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Calendar:
TONIGHT!!! : Eyedea & Abilities, Dosh, The Illusionists, Undermind
On Monday, February 8, U. of O. Campus Radio 88.1 FM KWVA proudly welcomes Eyedea & Abilities back to the WOW Hall along with special guests Dosh, The Illusionists and Undermind.
After a five year break exploring new sounds and building their personal repertoires, the dynamic duo of Eyedea & Abilities return with the follow up to their 2004 critically acclaimed sophomore album E&A. With biting guitars, fuzzy keyboards, melodic choruses, and some of their most intricate turntable work to date, By The Throat cuts right to the vein and advances far beyond Eyedea & Abilities battle tested history (winners of HBO Blaze Battle, Rocksteady, Scribble Jam and the DMC's).
Throughout the nineties the duo played an important role in the development of the emerging underground hip-hop scene alongside friends Atmosphere, Aesop Rock, EL-P, the Living Legends, Sage Francis, Blueprint and more. Always pushing the boundaries, Eyedea & Abilities have not only grown but have elevated their talents and once again successfully brought them together with By The Throat.
Released last July 21st on Rhymesayers, By the Throat proves that Micheal Larsen and Gregory Keltgen (Eyedea and Abilities) are back and better than ever.
The new album is laced in subject matter ranging from coping with loss and the hardships of addiction, to Micheal's signature fascination with neuroscience and quantum mechanics.
The E&A discography: 1998 - Headshots 6: Industrial warfare (as Sixth Sense), 1999 - Finally Mixtape, 2000 - For persons with D.J. Abilities Mixtape, 2001 - First Born, 2002 - The Many Faces of Oliver Hart, and 2004 - E&A.
Call him a one-man band, a virtuoso, a gifted collaborator or a family man, Martin Dosh has gotten to now by what seems an uncanny path (perhaps call it fate). When they met, Dosh's father was a Catholic priest with pile of degrees, and his mother was living in a convent in Minneapolis preparing herself for nunhood. They left the fold for marriage; subsequently giving life to Martin.
Dosh seized his destiny at 16 and moved east to study jazz and drums at Simon's Rock College of Bard in Massachusetts. What followed was a flurry of summer jobs, road trips to see the Grateful Dead, van living, Zappa-esque noodling in his band Como Zoo, further schooling, and a little too much partying. But Dosh wanted more for his music and less for his student debt, so he swallowed his pride and returned (at age 25) to his parents' in Minneapolis.
He figured the move would be temporary, but Dosh was meeting more and more people in the local music-rich scene (a collision of avant jazz, freewheeling rock and progressive hip-hop). Throughout his dedicated solo drum-and-keyboard sessions in mom and dad's basement, he'd record, record, record -- accumulating a massive library of sound. Soon he'd be a touring member of Andrew Broder's Fog, and a full-time player in their instrumental counterpart Lateduster.
In 2003 Anticon released Dosh's virtuoso debut, Dosh, a loop-building collage of shimmering Rhodes, atypical drumming grounded in groove, field recordings and spontaneous performance. By then he'd developed his untouchable live one-man show (swiveling on his drum stool between a kit, his modified Rhodes piano, a few pots and pans, and a simple looping pedal with a 12-second recording limit) and took to the road.
Dosh's second full-length, Pure Trash, was instrumental, yet it emoted all the warmth and anticipation, fear and relief that comes with building a family. His third album, The Lost Take, showcases the man's unique approach to sound with an expanded musicality and growing guest list including Andrew Bird and members of Tapes 'N Tapes.
Dosh's fourth record, Wolves And Wishes, adds to the ever-impressing oeuvre with the explorative wonderment of a debut album.
For the last year or so, The ILLusionists have been making a name for themselves. Playing to audiences from hip-hop (KI Design, Endr Won) to metal (I'm A Tornado, Death Rides A Horse), this punk-hop trio has developed an eclectic group of fans.
After only two months together, The ILL produced an 18-track epic (and often hilarious) debut, titled Sleep Rocking. Proclaiming "Anti-Wack" status, they were outspoken against the generic, mainstream hip-hop that plagues the radio waves today.
Reports Eugene Weekly, “With three original members consisting of Sammy Warm Hands (Sam Wartenbee, vocals), Web the Free Range Human (Gabe Morley, samples and arrangements) and E Ville (Evan Vaught, vocals), the trio put together an album after being together for only two months, titled Sleep Rocking and given away for free. Then the band added new members Crosby Kneale (bass and synthesizer) and Mike McCarthy (keyboards, synthesizer and guitar), filling out their sound and creating new layers for live shows and their most recent album. Since then, the group has added a few members and taken their samples to the stage with a live band. Hundreds filled the WOW Hall to see their new lineup this summer. And with all the anticipation before the show, it was captured on tape.”
Now, The ILLusionists will return to the stage with a brand new album. Boasting their brand of shameless ambition, ILL IS ALL features a studio disc full of brand new material and a second disc of the entire live recording, mixed and mastered for your pleasure.
Undermind, "that beatbox flute kid" from Eugene, has released an impressive series of recordings: 100 Miles from Fame (2003/2004), Bump in The Night (2004), Unidentified Thoughts (2004/2005), The Voices in Your Head (2005), Dangerous Thinking (2006), Reality Hurts (2007), Undermind Music (2008/2009) and now BeatBox Recorder Kid (2009).
Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Doors open at 7:30 pm and showtime is 8:00.
SHOWTIME: 8:00 PM, PRICE: $10 Advance, $12 door. BUY TICKETS NOW 
2/09 : The Album Leaf with Sea Wolf
On Tuesday, February 9, U. of O. Campus Radio 88.1 FM KWVA welcomes The Album Leaf with special guests Sea Wolf.
A 10-year anniversary is a time to reflect. In a relationship, it's a chance to recount the first date; to remember the awkward pauses and the eventual connection. For musicians, a 10-year anniversary is a time to look back on their first album and see how far they've come from those earliest recordings.
The new Album Leaf album, A Chorus of Storytellers, marks the decade milestone for the group led by Jimmy LaValle. In those 10 years, LaValle went from initial improvised home recordings to five complete studio albums, from opening slots to leading an incredible world-touring band to the stage at Red Rocks, headlining the Metamorphose Festival in Japan and performing at the Hollywood Bowl with the Incredible String Band.
LaValle’s well-earned reputation as a crafter of impeccable sonic imagery even led to a critically-acclaimed show at the Seattle International Film Festival where The Album Leaf performed a live score for the 1927 silent film Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans.
The Album Leaf’s debut, An Orchestrated Rise to Fall, was recorded by LaValle and a friend in his bedroom, and though it launched his ethereal dreamscape sound, the album recording quality is thin and rough. In contrast, A Chorus of Storytellers is the perfect showcase for LaValle’s skill as a recording artist. The album’s 11 tracks are crisp, clean, flowing and beautifully complex.
That the completion of A Chorus of Storytellers coincides with the 10th birthday of the first Album Leaf album, over three years on from the release of the last album (the late-2006 release Into the Blue Again), can be chalked up to two unrelated, but important, events: LaValle’s wedding, and his conquering a bad case of writer’s block.
"I took about a year off after everything was said and done with Into the Blue Again,” LaValle admits. “It was the longest period I’ve been inactive since I was 15 or 16 years old.”
The finished album reflects its difficult journey to creation. For instance, when LaValle had trouble meeting his mixing deadline in San Diego, he narrowed his focus to vocals. As a result, especially on tracks like “There Is a Wind” and “Falling From the Sun”, the vocals on A Chorus of Storytellers are more prominent than on any other Album Leaf record to date.
But A Chorus of Storytellers does something even bolder. LaValle’s distinctive, dreamy, cinematic soundscapes are often jarred out of reverie, particularly on “We Are”. This late addition to the track list, with its skidding beat moving under LaValle’s bounding Moog line and insistent vocals is the closest thing to a pop song The Album Leaf has ever produced.
LaValle also made the decision to bring his entire touring band in to record live, a first for The Album Leaf. Recording as a band, with multi-instrumentalist Matthew Resovich, guitarist Drew Andrews, drummer Timothy Reece, bassist Luis Hermosillo, an Icelandic horn section and a few symphony players, allowed LaValle to act more like a conductor.
LaValle called the album A Chorus of Storytellers because the title perfectly captures his new approach to The Album Leaf. Recording with the full band created a feeling of unity and shared purpose, as well as an expanded sonic breadth that he wanted to express in the title.
“I wanted to name it according to what happened with the whole process,” he explains. “It took two-and-a-half, close to three years to make. There were so many different things that went into it and there’s a lot of storytelling behind it.”
Taking its name from novelist Jack London’s 1904 seafaring adventure, Sea Wolf has evolved organically from its hermetic origins in Alex Brown Church’s living room into a muscular, full-bodied musical entity with passion to burn. After adopting the sobriquet, Church burst onto the music scene in two-fisted fashion with the EP, Get to the River Before It Runs Too Low, and the subsequent full-length debut album, Leaves in the River, about which Interview magazine observed, “His music is both erudite and unvarnished, a blend of swirling melodies, literary balladry and damaged art-rock composition.”
