Arts: Page 357

La Petite Mort

Film

When Bijou Cinemas announced its 72-hour Horror Film Fest, I said to myself: Why not? It was an open competition with no entry fee; contestants had three days to write, film and edit a 2-3 minute scary movie, the only mandate being that each entrant must utilize a prop and single line of dialogue provided by the Bijou. The prop, in this instance, was a tennis ball, and the bit of dialogue, delivered at the start of the 72-hour countdown, was a line spoken by the ghost Delbert Grady in The Shining: “I should know, sir, I’ve always been here.” Continue reading →

Troy Boys

Music

Stalwart Eugene live act Medium Troy has been undergoing some changes. “We used to be a big band, sometimes as many as 11 people on stage,” says JoJo Ferreira. JoJo and his brother, Jesse Ferreira, form the core of the group. “We had tours where half the band would bail and we’d be stuck without a drummer playing four-hour sets at a taco bar in Medford.” Jo Jo Ferreira continues, “We’d just drink a whole keg on stage and pretend like we didn’t suck. It was a really fun shit show.”  Continue reading →

Freewheeling Red Heads

Music

As Evan Way, the lead singer and songwriter for the Portland-based rock band the Parson Red Heads, can attest, every experience can be a learning experience. “With our previous record [2011’s Yearling] we spent maybe two years working on it, and when it takes that long to finish making an album, the one thing you want to do is not spend even close to that amount of time making an album ever again,” Way says with a laugh. Continue reading →

Joyful Swagger

Music

In the post-Halloween afterglow, there is a very good reason to catch frenetic “soul and roll” band The Pimps of Joytime: Bandmember Mayteana Morales played “Gaby” on PBS’ Ghostwriter. Now one of the Joytime’s lead vocalists, Morales helps create the band’s tight, punchy, soulful sound. Continue reading →

Back Beat: Halloween Edition

Music

Hallow’s Eve offers a tasty witch’s brew of live music, so dust off your Ziggy Stardust unitard, your Amy Winehouse beehive or your Psy tuxedo and hit the dance floors.   Local jazz cats Nancy Evergreen and Joanne Broh host the Motown Monster Mash at The Jazz Station. Festivities commence at 7 pm with music by the All That Jazz & Blues band, Frankenstein’s Dance Floor and “Dracula Sangria” refreshments. Costumes encouraged; $12.   Continue reading →

Gone Grrrlz?

Male musicians wildly outnumber females in the local music scene

Music

On the Billboard Hot 100 charts — ranking song popularity across genres — the top three slots are currently filled by Lorde (“Royals”), Katy Perry (“Roar”) and Miley Cyrus (“Wrecking Ball”). On the radio, that trio plus Lady Gaga and Lana Del Ray all place in the top 10 played artists. Over the past year, other female-centric acts have made many more a top 10 list: Alabama Shakes, Beyoncé, Fiona Apple, Cher, Norah Jones, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Beach House, CHVRCHES. These trends, however, are not reflected in the Eugene music scene. Continue reading →

Arts Hound

Visual Arts

Globally acclaimed New York City-based Dance Theatre of Harlem makes its only PNW stop 7:30 pm Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Hult. Eugene Ballet Company brings the “foremost African-American ballet company” to Eugene for one performance only: Agon, set to the works of Igor Stravinsky by the renowned Russian choreographer George Balanchine, originally premiered at the New York City Ballet in 1957. Known for its community outreach, Dance Theatre of Harlem will also present an Education Performance at the Hult Nov. Continue reading →

Something Wicked This Way Screens

Film

Is it possible to scare the living daylights out of someone in the space of two minutes? The Bijou’s Joshua Purvis says he’s hoping local filmmakers will give it a go when the inaugural 72-Hour Horror Film Fest comes to life Oct. 24 with a kick-off party downtown at First National Taphouse. Continue reading →

The Bicycle Mischief

Film

If every story about the new Saudi Arabian film Wadjda begins with the same pieces of information, the reason is simple: It would be downright unfair to leave the backstory out. This film was the first feature shot in a country that, as every interview with the director, Haifaa al-Mansour, will tell you, doesn’t have cinema. Strict rules for female behavior required the movie’s director to, at times, sit in a van and speak to her actors via walkie-talkie. Continue reading →