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Beyond
Bluegrass
Th e intimate listening room at Luna Jazz Club in Eugene is the perfect place to see guitar duo Danny Barnes and Jon Neufeld, who are scheduled to perform April 8th. Barnes, a perennial favorite of fans in Eugene, is now based in the tiny town of Port Hadlock, Wash., two hours northwest of Seattle, but originally hails from a small town in Texas, and he lived in Austin for 35 years. While in Austin, he fronted the Bad Livers, a high-energy band that performed bluegrass covers of classic punk tunes done at breakneck speed. Barnes' rebellious nature won him fans all over the country, both as a bandleader and a "rural sophisticate" solo performer. Barnes has honed his guitar and banjo craft for decades, and his personable, down-home demeanor is enhanced by the ease with which he shifts from quoting the Romantic poetry of William Blake, to talking about the Seattle-area jazz gods he has collaborated with, to his countrified version of the traditional tune "Keep My Skillet Good and Greasy."
Barnes most recently collaborated with Seattle-based duo Tucker Martine and Wayne Horvitz on the CD Mylab and a small, highly regarded series of shows in Seattle. Barnes has his own relatively new record out, Dirt on the Angel, featuring many popular Seattle musicians such as Amy Denio and Garey Shelton, who performed with Bo Diddley. Barnes specifically intended Dirt on the Angel to cover as many genres in traditional American music as possible; rhythms from the late 1800s to post-modern "jazz-folk" are represented. Performing with Neufeld, lead guitarist of Portland-based bluegrass outfit Jackstraw, gives Barnes a chance to surround himself with the traditional bluegrass I feel he does best. Jackstraw plays both traditional bluegrass festivals or rowdy college bars comfortably. The group's songs can be fiery and passionate, such as "All this Time," from the 2003 self-titled release or mellow and thoughtful, like "The Ballad of Jamie Lynn." At Luna, expect the duo to shine on gypsy jazz, country, folk, bluegrass and more. There's nothing this pair won't tackle, such as their instrumentals: 11-minute "Wabash Blues" or 10-minute "Whiskey Before Breakfast." Barnes does sing a bit on "Honkey Tonk Blues." You won't want to miss this. On Saturday, Luckey's in Eugene is hosting San Francisco's Chemystry Set, a band with a smooth blend of musical flavors, mixing jazzy, world-beat inspired grooves with well-crafted songs with a social conscious. Drummer Dickie Ogden, keyboardist/vocalist Patty Hughes, mandolinist/vocalist Baba Ndjhoni, bassist Joel Oppenheimer and guitarist/vocalist Sven Eberlein combine their extraordinary backgrounds and experiences into a powerhouse quintet. Ndjhoni has performed with Nigerian guitar prodigy Soji Odukogne and spent three years in Zaire in the Peace Corps. Ogden has performed with G-Love and Special Sauce's Jimmy Prescott. Oppenheimer is a case manager for San Francisco's homeless population and has been a student of Kai Eckhardt (John McLaughlin Trio, Garaj Mahal), while Hughes has recorded with Gigolo Aunts and Jack Drag. Together for seven years, Chemystry Set has continually expanded its musical boundaries yet maintained an earthy, lively energy. The group's personal and musical beliefs come through in the songwriting: Diverse musical styles all have a common ground, as do people who can communicate through the universal language of music. Chemystry Set has been described by Jan Adams, WFIT-FM DJ, as "a modernized Moody Blues taken to a whole new level," while The East Bay Express says the group "dwells in the groove between hippie rock, jazz, bluegrass and Congolese rumba, coming up with a tight undulating mix that is sure to trip you out."
Jonathan Wolf & Andrew Broder, Hymie's Basement, LEX RECORDS 2003. By Jef Stout Real crossover is rare in music. Usually, attempted multi-genre albums are the result of inexpert co-option of a hot sound with the artist's usual style (think Madonna's Ray of Light). Even more unusual in pop music is the sound of play (Remember when music was unabashed fun?). Hymie's Basement solves both of these quandaries with the biggest and best musical playground recorded. Starting with the "21st Century Pop Song," a dark and monotonous rap about Mutually Assured Destruction and suburban boredom, Broder and Wolf perform feats of genius with the tools found in the basement of Hymie's, a south Minneapolis record store. Wolf and Broder bury short stories of self-destructive pretty boys, the death of the tall dude, and a man with a moon-head deep under reverberating piano and mutated drum machine. The album has the distinctive flavor of hip hop, with so many elements that are certainly neither hip nor hop, and without the shine of professionalism so much rap has today. They're creating in a stream-of-consciousness flow, letting the mistakes become the basis for the song. Step into the basement and witness the best damn amateur hour available. Or are they professionals acting amateurish? The world may never know.
