Silver Sky’s the limit

When Grammy-nominated bluegrass act The Infamous Stringdusters were looking for a producer for their new record they naturally picked … a hip-hop veteran? You read right, but don’t worry longtime fans — the Stringdusters aren’t rollin’ in Escalades or rappin’ about their bling’d out grills, though I wouldn’t put it past the iconoclastic group to try. Continue reading 

Arts Hound

The Futureforecast of Stormcloudcomputing — just sit with that for a moment. That’s the name of the UO visiting artist lecture by Chicago-based interface artist Jon Satrom. Satrom manipulates all those zeroes and ones in your smart gadgets to make glitchy electronic and video art like “Windows Rainbows and Dinos.” The lecture, or “desktop performance,” begins at 6 pm Thursday, May 9, at 177 Lawrence Hall, University of Oregon; free.   Continue reading 

Lost Company

It feels oddly rude to complain about a movie like The Company You Keep, with its sprawling cast of oft-underused actors from across generations and its well-intentioned plot, which sweeps Vietnam-era radicals up and drops them into the present. But Robert Redford’s latest film is an unsettled mixed bag, despite valiant efforts from Chris Cooper, Anna Kendrick, Richard Jenkins and Nick Nolte (to name just a few). Continue reading 

City in the Country

Spirit Family Reunion is part of a long line of musicians based in New York City while playing the music of rural America. Like Dave Van Ronk, Bob Dylan and The Holy Modal Rounders before them, Spirit Family Reunion brings youthful energy and enthusiasm to antiquated sounds; screeching fiddle, unschooled harmonies, quavering mandolin and chugga-luggin’ freight train rhythms blend with the production value of a band busking on a Brooklyn sidewalk.  Continue reading 

Bleeping Indie

Tom Van Buskirk and George Langford do whatever the hell they want. With Javelin, the pair of musicians explores a variety of sounds, channeling influences from across the spectrum of musical genres. “We were never interested in making a tight, recognizable sound,” Buskirk says.  Continue reading