Eugene Weekly : Calendar : 02.02.06

Once upon a time, Jeff Tweedy co-founded Uncle Tupelo, a band which a lot of people liked, and which may have had a lot to do with the rise of what we now call alt-country. When co-founder Jay Farrar quit Uncle Tupelo, Tweedy took the rest of the band members and formed Wilco. Over the course of five albums, Wilco lost its twang but picked up fans and acclaim, including a Grammy for 2004's A Ghost is Born. Back in 1998, Tweedy and Wilco teamed up with English folk-punk-protest singer Billy Bragg and former 10,000 Maniacs singer Natalie Merchant on Mermaid Avenue, an outstanding two-album project that set unrecorded Woody Guthrie lyrics to music. Though Wilco is still going strong, Tweedy is coming to town on his own for a solo show at the McDonald Theatre. Rumor has it he spends his solo shows playing songs from multiple projects — hence the brief history lesson. See Saturday Calendar.

Every February, Readin' in the Rain invites the Eugene/Springfield (and surrounding) community to read and discuss one book. This year's selection, Diana Abu-Jaber's Crescent, is an award-winning love story set in Los Angeles' Arab-American community, which the Washington Post Book World described as "a sensual feast." Abu-Jaber, a former UO faculty member who now lives in Portland and Miami, will be in town later in the month to speak about her book, but readin' starts now! To kick off the month, the Downtown Library hosts Northwest Christian College professor Beth Aydelott, who will discuss "The Flavors of Crescent: Feeding the Exile." Before the speech, catch international bellydancer Astryd deMichele performing to the music of Ala Nar. See Friday Calendar.

No one is better than Austin's James McMurtry at portraying real-world America — small towns, suburbs, struggling working people — while rocking out. Although his evocative songs have always been more implicitly than explicitly political, his recent anti-Bush anthem "We Can't Make it Here" shows he can write powerful protest songs when the times demand them. McMurtry plays songs from his new album this week at the WOW Hall. See Monday Calendar. — Brett Cambpell

Forgive us if we're extra excited about this month's Lane Arts Council First Friday ArtWalk: It's being led by our own (well, we share him with other places, including The Wall Street Journal) Brett Campbell with community organizer and artist Carolezoom Patterson. The tour begins at Opus6ix, which features "Alter Ego," work by Lindsay Kennedy. Stop #2 is Jacobs Gallery, where "Marquee Massacres: Native Americans in One Hundred Years of Global Movie Graphics from Oregon Passage to Battle of Rogue River," curated by Rennard Strickland, is on display. The exhibit, which features vintage movie posters (like this French poster for Fort Apache, right) and other film-related images, explores the misrepresentation of Native Americans in mainstream film. The third ArtWalk stop, White Lotus Gallery, presents "Winter in Asia," with work from local and gallery artists. The walk winds down at La Follette Gallery, featuring "Illuminated Visions" by Jean Denis. And of course, other downtown galleries and businesses are open late, but not part of the walk. See www.lanearts.organd Friday Calendar.