Back Beat

“KLCC: Let Living Large Live!” is the cri de coeur of the Change.org petition by the Eugene Musicians Collective (EMC) who are urging KLCC to keep Eric Alan’s show on the air. Word is that come July 1, the station is going to cut the popular Eugene show, which features local and touring musicians, and replace it with national news coverage. EMC is hosting a sidewalk rally outside of KLCC (136 W. 8th Ave.) 11 am to 6 pm Friday, June 14, with music by Satori Bob, Sonic Bent and more.

Festival Roundup: Pickathon just released its schedule for the Aug. 2-4 indie-roots music festival: Andrew Bird plays Aug. 2 (Woods Stage) and Aug. 3 (Mountain View Stage), Feist plays the Aug. 3 (Woods Stage) and Aug. 4 (Mountain View Stage), Ty Segall plays Aug. 3 (Woods Stage) and 4 (Galaxy Barn), The Devil Makes Three plays Aug. 2 (Mountain View Stage) Aug. 3 (Woods Stage). The 4 Peaks Music Festival is coming up June 21-23 at Bend’s Rocking A Ranch with Greensky Blugrass, Head for the Hills, Moonalice and Delhi 2 Dublin.

Fantastic blues wailer Barbara Healy and her Groove Too band host their CD release party for Shades of Blue 8 pm Friday, June 14, at Cozmic; $6-$8. In other blues news, The Ben Rice Band — an upbeat and addictive mix of blues, rockabilly, soul and “swamp rock” — plays 9 pm June 14 and June 15 at the Dexter Lake Club.

EW’s Next Big Thing song of the week: “Last Train Home” by Caroline Bauer. The wispy songstress is one of Eugene’s best-kept secrets, but doubtfully for much longer. “Last Train Home” is a melancholy and wise love story told by Bauer’s acoustic guitar strumming and sweet, pure vocals. Get the full effect with the accompanying music video at http://wkly.ws/1hw or catch her at Cornucopia (5th Street location) 10 pm Tuesday, June 25. To enter the contest or vote on your favorite local musicians, visit nextbigthingeugene.com.

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!