And now, Church’s singular vision has led to the creation of the eloquent and expansive new album White Water, White Bloom, which not only fulfills the immense promise of the initial musical diptych but conjures up its own cosmology. This is one of those rare and mysterious records wherein, the first time you hear it, you can’t shake the feeling that it’s always been part of the soundtrack of your life. A song cycle set against the changing of seasons, this timeless work unfolds like an epic poem, yet resonates with thematic elements that speak, elliptically yet unmistakably, to the world we live in.
“Lyrically,” says Church, “I like to incorporate what one would construe as classic imagery, and even infuse the songs with elements of mythology, but also delve into more contemporary themes. I’m interested in the way words look and feel, not just when you hear them but also when you read them.”
White Water, White Bloom was recorded at the Omaha studio of Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes, M. Ward, Monsters of Folk), with Church handling vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, as well as some of the air organ and pump organ sounds that were such a big part of the sonic signature of the earlier records. Joining him were the three core members of the six-piece Sea Wolf touring lineup: keyboardist Lisa Fendelander, bassist Ted Liscinski and drummer Joey Ficken.
Tickets are $12 in advance, $14 at the door. Doors open at 7:30 pm and showtime is 8:00.
SHOWTIME: 8:00 PM, PRICE: $12 Advance, $14 Door.
BUY TICKETS NOW
2/11 : Board of Directors Meeting
Meets at Growers Market Building, 525 Willamette, upstairs. SHOWTIME: 6:30 PM, PRICE: Free & open to public.
canceled 2/12 : Rootz Underground with Marko & MonkContact the WOW for more info.
2/13 : West African Dance with Alseny Yansane'
Explore the joy and passion of West African dance with ALSENY YANSANE, dynamic teacher and fourteen year performing artist with the world renowned touring group, Ballets Africains.
Alseny is beautiful dancer who skillfully executes dance movements with strength and grace. He is friendly, patient and encouraging and is excellent at nurturing beginning dancers by breaking down the steps while simultaneously challenging more advanced students to push their edge and become stronger dancers.
All classes is accompanied by live drumming.
SHOWTIME: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM, PRICE: $15 per class.
2/13 : Come out for Celebrations of Life!
Transformation 2012 Countdown- Ecstatic Dance, Music and Drum
Saturdays: 1:00-3:00, starting on February 13- Ongoing continuously on Saturdays!
by Sylvia Casillas
We are the change, that we want to see in the World! Michael Jackson said, "Be the change", you want to see. There is an Alchemical process that is happening on the Earth right now. There are large amounts of positive energy encompassing the Earth, in order to help speed up a "shift" that is occurring.
Sometimes it is difficult for us to balance the polarities of war, famine and human suffering, even as the Planet is shifting towards Evolution as a Whole! Certain countries are playing out various archetypes in order to bring out these old patterns and scenarios, to help all of us transmute old paradigms and ways of seeing and being that are not authentic.
I invite Everyone, Dancers, Non-dancers alike, drummers and musicians -- Everyone who would like to Dance Your Dance! While dancing we will help transmute old cells within ourselves, that represent the cells of the Earth. Then we will integrate those polarities that encompass all of humanity and our reality right now. We will transmute and Transform through our Heart Intent. We are all One and not Separate, therefore our very thoughts affect each other and the Earth.
Let us take in what we see going on around us, while being aware that each week, we will integrate and transmute the old, worn out patterns and ways of Being. This will bring about a Transformation within our bodies and our whole being through a process of physicality and/or musicality and the rhythms and heartbeat of Mother Earth (bring drums if you have).
We can Celebrate, as we create an atmosphere of Regeneration within our own Bodies and Souls, and prepare for the Great Countdown to December 2012! This is a time of celebration, while we learn to balance "what is", while creating "what we want to see" in our World.
*This is for Everyone! This isn't a formal dance as such, but Ecstatic dance from your heart. Just let your body tell you what it needs. This is about you, and getting in touch with the messages, that your body wants to convey to you. This is a self-expression, celebration of abundance in all it's aspects and healing for the planet. Everyone does this, through their own process of movement. Dance can facilitate enormous changes on an energetic level.
So come out and do your thing! Intent not necessary if undesired.
Music provided, bring drums or other instruments, and percussion instruments, with your Heart for Sheer Play!
Most of all, Just Bring yourself.
Sylvia Casillas has been a dancer all her life, however this is not a dance class as such. She is experienced in Alchemical Healing and other Shamanic studies, advanced Energy training, including Reiki Master. She plays with painting, sculpture, and Improv as well. Sylvia sees all of life as a Doorway into other realms of Being and Creating.
SHOWTIME: 1:00 - 3:00 PM, PRICE: Donation $5-$12 on admission.
2/13 : YOB with Rye Wolves
On Saturday, February 13, the CCPA and University of Oregon Campus Radio 88.1 FM KWVA proudly welcome back YOB along with special guests The Rye Wolves.
Founded in Eugene in 1996 by guitarist/vocalist Mike Scheidt, YOB returns in support of their latest album, The Great Cessation, released on Profound Lore Records. The Great Cessation was named one of 2009’s best albums by The New York Times, The Village Voice, Stereogum and Popmatters.
“Oregon’s YOB have carved out a niche of ‘cosmic doom,’ which is a descriptor, not a subgenre,” says Pitchfork. “Few bands do what YOB do -- marry Black Sabbath’s heavy and psychedelic sides.”
The Times notes that YOB, “makes long songs earn their length.” They better. The Great Cessation the five songs on the band’s fifth album clock in at over 60 minutes. The songs, “are played slowly, with meticulous care,” the Times states, “the trick of this music is that the composed details, the subtle craft and narrative texture of it, come at you not through quietude but enveloping, mind-stud volume.”
YOB’s first three song self-titled demo was submitted to Stonerrock.com in 1999, sending shockwaves into the doom metal scene worldwide. In 2001 YOB recorded its first full-length record for 12th Records in Spokane, Washington titled Elaborations Of Carbon. This offering received dozens of rave reviews from magazines/fans worldwide.
2002 saw YOB secure a recording contract with Lunasound/Abstract Sounds. Their first CD for this label, Catharsis, featuring three songs clocking in at 50 minutes, hit the streets in 2003. That release was followed by the infamous doom metal albums The Illusion of Motion and The Unreal Never Lived.
YOB’s classic lineup of Mike Scheidt, Isamu Sato (bass) and Travis Foster (drums) lasted almost ten years before the inevitable breakup. 2006 saw Scheidt opening for Isis at the WOW Hall with a new band named Age. That short-lived project was followed by another, Middian, which lasted about two years and released an album, 2007’s Age Eternal, that sparked a lawsuit from a different band named Midian.
“Dragging the friendly, well-meaning West Coasters into a prolonged legal battle that cost Scheidt loads of money, a record deal, the band name, a damn fine album (which is now out of print as a result of the lawsuit), and in the end, his band,” reports Popmatters.
Now Mike has resurrected YOB with drummer Travis Foster and new bassist Aaron Rieseberg. The band headed back to Dogwood Studios (where many of the previous albums were recorded) to track out their latest material and then finished up with mixing/mastering at Gung Ho Studio, both in Eugene.
“Hail the return of the mighty YOB, Eugene OR’s heaviest, most monolithic thing since forever,” notes Decibel, calling them, “one of the most forward-thinking and idiosyncratic bands in all of doom-dom.”
Eugene’s Rye Wolves just finished recording their second full length record and are in the final stages of the mixing process. The new recording sees Rye Wolves expanding on epic songs that urgently transport the listener to a private realm where they may encounter everything from slow sprawling doom to blackened riffs that charge the listener with a trance inducing journey through all that is nothing short of universe expanding psychedelic genre defying metal of the purest form.
That said, everyone takes a little something different away with them after witnessing Rye Wolves.
The band is hopefully going to try to make this show a formal vinyl release show, but are waiting on their label, Aurora Borealis out of London, to help make that happen. The Wolves are currently planning a two week tour in Europe this July and hope to accost a few key festivals when there as well.
Tickets are$7 in advance, $8 at the door. Doors open at 8:00 pm and showtime is 8:30.
SHOWTIME: 8:30 PM, PRICE: $7 Advance, $8 Door.
BUY TICKETS NOW
2/14 : Coalessence: Community Ecstatic Dance
PROCEEDS FROM THIS WEEK'S EVENT ARE BEING DONATED DIRECTLY TO A HOSPITAL IN HAITI
Coalessence is an informal dance community reveling in freeform self-expressive movement. We provide a nonjudgmental space where you can explore your own movement to a wide range of music, structured in a wave of varying rhythms designed to take you on an ecstatic journey ending in stillness and peace. We dance our joy, we dance our connections. We dance to the profound unknown, bringing our hearts to the surface through uncensored movement. We come to dance away our fears, our inhibitions, our sorrows ....peeling away the layers in search of our true shining selves. Please join us in this family friendly event. Our circle is warm and open and we welcome people with all levels of experience.
Coalessence is currently led by four facilitators, Grace, Amanda, Paul, and Zan, who take turns each week providing the music and holding space. We come from diverse backgrounds, united by our passion for dance, and a strong vision and commitment to grow the ecstatic dance community in Eugene. We look forward to dancing with you.
When: Every Sunday 10:00 AM- Noon. Cost: $7-12 sliding scale. For more info: 343-2246 or coalessenceeugene@gmail.com.
SHOWTIME: 10:00 AM - Noon, PRICE: $7-$12 Sliding Scale.
