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The long summer nights that we’ve been craving all winter are finally here, and with the warmth of the new season come the music extravaganzas we’ve been anticipating. Although the Cuthbert started off the season with Primus, the Soulstice will be the true kick-off to this year’s summer at Alton Baker. And with the new disc golf course in place, why not play a round or two before heading through the gates? Continue reading
Although the weather can’t seem to make up its mind quite yet about whether it’s summer in Eugene, one thing is certain: The raincoat-free sun-filled weeks are just about here. And with long summer days come equally rewarding mild evenings. So what better way is there to enjoy those mild nights than to hang up a white sheet, pick up a projector and pop open a bottle of wine with friends and enjoy a movie in the comfort of your yard? Continue reading
Convening in the parking lot of an unspecified hardware store, passing around “vessels” filled with delicious beer and cracking sexually explicit jokes at any given moment, the Eugene Hash House Harriers will really throw you for a loop if you’re unfamiliar with the tradition (or if you can’t take a joke). The “hounds” do their best to follow the madcap path laid by the “hare,” and once they reach the end, it’s time for more fraternizing. Continue reading
It takes a special character to receive surprise fellatio onstage mid-performance (we’re not making this up) and then keep performing. But I guess that’s what happens when the majority of your lyrics focus on drugs, sex and the rockstar life (listen to the track “Die Like a Rockstar”). It’s the nature of the provocative rap beast. Continue reading
Jason Cowsill was never pressured into music, despite his family’s storied musical history. A descendent of America’s family band, The Cowsills, he spent a lot of time bouncing around recording studios. But the moment he picked up his first guitar, there was no turning back. Continue reading
Living as a landscape painter in a geographically diverse state such as Oregon is like being a kid in a candy store. Between the coast, mountains, deserts, the gorge, old-growth forests and the rolling hills of vineyards, the Beaver State is an artist’s paradise. Continue reading
If there is an ocean in outer space, then Man or Astro-man? has clearly outsmarted NASA by about 20-plus years and counting. Though traditional surf rock faded with the British invasion, Man or Astro-man? proved that there was still a place for the genre despite the advent of the psychedelic rock movement. “We were never good at being a surf band; we grew up around punk rock,” says drummer Brian Teasley, who goes by the stage name Birdstuff. “When we were trying to get it right, we were getting it wrong.” Continue reading
Tom Van Buskirk and George Langford do whatever the hell they want. With Javelin, the pair of musicians explores a variety of sounds, channeling influences from across the spectrum of musical genres. “We were never interested in making a tight, recognizable sound,” Buskirk says. Continue reading
“I was part of the contemporary dance scene at the point when everyone was pushing for equality, respect of all people and the idea that all people could dance,” says Alito Alessi, artistic director of DanceAbility International. “But no one was doing anything about it, including myself. So I said, ‘Well, what would it look like to do what we say we all believe in?’” Continue reading
When Jeff Austin roams around the state of Oregon, he feels as if he were in a strange movie. But it’s not just the scenery that keeps Austin and the rest of Yonder Mountain String Band coming back to this fine state; it’s the people. “Eugene is very near and dear to our hearts; it’s always been good to us,” says Austin, who plays mandolin and provides silvery vocals for Yonder. “We’re like old cowboys. We don’t forget that stuff.” Continue reading