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It is a peculiarity of art that its failures are often more moving, more profoundly beautiful, than its successes, especially when the artist failing is a great one. Perfection has a monolithic aspect, airtight and intimidating; it can leave us cold. Better, sometimes, the flaw, the frayed end, which reveals the Icarus burn of lofty ambitions. Humanity, you might say, is never more humane than when it strives and crashes. Continue reading
In music venue news, The Barn Light East (845 East 8th Ave.) has announced they will be hosting live music. Barn Light co-owner Thomas Pettus-Czar tells KVAL-TV: “As opposed to other environments in which [music is] sort of in the background, this is an opportunity where folks can grab a beverage, sit down and really pay attention to the artists.” Look for show announcements soon. Continue reading
Eugene has long been one of the beacons of so-called early music, which includes basically anything composed (in Europe) before J.S. Bach died and Mozart was born in the mid-18th century. The Oregon Bach Festival has been the big kahuna, but the city boasts an indie early music scene consisting of historically informed performance practice musicians in outfits like the Oregon Bach Collegium, Vox Resonat and the University of Oregon’s splendid early music program. Continue reading
He descended on the Carter era of gas lines and bloody carpets and post-love funk like some infernal geek bastard child of Buddy Holly and Johnny Lydon, spitting out lyrical venom over gorgeous hooks and bellicose riffs that plumbed the deepest, darkest wells of pop music — billboard fuzz attacking itself with newborn impunity — all of it churned out with a churlish amphetamine sneer that belied his antediluvian genius for melodic universalism within the three-minute cliché of radio-radio rock. Continue reading
There are many reasons to read Eugene author Melissa Hart’s new young adult fiction book, Avenging the Owl, but the multiple references to Eugene life and Oregon culture are chief among them for local readers. Tsunami Books will host a book launch for Hart on April 17, with readings from the winners of her middle-school nature essay contest. Continue reading
Can coasters that test for date rape drugs help solve the University of Oregon’s sexual assault problem? Or are they a drop in the bucket of a larger institutional issue? The Courtside and Skybox apartments teamed up with local medical supply company Med-Tech Resource to provide current and potential residents with coasters that test for the date rape drugs ketamine and gamma-Hydroxybutyrate (GHB), says property manager Sandra Coombs. The coasters are promotional material and designed to raise awareness of sexual assault in UO’s campus community. Continue reading
A weekly produce box from a local farm can cost a family of four $550 — for a 20-week supply of healthy food, it’s a real bargain. But it’s not something every family can afford. On April 14, First United Methodist Church hosts That’s My Farmer, an annual fundraiser to support low-income families by providing access to local and organic food through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs. Donations will go towards That’s My Farmer’s low-income fund, which subsidizes what families cannot afford to pay for a season of food shares. Continue reading
On Sunday, April 10, dozens of people came to Kesey Square in downtown Eugene to memorialize a vibrant former member of the Eugene community with Cascadian flags, pine cones and other symbols of his years in activism, civic engagement, advocating for diversity and more. Continue reading
The (sub)Urban Projections Digital Art & Media Festival returns April 21 with a two-night multi-sensory, multi-discipline experience. Sponsored by the city of Eugene in partnership with Harmonic Laboratory, the festival — now celebrating its fifth year — seeks to “champion emerging artists, cultivate community and generate vibrancy in downtown Eugene.” Continue reading
Oregon Department of Transportation is spraying roadsides. Call 503-986-3010 to talk with a Vegetation Management Coordinator or call 1-888-996-8080 for recent herbicide application information. Highways I-5, 99, 101 and 126 East were recently sprayed. Continue reading