2/14 : P.O.S., Grieves, Budo + Dessa
On Sunday, February 14, Square Peg Concerts welcomes P.O.S. with special guests Grieves plus Budo + Dessa.
P.O.S. returns with Never Better -- his follow-up to 2006's critically acclaimed Audition. P.O.S. produced more than half the beats on Never Better, which bears his unmistakable signature. The album enters the room like a bombshell with a black eye — badass, noisy and impossible to ignore.
Most of P.O.S.’ recent album was written in a moving car. On it, he raps at full-clip to rolling drums and revving distortion. There’s an urgency that he keeps in careful check, and then unleashes for spring-loaded verses that represent his best work.
P.O.S. built his reputation as an innovator, with an unlikely punk rock past and expressive, honest content. He re-earns the accolades with every release. His records capture his charisma — they’re driving and sincere, the dark moments counterbalanced by some giggling banter with the engineer. On Never Better, the new disc, he conjures getaway cars, racing chariots, the pursuit of sirens, and the occasional rueful nighttime drive.
P.O.S was born in Minneapolis as Stefon Alexander, where everybody still calls him Stef. As a little kid, he developed a fascination with an older cousin’s bass guitar. Stef was allowed to take it home and he banged on it happily for years before realizing that it was intended to be played through an amp.
“I just thought it was supposed to be a quiet instrument,” P.O.S. recalls.
As a teenager, he fell hard for punk rock: Minor Threat, At the Drive-In, Refused, Kid Dynamite. He played in a series of hardcore bands, sometimes as a drummer, sometimes on guitar and vocals. Simultaneously, he pursued hip hop, rapping in the hallways and after school with classmates who would eventually found Doomtree Records.
P.O.S. released his first rap record, Ipecac Neat, on Doomtree in 2003. Shortly after he signed with Rhymesayers, who reissued and widely distributed the album on Rhymesayers Entertainment. Two years later, critics and fans devoured his melodic sophomore release Audition, which featured collaborations with heavyweights like Slug from Atmosphere, Craig Finn of The Hold Steady, and Greg Attonito of The Bouncing Souls.
Like many great rappers, P.O.S. creates his own self-contained little microcosm — his characters become familial to us; we get in on his slang and inside jokes. His mother and his son Jacob emerge as familiar personalities. We know his politics too: P.O.S. doesn’t hesitate to call out the compounding absurdities of pop culture, either with a little friendly ribbing or with a Molotov cocktail. On Never Better he drops deft one-liners that cut to the quick of America’s stuff-obsessed culture.
Some critics will be eager to categorize Never Better as a hybrid — some kind of crossover project. But it’s probably not. P.O.S. is a rapper with range, he’s a real musician and an unstoppable performer. For him, genres are as they ever were: permeable.
Tickets are $13 in advance, $15 at the door. Doors open at 7:00 pm and showtime is 8:00.
SHOWTIME: 8:00 PM, PRICE: $13 Advance, $15 Door.
BUY TICKETS NOW
2/14 : West African Dance Workshop with Abdoulaye Thioub
Abdoulaye Thioub brings drum and dance to the people....all of the people. Recently arriving from Senegal, West Africa,Abdoulaye taps into the rhythm of life and he loves to share his passion for it with others.
Inheriting the tradition of ceremonial drumming and dancing from his father Meissa Thioub,director of Ballet African Sanagomar, Abdoulaye opens your heart to the ancient medicine from Africa! Dance to the rhythms of Sewrouba,Toucouleur,Sabar,Bougarabou and Djembe on Sundays beginning at 12:30 pm at the WOW Hall!
SHOWTIME: 12:30 PM, PRICE: $15.
2/16 : Volunteer Orientation
The Community Center for the Performing Arts, located in the historic WOW Hall, will host a New Volunteer Orientation and Training on Tuesday, February 16, at 6:30 pm.
The CCPA, a nonprofit arts organization with over 450 volunteers, provides volunteer training for all ages. Prospective volunteers receive an introduction to the CCPA from Volunteer Coordinator and House Manager Kayte McDonald and Assistant Volunteer Coordinator Travis Weaver, who will provide a brief history of the organization and an overview of volunteer responsibilities. The orientation takes about one hour, after which new volunteers may sign up for a variety of positions during show productions. Those ages 21 and over will also receive additional training in OLCC regulations from Concessions Managers Angela Lees and Jessica Syverson. Volunteers may qualify themselves for additional training for running lights, sound or the box office.
The WOW Hall is located at the corner of 8th and Lincoln in Eugene and is open for all ages. For more information please call Kayte McDonald at 687-2746.
SHOWTIME: 6:30 PM, PRICE: FREE!.
2/17 : KNRQ, KZEL & KFLY host Everclear with SixLifter7
On Wednesday, February 17, KNRQ, KZEL and KFLY proudly welcome Everclear back to the WOW Hall along with special guests SixLifter7.
Led by guitarist/vocalist Art Alexakis, Everclear, whose only other appearance at the WOW Hall was in February of 1995, is well known for their radio hits spanning more than a decade. The band formed in Portland in 1992 and, for most of its existence, consisted of Alexakis, bassist Craig Montoya and drummer Greg Eklund (drums, percussion, backing vocals). With the exception of Art Alexakis, Everclear’s lineup overturned in 2003 and again in 2009. So please welcome the third lineup of Everclear.
Art Alexakis suffered through a troubled youth in the slums of Los Angeles, where he fell into heavy drug use. A near-fatal cocaine overdose finally pushed him to clean up. In the late 1980s, Alexakis played in rock bands in Los Angeles and San Francisco before relocating to Portland, Oregon. There, he placed an ad in local music weekly The Rocket, which earned two responses: bass player Craig Montoya and drummer Scott Cuthbert. The new band, Everclear, began recording in a friend's basement. The sessions culminated in two releases: the Nervous & Weird EP and the band's first full-length release World of Noise, both released by Portland's Tim/Kerr Records in 1993.
In 1994 Everclear was signed to Capitol Records by Gary Gersh, who was responsible for signing Nirvana, Sonic Youth and Counting Crows to DGC Records. Just before their signing, Everclear parted ways with Cuthbert and brought in former Jollymon drummer Greg Eklund. In May 1995, the band released their first album for the label, Sparkle and Fade. Its first single, "Heroin Girl", received some modest airplay, but it was the second single "Santa Monica" that found a strong audience via alternative radio. Sparkle was followed in 1997 by So Much For The Afterglow, whose third single, "Father of Mine", catapulted the album to mainstream success. It went double-platinum, got a Grammy nomination and won Billboard's Modern Rock Band of the Year Award.
Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile, released in July 2000, yielded the band's most successful single, "Wonderful", and eventually reached platinum status. Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 2: Good Time for a Bad Attitude was released just four months after Vol. 1 in November 2000. Their sixth album, Slow Motion Daydream, was released in 2003. Following the support tour, Montoya and Eklund decided to pursue other interests. The following summer, Everclear ended its relationship with Capitol Records.
After a solo tour in the fall of 2003, Alexakis decided to continue with Everclear, organizing a new band that made its debut in March 2004. The new lineup released its first recording, a cover of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land", that summer. Alexakis, an Oregon delegate, performed the song (as well as "Everything to Everyone") with an acoustic guitar during a CNN interview at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
In 2006 Everclear released Welcome to the Drama Club. The Vegas Years, a collection of cover songs, was released in 2008 by Capitol Records. That year the band traveled around Iraq in support of the troops and the USO. They stopped at Camps Liberty, Shield and Slayer, FOB Echo and many other FOBs around the country. In March 2009, Art went on a solo acoustic tour as a benefit for Musicians on Call charity.
On October 6, 2009 Everclear released In a Different Light, a collection of re-recordings of old Everclear songs in a more acoustic fashion. The new band will be recording the next album for an August 2010 release.
Tickets are $18 in advance, $20 day of show. Doors open at 7:00 pm and showtime is 7:30. Listen to KNRQ and KFLY for more details.
SHOWTIME: 7:30 PM, PRICE: $18 Advance, $20 Day of Show.
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2/18 : Tea Leaf Green with Jerry Hannon
On Thursday, February 18, KRVM welcomes back Tea Leaf Green along with special guest Jerry Hannon.
A four-piece jam band from the San Francisco Bay area, Tea Leaf Green is comprised of Josh Clark (guitar and vocals), Trevor Garrod (keyboards, vocals, guitar, harmonica), Reed Mathis (bass and vocals) and Scott Rager (drums). The group began in the fall of 1996 on the campus of San Francisco State University. Founding member Ben Chambers was the group's original bass player but left in 2007; he is featured on the first four albums.
Drawing inspiration from The Grateful Dead, Chuck Berry, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Band and Neil Young, Tea Leaf Green began gigging throughout San Francisco, becoming the de facto house band at the Elbo Room for a period in 1999. The eponymously titled first album was released that year and featured twelve original compositions.
Tea Leaf Green released its second album, Midnight on the Reservoir, in 2001 and followed up with a live release from the Great American Music Hall often referred to as the "Green Album" because of its all-green cover. In 2002, the band embarked on its first national tour, using the High Sierra Music Festival as a springboard. Their third studio album, Living in Between, was book ended by two live releases: Slim's (2003) and Live at the Independent (2004). The title track from the band’s fourth album, 2005’s Taught to Be Proud, earned Tea Leaf Green a Jammy Award for Song of the Year.
