Whats-Happening: Page 503

A Woof in the Park

EW’s canine reporters sniff out Lane County’s dog parks

Culture

Lane County dog owners have plenty of off-leash dog park options when it comes to letting their pooches run free.  And who better to explore our many dog park choices than my trusty canine interns: Huckleberry, a teddy bear-Ewok hybrid from the shelter, and Togo, an Alaskan husky with legs like stilts. In the long shadow of Woodward and Bernstein, we three set off to investigate just what makes each local dog park special for our four-footed friends:   Continue reading →

Portland’s Pussycat Paradise

An afternoon at Portland’s Purringtons Cat Lounge, the Northwest’s first cat cafe

Culture
Butch

Cats are winning. As I write this, my cat, Elsie, slinks around my legs, looking up at me, knowingly. Cats have always known they were winners; it just took society, with a helpful boop from the internet, some time to catch up. Dogs, however, in all their earnest, loyal, slopping glory, have long ruled the hearts of the majority, from “man’s best friend” to Old Yeller. For millennia, dogs have stood by as our companions, our families, our heroes. Continue reading →

A Tale of Two Militias

Film

The documentary Cartel Land is about the Mexican drug trade in the same way Moby Dick is about a fish — nominally, symbolically, as a single point of contact in a tale so monstrously bloated with violence, corruption and thwarted desire that it baffles comprehension at every turn. Just when you think you have a bead on this film, it wriggles free of easy assessment, turning morality inside-out to such an extent that life itself becomes a blur of guilt and complicity, every hand bloody. Continue reading →

Sam Bond’s Celebrates 20 years in Two Nights

An anniversary celebration of epic proportions

Music
Bustin’ Jieber

In 1995, three partners — Todd Davis, Bart Caridio and Mark Jaeger — set out to build a brewpub based on a mutual love of the craft and the brew itself. The trio found a spot, once a garage operated by the grandson of Eugene pioneers Allen and Rachel Bond. The location fell short of the ideal size for a brewery, but after careful consideration and falling in love with the building and its history, Sam Bond’s Garage was born, or rather reborn. Continue reading →

Bearded Bummer Punk

Bobby Meader Music

Music
Bobby Meader Music

If Las Vegas Weekly gave an award for “Band with Best Beards,” Sin City rock quartet Bobby Meader Music would surely win. In fact, based on beard weight alone, you might guess Bobby Meader Music hailed from the great, hairy Northwest instead of the glitz and glamor of Vegas.  “I just didn’t shave one day ’cause I quit my job at the Bellagio,” Bobby Meader tells EW, laughing, “and I still haven’t shaved.” Continue reading →

Lone Star Dream Folk

The Deer

Music
The Deer

One half of Texan indie-folk quartet The Deer will follow up a couple shows at Oregon Country Fair with an encore performance in Eugene at Sam Bond’s Garage.  Deers’ vocalist Grace Park explains that after OCF is over, “two have to leave for home. Alan [Eckert, drummer] and I are staying for the Sam Bond’s Show,” billed as Grace Park of The Deer.  Park says the band loves Eugene’s vibe: “We love the laid-back energy of the town and plan to make the pilgrimage back year after year.” Continue reading →

Hobo-Core Folk Punk

Aaron Lee Tasjan

Music
Aaron Lee Tasjan

Nashville musician Aaron Lee Tasjan identifies as a guitarist despite currently making a living as a singer-songwriter. Tasjan spent some time playing guitar in the Southern-rock band Drivin’ N Cryin’ as well as legendary New York punk group New York Dolls.  “I was always interested in songs,” Tasjan tells EW, “and writing songs. So I still think of myself as a guitar player in a lot of ways.” He adds, “though I’m more of a traveling songwriter guy.”  Continue reading →