Whats-Happening: Page 637

Classic Kubrick

Film

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 →

Back Beat

Music

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 →

Teen Dreams

Music

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 →

Living Room Acoustic

Music

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 →

Arts Hound

Visual Arts

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 →

The House that Jesca Built

Music

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 →

It’s About Time – August 2013

About Time

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 →

Whit Block Party

Culture

On the first Saturday of each August, Eugeneans gather to celebrate the spirit of the Whiteaker, Eugene’s funkiest neighborhood. The Whiteaker Neighborhood itself is a whir of activity; as one of Eugene’s few mixed-use areas, it melds microbreweries, restaurants, artist communities, young folks, old folks and family life. Block Party exemplifies the beauty — be it messy or harmonious — of all that verve. Continue reading →

Needles, Volunteers and the Morning After

Block Party volunteers clean up the Whiteaker

Culture

When many residents of the Whiteaker are sound asleep recovering from Block Party, volunteers will gather Sunday, Aug. 4, to clean up after the event. “We try to have the neighborhood look cleaner than it did before the party,” says Zoe Gadsby, the event coordinator. “It’s really hard to get volunteers the next day.” The work of the volunteers at the Block Party cleanup points to an even bigger community effort: picking up needles.  Continue reading →