Whats-Happening: Page 501

Flown the Coop

Bird Woman, disillusioned, skips out on Fair this year

Culture

Shirley Musgrove is a costume designer and puppeteer, most known for her elaborate Oregon Country Fair costumes, which include a unicorn and fiery phoenix. One year, she dressed as a wolf and made people howl if they wanted a photo with her.  Musgrove first attended Fair in 1978 as a merchant with The Great Hooey Man, a puppeteer she met in her hometown of Spokane. She sold puppets and performed puppet shows for her first four years at the Fair, before spending time in New York to work with Muppeteer Jim Henson. Continue reading →

Diamond in the Ruff

Outgoing general manager Charlie Ruff reflects on the past, present and future of OCF

Culture
Charlie Ruff

“The thing I love most about the Fair,” says Charlie Ruff, Oregon Country Fair’s outgoing general manager “is that, at its best, as a community, people can come and be themselves — they can express themselves in an environment as free from judgment as you’ll find.”  Ruff steps down later this summer after 12 years on staff, the last seven of which he served as GM. He will remain, for the time being, a Fair volunteer. Ruff's replacement is Tom Gannon, a longtime Seattle resident who recently relocated to the area. Continue reading →

Peach Pit Jams

Culture

Walking down the trodden dirt path of the Oregon Country Fair can be intimidating at first. To your left, there’s a beeswax candle merchant; to your right is a group of leather-clad didgeridoo players. Straight ahead, on a wooden stage in a meadow, a jam band that may or not be the Grateful Dead reincarnated plays. The Fair offers a ton of great live music from which to chose, and here are a few acts you won't want to miss.    TAARKA Continue reading →

We hear that the Oregon Country Fair new movement arts program will feature performances and workshops on a dedicated stage

Dance

We hear that the Oregon Country Fair new movement arts program will feature performances and workshops on a dedicated stage, the spiffy new Dance Pavilion, during the weekend (July 10-12) of the OCF. Look for Salseros Dance Company, the Connexus dance collective, Track Town Swing Club, Danceability and more. A full schedule is available at oregoncountryfair.org.  Continue reading →

Fade to Black

Film

Asif Kapadia’s new documentary, Amy, does what nothing else could when Amy Winehouse was here, and so famous  — not the Rolling Stone interviews, the profiles, the photos, and definitely not the tabloids, the gossip, the cruel jokes. It turns Winehouse back into a person, letting her history speak for itself while quietly painting a damning picture of celebrity culture, particularly when that culture turns its gaze on young women. Continue reading →

Incredible Dudes

Shellac

Music
Shellac

Chicago art-rock and post-hardcore act Shellac is hitting the road for its second tour in support of 2014’s phenomenal Dude Incredible. A supergroup comprised of members of Big Black, Mission of Burma, Rapeman and more, the power trio is helmed by revered underground godfather and producer Steve Albini. You might be vaguely familiar with Albini’s body of work, having produced records for Slint, Nirvana, Mogwai, Jawbreaker, Page & Plant and Joanna Newsom, to name a few.  Continue reading →

Dopamine Dreams

Dopapod

Music
Dopapod

Based in the Northeast, prog-rock dance band Dopapod are making a name in the jam band scene. This summer, the band embarks on its first West Coast tour.  “I’m really excited to spend a lot of time in the Northwest this time of year,” Dopapod keyboardist and vocalist Eli Winderman tells EW.  Continue reading →

Outlaw Sounds

Banditos

Music
Banditos

Finding adequate lodging is a constant struggle for touring musicians. If a band is lucky, a generous local will offer up a free place to catch some shuteye before moving on to the next city. Last time the Birmingham, Alabama-based Southern rock sextet Banditos came through Eugene, the band learned an important lesson.   Continue reading →

Blues Legend Blues

John Mayall isn’t particularly in the mood to talk

Music
John Mayall

“People come to our shows because they want to hear what we do. It’s irrelevant what we play,” the 80-year-old Brit bluesman says, circumventing any specific commentary on his tour, his band, his audiences — anything. Mayall’s live shows, famous for their classic grit and wild improvisation, have been the defining characteristic of his career, but he isn’t keen on discussing even that. Continue reading →

Post-Punk Noir

Nostalgist

Music
Nostalgist

Seattle post-punk trio Nostalgist is inspired by the atmosphere of film noir — a cinematic movement popular in the mid-twentieth century known for dark imagery and sinister storylines. “I try to channel my own experiences through a sort of cinematic filter,” Nostalgist vocalist and guitarist Asa Eisenhardt tells EW via email. “My goal is to portray a scene, a feeling or both through evocative language without being pretentious.”  Continue reading →