Filmmaker Justin Kreutzmann, son of Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann, directed a documentary entitled Rock 'n' Roll Band that interlaced live footage from a May, 2006 concert at the Fox Theatre in Boulder with individual and group interviews with each band member. The film emphasized the struggle facing a young band, capturing footage of the members as they discuss the hardship and sacrifice inherent in the pursuit of a dream.
In 2007, original bassist Chambers decided to leave the band, citing exhaustion and a desire to be with family. The remaining members agreed to persist and signed with Surfdog Records, which subsequently released a three CD boxset, named Seeds, that combines the first three releases into a single volume.
In late 2007, Tea Leaf Green introduced Reed Mathis, of Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, as its new bass player. Mathis had earned renown for his contribution to the neo-jazz, avant-garde JFJO, which he helped form in 1994. He performed at the WOW Hall as member of The Steve Kimock Band in 2005.
In January 2008, Tea Leaf Green entered a Richmond, Virginia recording studio with producer David Lowery, taking one week to cut a fifth album, Raise Up the Tent. Most recently, the group displays its acoustic side on Coffee Bean Brown Comes Alive, released late last year (Coffee Bean Brown is the group’s acoustic pseudonym).
States a Jambase review, “TLG ... are tight as hell right now, dovetailing beautifully together, and working up fine new material that speaks to a promising future for this lineup. Older faves like "Ride Together" had swaying hips in this set, and they attacked every cut like a headliner, pushing and slicing in ways that kept even the wobbliest of us on our feet.”
Raised on jigs and ballads in San Francisco's Irish community, Jerry Hannan grew up listening to the music of his Irish-born parents (The Dubliners, The Clancy Brothers), as well as Cat Stevens. As a youngster he took accordion lessons, switching to guitar in high school and playing in rock 'n roll bands.
Described as, "shades of Dylan, John Prine and Van Morrison...very Americana with a faint Irish lilt", Hannan's songs speak of our everyday lives and the magic that we sometimes miss. He's a storyteller who loves to stir the crowd. He’s been called a “three chord wizard” with guitar, lyrics and harmonica, often funny, sardonic in a good-natured way, while dealing with issues like ecology, friendship and love.
Jerry’s recording of his song “Society” with Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder is featured in Sean Penn’s film Into the Wild. Another tune, “I Thought I Was You”, written by Jerry and brother Sean Hannan also plays in the film. The song "DaDaDa", from the 2003 CD Sounds Like a Story, was featured in the film The Pledge starring Jack Nicholson.
Hannan performed in Sam Shepard's play, The Late Henry Moss, at San Francisco's Theatre on the Square along with Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Cheech Marin and Woody Harrelson. He also appeared as a raucous singer who offsets a romantic conversation between Harry Connick Jr and Sarah Jessica Parker in Sony Picture's Life Without Dick.
Jerry has just finished recording Wild Card, an unplugged solo record which will feature his latest gems including his own version of “Society”.
Tickets are $13 in advance, $15 at the door. Doors open at 8:00 pm and showtime is 9:00.
SHOWTIME: 9:00 PM, PRICE: $13 Advance, $15 Door.
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2/19 : Vagabond Opera & Jason Webley
On Friday, February 19, KRVM welcomes two of the WOW Hall’s most popular attractions -- Vagabond Opera and Jason Webley -- performing both alone and together, plus special guest belly dancer Elena Villa.
Vagabond Opera, based in Portland, is kicking off their 2010 West Coast Tour at the WOW Hall and bringing Jason Webley as special guest and co-headliner. Jason will open with a solo set, followed by VO, then all the musicians will hit the stage together and no one knows what will happen. But will happen here and one time only!
If the word opera immediately brings 'elitist', 'stuffy' or 'boring' to mind, it's time to expose your senses to the neo-cabaret phenomenon that is Vagabond Opera! Kicking off their 2010 North American West Coast tour at the WOW Hall and finishing up at the Livermore Performing Arts Center February 27, this insanely talented sextet takes classical opera and pumps it full of raw energy, enormous stage presence and undeniably addictive melodies.
Incorporating trained operatic tenor and soprano vocals, accordion, tenor saxophone, two cellos, musical saw, standup bass, drums and lyrics in fourteen languages, a Vagabond Opera show delivers flawless musicianship and theatrics reminiscent of vaudeville’s glamour and drama but with a contemporary edge.
The May 2009 release of The Zeitgeist Beckons marks the third full-length release from the band to date. Having performed across the USA and in Europe, Vagabond Opera have shared stages and players with Pink Martini, Devotchka, The Decemberists and the Oregon Symphony, proving their easy crossover appeal.
Notes the Seattle Times, “This sextet has fine voices, unbelievable musical chops and a huge and humorous stage presence. They know how to dress, how to make an entrance and how to craft an instantly hummable tune.”
Vagabond Opera is at the vanguard of a growing popularity in the neo-cabaret phenomenon, and they have been featured on NPR, in the Washington Post and Jazziz Magazine. The group was created in 2002 by European-trained opera singer and composer Eric Stern. Then disillusioned with the classical opera world, Stern created a new context for opera: Performance on a more intimate scale incorporating not only opera but elements of Weimar Cabaret, Arabic and Balkan forms, and the original music that springs from the ensemble’s fertile creative work.
Punk accordionist and world troubadour Jason Webley is described by the Seattle Times as "one of Seattle's most talented musicians, a singer-songwriter with a rare gift for crafting timeless songs that approaches Waits and Leonard Cohen territory." His relentless touring schedule has built him a cult following all over North America, Europe and Australia, as well as a bizarrely large and loyal following in Russia. Known for bellowing out apocalyptic dirges in a sandpaper baritone to the accompaniment of his squeezebox and the stomping of his feet, Webley's true specialty is involving his audience in his music. Webley frequently tours with his friends the Dresden Dolls and has shared stages with Architecture in Helsinki, the Avett Brothers and Regina Spektor. His fifth full-length album, The Cost of Living, was released on his own independent Eleven Records label.
Voted the WOW Hall’s Favorite Male Performer of 2007, Jason has performed here many times as a soloist and in collaboration with artists including Sxip Shirey and the Reverend Peyton. Jason’s most recent WOW Hall show was last summer’s Monsters of Accordions, which also featured Eric Stern of VO, but this time Jason and Eric will play together and have the whole band behind them.
Tickets are $13 advance, $15 at the door. Doors open at 8:00 pm and showtime is 9:00.
SHOWTIME: 8:30 PM, PRICE: $13 Advance, $15 Door.
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2/20 : James McMurtry with Jonny Burke
On Saturday, February 20, the CCPA and KLCC proudly welcome James McMurtry and the Heartless Bastards back to the WOW Hall along with special guest Jonny Burke.
It’s been almost a year since James McMurty last played the WOW Hall. In the interim he’s been traveling, and is bringing his new CD, Live in Europe, so you can share the experience.
James McMurtry’s recent studio albums, 2005’s Childish Things and 2008’s Just Us Kids, earned him formidable accolades. The Village Voice called him, “a poet of the people.” Stephen King, writing in Entertainment Weekly, pronounced him, “the truest, fiercest songwriter of his generation.”
Yet a lot of current McMurtry converts were introduced through the 2004 release Live in Aught-Three. Live albums aren’t typically greeted with rave reviews, but McMurtry’s rockin’ treatments of songs like “Choctaw Bingo” and “Out Here in the Middle” in concert made an uncanny translation to record. The Austin Chronicle proclaimed, “This is no-frills, freak-flag rock. Turn it up!” PopMatters called it, “a snapshot of where McMurtry is now, [marking him] as a legitimate inheritor of the Texas songwriting tradition.”
In October, Lightning Rod Records released Live in Europe, a document of McMurtry’s recent European tour, on which he was joined by keyboardist Ian McLagan and fellow Texas songwriting legend Jon Dee Graham. The set is available as a CD with a bonus DVD, or as a deluxe vinyl LP package with a CD and DVD insert.
In early 2009, James McMurtry and his trio traveled overseas to play their first European tour. The guys played for enthusiastic crowds in Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, The Netherlands, Scotland and Belgium. The best recordings from the Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Geislingen, Germany concerts were combined to create Live in Europe. The album includes a bonus DVD featuring performances from the Amsterdam show. This marks the first time fans will be able to purchase video footage of McMurtry live in concert. The deluxe vinyl version includes inserted copies of the CD and DVD. Fellow Austin-based songwriter Jon Dee Graham opened the shows and joins the band on a version of his tune “Laredo” on the bonus DVD.
The son of acclaimed author Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove, Terms of Endearment), James grew up on a steady diet of Johnny Cash and Roy Acuff records. His first album, released in 1989, was produced by John Mellencamp and marked the beginning of a series of acclaimed projects for Columbia and Sugar Hill.
In 2004, McMurtry released the universally lauded Live in Aught-Three on Compadre Records. 2005’s Childish Things garnered some of the highest critical praise of McMurtry’s career and spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Americana Music Radio Chart in 2005 and 2006. In September 2006, Childish Things and "We Can't Make It Here" won the Americana Music Awards for album and song of the year, respectively. Music guru-blogger Bob Lefsetz’ (http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php?s=james+mcmurtry) calls “We Can’t Make It Here” the best song of the decade! McMurtry received more Americana Music Award nominations for 2008’s Just Us Kids.
