Formerly Known As
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Church was a name so un-Googleable, the Portland band’s press release immediately mentioned the impossibility of searching the interwebs for band news. Church was also, it turned out, a little too close to The Church, the Australian band behind “Under the Milky Way.” In a recent Q&A with SF Station, formerly-known-as-Church member Brandon Laws said The Church “politely threatened legal action.”
So now Church is Ape Cave, which seems a wilfully cranky choice, almost as awkward as Church and further abusing the animals-in-band-names motif of the last few years. But ignore the name and give Song Force Crystal, the band’s 2009 album, a listen or several anyway. The atmospheric opening of “Graveyard,” the first track, gives little suggestion as to how textured, how insistent the rough-edged guitar tones and rounded synths will turn by the three-minute mark. I’m not one of those audio geeks who obsesses over the sound of analog vs. digital recording, but there’s warmth in these recorded-on-an-8-track songs, even when they feel a little distant, a little intellectual in the way the melodies break apart and reform. A mournful guitar and retro drum sound open “Opposite People,” with its eerie vocal harmonies; on another track, a distinctly spaghetti-Western guitar meanders through varied, spare percussion. Though distortion is a major part of the band’s sound, they somehow never seem noisy; the wash of distortion is often matched with a piano line that suggests space and silence, or a simple, repeating, intensifying guitar riff, and the contrast is both poppy and faintly experimental. These sometimes drifty, shifting songs take even more shapes when the quartet plays live, but that’s just all the more reason to see them when you’ve worn the record out. Ape Cave and Baitball play at 9 pm Wednesday, Jan. 6, at Sam Bond’s Garage. 21+. Free. — Molly Templeton
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.
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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