Folk Renegade Mystics

The ’90s are back. Tribute nights to the decade of the Gap are popping up everywhere; Matchbox 20 is touring with the Goo Goo Dolls, and Boston-based Little War Twins kick off their album Marvelous Mischief with “One Bottle”— recalling the coiled-up intensity of fellow Bostonians and ’90s icons The Pixies before settling into a Ani DiFranco-esque easygoing folk-swing backbeat, but unfortunately falling a little short of both.

Little War Twins’ vocalist Gaetano Brown owes a lot to DiFranco, the singer-songwriter who many consider the poet laureate of the ’90s — her voice and lyrics evoking the smell of patchouli and feminism at your favorite coffee shop (before Starbucks closed it down). Derivative or not, however, Brown has a voice worth listening to.

Musically the Twins, self-described as “folk-renegade mystics,” tread similar agit-folk territory, made somewhat more interesting with slight jazz flourishes; Twins’ drummer, “Trick,” obviously has experience playing around the beat. Overall, Little War Twins’ studio recordings suffer from poor production quality, keenly exposing the difference between lo-fi and low budget and placing them firmly in the “local band” category.

And that’s unfortunate, because live performance is obviously what Little War Twins throw their energy into. Where they are limply “buzz band” folk-rock on their records, their live sound is stronger — and edgier, with Gaetano showing some charismatic stage presence in songs like “Shake it Bali Hai,” with her backing band giving energetic performances. (Is the bass player wearing a rabbit mask?)

Little War Twins play 8:30 pm Friday, April 12, at Axe & Fiddle in Cottage Grove; $5.

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!