The Sands of Time

Portland songwriter and guitarist Joshua Josué had a rough patch as a teenager in Eugene. Josué says as a high schooler here in town, he engaged in petty theft, which was resolved when a trusted adult told him if Josué left, he wouldn’t press charges. This meant Josué had to drop out of high school his senior year. (He’s since earned a degree in economics from Portland State University.) It sounds like a song. It also suits Josué’s songwriting style, blending traditional Central and South American folk styles like ranchera and mariachi with Desert Southwest punk-tinged rock ‘n’ roll, like Alejandro Escovedo or punk songwriter John Doe from X’s recent forays into country music — not traditional country by any measure, but indebted to the wide-open spaces and outlaw feel of the genre. Josué tells Eugene Weekly he doesn’t like his age to appear in print, adding that his high school experience in Eugene was long ago. But since then, he has ridden a motorcycle through South America like a young Che Guevara, collaborated with bluesman Curtis Salgado, and worked with the Old 97s and The Dwight Yoakam Band. Josué says Los Lobos’ 1987 “La Bamba” cover changed his life. His solo debut album, Beneath the Sand, comes out in June. Josué has a Mexican American heritage, and he says the record explores this “weird middle ground. Around my white friends, I’m always the Mexican, around my Mexican friends, I’m the gringo. The album is half English and Spanish,” he adds. “I try and present in my shows and music you don’t have to be anything. You don’t have to be Mexican. You don’t have to be white. You don’t have to be playing a role.” He performs his self-described Chicano-style rock ‘n’ roll in Eugene March 24 at John Henry’s, supporting heavy metal mariachi band Metalachi.

Joshua Josué opens for Metalachi 8 pm Monday, March 24, at John Henry’s, 881 Willamette Street. Tickets are $20 advance, $25 door, and the show is 21-plus.

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.

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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!