We've got issues.
The band Con Brio, from San Francisco, spent the last night of their tour here in Eugene. With Ziek McCarter as the vocals, Benjamin Andrews on guitar, Micah Dubreuil on keyboards, Jonathan Kirchner on the bass, Andrew Laubacher on drums, Marcus Stephens on tenor saxophone, and Brendan Liu on the Trumpet they had quiet the set up on stage. They filled the room with soulful funk music that was reminiscent of an era long gone but not forgotten. Continue reading
In its initial release, George Bizet’s 1875 opera Carmen received mixed reviews. Today, in its 140th anniversary year, many see Carmen, the story of a woman far before her time, as a feminist text. Continue reading
If you know anything about Alan Turing — anything at all, including, say, what you might have gleaned from reading Neal Stephenson’s excellent doorstop of a novel Cryptonomicon — The Imitation Game is unlikely to surprise you. As a tidy, glossy, good-for-you awards-season film about important Brits, it’s entirely watchable, and not much more. Continue reading
There was a time when Eugeneans had to venture up I-5 if we wanted to catch the top touring classical and jazz pianists at, say, Portland Jazz Festival, Portland Piano International and other events. No more. While PJF, which starts next week, is indeed featuring one of today’s most inventive jazz masters, pianist Vijay Iyer, he will also bring his DownBeat-award-winning trio with drummer Marcus Gilmore and bassist Stephan Crump to The Shedd 7:30 pm Thursday, Feb. 19. Continue reading
“We sound like Brit Pop with Americana trappings,” says Chris Masterson of Austin-based husband-and-wife duo The Mastersons, who are touring in support of their latest LP, Good Luck Charm. But just because he plays in an Americana band, Masterson doesn’t feel like he has a grasp on what Americana means. “Johnny Cash? Coca Cola?” he posits, continuing, “One of the beautiful things about it is how open it is. What we do is just as informed by Ray Davies as it is Ray Price.” Continue reading
Whether you celebrate Happy Singles Awareness Day or are sitting on a cloud of paper hearts and cupids with your boo, there’s lots of good music to embrace, or embrace to, Saturday, Feb. 14. Spread the love at the all-ages Valentine’s Day dance and karaoke fundraiser for KindTree Autism Rocks 1 to 3:30 pm at Cozmic. Continue reading
The Bearer of Bad News, the latest release of Canadian songwriter Andy Shauf, is now out on Portland taste-making record label Tender Loving Empire. Working with a Portland label is appropriate for a songwriter who lists legendary Portland songwriter Elliott Smith as an influence. “I’m a huge Elliott Smith fan,” Shauf tells EW. The sway of Smith can be heard on “You’re Out Wasting,” a song bearing more than a passing resemblance to Smith’s classic “Needle In The Hay.” Continue reading
Chronicling the lives of five women in show business, the new play Five of a Kind spans half a century of friendship and social transformation. Written by Anita Dwyer and Adrienne Armstrong, the play premieres this week, Feb. 13-15, in a “reader’s theater” format at the Very Little Theatre. Continue reading
Head to downtown Springfield for the Second Friday Art Walk 5 to 8 pm, Feb. 13, and see the latest creations in silk, cotton and wool of fiber artist Tylar Merrill at the Thimbleberry Felt Designs pop-up shop at L’Etoffe Fabrics (329 Main St.). Continue strutting your stuff for the South Willamette Second Saturday Art Walk 3 to 7 pm, Feb. 14, with stops at Wild Birds Unlimited, 16 Tons Café, Tsunami Books and more. Continue reading