Troy Boys

Medium TroyPhoto by Athena Delene | tinyurl.com/athenadelene

Stalwart Eugene live act Medium Troy has been undergoing some changes. “We used to be a big band, sometimes as many as 11 people on stage,” says JoJo Ferreira. JoJo and his brother, Jesse Ferreira, form the core of the group. “We had tours where half the band would bail and we’d be stuck without a drummer playing four-hour sets at a taco bar in Medford.” Jo Jo Ferreira continues, “We’d just drink a whole keg on stage and pretend like we didn’t suck. It was a really fun shit show.”

Since then Ferreira and his brother have dialed Medium Troy back, focusing on the siblings’ shared love of sampled rhythms. “[We] had been making beats since we were kids,” Ferreira says. Inspired by the minimalist techno group Ratatat — who perform a sparse mix of samples, beats and live instruments — the new Medium Troy sound was born. “This mix has been really popular,” Ferreira says. “We’ve been able to tour successfully and get booked on lots of great shows and festivals. In short, we went from a mediocre but fun-to-watch eclectic, white reggae-hybrid jam band to a mix of orchestral instruments and beats.”

On Nov. 1, Medium Troy debuts an ambitious new project: The Bohemian Dub Orchestra. The Bohemian Dub Orchestra is a classical concert ensemble, accompanied by “glitchy trip-hop” beats from Medium Troy. The project is a collaboration between Medium Troy and Jeremy Schropp, resident composer at Ballet Fantastique, a Eugene-based contemporary chamber ballet company. The group’s inaugural performance will feature “interactive projection mapping,” contributions from local arts collective Harmonic Laboratory and dance performances from several local troupes.

Medium Troy plays with the Bohemian Dub Orchestra, Acorn Project and Octonaut 9 pm Friday, Nov. 1, at McDonald Theatre; $10 adv., $20 door.

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!