On Planet Meat Machine
We welcome you all, to a world where no paper currency exists, no dreams of the afterlife are sought after and everyone is together, striving to form a unified consciousness. Continue reading
Whats-Happening: Page 582
Don’t Pigeonhole John
When hard-pressed to describe Pigeon John’s sound, I choose “soul-rap” — living somewhere between early Jackson 5 and Stevie Wonder (hard to listen to and not smile) and uplifting indie West Coast hip hop. When I say uplifting, I don’t mean that John Dunkin (his given name) is an average “conscious” rapper spewing bumper-sticker aphorisms; Pigeon John is far from milquetoast. Following the long tradition of blues, soul and R&B singers before him, Dunkin’s gritty rhymes help you dance your troubles away. Continue reading
Anyone Can Be A Poodle
It’s tough to convey unbridled enthusiasm via email, but Trevor Straub of Pookie and The Poodlez (of Oakland, Calif.) comes close: “Yeah, I can do that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,” Straub responds to my email interview request. “I’m Pookie and my band’s The Poodlez,” Straub continues. “The Poodlez are always changing, anyone can be a Poodle!” What’s behind the band’s distinctive name? Continue reading
Evolutionary Theater
The Very Little Theater puts its own spin on Inherit the Wind
According to the National Survey of High School Biology Teachers, 13 percent of American high school bio teachers explicitly teach creationism in the classroom. Sixty percent give evolution very little class time and 17 percent don’t even touch the subject at all, wanting to avoid the whole controversy. These statistics speak to the state of radical religious interference with education, which gives a ’50s play new relevance in the 21st century. Continue reading
Arts Hound
There are certain artists whose work is like a fingerprint, a signature; their art — in style, technique and content — is unmistakably theirs. Locally, we are lucky to have lots of these artists: Shanna Trumbly, Amy Crehore, Jud Turner, John Jay Cruson, Analee Fuentes and too many others to list here. Continue reading
Life and Death by Pabst
Whiteaker stalwart Lefty Kelleher takes home top prize for Eugene PBR art contest
By some fateful collision of time, situation and personality, certain individuals come to represent the places where they live, in such a way that the association becomes nearly mythological: Lou Reed symbolizes the junky glam of the East Village, Harvey Milk is forever Mayor of the Castro District, Saul Bellow haunts Chicago’s Humboldt Park. Continue reading
Photos: Die Antwoord & Raz Simone live at Cuthbert Amphitheatre [5.24.14]
Finish bike month with a ride
If you've missed out on Bike Month thus far, there are still chances to celebrate before May runs out. Friday, May 30, celebrate Breakfast at the Bridges from 7 to 9 am at Blue Heron Bridge, behind Cesar Chavez School on the Fern Ridge path. Saturday, May 31, roll with the Eugene Circus Bike Ride beginning in Monroe Park at noon and ending at Island Park in Springfield. After the ride is a barbecue picnic potluck and free circus show. More info at wkly.ws/1rj. Continue reading
The Sound of Silence
Local spots to have a moment of quiet for yourself
Water, timber and minerals are natural resources with which we, as Oregonians, are familiar. Often, communities come into conflict when deciding whether to use or preserve these natural resources. But there is one natural resource that is frequently overlooked yet always available: the sound of quiet. Continue reading
The Wax Bullet War
How art saved a soldier
In a scene about two-thirds of the way through his debut memoir The Wax Bullet War (Ooligan Press. 2014. $16.95), Sean Davis finds himself standing — hungover and “clouded with drugs”— on a stage at Walker Middle School in Salem, Oregon. Davis, who only months before had been critically injured by an IED attack in Iraq, an attack that also claimed the life of his closest friend, is at the school to share some of his experiences, as well as to generate support for the troops who are still deployed. Continue reading