Back Beat

Kaleidoscope Music Festival has raised the bar for releasing music lineups with a highly produced viral video featuring a woman on a treasure hunt. National acts on the roster include Bassnectar, Los Rakas, Blue Scholars, Afroman, Souls of Mischief, Paper Diamond, Com Truise, gLAdiator and Amp Live. According to OneEleven, the producer-promoters behind the fest, the video was only phase one of the lineup announcements. More musicians will be announced May 30. For tickets and to watch the video, visit kaleidoscopemusicfestival.com.

In the words of Christopher Walken, “Wowie wow wow.” For all you youngins and Eugene ingénues, the WOW in WOW Hall is not the “wow” Walken speaks of, but “Woodmen of the World,” the fraternal organization that built one of Eugene’s oldest and most beloved music venues. Catch the free closing reception of the hall’s retrospective, The Woodmen of the World: Their History and Their Hall, which includes photographs, posters and a building tour led by historic preservation specialist Jon Pincus, from 5 to 7 pm Friday, May 31.

The ASUO Women’s Center hosts its 13th annual OUT/LOUD queer women’s music festival — the largest of its kind in the PNW — noon to 10 pm Saturday, June 1, at Kesey Square with a crackerjack (or rather, crackerjane) national lineup: Girl in a Coma (San Antonio), THEESatisfaction (Seattle — see music shorts) and Taina Asili Y La Banda Rebelde (Albany, New York). Originally called Lesbopalooza (we still love that name), OUT/LOUD will be free during the day and feature a Femme Power Drag makeup booth, a Gender Blender Smoothie Bike and crafts for the kiddies; after 6 pm, tickets are $6 for UO students and $8 for the public. For festival info, visit outloudmusicfestival.wordpress.com.

Don’t miss this week: Medium Troy and Hamilton Beach join Harmonic Laboratory for a state-of-the-art performance at the Hult Center May 31 and June 1 (see “Harmony from Chaos,” 5/23); the Austin-based indie-pop band Tele Novella (think Dresden Dolls meets Rilo Kiley) at Cozmic May 30; the gritty, fuzzy punk pop of the Portland trio Sun Angle at Luckey’s May 30.

EW’s Next Big Thing song of the week: “All The Way In” by Kate Brown. This Iowa transplant manages to capture the indignation of Ani DiFranco and the quirkiness of Regina Spektor, while still adding her own raw and earthy spin, on her track from the 2012 EP New Skin.

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!