Patchy Sanders Has Eugene Roots

Ian Van Ornum, of Patchy Sanders, is second from left.

Patchy Sanders, a band that made its first appearance in Eugene at Sam Bond’s Garage a year ago, is returning to the same venue on Feb. 2 to showcase its first record, & The Wild Peach Forest.

One of the band’s founding members, Ian Van Ornum, is a former UO student known for his past activism, particularly for being Tased at a peaceful anti-pesticide rally he helped organize in 2008. Van Ornum was unable to discuss the status of his appeal for his conviction for resisting arrest, but in December 2013 the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that he could continue to pursue his appeal. Van Ornum was lying on the ground when he was Tased.

Nearly six years later, Van Ornum is returning to his former city to show off his musical talents. “It’s nice to share something with Eugene that I’m extremely excited about,” Van Ornum says.

The band started as a 10-member ensemble after meeting at a singer-songwriter camp outside of Ashland. A year and a half later, Patchy Sanders was cut down to four original members; it then added three new members. After raising $15,000 from a Kickstarter campaign, Sylvia Massey, who is best known for working with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty and Johnny Cash, offered to produce the album.

“Massey made our dream of a first initial record come true,” Van Ornum says. “I mean, we worked with one of the best producers in the country.”

Last November, Patchy Sanders performed on NPR’s West Coast Live with singer-songwriter Mason Jennings.

Patchy Sanders plays with My Father’s Ghost at 8 pm Sunday, Feb. 2, at Sam Bond’s; $5.

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