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Name a music biz award and young pro-bull-rider-turned-dusty-throated-troubadour Ryan Bingham has probably won it. His song “The Weary Kind,” from the 2009 Jeff Bridges movie Crazy Heart, was awarded everything from an Oscar to a Grammy. And did I mention he used to be a pro bull-rider? That’s some serious country-western cred — I’d like to see Toby Keith or Kenny Chesney try and ride one. Continue reading
If you’re wondering why the restaurants and streets along Broadway seem a little more crowded this month, blame The Shedd. The erstwhile Baptist church is hopping with jazz, choral music and its annual summer musical. First up is Friday night’s concert featuring the impeccable guitarist Frank Vignola, a frequent and always welcome visitor who brings a duet partner, guitarist Vinny Raniolo. Continue reading
Pieces of a life burst across the stage; the years slip by, 1952, 1939, 1949. The audience picks up the threads of the story, each scene inspiring the viewer to piece the events together, to crack the code to understanding the life of Alan Turing. Continue reading
The Black Panthers marched there, Bill Clinton spoke there, the Red Hot Chili Peppers performed there and part of Animal House was filmed there; the UO Erb Memorial Union has a long, star-studded and sometimes controversial history. That history has been captured by UO grad Jonna Threlkeld in the documentary Meet Me at the S.U.: A History of the Erb Memorial Union, which premieres in the EMU Ballroom 6 pm Thursday, June 6 (free). Get to the Fishbowl at 5 pm for five-cent ice cream cones and ten-cent root beer floats. Continue reading
The popular perspective on animation tends to lie within the realm of Saturday morning cartoons or late-night adult comedy like South Park or Family Guy. But Portland’s Northwest Animation Festival is trying to change these classic conceptions of animation. And this year, the festival is bringing its expansive, carefully curated program down to Eugene. “We’ve put a lot of effort into building our audience in Portland,” says festival director Sven Bonnichsen. “We’re hoping to do the same in Eugene.” Continue reading
When there’s a story — or an album’s worth of stories — inside you, it’s going to find a way to come out. For Vikesh Kapoor, the first several years of his life were spent playing piano. Then, an arm injury. He turned to photojournalism at Boston University. Continue reading
Seattle has become a hip-hop factory — or at least hip hop with a PNW twist: Blue Scholars, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Wanz, Common Market, Grieves, Shabazz Palaces. And, like most hip-hop scenes, Seattle is dominated by male artists. Then there’s THEESatisfaction, an R&B-leaning hip-hop duo made up of Stasia “Stas” Iron and Catherine “Cat” Harris-White. Continue reading
Alternative rocker Laura Meyer calls it like she sees it. Religion, greed, life on the road and relationships all get their share of attention on her albums, and her observations will certainly get you thinking. After listening to some of her tunes, you won’t be able to help but be reminded that the life of a rock star isn’t all fun and games, even if she did appear on The Jay Leno Show once. Continue reading
Eric Earley is of two minds when it comes to talking about the 10th anniversary of Blitzen Trapper’s self-titled debut album. “Well, we’ve only been touring for like five years, and before that we were playing but not really, so for me, when we started touring was when we really started to be a band,” Earley says. “But yeah, the years have definitely gone by fast.” Continue reading