Make Charmingness Even, Uh, Cuter: The Ascetic Junkies’ new video for “Why Do Crows?”

Some people use “cute” as a pejorative. I don’t. So when I say that the new Ascetic Junkies video is the cutest goddamn thing EVER, what I mean is it’s the cutest goddamn thing I’ve seen in some unspecified period of time. Just look at it! Look at the way the little animated Kali Giaritta goes all frowny and slightly evil when the song rocks out! Look at the way the music appears in squiggled lines! Look at the banjo player’s fluffy white cloud of a beard! JUST LOOK AT IT!

Why Do Crows? from Ascetic Junkies on Vimeo.If you were to click over to that Vimeo page, you’d find that the video was hand-drawn by Junkies bassist Cole Huiskamp, who sometimes has devil horns poking through his cap. In the video, I mean.

The Ascetic Junkies celebrate the release of their new CD, This Cage Has No Bottom, at 9:30 pm Saturday, Oct. 16, at Sam Bond’s Garage (21+, $5). I wrote about the band back in January and found, when it came time to preview this week’s show, that I basically wanted to say all the same things. It’s all true. All of it. (But there’ll still be a new preview in this Thursday’s paper.)

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!