Whatever They Want To

Hailing from Fullerton, Calif., power-pop quartet Audacity is loud, brash and melodic, known for break-neck live shows and a tireless tour schedule. In 2013, Audacity released its third studio album, the Weezer-esque Butter Knife.

“We always tell people we’re a rock ‘n’ roll band,” Audacity drummer Thomas Alvarez says. The band’s influences, he says, include punk rock like Redd Kross, the Descendents and Minutemen, but also plain old pop like The Beatles — a sweet, sunny, high-energy mix perfect for So-Cal afternoons at the skate park.

Alvarez thinks Audacity’s stuff recalls the era in between ’60s rock ‘n’ roll and what many consider punk rock: a sound often referred to as garage rock. “Garage rock is such an open term,” Alvarez says. “We kind of just write whatever we want to. We have a lot of different-sounding songs.”

Butter Knife album-track “Pick Slide” is a straight-ahead, larynx-shredding, punk rock anthem; “Hole in the Sky” and “Onomatopoeia” recall Weezer; while the album closes with the piano-based, Beatles-esque “Autumn.” Top to bottom, Butter Knife is chock-full of tasty pop hooks played with tinnitus-inducing ferocity.

The first time Audacity played Eugene it didn’t go well. Alvarez says they were set to open for legendary punk band Man or Astro-man? The headliners had to cancel, and the crowd was pretty bummed. But Audacity came back anyway. “The last time it was awesome,” Alvarez says. “Tons of kids came out.”

Behavior Castle presents Audacity, White Night and Martian Manhunter 8 pm Friday, Jan. 3, at Paper Moon Studios, 542 Blair Blvd.; $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!