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Forget rabbits with pocket watches. Forget tea parties. Forget Alice in Wonderland. Work Dance Company director and choreographer Nathan Boozer wants to take you down another rabbit hole into his Wonderland, an upcoming Feb. 15 show at the Hult Center that takes a look through the hip-hop looking glass at lands filled with music, butterflies, candy, zombies and Lady Gaga. Continue reading
At their best, each year’s Oscar-nominated short films are a chance to see something new, or unusual, or unlikely. Short films can take different chances with structure, rely less heavily on traditional narrative or capture a moment rather than laying out a whole tale. But this year’s crop of live action shorts is a bit of a letdown in this regard: They tend toward the traditional, are predictably heart-wrenching or fall a little short in one aspect while succeeding in others. Continue reading
Classical music is often rightly accused of ignoring the here and now. Fortunately, many younger composers are using classical and postclassical forms to help us understand the sometimes-unpleasant realities of the world we live in. UO grad student and award-winning composer Ethan Gans-Morse directs the Ambrosia Ensemble, which will perform the world premiere of his new opera-oratorio, The Canticle of the Black Madonna, at the University of Oregon’s Beall Concert Hall in a free performance Feb. 16. Continue reading
Valentine’s Day (or Forced Romance Day, Singles Awareness Day — whatever you prefer) and the proceeding weekend are packed with excellent shows, so grab your schmoopy or your sweet self and paint the town red. Kick off Feb. 14 with the Shook Twins ($13 adv., $15 door) and From Cole: With Love: A Valentine’s Day Cabaret (Feb. 14-17, $12) at Corvallis’ The Majestic Theatre and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony at WOW Hall (see music shorts). Continue reading
Eugene is about to swallow a whole lot of Austin, Tex., grunge-rock vigor; The Blind Pets are inspired by a DIY attitude and a complete lack of concern or sympathy for bullshit rock ’n’ roll. “Rock and roll on a bigger level is taking a dump,” says guitarist and vocalist Joshua Logan, referencing prog rock bands like Muse as the enemy to true rock. “People think of Muse as rock and it’s just not.” Continue reading
Sometimes it really is all in a name: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Since the early ’90s Bone Thugs have blended straight-up thuggery with some sweet Temptations-style harmonies, creating one of the most distinctive rap/soul hybrids of the hip-hop era; all the while maintaining a street edge separating them from other ’90s neo doo-woppers like Boyz II Men. Continue reading
It makes sense Dead Prez are in town for the UO “Social Justice, Real Justice Conference.” The New York-based hip-hop group has long taken on politics in its work; themes of socialism and social justice, protest of corporate control of the media (particularly hip-hop record labels) and pan-Africanism have been threads running through the group since they began in the late ’90s. Continue reading
Many musicians are coy when it comes to the meaning behind their songs, but not the refreshingly candid Lindsay Rachel Rilko, lead singer for Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys. “There’s a song I wrote, ‘Mercy.’ It’s about a bankrobber and the bankrobber is my aunt,” Rilko says, while driving south from Olympia, Wash. Rilko was studying abroad in Ecuador when her mom sent her a message from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula that her aunt had robbed a bank and hid the money in their backyard, forcing her mom to call the police. Continue reading
About halfway through the first act of Student Productions Associations’ staging of Stephen Sondheim’s Company at LCC’s Blue Door Theatre, I happened upon an idea so absurd it brought on a viciously improper fit of giggles: Imagine adapting one of John Cassavettes’ movies — say, Faces or A Woman Under the Influence — for the stage, and then casting it with nothing but 8-year-old actors. It’s a chilling proposition. Continue reading
It’s almost easier to talk about what director Michael Haneke (Cache, The White Ribbon) doesn’t do than what he does. He doesn’t hold the audience’s hand; musical cues don’t appear to direct your emotions and stories don’t neatly wind up to logical conclusions. He doesn’t give you a handy backstory or motivation for his characters, but expects you to find it in their interactions and, notably, their homes. In interviews, he avoids questions about themes, preferring to leave interpretation to his audiences. Continue reading