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“I was definitely a complete nerd. I sat at the lunch table alone and got picked last for P.E., but books saved my life,” says Cidney Swanson, local novelist for young adult audiences and traveling speaker/educator. Swanson will host “Character Building: The Viscera of Young Adult Fiction,” Friday, Aug. 9 as part of Wordcrafters in Eugene’s ongoing program to teach the essentials of fiction writing. Continue reading
For the 32nd year in a row, Lane County is gearing up to gay it up at Alton Baker Park with the annual Eugene-Springfield LGBT Pride Festival. The all-day affair starts at noon and features a good gaggle of local acts, including Coyote Grace, Lauren Joiner and Spin Cycle, and the whole thing is hosted by downtown celebs Daphne Storm and Trai La Trash (who have hosted events of many different varieties all over town). Continue reading
Last weekend, Kat and I attended the annual salmon bake at the International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC) in McMinnville, urban heart of the north Willamette Valley wine country. This remarkable annual event (2013 marked the 27th version) in wine culture draws participants from nearly all the regions of the world where pinot noir is cultivated and vinified —Austria, Australia, New Zealand, Canada (!), Germany, California and, of course, France (Burgundy) and Oregon. Continue reading
Perhaps, like Bauhaus furniture or the beauty of shallow people, Stanley Kubrick’s movies are meant to be admired but not loved. Kubrick, who died in 1999 at the age of 70, was a master stylist, a director whose films are as quickly identifiable as those of Alfred Hitchcock or Michael Mann. Steely, distanced, full of hard angles and wide vistas, a Kubrick movie is a study in formal technique, like looking upon a painting that magically, and rather sinisterly, animates itself. Continue reading
Catch EW’s Next Big Thing Top 16 semi-finalists Edewaard (see music) and Scott Austin at Luckey’s 10 pm Aug. 9. In other NBT semi-finalist news, indie songstress Caroline Bauer’s “Last Train Home” music video, which was filmed in Portland, will air as part of the Portland Film Festival’s Official Selection for 2013 (8/27-9/1). Catch Bauer and fellow NBT finalist Michael Conley 8:30 pm Aug. 11 at Sam Bond’s. Continue reading
Edewaard has only been together since last February, but the Eugene-based band is heating up quickly. “A few of us actually quit our jobs to pursue this music career,” says Jered Pound, Edewaard rhythm guitarist and ad hoc manager. “It’s all about banging on doors and getting the word out. Continue reading
For certain musicians, the large venue and bustling crowd of commercial concerts can detract from their performance, so some are opting for a cozier space: your living room. Living room concerts are growing in popularity, partially due to their ability to change the dynamic between the artist and the fan. Indie rocker Damien Jurado prefers the couches and carpets of people’s homes to stadium seating. “They’re more intimate and I can connect with my fans in a better way,” he says. Continue reading
Stroll Downtown Springfield’s Second Friday Art Walk (5 to 8 pm) and see the abstract paintings of Connie Avery at City Hall, the expressionist works of Amber Stock at Hearts for Hospice and the fine Chinese Brush technique of Sandi Grubbs at the Emerald Art Center — Grubbs spent eight years in China where she studied both the spontaneous and Gongbi style of brushwork. Continue reading
If you have had a chance to check out singer-songwriter Jesca Hoop’s oddly beautiful 2010 release, Hunting My Dress, then you know what a unique talent she is. Hoop’s penchant for creating a wide variety of moods, sounds and storylines while keeping the music cohesive is an unusual feat of songwriting. And her 2012 release, The House that Jack Built, further demonstrates her significant skill in these areas as she culls together 10 songs that vary wildly in their sound yet remain distinctly Hoop tracks. Continue reading
This must be nature’s designation of the Year of the Nut. Filbert trees all around town have an abundance of swelling husks. When growing close to the curb, nuts are being knocked off their branches by passing trucks and smashed on the street by subsequent traffic. Squirrels and crows leap out onto the street to snatch up the soft, as yet unripe, meat of the seed inside, what we call a nut. Walnuts are also showing a major crop, especially the Turkish walnuts, in abandoned orchards and back yards. Continue reading