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The year 2015 is when pure pop scored serious artistic cred: Ryan covered Taylor, Adele smashed all kinds of sales records and even Justin Bieber garnered some pretty decent critical notices. Continue reading
On New Year’s Eve, instead of singing the wrong lyrics of “Auld Lang Syne” to yourself, on the couch, in your sweatpants, with a flute of champagne propped on your newly rotund, post-holiday belly, venture into the night and spend the last few hours of 2016 with live, local music and entertainment. Here’s a roundup of events for Thursday, Dec. 31. Continue reading
A consistent rallying cry among graphic novel enthusiasts is that, with so few new comics aimed at young readers, the art form might not last. Happily, a talented team of numerous, all-female funnybook creators is doing its level best to address the problem with the charmingly upbeat Lumberjanes to the Max Edition Vol. 1 (BOOM! Box, $39.99). Continue reading
As a person, Felicia Day has a kind of lovable oddness that translates perfectly onto the page, as exemplified in her memoir, You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost). Known best for her appearances in Joss Whedon productions as well as her web series The Guild, Day has written a memoir that is humorous, self-deprecating and strikingly inspirational. The book describes her wayward childhood as a homeschooled oddball who educated herself mostly through reading whatever she could find. Continue reading
The Ghosts Who Travel with Me is a necessary read for all wanderlusting folks of the world. Author Allison Green recounts her story of exploring Brautigan’s route through Idaho from his novel Trout Fishing in America. On her own literary pilgrimage, Green grapples with her deep relation to Brautigan’s writing as a woman, a lesbian and a feminist. She tells of the discoveries in her own life that this literary filter provides her in a voice both poignant and clever. Continue reading
Macbeth might not be Shakespeare’s most sophisticated play — it is nasty, brutish and short — and yet, among the tragedies, it remains my personal favorite, if only because it contains the most blunt and chilling expression of nihilism yet registered in the English language. Continue reading
The last chance for Eugeneans to hear Patchy Sanders live in all its folksy glory will be this Saturday, Dec. 19. The popular and critically acclaimed indie troupe with Eugene roots is calling it quits after three years. “Eugene is actually our second to last show ever,” says Sara Wilbur, violinist. The band’s final show will be Dec. 20 in Ashland. “The band has been trekking along pretty seriously for three years now,” Wilbur continues, adding, “We were just feeling ready to move on to new chapters.” Continue reading
For the past four years, the husband-and-wife team of singer and guitarist Jen Johnson and drummer Mike Latulippe have fronted Velah, a rather excellent Boston-area indie-rock outfit. Johnson went on record saying that Pale Hands, the duo’s barely year-old electronic band, came about after they wrote a bunch of songs that just couldn’t work for Velah. It’s the sort of thing you’re supposed to say when launching an electronic side project (see: Broken Bells, Postal Service), even if it’s not altogether true. Continue reading
“I met Sam Cooke and his wife Barbara, and he turned to her and said, ‘Why don’t you bring her to America with us? We like her,’” Norma Fraser recounts, bursting into laughter. Fraser has lived in Eugene for a decade and has a lifetime of stories like this, including recording with Bob Marley. Fraser’s parents didn’t even know she could sing until they heard her song on the radio; they wanted her to be a doctor. She didn’t plan to be a singer, much less a reggae legend, not singing a note until she was 14. Continue reading
If it’s fiddles you fancy, this holiday season will be merry and bright, because we’re seeing a phalanx of fine fiddlers on Eugene stages to close out 2015. Continue reading