Back Beat

Tsunami Books, a somewhat under-recognized gem of a live music venue, hosts finger-style guitar wizard Larry Pattis for an intimate acoustic concert 7:30 pm Saturday, Jan. 2 — an event that is part of The American Guitar Masters Touring Concert Series; $10. In his music, the Chicago native draws influence from classical, jazz, Celtic, blues and folk.

Cottage Grove’s Axe & Fiddle, another gem for live acoustic music, hosts Celtic band Connla’s Well featuring Celtic harpist and vocalist Mary Grace, who studied harp at the UO and in Ireland, at 8:30 pm Saturday, Jan. 2; FREE.

The following night Axe & Fiddle welcomes experimental folk-noir duo Clawfoot Slumber 8:30 pm Thursday, Jan. 7; FREE. The band has described itself as “the Old, Weird America meets Twin Peaks. Imagine The Band at Big Pink laying down the score for a David Lynch film.” Yes, that’s exactly what these Portlanders sound like. Give a listen to Clawfoot Slumber’s 2015 album Open Wide to the Demons Who Crave a Word with the Ghost of Your Heart.

Sam Bond’s Garage hosts the fantastic roots-country band Country Hammer, made up of three lead singer-songwriters, 9 pm Wednesday, Jan. 6; $7. What makes the Seattle outfit’s sound stand out against other Americana-genre bands is its wide array of influences from Motown to Norteño, a genre of Mexican polka music. Expect a Telecaster and pedal steel guitar.

Downtown pub and club The Wayward Lamb has announced it will host the premiere performance of Unveiled: Eugene’s Queer Burlesque, a troupe whose mission is “to shed light on life, love and sex in the gender and sexual minority community through performance art.” The first show, “Genesis: The Great Unveiling,” kicks off at 8 pm Saturday, Jan. 9; $5. EW ran our NYE roundup last week; visit goo.gl/YKfM8H to read what’s happening Dec. 31 around town.

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!