Live in Europe has won positive reviews in the national press. Rod Ames of New Depression reports that, “James McMurtry on vocals and guitar, Ronnie Johnson on bass and harmony vocals, Daren Hess on drums, Ian McLagan on keyboards, and Tim Holt, also on guitar, are clicking on all pistons and have the crowd groovin’ right along with them. There is not a soul in the house who is sitting down. McMurtry’s vocals are perfection and his band compliments every bar, ever word, every stanza of every song. They work as the perfect ensemble. If you remove one piece of this ensemble and you have 80% of a song. They all must be present to make this work and they are.”
Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Doors open at 7:30 pm and showtime is 8:30.
SHOWTIME: 8:30 PM, PRICE: $15 Advance, $18 Door .
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2/21 : Swollen Members, Potluck, Cool Nutz
On Sunday, February 21, U. of O. Campus Radio 88.1 FM KWVA welcomes back Swollen Members along with special guests Potluck and Cool Nutz.
Just in case you missed them in October (or want to see them again), Swollen Members return and they are ARMED TO THE TEETH!
Actually, Armed To the Teeth is the name of the Members latest CD, released in October just after the gig here with Souls of Mischief and Common Market. Armed To The Teeth includes guest appearances from Tech N9ne, Everlast and Slaine from La Coka Nostra, Glasses Malone and Talib Kweli.
Based in Vancouver, B.C., Swollen Members have become Canada’s all-time top selling urban act. Founded by two of the game's sickest MCs, Mad Child and Prevail, along with the help of DJ Rob The Viking, Swollen Members quickly became one of the most talked about groups in the west coast underground. In 1996, at the B-Boy Summit in San Diego, California, Mad Child won several rap battles and was initiated into the Rock Steady Crew -- held in great respect as hip-hop's highest collective.
After a series of 12" singles and live performances, Swollen Members released their debut album Balance through the group's own label, Battle Axe Records. The album quickly became a cult classic, selling 90,000 copies. Their sophomore effort, Bad Dreams, caught the attention of both underground and mainstream audiences and earned them a 2001 Juno Award (the Canadian version of a Grammy) for Best Rap Recording.
Since then the group has amassed an impressive back-catalog of albums, won numerous awards, and collaborated with some of hip-hop's biggest names while rocking stages from Tokyo to LA, performing hundreds of shows a year. They have sold over a million albums worldwide without ever having a record deal.
While Swollen Members may have enjoyed a successful career, when it came time to record their sixth studio album they were forced to confront the skeletons that had been hiding in their closet. During the time the group's new album was taking shape, Swollen Members' record label had collapsed, while Mad Child was struggling with drug addiction and was embroiled in legal battles. His association with motorcycle clubs provoked police to swarm his house in full riot gear.
With a desire to consistently raise the bar within the hip-hop genre, Mad Child and Prevail were inspired to beat back personal demons and concentrate on creating the most powerful musical statement of their career.
"It's been a crazy few years for not only me, but also Swollen,” says Mad Child. “I was in a very bad state for the last three years; drugs and an abusive lifestyle had gotten the best of me. There was a time when I couldn't leave my house without being confronted by the cops.
“And with a diet of two quarts of ice cream a night, I gained a lot of weight and slipped into a very dark place," adds Mad Child. “I was basically living in my theater room for the last two years and spent over half a million dollars on pills. I went from living the high life with girls, money and parties to watching movies in my theater and being a zombie with only my dogs to keep me company. What I now realize is that I put the lives of many people on hold during my addiction. There are a lot of people that count on me and I know I let them down. Thank God I have a studio in my house and an amazing group who never abandoned me. The only good thing that came out of the last three years is the album."
Recovered from drug addiction and revitalized, focused, and stronger than ever, Swollen Members are armed and ready for war.
Humboldt County hip-hop duo Potluck are riding high after completing a 2-month tour across the US with reunited hip-hop icons D12. Potluck's sophomore album, "Pipe Dreams", has been embraced by hip-hop fans from coast to coast who have been mesmerized by the group's lyrical depth, rapid fire flows, and head nodding beats. The Source Magazine championed the group's sound saying, "There are strong reggae and good vibe undercurrents throughout this 21-cut ode to the high life." The group recently released a new digital EP, "Pothead Music Vol. 1: The Dank Alumni Experience", which is only available through digital retailers and online at www.SubNoizeStore.com. Potluck is currently streaming the new track "Vapors" online at www.MySpace.com/Potluck.
Terrance Scott aka Cool Nutz is Oregon’s own living hip-hop legend. Since co-founding Jus Family Records in 1992, he has gone on to release seven critically acclaimed solo albums, most recently The Miracle in 2008. He has shared the stage with the top names in Hip-Hop including Wu-Tang Clan, THe Game, Ice Cube, Ludacris, Tech N9ne, Too Short, Mac Dre, The Dogg Pound, 2 Live Crew, Andre Nickatina and run DMC.
Cool Nutz has also applied his skills and business acumen to open many doors not only for himself, but the City of Portland as well. From Clearchannel Radio’s Northwest Breakout Radio Show, The Portland Oregon Hip-Hop Festival, and Executive Branch Management, Cool Nutz has used his professional moniker to crete revenue, opportunity and a very fruitful business career.
Last month Cool Nutz was part of an All-Star lineup at the Aladdin Theater’s “Songs for Haiti” benefit concert that raised over $150,000 for Mercy Corps. With his recent signing to Suburban Noise Records, Cool Nutz will release his most polished work to date this summer.
Tickets are $12 in advance, $14 at the door. Doors open at 8:00 pm and showtime is 9:00.
SHOWTIME: 9:00 PM, PRICE: $12 Advance, $14 Door.
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2/25 : G. Love & Special Sauce with Redeye Empire
On Thursday, February 25, Mike Thrasher Presents welcomes G. Love & Special Sauce along with special guests Redeye Empire.
Tart, Tangy, Smooth, and oh so lip-smacking Sweet! Aaah yes, time to praise the almighty summer sippin' thirst quencher, being served straight up G. Love and Special Sauce style, ice cool and always refreshing. On their second release for Brushfire Records, the Philly boys offer up Lemonade, a series of soul drenched tracks pouring out their blues infused hip-hop, which people have been trying to label for years. The best advice - don't try to tame it or claim it; its simply their sonic trademark, instantly recognizable and addictively delicious.
"The whole thing about lemonade for me was when I first set out from Philly to make it in the music world I went up to Boston, and I would just sit on the front porch of my place after playing the streets or practicing and make myself a big pitcher of lemonade,” recalls G. Love. “It just symbolized old time porch loungin' for that's where I did a lot of my shedding and writing. It was so simple and great, I said, if I ever get a record deal I'm going to get Lemonade tattooed on my arm."
It's there all right, and seven albums, thirteen years, and over a million worldwide units later, Lemonade is the most cohesive and rewarding album Garrett Dutton - a.k.a. G. Love (guitar, vocals, harmonica, sweat and tears) has ever delivered. Produced and engineered in the womb of Philadelphonic Studios by Chris DiBeneditto (Electric Mile & Philadelphonic) and faithfully anchored by the Sauce, Jimi "Jazz" Prescott (acoustic bass), and Jeffrey "Thunderhouse" Clemens (drums, percussion), G. pairs up with some of the best players in the game including Ben Harper, Donovan Frankenreiter, Jasper, Dave Hidalgo (Los Lobos), Blackalicious, Marc Broussard, Tristan Prettyman and Jack Johnson on a fourteen song celebration of his iconic career.
The tradition of the hip-hop blues has always been to rip open the heart and bare the soul. Tell the listener what they want to hear and you'll have a fair weather friend; tell them the way it is and you'll have true love. Thankfully, the Love is Alive, for G. delivers his loping lilt with bone humming honesty and he's never sounded so clear. From the swarming infectious grooves of "Ride", "Ain't That Right" and "Holla!" to the laid down easy of "Breakin Up", "Still Hanging Around", and "Missing My Baby", G. and The Sauce dance with the muses of their mentors, John Hammond, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Reed, De La Soul without ever missing the beat of their own signature time.
"I'm in a real comfortable place musically and in my life; I'm cruisin right now and it feels good,“ says G. “So when I set out to make this record, I wanted to take my sound, base it on the groove and really get into a deeper pocket. Lyrically, I wanted to talk about what I always talk about finding love, making love, losing love, life and lemonade."
Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door, available at WOW Halland TicketsWest. Doors open at 7:30 pm and showtime is 8:30.
SHOWTIME: 8:30 PM, PRICE: $20 Advance, $25 Door.
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2/26 : Asylum Street Spankers
On Friday, February 26, KRVM welcomes the Asylum Street Spankers as they debut their new CD God's Favorite Band and take it on the road with the Salvation and Sin Tour!
The Asylum Street Spankers defy expectations again with their latest release, God's Favorite Band. Following their award winning 2007 kids album Mommy Says No! and the two disk live cast recording of their 2008 Off-Broadway show What? And Give Up Show Biz?, Austin's postmodern jug band take a wide left turn with the world's first agnostic gospel album.
