and expanding opportunities.

The series started on June 8 with regional acts before moving on to heavy hitters like Kottke and Kiah, Margo Cilker and C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band.

“I find [Kiah] really compelling,” said Jeff Cotton, the founder of JIVE Radio. “She’s got a really smoldering power that’s uncommon. There’s a lot of female voices out there that are in their own category but Amythyst has this deep range and a really powerful approach to singing.”

“It started as a cathartic hobby,” Kiah said.

Kiah, who described herself as a “nerdy skater kid who grew up in the suburbs,” never felt like she fit in and channeled much of her anxiety into playing guitar. She started playing 20 years ago but has slowly been building music into a full-time career over the last 13 or 14 years.

“I feel like I’m just getting started in a new phase and chapter in my life,” she said, adding that she’s “peeling back the layers of who I am.”

“This is a new chapter,” Kiah said. “A lot of new things happening.”

This seems to be the case for both Kiah and Redmond.

Cotton, who helped organize the series and is the director of Open Sky Radio, thinks there’s sky-high potential for High Desert Music Hall and the future of music in Redmond and Central Oregon.

“[High Desert Music Hall] could be a nationally known venue with help from the community,” Cotton said.

“There’s a strong base of music lovers in the area,” he said, adding that he thinks High Desert is the nicest theater of its kind in the region.

With the plethora of live music at area breweries and 52-show lineup at Hayden Homes Amphitheater, including artists such as Bob Dylan and Jack Johnson, Cotton believes “we are in the midst of what I would predict is a record-setting season for live music in Central Oregon.”

Tower Theater and Hayden Homes Amphitheater in Bend may have their own advantages, High Desert Music Hall has a unique edge — which can attract higher profile acts and larger crowds.

“The nice thing about High Desert Music Hall is that it was and still is a place of worship,” Cotton said.

A place to worship music, that is.