Arts: Page 362
Turn On, Tune In, Laugh Out Loud
The Brickwall Comedy Show brings full-time comedy to Eugene’s airwaves
Local comedian Chris Warren told a joke that almost put him in jail. While doing standup in Spokane, Wash., in 2003, Warren made a rough joke about Hillary Clinton, and it caught the attention of the Secret Service, who sent two members to speak with Warren. “I was public enemy number one for telling a joke,” he says. “It was the good cop/bad cop scenario. They told me to never tell the joke again, but then they asked me to tell the joke. I told them and they started cracking up!” Continue reading
Imprisoned
It’s likely you already know too much about Prisoners, the excellent new film by young Quebecois director Denis Villeneuve. Yes, Prisoners is about a kidnapping and its brutal aftermath. Yes, the movie’s scenes of unreconstructed violence are deeply disturbing. Yes, it has a crackerjack cast, which includes Hugh Jackman, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard and Jake Gyllenhaal as the talented and tormented detective assigned to the case. Continue reading
Back Beat
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
Masters of Sax
Saxophones will be ringing this autumn, and Eugene Symphony opens the classical music season
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
Horn-y Daddies
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
Journeyman
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
The Odds Are Even
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
The Man, and Women, Behind the Mask
Ballet Fantastique produces and performs first-ever authorized ballet of Zorro
Zorro had some pretty good genes. On one side his father: Alejandro de la Vega, a soldier with ties to Spanish aristocracy. On the other his mother: Toypurnia, a powerful Tongva warrior who led her tribe into battle against the Spaniards. With parents from conflicting cultures, it’s no wonder Zorro (real name Diego de la Vega) had an identity crisis, growing up to be the swashbuckling, masked crusader who leaves Z’s in his wake. Continue reading
August in September
Oregon Contemporary Theatre kicks off its fall season with a rollicking family drama
It’s the stickiest month of the year in rural Oklahoma, and the air conditioning is off. That’s the way Violet Weston likes it, despite the fact that she’s hosting a houseful of sweltering family members who’ve gathered in her home following her husband’s disappearance. Her three daughters are here, and they’ve brought assorted husbands and children in tow. Caring for seemingly fragile Violet in her hour of need should feel like a “Very Special Episode” of your favorite TV show. Continue reading