Back in the Lab, Cooking Up Some New Music
Hopefully you’re not too thrashed from all the Halloween festivities because the pHormula celebrates the release of their fourth album, No Formula, the day after. These guys have been deeply involved in Eugene’s hip hop community for five years now, and this album shows that, in the years they’ve spent working on making music, they’ve definitely made a lot of progress from humble beginnings. The pHormula blends the talents of four dudes from Casper, Wyo. Two pHormula MCs, Aaron Martin (Examine the Truth) and Gabriel Sechrist (pHilsophy), are brothers. Along with fellow emcee AlpHamatic and DJ pHonics, these gents rhyme about the stuff Northwest rappers might be expected to rhyme about. Like politics’ left side. Or questioning your surroundings. Meanwhile, DJ pHonics concocts the beats in his own separate laboratory. The stuff he comes up with sometimes sounds minimal and organic, with jazzy accents and keys; other times, it’s decidedly synthetic and heavy on the space-y synth sounds. But the point here seems to be the lyrics, which assert themselves with more than enough swagger required to spit rhymes. The pHormula keeps getting better and better, and though where they’re at now is perfectly respectable, if they keep on their grind — and if their rhymes are any indicator, they will — you’ll go to this show and, a couple years down the line, be able to say you saw them when. The pHormula performs at 9:30 pm Saturday, Nov. 1, at the McDonald Theatre. $8 adv., $12 with album. — Sara Brickner
Lo-Fiastan
Following close on the heels of Calvin Johnson, another K Records accomplice will be gracing the caffeinated confines of the Wandering Goat. Phil Elverum, or the lo-fi artist formerly known as The Microphones and currently known as Mount Eerie, will be performing from not one, not two, but three albums he released this year. No one’s ever accused Elverum of being unproductive. Under The Microphones moniker, he put out nine albums in seven years, and since 2003, when he changed the name to Mount Eerie, he’s released three full-lengths and eight EPs — and that’s just music. His creative output has extended above and beyond the aural sphere to the stuff that collectors and DIY-ers dream of: letterpressed, silkscreened covers; hardcover photo books; collage portfolios; fog-themed movies; Norwegian journals; joke cartoon collections; and an album that holds the world record for largest record cover. His label, P.W. Elverum & Sun, which houses the Washington artist’s GDP, befittingly says “Creators/Destroyers/Releasers of Music and Worlds.”
Elverum definitely has worlds to choose from, and although he’s touring behind three releases (a “hardcore” album, a Scandinavian-recluse album and a spare, introspective collaborative effort with Julie Doiron), don’t be surprised if the lo-fi minstrel shakes out his musical suitcase and gives us something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.
Mount Eerie plays with Testface and Anna Cordis at 7:30 pm Tuesday, Nov. 4, at Wandering Goat. $5. — Jeremy Ohmes
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!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519