Eugene Weekly

It’s Brooklyn rap at its finest, sprinkled with philosophical musing and psychedelic influence.   Often mentioned with Joey Bada$$ and Flatbush Zombies, The Underachievers are at the forefront of new-wave rap from the other side of the country — known as the “Beast Coast” movement. When Issa Gold and AK spoke with EW, they briefly forgot Oregon was in the U.S., but, more importantly, they remembered there is “good weed” in nearby Portland, which is enough for me.  Continue reading →

On Oct. 4, newcomers to the electronic world domination, Purity Ring, will take over McDonald Theatre.  The Canadian duo, made up of Megan James (vocals) and Corin Roddick (instrumentals), has been on a steady incline since their 2012 record deal (following a separation from former band Born Gold). Continue reading →

At this point, do we really need to talk about Neil Young’s music?  The musician, author and all-around pain-in-the-establishment’s-ass has a back catalog that qualifies his craggy mug to be carved into the Mount Rushmore of American music.  Continue reading →

It’s likely that the moment little William “Boz” Scaggs met a new friend, Steve Miller, at their highfalutin Dallas boys’ preparatory school, neither knew that a page was turning in American rock history.  Each of them, 15 years old, had messed around with guitars throughout their little-boyhood, and they found they shared an impassioned interest in the blues — a trait rare amongst their demographic that would inform their musical trajectories. Continue reading →

The now Nashville-based folk musician Mare Wakefield, along with her husband and musical collaborator Nomad, has had a pretty good year.  “We were finalists in two songwriting competitions at two pretty big high-profile folk festivals,” Wakefield tells EW. But what really excited Wakefield was the opportunity to meet folk-music icon and personal hero Judy Collins at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in New York.  Continue reading →

Talking to Adam Duritz on the phone is like watching nostalgia incarnate walk through the door. The idiosyncratic voice of the Counting Crows frontman is still as raspy and boyish as ever, a key to his charm. That voice helped define a post-Nirvana ’90s.  If you are old enough to remember that now seemingly quaint decade, you probably remember Counting Crows and how they blew up the pre-emo alt-rock scene — “Mr. Jones” and “’Round Here” blaring from every radio station in an age when that counted for something.  Continue reading →

The Eugene Symphony kicks off its 50th season 8 pm Thursday, Sept. 24, in style with a 20th-century American classic and a brand-new 21st-century composition by the West Coast composer who many hope represents part of the future of American music.  In 2003, Mason Bates (still in graduate school) received a commission from the Los Angeles Philharmonic and decided to include beats and other electronica elements. Continue reading →

Los Angeles band Period Bomb is an anarcho-feminist project recalling protest punk like Bikini Kill and straightforward, curled-upper-lip rock ‘n’ roll like The Runaways.  Period Bomb’s “Get Out Of My Life Creep” is a simple kiss-off to a boorish, controlling lover. The song features vocalist Cami Miami’s supple, Siouxsie Sioux voice moving over tightly wound power chords. Continue reading →

California-based progressive bluegrass group Front Country has a new connection to Eugene. “Our fiddle player [Leif Karlstrom] just moved up here,” guitarist Jacob Groopman tells EW. “I always like coming to Eugene. It’s a nice town.” Front Country is touring in support of 2014’s Sake of the Sound. The record features mandolin, fiddle and the hymnal quality of vocalist Melody Walker. The resulting sound recalls the chamber folk and bluegrass of Chris Thile and Punch Brothers. Continue reading →