The Seattle Indie Trail

Get ready for a whole lotta Seattle. On Friday, May 2, Sam Bond’s welcomes a showcase of three up-and-coming indie rock bands from that other Emerald City. Who’s on first? Friends and Family. Celebrating the release of their debut record Happy, Good-Looking, and in Love, Friends and Family blend the lush, idiosyncratic arrangements of Arcade Fire with Of Montreal’s glitter-pop; the sound is artful, intellectual and over the top in all the right ways. The track “Be Still” is carnivalesque with new wave flourishes, and “Night of the Hunter” is embellished with Spaghetti Western atmosphere.

The Horde and The Harem are also hot off a new release, Fairweather Friends, which came out in April. On balance, they are less quirky and frenetic than Friends and Family, but The Horde and The Harem are equally rooted in post-Arcade Fire indie rock; album track “Robbery” adds gentle folk-rock harmonies to Neil Young-style vocals that swoop into Radiohead-esque falsettos.

Rounding out the bill, and crossing into power pop territory, is The Hoot Hoots. The band bio states that The Hoot Hoots “pledge allegiance to the United States of Have-A-Good-Time.” On record, The Hoot Hoots tend toward garage-y, bouncy and energetic. “Mr Ghost” recalls The Shins and “Robots in Space 2.0” is childish and fun — think Weezer meets They Might Be Giants with a big shout-along chorus.

The Horde and The Harem, The Hoot Hoots and Friends and Family play 8:30 pm Friday, May 2, at Sam Bond’s; $6.

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!