Back Beat

Happy 10th Anniversary Grrrlz Rock! Thank you to all the musicians, teachers, volunteers, parents and students who make music education and performance a priority during this month-long music and arts festival for the young girls and women in this town, especially when they may not be seeing much gender diversity on stages the rest of the year. Come celebrate with headliner, the Canadian-born, California-based rocker Lila Rose, who’s touring with new album WE.ANIMALS, 6 pm Friday, Nov. 6, at WOW Hall. Joining Rose at WOW Hall will be Alicia Humphries, Eugene Bhangra, The Ridgeline Uke Experience, Samba Ja, Saffron, Adrian Conor and Troupe Azhaar. Organizer Matrisha Armitage has packed November stages with music by women and music clinics. For the full lineup, visit grrrlzrock.com.

Dave Simonett is sneaking into town sans his bluegrass-rock outfit Trampled by Turtles to perform an acoustic set, touring in support of his solo EP Razor Pony, 9:30 pm Friday, Nov. 6, at Sam Bond’s Garage; $14 door, advance tickets available at brownpapertickets.com. Pete Quirk, of indie-folk band The Cave Singers, will also perform a solo set.

Don’t miss: Next week at Sam Bond’s, rising Portland gospel and soul star Liz Vice performs a special early show 8 to 9:30 pm Thursday, Nov. 12; $7. Vice’s sound is a sultry modern take on ’60s-era soul, which has racked up accolades from The New York Times, NPR and Willamette Week. For an introduction, listen to “Empty Me Out.”

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!