Mixing raucous old traditionals with wryly humanistic originals from co-bandleader Wammo and closing with a stunning take on the Gershwin’s "It Ain't Necessarily So," the album is an homage to one of America's seminal musical styles, but it stakes out a theology of healthy skepticism leavened with tolerance. To those who know the Spankers primarily through their many odes to alcohol and weed, or their antiwar politics, or their hilariously bawdy hits, this batch of spiritual songs, passionately played, might seem surprising, but from their earliest days, the group played a regular Sunday Gospel show and in their 15-year career have often sprinkled rollicking traditional gospel into their sets.
Leading the charge into the realm of agnostic gospel, Christina Marrs, co-bandleader, multi-instrumentalist and astonishingly combustible vocalist can now add album producer to her list of credits. As a singer who loves to sing gospel songs, Christina whipped the band and its arrangements into miraculous shape. As a producer, she wanted to show off a seldom acknowledged but crucial side of the group: it's incredible vocal technique. Not only have she and Wammo recorded their best lead vocals to date here, all five vocalists shine in rhythmically intricate and harmonically varied group arrangements.
While on maternity leave with her third child, Christina culled over 20 hours of carefully recorded live takes - no overdubs! - then mixed them down in her home studio. The result is a witty, warm collection of wonderful songs, joyously sung. In other words, it's another great Asylum Street Spankers album.
Tickets are $18 in advance, $20 at the door. Tickets for special $25 reserved seats are available at WOW Hall only. Doors open at 7:30 and showtime is 8:00.
SHOWTIME: 8:00 PM, PRICE: $18 Advance, $20 Door, $25 Reserved Seating.
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2/27 : Solidarity with Earth Defenders Concert: Los Mex Pistols del Norte, Blackbird Raum, Samba Ja, guest speakers
On Saturday, February 27, the Solidarity with Earth Defenders Concert features music by Los Mex Pistols Del Norte, Blackbird Raum and Samba Ja with special guest speakers Jeff "free" Luers and Ramona Africa in a Benefit for the Civil Liberties Defense Center.
From one of the soggiest places in the nation, Eugene, Oregon, comes one of the best Latin-style bands in the country: Los Mex Pistols Del Norte. Don’t think of cumbias, or “La Bamba”. Think of a raging bull with a matador in his sights.
Los Mex Pistols Del Norte combine elements of traditional Paso Dobles (music played at bullrings to reward the participants of the bullfight), Tejana, Conjunto, Banda, Ranchera, Norteno, Spaghetti-Western and instrumental rock and roll to play to a wide variety of audiences. They have opened for several Grammy award-winning acts, including Los Lobos, Flaco Jimenez, Ozomatli, the Neville Brothers, as well as an assortment of other famous and well-established acts such as Pink Martini, surf guitar legend Dick Dale, rockabilly great The Reverend Horton Heat, and songwriter Jonathan Richman. The band also has played with famous Mexican acts such as Banda Los Lagos, and has won “battle of the bands” contests at Latino festivals. Music from the band’s cd, Esta Noche We Ride, has been featured in six films and one commercial.
Incorporating traditional instruments such as guitarronne, mandolin, accordions, trumpets, sousaphone, tympanis and concert chimes with electric and acoustic guitars and drums, as well as an organ, it is no wonder Los Mex Pistols Del Norte can play with almost anyone; they simply have other acts outgunned.
Blackbird Raum formed out of a squatter community living in abandoned buildings and greenbelt tree houses in Santa Cruz, CA in the early 2000's. Finding themselves living without electricity, they began to learn to play folk instruments from each other and other members of the traveling punk/folk culture. They all grew up playing in anarchopunk, indie and ska bands and then, knowing next to nothing about traditional music, slowly gathered together the skills to create a new genre of music, based somewhere right in the middle of the two musical worlds they now inhabit.
Refusing the retro clichés of many of their contemporaries, they write entirely original music that is reflective of the world they live in: a world of abusive police, ecological devastation, creeping ambiguity and vague fear, but also a strong community sense and a deep love of a natural world constantly on the verge of collapse. They jump back and forth between extremely fast metal influenced jug band dancers to quasi-medieval chant and drone and to herky-jerky hardcore influenced time signature gymnastics. They have toured the country in a tiny
truck, played mainstream folk festivals, punk houses, squats and all ages clubs.
Samba Já is Eugene's own bateria -- a thirty-member mobile percussion ensemble. They specialize in playing wild, funky, infectious and incredibly danceable street music from all over Brazil and the Americas, from the sounds of Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro to hip-hop tributes. Diverse, playful and innovative, Samba Já recently celebrated its eighth birthday as a not-for-profit groove cooperative.
Ramona Africa is the sole adult survivor of the May 13, 1985 massacre of eleven members of the MOVE organization. The FBI and the City of Philadelphia dropped a C4 bomb on MOVEs 6221 Osage Avenue home in West Philadelphia. Carrying the young Birdie Africa (the only other survivor) with her, Ramona dodged gunfire and escaped from the fire with permanent scarring from the burns.
Eugene’s Jeff “free” Luers is a environmental activist (and Fall Creek tree-sitter) who was sentenced to twenty-three and a half years in prison for making a political statement about global warning. He was recently released after serving ten years of that sentence.
The Civil Liberties Defense Center is a nonprofit organization focused on defending and upholding civil liberties through education, outreach, litigation, legal support and assistance. The Civil Liberties Defense Center strives to preserve the strength and vitality of the Bill of Rights and the U.S. and state constitutions, as well as to protect freedom of expression.
Held in conjunction with the Public Interest Environmental Law
Conference at the University of Oregon, this event is a benefit for the
Civil Liberties Defense Center's activist defense programs, as well as
for Green Scare ecoprisoners Marie Mason, Briana Waters, and Eric McDavid.
Tickets are $10 advance, $12 at the door, available at WOW Hall or by calling 541-687-9180. Doors open at 6:30 pm and showtime is 7:00.
SHOWTIME: 7:00 PM, PRICE: $10 Advance, $12 Door.
2/28 : KRVM Presents Maria Muldaur & Her Garden Of Joy Jug Band with Conjugal Visitors
by Tessa Pierce
The unmistakable voice, the gift of a true performer, the experience to move her audience – this is Maria Muldaur and KRVM is proud to be bringing her to the WOW Hall in a very special benefit concert and live radio broadcast on Sunday, February 28!
This is KRVM’s 6th annual live broadcast from the historic WOW Hall and promises to be another fun night filled with live music, community and support for KRVM.
Maria has been touring in support of her new jug band album, “Maria Muldaur & Her Garden of Joy.” Special guests on the album include John Sebastian, David Grisman, Taj Mahal, Dan Hicks, and formerly of Eugene’s Inkwell Rhythm Makers – Kit Stovepipe – who Maria says, “plays absolutely amazing ragtime guitar!”
Kit is featured in Maria’s touring “Garden of Joy Jug Band” along with Devin Champlin & Lucas Hicks from the Crow Quill Night Owls on multiple acoustic instruments – mandolins, fiddles, banjos, jugs, tubs, kazoos, harmonicas – you name it! And laying down that solid jug band groove will be Kurt Jensen on the bass and washtub.
The Conjugal Visitors will be the supporting band for our show. We're not referring to them as the "opener" because they're actually playing during the break in the middle of the show, rather than opening the show.
Maria is graciously making herself available for a “meet and greet” in the WOW Hall lobby during the mid-show break. Fans will be able to purchase her new CD and have Maria sign it!
Now in its 62nd year, KRVM 91.9 FM is Eugene’s original variety in music radio station. KRVM merchandise will be available for purchase, and volunteers will be on-hand to take new and renewing memberships, and to provide information about KRVM and its specialty programs.
This is must-see show for fans of acoustic music! You and your family won’t want to miss this great party. Proceeds from this fundraising event will benefit KRVM-FM, our student broadcasting program, and help us to Keep Real Variety in Music alive in Eugene!
Tickets are $18 advance, $20 door, and $25 for VIP reserved seating. Doors open at 6:00 pm, show at 7:00.
Maria Muldaur
Maria Muldaur's musical roots run deep. Born and raised in New York City's Greenwich Village, Muldaur was surrounded by bluegrass, old-timey, jazz, blues and gospel music, but her very first musical influences were from the records of country and western singers. As pop radio became less soulful, Maria spent many years exploring the wealth of American roots music that was being rediscovered right in her own backyard.
In 1973, Maria was given the opportunity to make her first solo album. It went platinum in two years and forever enshrined Maria in the minds of baby boomers the world over with the megahit “Midnight at the Oasis”, which remains to this day a staple song on multi-format radio.
In the 1980s, Maria recorded two critically acclaimed jazz albums, two gospel albums and one album of swing tunes for “kids of all ages.” In 1992, Maria’s dream came true when she recorded an award-winning New Orleans blues album with special guests Dr. John, Aaron and Charles Neville, and Zachary Richard. Maria recorded four subsequent blues albums featuring more brilliant friends-in-the-blues.
Maria’s 2008 release showcased the work of some of the most socially conscious songwriters of the past half-century: Bob Dylan, Marvin Gaye, Allen Toussaint, Earl King and Garth Brooks, to name a few. A prestigious ensemble of well-known progressive voices, collectively dubbed The Women’s Voices for Peace Choir, joined Maria on the album, including Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, Jane Fonda, Odetta, Phoebe Snow and Holly Near.
