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Political
Punk If you know anything about punk music, you know the name D.O.A. The band, formed in 1978, has seen two generations of punk rockers become fruitful and multiply. Never mind they're from Vancouver, B.C. The impact D.O.A. made on American and European punk rock scenes is legendary, and lead singer Joey Keithley, aka Joey Shithead, is irrefutably identified with the band's punk pioneer status. A typical day for singer, songwriter, musician, political activist, author, father and Sudden Death Records label owner Keithley starts early and ends late. Keithley taught himself to play drums by listening to Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. As an adult, he ran for political office in Vancouver, most recently in 1996 and 2000 as a Green Party candidate for the Provincial Legislature, a post akin to state representative. Now, Keithley's retired from his political career, believing he can do more with songs and words. "The idea of running was to get people to think about the issues and think about trying to preserve the earth for now and future generations," he says. "'People Power' is what I call it, trying to make a positive change in the world. Getting people to think, and act." As of March, Arsenal Pulp Press has published Keithley's autobiography, I, S***head: A Life In Punk. "It arose out of a spoken word story. I set out to show people that you can go through all these tough times and come out ahead, being a better, more positive person," says Keithley. His accessible writing style allows anyone to pick up the book and share in the experiences. "I tried to make it like we would be just sitting down and talking face to face and keep it interesting and moving and lively." The book chronicles Keithley's youth and the mayhem of D.O.A.'s rise during the '80s, a time when punk bands were deadly serious about rebelling against the bloated carcass that rock had become during the '70s.
When the Ramones hit in 1977, D.O.A. was primed to take that raw energy and turn it into hardcore punk rock. In fact, it was D.O.A.'s definitive album, Hardcore '81, that coined the phrase and started a punk rock revolution. D.O.A. has since become the longest-running major punk band — thanks to their quarter-century career. Keithley and D.O.A. toured hard, living the road-warrior lifestyle and setting themselves upon the unsuspecting folks of small town U.S.A. who, at least in the early days, had never even heard of punk. Sudden Death Records has recently released a D.O.A. best-of CD entitled War and Peace. Keithley and D.O.A., along with new bassist Damned Dan Yaremko (Econoline Crush, Bif Naked) will appear at WOW Hall on Friday, supported by locals The Anxieties, The Shudders, and punk veterans The Detonators.
It's been four years since Thomas Mapfumo decided to settle part-time here amongst the green hills and safety of Eugene. The Zimbabwean, who divides his time between Eugene and his native land, is revered among his people, the Shona, as a cultural and political hero. Mapfumo was born in 1945 in the country then known as Rhodesia, which was moving inexorably toward civil war. As a youngster, Mapfumo moved from the rural countryside to the town of Mbare, where he was exposed to the resistance movement as well as popular American music of the time: R&B and soul. Music became Mapfumo's life, and he played in pop bands and worked as an itinerant singer. As he matured, his lyrics began to take on the toil and trouble of his people and the black resistance. His lyrics and outspoken attitude polarized those around him: The country's brutal political leaders and the local cops were against him and the common people vehemently for him. Mapfumo's Shona culture came under attack, and the guerillas took on the name chimurenga, meaning struggle. Mapfumo's music became known as chimurenga music, or protest music, and he incorporated the traditional instrument of Shona music, the mbira. Zimbabwe state radio refused to play his chimurenga
music, even as he and his band The Blacks Unlimited began touring
internationally. In 2000, political unrest led to threats against Mapfumo
and his family. Fearing for their safety, Mapfumo quietly move his family
here, where he continues to produce his songs of protest and hope. He
Mapfumo's music is liberating and uplifting, full of sunny melodies and hypnotic lyrics. The Lion of Zimbabwe roars Saturday night on the Cozmic Pizza stage. On Thursday, April 29, Luna will host John Shipe & the Scapegoats, who have recently released an ambitious double CD called Pollyanna Loves Cassandra. Shipe was front-man of Eugene's much-loved Renegade Saints. After they disbanded, Shipe went on to cultivate a successful solo career, releasing Sudden and Merciless Joy in 1999 and A Stealthy Portion in 2000. Pollyanna Loves Cassandra was two years in the making, a project that snowballed from a demo recording into a 31-song mission. The CD shows Shipe to be a seasoned songwriter with a knack for connecting with his audience in personal ways yet not revealing so much of himself that the mystery is lost. He and his bandmates are a versatile bunch, capable of tackling rock and pop, folk and blues with equal comfort. Shipe on his own has always had a darker, moodier feel than The Saints, plus he's more able to take creative chances. Recorded by Shipe on guitars, voice and keyboards, Jerry-Groove Abelin on bass, Dyson on drums and Jessica Kennedy on keyboards, flute and voice, many friends also helped out: Ehren Ebbage and Elisabeth Babcock who recorded with Shipe on A Stealthy Portion, and Eleven Eyes trumpeter Tim McLaughlin, among others. McLaughlin has since joined the group as a full-time member.
Teenage Fanclub, Bandwagonesque, DGC RECORDS 1991. By Kris Bluth. With the exception of the Beatles and (insert your favorite group here), most bands are Greatest Hits bands; one album is all you really need. Teenage Fanclub has a perfectly decent compilation out (4766 Seconds: A Short Cut To…), but they left off a song called "Alcoholiday." Imagine yourself on a swing. You reach maximum height, the chain jerks taut and you pendulum backwards as you sing lyrics like "Gone to bed, but I'm not ready/Baby I've been fucked already." Or better yet, pretend you're jumping on a trampoline. Don't know what the hell I'm talking about? That's OK, but check out Bandwagonesque anyway.
