This Weekend: More Stuff To Do

Not everything in the world, obviously, makes it into the paper. There are two more shows this weekend that caught my eye despite the fullness of the music section. Tonight, you might go see the charmingly monikered The Little Penguins and The Tea Cozies, whose bio, in part, reads as follows:

The three female member of Tea Cozies had been playing together for years before they found someone who was man enough to handle their brand of brit-inspired garage pop. Jeff joined Jessi, Brady and Kelly in December of 2005 and, like Doug Flutie’s Hail Mary pass in Boston College’s 1984 game against Miami, it was a miracle. Well, not a real miracle like curing lepers, but a minor miracle just the same. These Seattle-ites sound like the bastard child of Elastica and Talking Heads, but with their own twist. 75% of the band has seen Dave Matthews Band live, and 25% of the band liked it.

I’d be won over even if both bands hadn’t sent totally charming records. (Can you tell I’m posting in a hurry? Hence the sad lack of elaboration.)

The Little Penguins, The Tea Cozies and The Arithmetic Danger Club (who dropped off their press stuff some time ago in a giant bubble envelope decorated with a drawing of an octopus which, yes, I still have around here somewhere) play tonight at Diablo’s Downtown Lounge. Sorry, kids, that means it’s 21+.

Then, tomorrow night, head out of the house (I know, I know â€”Â it’s scary out there!) to see Conrad Ford, a band which gets extra super bonus points for being named after director John Ford and cinematographer Conrad Hall. Also, they have charming record art and stickers. But you should go because the sometimes spare, story-wrapped, big-sky-small-town songwriting is just right for the time of year when you’re delighted that it’s getting warm, but still finding it hard to leave behind the holed-up, hidden-away charms of crisp weather. Or maybe that’s just me. (Also, they do sound a bit like Eels, as a KEXP DJ notes on their bio.)

Conrad Ford plays at … OK, wait. I wrote all this up only to find they’re not listed where they said they were playing. So maybe you should just keep this band in mind for the future…

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!