Last spring, Maria decided to get back to her jug band roots and is currently touring in support of her new album, “Maria Muldaur & Her Garden of Joy.” Special guests on the album include John Sebastian, David Grisman, Taj Mahal, Fritz Richmond, Suzy Thompson, Dan Hicks, and Kit Stovepipe, formerly of Eugene’s Inkwell Rhythm Makers, who Maria exudes, “provides the funky, syncopatin’ guitar work.”
The Conjugal Visitors
With their unique mix of mountain dance music, bluegrass, jazz, old-time country and jug/folk, Conjugal Visitors shows are always a hoot. And the fact that they were just voted Best Acoustic Band in the Eugene Weekly's "Best of Eugene" reader's poll, it seems like a good chunk of Lane County knows that there's always a good time to be had with The Conjugals! These boys are hot musicians and great singers, and they aren't shy about putting it on display during marathon sets of tightly woven arrangements and jazzy improvisation. Watching them perform makes you feel like you've stumbled into a freewheeling, living room jam session/ party, but the talent and polish soon shines through the laid back attitude.
The Visitor's just released their 2nd CD, "Satchel's Rag," and it's chock full of tasty nuggets. With rockers like "Satan's Mandolin" and the dreamy, introspective "Old Moon," this raw, dancey disc is available at Visitors shows and from the band directly at conjugalvisitors@yahoo.com.
KRVM
KRVM 91.9 FM – where the V stands for Variety, provides a strong signal throughout the southern Willamette Valley. In addition, FM radio repeaters serve Reedsport and Coos Bay on the Oregon coast. Licensed to and owned by School District 4J since 1947, Lane County's largest school district, KRVM offers an opportunity for students to learn radio broadcasting in a real working environment. It is the mission of KRVM to serve the community interest by producing innovative, unique and diverse radio programs. It is also the mission of KRVM to provide access to all ages of the community who wish to add to their communication experience. KRVM's mission is to deliver a consistently professional program, utilizing students and a volunteer staff.
Online at http://www.krvm.org or http://www.myspace.com/krvm919.
SHOWTIME: 7:00 PM, PRICE: $18 Advance, $20 Door, $25 Reserved Seating.
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3/02 : Inner Circle
SHOWTIME: 9:00 PM, PRICE: $15 Advance, $17 Door.
3/04 : CB-3 (Chris Berry Trio) & Steve Kimock with Jesse Yusef Murphy
On Thursday, March 4, "Afropop Superstar" Chris Berry brings CB-3 from Zimbabwe to the WOW Hall with special guest Steve Kimock. KLCC welcomes the show, which features CB-3’s Jesse Yusef Murphy performing a “tweener” set.
What happens when you put African grooves born in the ghettos of Zimbabwe with the ground breaking guitar work of the San Francisco scene and combine it with New York City’s urban electronica? The west coast is about to find out.
Joining together for their first multi-night tour, and performing under the guise of CB-3, Chris Berry has arranged his most interesting collaboration yet -- featuring San Francisco’s own Steve Kimock alongside the rhythm section of the Brazillian Girls. This experiment in chemistry becomes an explosive cross-cultural musical experience for music lovers of all types -- CB-3 (Chris Berry Trio) Featuring Steve Kimock. The 10-day tour will maneuver along the west coast including dates in Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Eugene and Portland.
Music first touched the Grammy award winning Chris Berry as a teen living in the heart of Zimbabwe where he carefully learned the indigenous rhythms of Africa on the sacred Mbira (African Thumb Piano). His ability to speak out against the tyranny of the Zimbabwean regime through the art of music won him overnight success across the country and in the World Music market, bringing his music around the globe. Since then, he has performed on the stages of the 2000 Olympics, the Sydney Opera House and across the United States with his project Panjea. 2010 finds the “Afropop Superstar” (SF Chronicle) a multi-instrumentalist with grace on Mbira and hand drum as well as a gifted singer-songwriter whose voice is often compared to Sting.
Together with CB-3, Berry combines his unique intercultural perspective with the nation’s highest caliber of musicians -- each known for their genre bending talent -- for an intimate musical experience. The project features “Guitar Monk” Steve Kimock, who was recently hailed on CNN.com as an “unknown legend,” as well as Aaron Johnston (drums) and Jesse Yusef Murphy (bass) from the Grammy award nominated Brazilian Girls.
Well, CNN, in our neck of the woods, Steve Kimock may be better known than bigfoot. The master of electric, acoustic, lap and pedal steel guitar has performed at the WOW Hall numerous times with an assortment of outfits including Zero, The Goodman Brothers, Banyan and The Steve Kimock Band, and he always does so with passion, chasing the muse wherever she may lead him. In fact, when Kimock reflects on his life path, he admits, “I think the primary thing might be the complete lack of goal orientation.”
For a man like Kimock, success is not based on tangible objects, awards or record sales; success is about how you live, the people you touch and remaining true to yourself. Applying these practices in the shallow waters of the music world is no easy task, but it’s the artists who achieve this that pull off the rare trick of developing a unique voice in the crowded conversation.
For Kimock, it’s all about how he approaches the craft: “A lot of my life was spent with no other focus than having whatever I felt was a properly authentic relationship with the guitar.”
Born in 1955, Kimock grew up in Bethlehem, PA. His first major band, The Goodman Brothers, moved from Pennsylvania to northern California’s Bay Area in the mid-70s. In 1979 he joined Dead-alumni Keith and Donna Jean Godchaux’s Heart of Gold Band -- which would end abruptly in 1980 following Keith Godchaux’s death in an automobile accident. In 1984, Kimock and Heart of Gold drummer Greg Anton formed the instrumental outfit Zero. It was during the more than two decades with Zero that Kimock would define his fluid style of melodious improvisation. Zero’s albums included 1987’s debut Here Goes Nothin’, 1990’s Nothin’ Goes Here, 1991’s live at the WOW Hall effort Live: Go Hear Nothin’, their 1994 major label debut Chance in a Million, and 1997’s self-titled studio album.
Rarely able to find creative satisfaction in just one band, Kimock always seems to be dangling his toes in multiple projects. Throughout the years he’s been a part of Bob Weir’s Kingfish and RatDog, Jerry Joseph’s Little Women, The Rhythm Devils featuring Grateful Dead drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, The Everyone Orchestra, and the post-Dead ensembles The Other Ones and Phil Lesh & Friends.
There is no separation between Steve Kimock “The Man” and Steve Kimock “The Guitar Player.” One is a direct reflection of the other. It’s not about finding the notes for Kimock, they live in him, around him – they are him.
“I use the practice of the guitar as a meditation in a very literal way” reflects Kimock. “I literally use it to stop my mind.”
It’s not so much about creating, the trick is clearing the mind long enough to allow the music to come forward unhindered. That’s why Kimock’s legendary guitar jams move as flawlessly as they do, and that’s why Relix magazine dubbed him “The Guitar Monk.”
Collectively, CB-3 (Chris Berry Trio) Featuring Steve Kimock has the ability to bring together three decades of music history tightly fitted into one anthology adorned with cutting-edge improvisational guitar, hip-hop and elements of modern electronica. Show goers can expect both a dance ready experience as well as an intimate view into music provoked by both the past and present.
Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Doors open at 8:00 pm and showtime is 9:00.
SHOWTIME: 9:00 PM, PRICE: $15 Advance, $18 Door .
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3/06 : Only Nightmares, Monday With A Bullet, New World Sinner, Carrion Remains, Ditch Digger
On Saturday, March 6, Only Nightmares and Monday With a Bullet co-headline New World Sinner’s Two Year Anniversary Show with special guests Carrion Remains and Ditch Digger.
NEW WORLD SINNER
Little Metal Devil Productions may have resigned from promoting shows, but the bands rock on. LMDP was the business arm of Boots, who fronts the band New World Sinner. This old school metal influenced band has been hitting the scene since February of 2008. N.W.S. brings the sound and thunder that has been brought by such acts as Pantera, Slayer, Sepultura, etc. with the new sounds of such acts as Lamb of God, Chimaira and All that Remains, just to name a few. If you are looking for a killer live performance full of energy, then N.W.S. is the band to see.
Many people have said that N.W.S. is going places with the musical chemistry they have and the drive to push things to the next level. N.W.S. will “concore” all if given the chance.
Members include: Boots (vocals), Shane Hepner (rhythm guitar and currently drums), Matt Anderson (bass) and Brian Brown (lead guitar).
MONDAY WITH A BULLET
Monday With a Bullet has been around for over three years. With ex members of Blasphemous Abnormality, The Defecators, The Dirty Rigs and Guest Check -- and current members of New World Sinner -- Monday With a Bullet plays fast paced aggressive heavy metal with influences ranging from power metal, to thrash, to punk. Members include Lacy Hepner on lead vocals, Derick Cramer on lead guitar, Andy Larson on bass and vocals, Shane Hepner on drums and Brian Brown on rhythm guitar.
ONLY NIGHTMARES
Eugene's Only Nightmares is a five-piece heavy metal band, plain and simple. Their style is ground-stomping riffs, thunderous drumming, classic melodies, slippery solos and vocals as versatile as their music. Combine all these things and they are sure to devastate you live or recorded.
Only Nightmares plays heavy metal the way it should be played: raw, emotional, unhinged and aggressive -- with a sampling of all things a human should think of when they hear the phrase, 'heavy metal'.
