Saving the Weekend

By Bentley Freeman and Brianna Murschel

If you like great music, even greater wine and the rush that goes with saving local journalism, head over to 255 Madison during the Save Eugene Weekly Weekend, Friday, Feb. 16, through Sunday, Feb. 18. There will be live music curating the soundtrack to your weekend.

One dollar from every wine, beer and cider sold, alongside raffled gift baskets and donations collected at the door, will benefit the Weekly.

“You rallied and got out the damn paper,” says Marty Chilla, guitarist and singer for A Side of Beets and Grateful Dead tribute band Myrth. Chilla says that EW is an important cornerstone in the quirky fabric of our town. “It’s shocking [EW] could just suddenly disappear,” he says.

If it went away, Chilla says, EW would be another cultural marker lost, like the Willamette Valley Folk Festival, the popular music festival celebrating folk-rock that ran from 1971 to 2009 on the University of Oregon campus and other locations. It was replaced by the annual Willamette Valley Music Festival.

After a long week, let loose and dance to local acoustic, pop, rock and Celtic band Sassafras! when the band takes the stage 7 pm Friday, Feb. 16.

On Saturday, it’s an all-day musical experience, kicking off the day with Myrth; acoustic-only folk band Acoustic Trance follows. Don’t forget to stay for A Side of Beets, featuring original members of the 33-year-old classic Eugene band — The Sugar Beets — 2022 Best of Eugene winner for best instrumentalist, Paul Biondi, and on drums, EW’s own paper distributor, Bob Becker.

Every Thursday for about 19 years, Becker distributed Eugene’s alternative newspaper, until the day in late December he lost his job with the rest of the staff. “I’m delighted to be delivering the Eugene Weekly again,” Becker sends in a text. “I love the progressive EW.” Not only has he dedicated his time to drive around town and fill the bright red boxes on every corner, the musician has worked with several local bands through the years.

As the night rises and the sun disappears, rock out with Eugene noisemakers and alternative indie rock band RE/Folium, punk band Bike Fight and Face Transplant, known for post punk and power pop for $5.

Finish your weekend off on Sunday, listening to six singer-songwriters: Apis Mellifera, Sarah Lecomte, Elisha Oestreich, Travel Faster, Tyler Weiss and Cloud Out Loud who continue the concert Feb. 18 at 6 pm for $10.