Back Beat

Sam Bond’s Garage hosts the fantastic roots-country band Country Hammer

Country Hammer
Country Hammer

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.