The Anxieties, Demos from the Black Hole, SELF-RELEASED 2004. By Robert Jacobs Driving. Aggressive. Sneering. Irreverent. These are terms that typify the halcyon days of British punk circa 1977. They also aptly describe the debut CD from The Anxieties. Hard driving drums propel buzzsaw guitars against the hard, jagged vocals of Scott Van Wrocket. The musicianship is tight where it needs to be, loose and shambling when called for. Everyone in this band gets into the vocal, whether it's call and response or the shouted choruses. High energy. Great motivating music for the morning, if you are a type-A personality. Fans of The Undertones, The Boys and The Buzzcocks will be very pleased with this release. A terrific cover of the Boys' "Terminal Love" is also included. The eight tracks are over before you know it. The only drawback to this record is that it tends to be a tad too derivative from its influences. In a way, that's admirable, as my favorite era of punk is the beginning. It has been said that punk hasn't evolved since its invention. I take issue with that statement, as would millions of fans who love the third wave that is occurring right now with bands like Thursday, Glassjaw and locally with AlterEgo and 2 Bucks Short. Still, it's refreshing to hear bands like The Anxieties carrying the "classic" punk standard into the 21st Century.
The Lazy Cowgirls, I'm Going Out and Get Hurt Tonight, RESERVATION RECORDS. By Amelia Kimball The Lazy Cowgirls play rock 'n' roll. No, not "rocknroll" in the over-hyped, "my-band-name-starts-with-a-'The'-so-I'm-ultra-hip" sense. It's not like that at all. They deliver rock 'n' roll, circa 1964 — Sun Records, acoustic guitars, whiskey and hot girls. Combine this with a little bit of punk for good measure and some country songwriting sensibilities, and you have this record. The title track may very well be the best.
The Locust, Plague Soundscapes, ANTI RECORDS 2004. By Aaron Maltz
Spazzing out 23 tracks in just more than 21 minutes sounds conceptually easier than The Locust tweaks it on Plague Soundscapes. Somewhere between the animation of Melt Banana and the eccentricity of Fantoms, The Locust redefines traditional grindcore by adding a keyboard as the focal point of the rhythm section; no pun intended, but this does give the music an incessant buzzing quality. The furious precision and technicality continually impresses the listener throughout the album's duration. A layer of vocals matching the pitch of a NASCAR peel-out and drums pantomiming grandma falling down the stairs with an armful of dishes soon blend themselves into one long song, the most effective listening method in approaching Plague Soundscapes. Equally as unique as the sound are the song titles themselves; most noteworthy are "Your Mantel Disguised as a Psychic Squash" and "The Half-Eaten Sausage Would Like to See You in His Office," not to dismiss the album's musical highlights, "Live from the Russian Compound" and "Anything Jesus Can Do I Can Do Better." Definitely not for the faint of heart, The Locust proffers a collection of tracks with Plague Soundscapes demanding the attention of anyone appreciative of chaotic and technical compositions.
Genus Pro, Grow, 2004 GENUS PRODUCTIONS. By Todd Cooper
"Oh, did you say Genus Pro? . . . Naw, I said Gee's Pizza Panino." West siiiiiiiiiide (of 11th) represent! Looks like local cats Genus Pro are going to be the ones to put Eugene on the map for hip hop. Fresh out of shows opening for KRS-One and Living Legends, the guys just celebrated the release of their debut cd, Grow. The disc is quality, positive, independent hip hop music. The three very distinct emcees (Marv Ellis, Metric and Elea'zar) gel well, passing the mic with ease while DJ Billy holds it down on the wheels of steel. Lyrics are well thought-out. The interludes work and production from GP and the Corbin Brothers (Raging Family) is skin-tight. "Day to Day" flows with strings and beautiful background vocals lended by Stephanie Ponso. "Flip & Unfold" will definitely get the heads bobbing, although it might be a little too tricked-out with vocal effects. "B.O.K." is kinda ballsy, using Annie's "Hard Knock Life" after it was so huge for Jay-Z, but it comes off hella clever. Other tracks that "straight bump" are "Can't Fake the Funk," "Higher," "Three Course Meal" and "I Am." Think hip hop don't live in Eugene? Pick up Grow and let 'em learn ya. Available at genuspro.com and local music shops throughout Oregon.
THE ART OF EVERYTHING ATRIUM AX BILLY GRILL & SPORTS BAR BEANERY All Ages BLACK FOREST
CAFE PARADISO CD WORLD COFFEE GROVE COOPERATIVE THE COOLER COZMIC PIZZA@THE STRAND All
Ages DIABLO'S THE DIVE BAR & GRILL DOWNTOWN LOUNGE DUCK INN EMU SKYLIGHT AREA EUGENE WINE CELLARS FOOLSCAP BOOKS GOOD TIMES JIMMY MAC'S OVERTIME GRILL JOE'S BAR & GRILLE JO FEDERIGO'S JOGGER'S BAR & GRILL
JOHN HENRY'S JUANITA'S HIDEAWAY THE JUNGLE KELYNSKI'S SPORTS PUB LAVELLE'S WINE BAR & BISTRO LONE STAR BAR AND GRILL LUCKEY'S CLUB CIGAR LUNA MAC'S AT THE VET'S CLUB MCDONALD THEATRE MULLIGAN'S PUB THE O BAR OREGON ELECTRIC STATION PEABODY'S PERUGINO PLANET GOLOKA QUACKER'S RAMADA INN
SAM BOND'S GARAGE SAMURAI DUCK SAM'S PLACE STACY'S THE SPOKE SWEETWATER'S TAP 'N' KEG TINY TAVERN WOODSMAN GRILL WETLANDS
WOW HALL All
Ages
CORVALLIS FOX 'N' FIRKIN MURPHY'S PLATINUM
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