Eugene Weekly

For sisters Leah and Chloe Smith of Rising Appalachia, there was no “aha” moment when they realized they could sing. They simply grew up doing it.  “Our family was very musical and our mother used to sing harmony notes into our ears so we would begin hearing the many layers of sound organically,” Chloe Smith says. “She also had a fantastic women’s singing group meet at the house once a week for years for simply the joy of singing in harmony, and Leah and I sat in with them as late teenagers to try out our own voices.” Continue reading →

Whatever you might think Fly Moon Royalty sounds like because of their odd-couple image, ignore it. This duo surprises with frenetic soulful performances; they get down like it’s 1953 — before TV was in most American living rooms. “Back in the day you could have an ugly motherfucker singing like an angel on the radio, not needing to look like a movie star,” says Mike Sylvester, producer and MC for the Seattle duo. Adra Boo fills out the act with upbeat vocals. Continue reading →

Featuring members of the popular, now-defunct Portland group Dirty Martini, Swan Sovereign plays taut, guitar-based indie pop, mixing ’60s girl-group harmonies with the sound of ’90s-era rock bands like Throwing Muses, Belly and The Breeders.  Continue reading →

Brian McWhorter is by any measure one of Eugene’s most creative artists. Before returning to town to take a faculty position at the University of Oregon, where he earned his bachelor’s degree, the trumpeter/composer/improviser earned acclaim as a member of New York’s Meridian Arts Ensemble, making guest appearances with orchestras and ensembles around the country.  Continue reading →