Southern Hospitality

Imagine what a band called Diarrhea Planet sounds like. If you’re guessing juvenile pop-punk — an auditory equivalent of a Seth Rogen movie — you’re pretty spot-on. The Nashville, Tenn.-based group’s 2013 release Loose Jewels (out now on fellow Nashville garage-rockers JEFF The Brotherhood’s label Infinity Cat Recordings) is 10 blink-and-you’ll-miss-’em nuggets of Ramones-esque punk; each track on the record clocks in at 2 minutes or under, with shouted choruses and breakneck guitar solos delivered at breathless speed. Lyrically — well, with this band the lyrics don’t matter much; with a name like Diarrhea Planet, these guys aren’t aiming to be deep or show range. But they are loud, rowdy and a hell of a lot of pogo-dancing fun.

Joining Diarrhea Planet in Eugene are the Athens, Ga.-based Futurebirds (pictured) and Akron, Ohio’s Shivering Timbers, creating an unlikely juxtaposition; while Diarrhea Planet is crass and adolescent, Futurebirds and Shivering Timbers are subtle and textured. Futurebirds play country-tinged indie rock, paying tribute to that other well-known indie band from Athens, R.E.M. Futurebirds’ 2013 release, Baba Yaga, is a moody and sparse collection, with vocalist Thomas Johnson adding authentic and melancholy southern comfort to an overall easy-goin’ and reverb-drenched jingle-jangle sound.

Fellow Ohioan Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys discovered the husband-and-wife duo Shivering Timbers, recording their first record in his Akron studio. Highlighted by vocalist Sarah Benn’s impressive alto singing voice, Shivering Timbers play simple, sultry and dark garage rock with a gospel-blues edge.

Diarrhea Planet, Futurebirds and Shivering Timbers play 9 pm Thursday, July 11, at Sam Bond’s Garage; $5.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!