Ed Cole, Forgotten Hits, SELF-RELEASED 2004. By Robert Jacobs. This is a solid rock record without resorting to any of the solid rock "clichés." With big doses of Meat Puppets mixed with a little Frank Black, Ed and his College Girls of Tora Bora dish up some fine indie rock. Standout tracks are number four and number six. Track four, "Logic," has a heavy "low rider" vibe crossed with the Police, circa Regetta De Blanc. "I Wish it Were Still Summer" is probably the most interesting track. With a gorgeous-sounding acoustic guitar holding down the meat of the song, the bass and drums shimmer in an appropriate, rain-like fashion. The vocals drone, yet catch the ear with their rhythm. Fans of Radiohead, The Pixies and Pavement will certainly enjoy this CD. The fault in the album might come in the wordiness of the songs. The vocals could also be a little more up front. On the whole, though, the CD makes for an excellent companion on long road trips.
Iron & Wine, Our Endless Numbered Days, SUB POP RECORDS 2004. By John Edward Royall. Iron & Wine's Our Endless Numbered Days, the sound record from the Miami-based but South Carolina-born songwriter Sam Beam, is rooted in an essentially Southern worldview. The haunting, bittersweet lyrics show an intense awareness of the rhythms of life and death, as on "Free Until They Cut Me Down" and "Passing Afternoon." When Beam sings "Naked as We Came" in his sweet whisper, over a pretty melody picked on guitar, "One of us will die within these arms/naked as we came/one will spread our ashes around the yard," you can't help but feel that it is one of the most beautiful things you have ever heard. Where Beam recorded his stunning debut, The Creek Drank the Cradle at home by himself on a four-track recorder, Our Endless Numbered Days will work its way into you bodily, into your bones and sinews, as hard to remove from those nooks as it will be to remove the CD from the stereo.
The Darkness, Permission to Land, ATLANTIC RECORDS 2003. By David Bischoff. An arched eyebrow short of Spinal Tap, England's The Darkness somehow manages to produce hard rock that's both funny and catchy. Hailed as the savior of heavy metal, there's not much 21st century in this mix, but a hell of a lot of refined '70s and '80s pop metal. One moment, you've got Axl Rose's stutter, the next you've got Cheap Trick's bounce. From Queen's soaring choruses and guitars, through Def Lepard's hooky approach and polished production, The Darkness dodge and dart even further back into solid '70s crunch, led by Justin Hawkins' loony high notes and low blows. With a sly wit and delicious lyrics ("Love on the Rocks with no Ice," "Get your Hands off my Wife, Motherfucker"), these guys bring Brit smarts to low IQ head-banging. High marks.
Prince, Musicology, NPG RECORDS 2004. By Todd Cooper. "There are many kings . . . but there is only one Prince," Alicia Keys said while helping induct Prince Rogers Nelson into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this March. It seems as if his royal badness has already claimed 2004 as his year. Besides stealing the show at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (with that blazing solo during the George Harrison tribute) and the Grammys (duet with Beyoncé), he has launched his first arena tour in six years, playing his classics for the "last time." If that's not enough, he has a new studio album, Musicology, that he is giving away to everyone that attends his show. He also worked out a deal with Sony to have it available in stores everywhere. It's obvious Prince is ready to be heard again. After a couple brilliant instrumental excursions (Xpectation and N.E.W.S.), Musicology brings it back to the essentials, schooling listeners on the craft of music. In this age of studio magic and lip-syncing, Prince is keeping the "old school joints for the true funk soldiers." The reminiscent title track opens with the feel-good funk from "back in the day." And it don't stop there. His flawless voice and genre-jumping will remind you why you loved his music in the first place. From high-energy funk/rock ("Life 'O' the Party," "If Eye Was the Man In Your Life"), to his trademark mellow-smooth R & B ("Reflection," "Call My Name"), he can still do it all. Musicology is not exactly the Prince you remember from 20 years ago. He's toned the explicitness way down, but it's still "sexy," just without the "m.f." He recently told Newsweek, "It's not me anymore. Don't follow me way back there. There's no more envelope to push. I pushed it off the table. It's on the floor. Let's move forward now." So he leaves it up to innuendo. He croons in "On the Couch," "Lovejones is on the tv again baby / I wanna go down south." It's actually refreshing to see an artist recognize when something is played out. Prince proves himself to be an artist of substance that needs no gimmick.
BEANERY BLACK FOREST
CAFE PARADISO CLUB ROCK COFFEE GROVE COOPERATIVE
COZMIC PIZZA@THE STRAND All
Ages DIABLO'S THE DIVE BAR & GRILL DOWNTOWN LOUNGE DUCK INN EL REY'S EMBERS SUPPER CLUB EUGENE WINE CELLARS GOOD TIMES INDIGO DISTRICT 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 MAX'S TAVERN MCDONALD THEATRE THE O BAR OREGON ELECTRIC STATION PEABODY'S PERUGINO QUACKER'S RAMADA INN SAM BOND'S GARAGE SAMURAI DUCK SAM'S PLACE SPIRITS STACY'S COVERED BRIDGE SWEETWATER'S TAP 'N' KEG TINY TAVERN WOODSMAN GRILL WETLANDS
WOW HALL All Ages CORVALLIS BEANERY FOX 'N' FIRKIN MURPHY'S PLATINUM
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