Whats-Happening: Page 601

Straight-A students: The A3 Group

Music
The Coup

Straight-A students: The A3 Group, an advanced nine-piece instrumental music ensemble from the Springfield Academy of Arts and Academics, will fill the Wildish Theater with the sounds of “Bass Folk Song,” “Django’s Castle” and other music by A3 student composers 7:30 pm Friday, Feb. 28; $5 students and seniors, $7 general. Local favorite Mood Area 52 takes the stage next, performing its signature blend of jazz, American folk, Brechtian cabaret and classical music. The groups will cap off the night with a joint performance of “St. Continue reading →

Rock ‘n’ Roll Mermaids

Theater
Amanda Lawrence in Daughter of Triton

The Phoinix Players have made it their ongoing — and often lonely — mission to single-handedly revive musical theater in Eugene, and they do an admirable job at conjuring the sort of song-and-dance productions that sent Broadway hellzapoppin’ from the era of Tin Pan Alley to the Great Depression. The troupe, a clutch of talented 20-somethings, is adept at mounting small-scale floorshows that oftentimes achieve a kind of retro grandeur. When they’re on, they hit the mark beautifully. Continue reading →

Arts Hound

Visual Arts

Golden Girl: With Eugene Opera’s The Girl of the Golden West performances fast approaching (March 14 and 16), several complementary exhibits are throwing the saloon doors open. The White Lotus Gallery is hosting an artists’ reception with Lynda Lanker and Gary Tepher 2 to 5 pm Saturday, March 1, for the show Women of the Gold Rush West, with works on display (and for sale) by Lanker, Tepher, David Butler, Rich Bergeman and Charles Search. Continue reading →

Tree Talk

Which trees do well in our soil and climate?

Gardening
Alby Thoumsin. Photo by Athena Delene

I made a date recently with arborist Alby Thoumsin to chat about how to choose trees. “I bet you called me now because it’s the best time to plant trees,” he volunteered when we met. “You can’t do better.” So which trees do you recommend, I asked. “It depends what people want. They should think about what purpose they want the tree to serve — privacy, shade, fruit, or a striking specimen.”  Continue reading →

La Femme, Le Jazz

Jazz star Cécile McLorin Salvant comes to The Shedd

Music
Cécile McLorin

Cécile McLorin Salvant has gone from rising to shooting star in the world of jazz. The New York Times has heaped praise on the vocalist, declaring her the heir to the legacy of the “Big Three,” Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald. The 24-year-old French-American jazz singer won the prestigious Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition in 2010, and her first distributed album, 2013’s WomenChild, was a 2014 Grammy nominee. Now, she comes to Oregon for the first time, performing her debut concert at The Shedd Feb. 21. Continue reading →

Forget The Tortoise and the Hare

Music

Forget The Tortoise and the Hare, The Tortoise and The Crow is the hot, faster-paced new duo. That’s the name of The Grouch & Eligh’s latest project, a triple album featuring a solo Grouch disc, a solo Eligh disc and a third disc with both indie rappers. The Grouch & Eligh will drop this expansive collaboration on Eugene with a little help from their friends, Madchild, Pigeon John and DJ Fresh, 9 pm Sunday, Feb. 23, at WOW Hall. The pair released the album in February 2014 with the help of a $90,000 Kickstarter infusion. Continue reading →

A Revolutionary Spring

Music
Agnieszka Laska Dancers perform The Rite of Spring, Chris Leck © 2013

Not many people associate classical music or ballet with scandal, but that’s exactly what The Rite of Spring was on an early summer evening in Paris 101 years ago — a white-hot scandal. A near-riot shook the Théatre des Champs-Elysées as the discordant sounds of Igor Stravinsky’s Spring, accompanied by Vaslav Nijinsky’s jarring choreography, filled the hall. American novelist Gertrude Stein said of the fateful performance, “No sooner did the music begin and the dancing than [the audience] began to hiss.” Continue reading →

Tea-totaler

Music
Eleni Mandell

Legendary British songwriter Nick Lowe has said of folk-pop musician Eleni Mandell: “She stole my band and my sound, but I’d still have her ’round for tea.” That quote is proudly displayed on Mandell’s website. Well, they say good artists copy and great artists steal.  Continue reading →