A Dark and Gloomy Night
Wreck & Reference
Nihilism and depression have long been compatriots. Dwelling together in the darkness, they lay entangled, drawing from one another, separate, yet not inseparable. Continue reading
Arts: Page 288
The Future of Rap
Futuristic
One easy way to keep rap lovers happy is to introduce them to an emerging emcee with fast flow and a sharp, cutting vocabulary. Futuristic, born in Illinois and based in Arizona, is just that. His “Watch Yo Mouth” tour hits dozens of stops along the West Coast, and then extends east as far as New York. While he has gigs scheduled with musicians like Action Bronson and Shwayze, the 22-year-old rapper says he enjoys performing for audiences similar to what he expects to see in Eugene. Continue reading
Fast Folk
Bad Religion
“University cities are the best places to play,” says Jay Bentley, bassist for legendary Southern California punk band Bad Religion. “They’re full of students,” he continues, “and students are the best people.” Bad Religion has been busting establishment chops since 1979. The band returns to Eugene in support of 2013’s studio record True North. Bentley says in addition to touring, Bad Religion has started writing a new record. Continue reading
Tech Metal
Archspire
In the fog-ridden murkiness of Cascadia, one can easily forget that not all metal is black metal. Shattering our illusions of “all-grim everything” comes the brilliantly crisp technical metal of Archspire from Vancouver, B.C. Sharing the brutal gospel of last year’s The Lucid Collective (released on the Season Of Mist label), the tech-death powerhouse has been tearing up stages aside the likes of Fallujah, Origin and Fleshgod Apocalypse, all the while winning over new converts. Continue reading
Hedonism and Hipsters in the Jazz Age
Actor’s Cabaret of Eugene gets dark and boozy with The Wild Party
The year is 1928, the last gasp of the good times before the crash of the Great Depression. Fringe is flying, bathtub gin is flowing and Queenie and her man Burrs are in a bad romance. Continue reading
Big Bubbly Creative Soup
The NW10 Festival offers up a heady stew of short plays
The seventh-annual NW10 Festival returns this week with a handful of 10-minute plays premiering at Oregon Contemporary Theatre. “There’s a big difference between a skit and a 10-minute play,” insists festival co-founder Paul Calindrino. “A skit is like a one-line joke, whereas a 10-minute play has the potential to be a fully self-contained dramatic unit with character development, emotional impact and narrative force.” Continue reading
Slaves, Sex and Centurions
Very Little Theatre gets irreverent with Sondheim’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum captured our country’s imagination when it debuted on Broadway in 1962. A young Stephen Sondheim wowed audiences with an interesting score, providing a teaser to his masterful later works. The book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart is based on Plautus’ Roman comedies, resulting in a goofy, sometimes brainy farce that manages to reflect a deep respect for the humor of antiquity. Continue reading
Tweedy & The Minus 5 live at Jaqua Concert Hall [3.15.15]
Words by Rick Levin • Photos by Todd Cooper Continue reading
Last night today: Tycho at McDonald
Last Night Today: Tycho at McDonald On Sunday night, the McDonald Theatre was filled with a swaying crowd and the ambient music of Tycho – the four-piece San Francisco band who favors blissful synths and sunset gradients. Continue reading
Funny Fanged Folk
Vampires: They’re just like us! They have terrible housemates who don’t do the dishes. They worry about looking good when they go out at night, even if the clubs they’re going to are dead and boring. They get twitchy when the cops come by. And they hate it when their roommates bring home uncool new friends. Continue reading