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On Oct. 5 The Majestic Theatre in Corvallis will host one of America’s best contemporary singer-songwriters: Dar Williams. Touring for her 2012 Greek mythology-inspired album, aptly named In The Time Of Gods, Williams mines the stories of our Mount Olympus ancestors for triumphs and tragedies that parallel our own modern-day plight. Continue reading
“I like to paint a picture of a modern woman who’s sexual and who can do the same things as a man,” Sallie Ford tells me over the phone. Sift through her lyrics, her throaty rock vocals or the imagery in her band’s music videos, and it becomes clear that Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside is not just paying lip service. Continue reading
When Chris Henderson, the singer and songwriter for the indie-roots Bronze Radio Return, talks about the band’s most recent album — Up, On & Over — he is practically breathing a sigh of relief. “It’s always nerve wracking, putting out a new body of work, wondering if people are going to say, ‘I like their other albums better,’” Henderson admits. “But we’ve been really fortunate. Our fans have had a lot of positive things to say about it, so it’s been really exciting.” Continue reading
Of all the white-hot techno DJs and producers, few are more molten right now than Anton Zaslavski, better known as Zedd. Zedd’s single “Clarity” (featuring London-based female vocalist Foxes) is arguably the “it” single of 2013: a big, weepy ballad mixed with epic, fist-pumping, club-thumping beats. Continue reading
Holy pumpkins! It’s time for Elgin Baylor Lumpkin (known to most as Ginuwine). The Soul Train Music Award-winning artist brings his R&B “Pony” express — Grammy Award-winning songwriter Eric Bellinger and David Verity — with him to the Hult 7 pm Friday, Sept. 27. Part of the proceeds goes to Eugene’s own Housing Our Veterans, a transitional program to support veterans. Continue reading
After a decade exploring the classic, Sonny Rollins-style sax-bass-drums ensemble (and other trio configurations including piano, guitar and even electric bass) Eugene sax master Joe Manis has ventured into another classic jazz assemblage: the organ trio, featuring recent NYC-to-Portland transplant George Colligan (who’s teaching at PSU and making quite an impression in his own Oregon gigs on piano) at the keyboard. Todd Strait will man the drum kit for this show 9:30 pm Friday, Sept. 27, at Sam Bond’s. Continue reading
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you have certainly heard the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies’ popular Zoot Suit Riot album enough to have an opinion about the band. But stardom — and the backlash that came with it — was never something they expected to achieve when they formed in the late ’80s. Continue reading
Austin, Texas, folk artist Matt the Electrician sports a mighty fine full beard. A possible allegory for his style of music, his beard is inviting and warm while his voice sounds weathered and prickly. “You know, sadly, I’m just lazy,” he says. “The beard is much easier to manage than no beard because I don’t really have to do anything to it. Like once every three months I take some scissors and cut it back a little bit so it doesn’t take over any nearby villages.” Continue reading
Don’t call The Evens a side project. “It’s a band,” insists Ian MacKaye, the musician behind some of the most iconic projects in American punk and hardcore music: Minor Threat, Fugazi and founding Dischord Records. After over three decades in the business, the reluctant legend’s passion for music hasn’t waned a bit. “Music is holy,” MacKaye says. Over the years MacKaye has championed a DIY ethos. “I’ve become a poster child,” he says, “but I just did my work.” Continue reading