Local actor Kasey Brown plays a skinhead drummer for a band called Cowcatcher in the upcoming grisly feature film Green Room, which pits a punk rock band against white supremacists in the wake of a murder. The horror flick was filmed in Portland in 2014 with actors Patrick Stewart, Alia Shawkat (best known as Maeby Fünke in Arrested Development) and Anton Yelchin (who starred in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek). The film spent 2015 on the festival circuit — nabbing awards at Austin Fantastic Fest and Toronto International Film Fest — and Brown tells EW that the Portland premiere will be April 9. He expects the film to be screening in theaters nationwide by the end of April. Watch the trailer at bit.ly/1ZlIh3z.
Eugene seems to be having a critical mass comedy moment: First, perennial favorite Bleepin’ Funny, a free event featuring stand-up and improv, runs 5 to 7 pm Saturday, March 26, at Sam Bond’s Garage — seats go fast, so arrive early. In the Whiteaker the same night is Comedy at the Goat featuring locals Mac Chase, Ted Hamilton, Gabrielle Antoníta Jesus and Joshua Isaac Finch 8 to 11:30 pm at The Wandering Goat; $5, 21-plus.
Also at 8 pm Saturday, March 26, comedian Seth Milstein hosts The Best F*cking Comedy Show in the World — “a sex-positive comedy showcase featuring comics from all across the sexual spectrum shamelessly joking and telling stories about sex and sexuality” — with comedians Caitlin Weierhauser and Alex Rios of Portland and Eugene comics George Baltzer and Beth Pinkerton (who respectively nabbed second and first place for best comedians in EW’s 2015 Best of Eugene readers poll), at The Wayward Lamb; $5, 21-plus.
Then next week Baltzer is back to host Good Strange, a comedy night with a PNW lineup including Portland’s Jay Shingle, Salem’s Jesse Whitehead and Eugene’s David Ledbetter, as well as comic Brooke Matherly out of New Zealand, 7:30 pm Saturday, April 2, at The Barn Light downtown: $5 suggested donation.
The next day, veteran local comic and instructor Leigh Anne Jasheway hosts the 21st Annual Eugene Laff Off, a Greenhill Humane Society fundraiser where 20 comedians battle it out to win the title of “Funniest Person in Eugene,” 6:30 to 9:30 pm Sunday, April 3, at Actors Cabaret of Eugene; $25.
Two nationally touring comedy acts will hit Eugene in early April too: Jeff Dunham performs April 6 at Matthew Knight Arena and Christopher Titus headlines April 9 at McDonald Theatre.
Inside look: Cover artist Jeremy Okai Davis
When Eugene Weekly commissioned Portland-based artist Jeremy Okai Davis to do an illustration of Hillary Clinton for our cover, he had never done a political portrait in his career. Davis does most of his illustrative work for American Songwriter magazine, so his mug roster gears more towards the faces of Paul Simon, Taylor Swift and Tom Waits, but he says he approaches all portraits the same.
“Whether it’s Hillary Clinton or a good friend of mine, I try to humanize the person and not put them on a pedestal,” Davis tells EW. But, he adds, “I wanted her to appear powerful, especially being the first viable female candidate to run for president.”
Davis painted the cover image in acrylic on a 14-by-19 inch sheet of paper over the span of a few days. To see more of his work, visit work.jeremyokaidavis.com. — Alex V. Cipolle