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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
“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
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
A dozen years have passed since urban theorist Richard Florida argued that the U.S. has “an economy powered by human creativity.” In The Rise of the Creative Class, Florida writes, “In virtually every industry, from automobiles to fashion, food products and information technology itself, the winners in the long run are those who can create and keep creating.” Continue reading
2015 is a year of brand-spanking new features at the Oregon Country Fair: the Dance Pavilion, the dedicated LGBTQI space — Rainbow Village — and the entire 6-acre “New Area” expansion. This expansion will house nine wondrous, wacky, weird, whimsical, whippy-dippy art installations. ArtsHound caught up with Sallie Edmunds, OCF backup manager and head of the new art program, while she prepped at the Fair grounds. Continue reading
Hot weather is great for the bugs. Swallowtails and dragonflies dart around with incredible zip in the morning sun, their warm bodies full of energy. Spiders are getting prominent now, with dozens of little, baby spider webs all around our house. They protect us from mosquitoes. When approached they shake their webs vigorously, supposedly to make themselves appear a blur and not catchable by potential predators. Continue reading
In 1981, when Philomath hops purveyor David Wills first started tinkering with home brewing, “microbrew” was a burgeoning term, and not all that familiar to Oregonian ears. The hops available to home brewers at that time were “really ugly,” Wills says. “I thought hops were supposed to be brown, and it wasn’t until I visited the USDA Hop Research Farm that I realized hops are actually green.” Continue reading
Walking the berggren watershed conservation area. Photo by Trask Bedortha. Take a stroll, brew a beer: That’s the concept behind Beers Made by Walking, a program that uses the beauty of nature to inspire new brews in states around the country. Continue reading
Downtown Eugene isn’t the only urban core in the area experiencing a revival — downtown Springfield is undergoing a resurgence as well. “I’ve been a craft beer aficionado for a long time,” says David Platt, owner and founder of Growler Underground located at 521 Main St. “I was watching what was happening downtown,” Platt adds. “With both downtown [Springfield] on the rise and this sort of business on the rise, I thought the two would work well together.” Continue reading
Nathan Bernard strolls through the third-story lookout and swings open the door. Salty breezes from the sea float over the tiny town of Yachats and up to the rooftop. Bernard steps out to the middle of the flat roof, built into the side of a cliff. Continue reading