CARRION REMAINS
Carrion Remains is a Brutal Death Metal band unlike any other. C.R. brings the brutality of death metal and fuzes it with a funky psychedelic groove that will boggle your mind and make your blood want to burst from its veins! C.R. has been on the scene about two years now and hopes to continue to capture the ears of the metal world for years to come.
DITCH DIGGER
Ditch Digger was born in the summer of 2008, as a side project for members of Portland's hardcore band Proven and a local music promoter. After releasing the single “Begin” and playing a few shows, the response for the band grew and so did the love of the music that was being written.
In 2009 the members of Proven quit that band to focus more time and energy on Ditch Digger. With a demand from fans (from the States to Germany) they are now working in the studio with Cory Parkison and Chris Finster, recording their debut CD aptly titled Begin. Staying true to their "Do it yourself" attitude, Ditch Digger will release the album on their own label and push it through internet outlets and their shows!
Ditch Digger welcomes you all to take a chance and discover what you have been missing out on. With their exciting live shows and open book songwriting, they make a promise that you will not be disappointed!
Tickets are just $6 in advance, $9 at the door. Doors open at 6:30 pm and showtime is 7:00.
SHOWTIME: 7:00 PM, PRICE: $6 Advance, $9 Door.
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3/08 : Pato Banton
SHOWTIME: 9:00 PM, PRICE: $15 Advance, $18 Door .
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3/09 : Mike Doughty: The Question Jar Show (An Acoustic Evening)
SHOWTIME: 8:00 PM, PRICE: $16 Advance, $18 Door, $20 Reserved Seating.
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3/10 : Janus with Seasons After
SHOWTIME: 8:30 PM, PRICE: $8 Advance, $10 Door.
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3/11 : EOTO with Resident Anti-Hero
SHOWTIME: 10:00 PM, PRICE: $10 Advance, $12 Door.
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3/12 : The Pack with Dev
SHOWTIME: 9:00 PM, PRICE: $12 Advance, $15 Door.
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3/14 : Hot Buttered Rum
SHOWTIME: 8:00 PM, PRICE: $13 Advance, $15 Door.
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3/18 : Signal Path with Basin & Range
SHOWTIME: 9:00 PM, PRICE: $10 Advance, $12 Door.
3/25 : The Devil Makes Three with Mad Cow
SHOWTIME: 9:00 PM, PRICE: $16 Advance, $18 Door.
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3/26 : The Devil Makes Three with Mad Cow
SHOWTIME: 9:00 PM, PRICE: $16 Advance, $18 Door.
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3/27 : Every Time I Die, Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Trapped Under Ice
SHOWTIME: 8:00 PM, PRICE: $16 Advance, $16 Door.
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3/28 : Tobacco with The Hood Internet
University of Oregon Cultural Forum rental.
Tickets available at EMU box office.
SHOWTIME: 9:00 PM, PRICE: $8 Advance, $8 Door.
3/31 : Dead Meadow featuring Imaad Wasif
SHOWTIME: 9:00 PM, PRICE: $12 Advance, $12 Door.
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4/03 : Hank III & Assjack with Kyle Turley
SHOWTIME: 8:00 PM, PRICE: $20 Advance, $23 Door.
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4/08 : The Puff Pass Comedy Tour feat. Doug Benson with Graham Elwood
Tickets On Sale Fri, November 6th, 2009 10:00 AM
All Ages Special Seated Show! . $20.00 Advance. $25.00 Day Of Show.
Tickets available from TicketMaster
"Getting into the top ten has changed my underwear. Because now I can
afford to buy some new underwear." - DOUG BENSON upon learning he was
a finalist.
If you find that you’re saying to yourself, “Boy, Doug Benson seems
familiar, but I can’t quite place him,” please allow us to help. One
way you might know Doug Benson is if you’ve ever thought about, read
about, heard about or otherwise experienced...marijuana. He’s a
creator/writer/star of “The Marijuana-Logues,” a show that’s been a
hit (small pun intended) in theatres from Los Angeles to New York—more
on that and the book of the same name in a moment. Oh, the other way
you might’ve had an opportunity to become aware of Doug Benson is if
you’ve ever watched television. Yeah, you heard right. We are indeed
suggesting that Doug’s ubiquitous enough on TV—and has been for many
years—that if you’ve flipped on the boob tube at any given moment,
there’s a good chance you've seen him. We recognize we can’t just let
a statement like that dangle there, unsupported. So here is your
support, you pushy bastard. We don’t have enough room here to cite all
of his TV credits, but here’s a small sampling that suggests the
sprawling array of work he’s done on the small screen.
For your basic cable, let’s go with his series regular status on
VH-1’s Best Week Ever (it may go without saying that in this category,
he’s also starred in his own half-hour special for Comedy Central).
For your premium cable, let’s see, let’s zero in on HBO and mention a
couple of Doug’s credits here: Curb Your Enthusiasm and Mr.
Show—merely two of the best, most revered series in the advent of
televised comedy shows (okay, he was pretty much just an extra on MR.
SHOW, but still!) As for his work on network TV, how does a little
show called Friends grab you? Not to mention he has had recurring
appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Oops, almost forgot he was
prominently featured on seasons 4 and 5 of NBC’s Last Comic Standing.
We could go on, but we already have.
Still, we should briefly get back to this “Marijuana-Logues” business.
When it was hatched by Doug and co-creators Tony Camin and Arj Barker,
what in lesser hands might have just been a one-note, one-joke spoof
of the then-red hot production, “The Vagina Monologues,” has since
evolved into a red hot (smokin’?) production of its own, including a
yearlong stint off-Broadway at The Actor’s Playhouse that drew a bong
full of rave reviews. Now there’s a CD, The Marijuana-Logues and a
book, The Marijuana-Logues: Everything About Pot That We Could
Remember. In 2006, High Times Magazine named Doug the “Stoner of The
Year.”
DOUG BENSON'S BIO:
Doug Benson's quirky inventiveness and unique style have led him to a
successful and eclectic career as a stand-up comedian, actor and
writer. Throughout the 90's he appeared on virtually every stand-up
comedy show on cable television.
Doug is a stand-up comedian and actor whose television credits include
NBC's Friends, HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, multiple appearances on
CBS's Late Late Show and ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live. Doug has also had
his own half-hour special on Comedy Central. Doug co-wrote and starred
in The Marijuana-logues, which had a year-long off-Broadway run at The
Actor's Playhouse (for more info go to Marijuanalogues.com). He's
conquered cyberspace with his offbeat movie reviews on BobandDavid.com
and a weekly podcast at handheldcomedy.com.
SHOWTIME: 8:00 PM, PRICE: $20 Advance, $25 Day of Show.
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4/09 : Sister Spit: Queer Multimedia Arts Show
The legendary, raucous, rowdy performance gang, Sister Spit, lands in Eugene with a vanload of queertastic brilliance! Don't miss this multimedia explosion of zinesters, fashion plates, slam poets, novelists, performance artists, poets and fancy scribblers. Featuring queer luminary Michelle Tea, trangender comedian and Tribe 8 founder Lynn Breedlove, queer graphic novelist and Catholic school survivor Elisha Lim, lesbian slam-poet/performance artist Lenelle Moise, trans psychic memoirist Len Plass, queer zinester/portraitist/graphic novelist Nicole J. Georges, and Power Point loving shape-shifter translady Annie Danger!!
SHOWTIME: 8:00 PM, PRICE: $10 Advance, $10-15 Sliding Scale at the door.
4/15 : Love Is All
University of Oregon Cultural Forum rental.
Held in conjunction with the Willamette Valley Music Fest, April 16 & 17.
Advance tickets available at EMU box office.
SHOWTIME: 8:30 PM, PRICE: $8 Advance, $8 Door.
4/16 : Andre Nickatina
SHOWTIME: 9:00 PM, PRICE: $25 Advance, $30 Door.
4/18 : Trampled By Turtles
SHOWTIME: 8:00 PM, PRICE: $12 Advance, $14 Door.
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4/23 : Camera Obscura
SHOWTIME: 8:00 PM, PRICE: $15 Advance, $18 Door .
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4/25 : Bruce Cockburn
True West Productions rental
SHOWTIME: 8:00 PM, PRICE: $32 Advance, $35 Day of Show.
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5/01 : Oregon Country Fair Spring Fling with Capn' Trips
SHOWTIME: 7:00 PM, PRICE: .
5/02 : Red Sparowes
SHOWTIME: 8:00 PM, PRICE: $10 Advance, $12 Door.
5/12 : Martin Sexton with Ryan Montbleau Band
SHOWTIME: 8:00 PM, PRICE: $20 Advance, $22 Door, $25 Reserved Seating.
5/15 : That 1 Guy
SHOWTIME: 9:00 PM, PRICE: $12 Advance, $14 Door.
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5/16 : Kaki King with An Horse
SHOWTIME: 8:00 PM, PRICE: $15 Advance, $15 Door.
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5/18 : Charlie Hunter
SHOWTIME: 8:00 PM, PRICE: $13 Advance, $15 Door, $20 Reserved Seating.
5/30 : Why?, The Donkeys, Josiah Wolf
SHOWTIME: 8:00 PM, PRICE: $13 Advance, $15 Door.
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