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Rock
and Reggae What a week of great shows, all over town! First, reggae fans will rejoice to the tropical sounds of Midnite, a popular roots reggae band from St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. If you're looking for an inspiring, danceable way to bring in the weekend, check this band out, Friday, July 30 at WOW Hall. Brothers Vaughn (lead vocals, songwriter) and Ron Benjamin (keyboards, musical director) founded the band in 1989. They are joined by a strong rhythm section of drummer Dion Hopkins and bassist Phillip Merchant. The brothers have a strong musical vision and base their music on the foundation of "old-school roots sound matched with powerful lyrics that address various issues such as racial oppression, misrepresented social history and fundamental Rastafarian teachings." Midnite keeps things fresh by never playing the same set twice and constantly working on new material to bring to its live performances. Midnite spends a considerable amount of time each year on St. Croix, in a stimulating community of people that nourish the musicians' musical and spiritual lives. This Friday marks Midnite's third time in Eugene following sold-out shows at John Henry's and WOW Hall in past months. Eugene artists Satya Yuga (Sanskrit for "The Age of Truth") will warm up the crowd before Midnite takes the stage. Drummer Julian Fritz and vocalist Omkarananda spread consciousness and musical melody through a rootsy jazz fusion approach. Satya Yuga recently toured California to promote its debut album, Wine of the Mystics. On Sunday, Aug. 1, the WOW Hall hosts a night of hip-hop with Lifesavas, X-Clan Millennium Cypher, Diverse and Libretto. Vursatyl, Jumbo the Garbageman and DJ Rev. Shines make up Lifesavas. MCs Vursatyl and Jumbo met playing basketball in Portland's city parks. As their friendship grew, so did their repertoire of raps and routines. The two MCs became known around Portland by playing last-minute shows as a duo, gaining the respect of promoters as two who could be counted on as, literally, "lifesavers." With Rev. Shines on the turntables, the group has garnered much acclaim from fans and fellow musicians, including Blackalicious, co-owners of artist-owned San Francisco label Quannum Records. Blackalicious invited Vursatyl to tour the world as part of their live performances and Lifesavas recorded on the Quannum label shortly after. Brooklyn's X-Clan released two acclaimed albums, To The East Blackward and Xodus, before disbanding in the mid '90s. X Clan's Brother J has joined up with members of the Dark Sun Riders have formed X Clan Millennium Cypher, who are touring with a new album, The Music, The Mission, The Cypher.
Skip ahead a couple days and save your money for The Supersuckers, also at WOW Hall, on Tuesday, Aug. 3. Formed in Tucson, Ariz., in 1988, the boys quickly relocated to the nexus of rock music, Seattle, in 1989. That was a smart move, as the Suckers quickly gained in popularity. Starting with 1992's The Smoke of Hell, people started taking notice of this band led by punk-rock cowboy Eddie Spaghetti, a beer-guzzling cowboy hat and cowboy boot wearing noise-maker. Combining Motorhead-ish big riffs, a strong garage rock sensibility and a hefty dose of alcohol-fueled humor, the Supersuckers always satisfy. Their tongue-in-cheek country record, 1997's Must've Been High, released on Sub Pop, is a humorous take on drunken nights, hungover mornings and country music clichés. Their last full length, Motherfuckers Be Trippin', showcased the boys' energetic rock blended with a little touch of hillbilly hickishness. Recently, Eddie Spaghetti released a solo recorded titled The Sauce. The current tour, which the band is calling "The Big Show," is said to feature both rock and country facets of the band as well as Spaghetti's music from The Sauce. Yet another show at WOW Hall you'll want to check out, on Wednesday, Aug. 4, is the Kottonmouth Kings with OPM, Big B and Strawman. Kottonmouth Kings play hip-hop and punk and are touring in support of Fire It Up. Having released eight albums in as many years, the seven-man crew spreads awareness about legalizing marijuana and increasing personal freedom. Producer and MC Brad "Daddy" X founded the group in 1994. Since then, their popularity has spread largely through the underground; they've sold more than one million records and more than one million concert tickets for more than1500 shows. Los Angeles's OPM blends hip-hop with laid-back reggae rhythms. Kottonmouth Kings have their own label, Suburban Noize, which also released OPM's new CD, For Them Asses. The debut CD, Menace to Sobriety, also came out on Suburban. The next night at WOW Hall is Floater's acoustic CD release party. What a great week of shows! Two shows at Cozmic Pizza sound interesting. E Muzeki on Friday gathers Greek bouzouki, Gypsy violin, Flamenco guitar and Celtic fiddle to weave a lush tapestry of world music. Through a modern interpretation of these ancient musical forms, E Muzeki gives them all a satisfying new life, together and individually. Saturday entices with a night of Brazilian percussion with Eugene's Samba Ja, and Nigerian Afro-beat and Juju music with Portland's Jujuba. Samba Ja is a 30-member mobile percussion ensemble, playing the music of Brazil's streets. The infectious rhythms of Brazil's Carnival music will get you dancing! Under the direction of founder and lead drummer Jake Pegg, Samba Ja recently celebrated its third birthday. Jujuba features Nojeem Lasisi from Igbo Ora in Nigeria. Lasisi learned the art of drumming from his father, himself a master drummer. Lasisi toured the world as a member of King Sunny Ade's group, The African Beats. He appeared with King Sunny Ade on the recordings Seven Degrees North and Odu. At Sam Bond's on Aug. 2, witness The Mae Shi, performing songs from their new one, Terrorbird. If you like Deerhoof, The Ex, or The Monorchid, you might like The Mae Shi. Performing with them is Olympia's The Punks, featuring record label Kill Rock Stars founder Slim Moon.
Fernanda Abreu, Raio X, 1997, EMI. By Andrea Medrado The perfect fusion of styles in "x-ray" challenges listeners in each song, and the challenge pays back. The second track, "Aquarela Brasileira," starts off with Fernanda's raspy voice. Then comes a subtle succession of instruments: the rattle, the cuíca, an old school samba guitar solo — by the time the tambourines and drums mixed with electronic beats take over, it's too late. You've already surrendered to this catchy combo of the primitive and technological. And this is exactly what Fernanda intended. She pals up with rocker Chico Science (he duets on one track), as well as Lenine and Carlinhos Brown, who are known in Brazil for experimenting with various rhythms. The album is an anthem to the diversity of Rio de Janeiro (where Fernanda is from) and its cultural tolerance, embracing with open arms all kinds of musical influences.
Minus The Bear, They Make Beer Commercials Like This, 2004, THE ARENA ROCK RECORDING CO. By Mike Stopp
The imminent beauty of Minus The Bear's six-song EP, They Make Beer Commercials Like This, goes above and beyond the norm of a worthy listen. The emotions evoked through this technical, melodic Seattle based band will make you grab a partner to dance with and kiss. The combination of guitar finger-tapping, synthesizers and talented vocals far exceed any in its class. Rarely does a band create a new sound such as this. With ex-members of Sharks Keep Moving, Kill Sadie and Botch, it's hard to imagine something these boys create being anything less than flawless. The production quality is superb, just like previous albums. Minus the Bear can set the mood for a night of lounging, or be the start of a memorable time of dancing. Though consisting of only six songs of welcoming intrigue, They Make Beer Commercials Like This is easily enough to keep your head nodding until the full length release, which should be out sometime in the near future.
Iced Earth, The Glorious Burden, 2004, STEAMHAMMER RECORDS By Matt Stone Terms such as "theatre metal" and "opera metal" could be used to define the sound of King Diamond's monumental 1987 metal opus, Abigail. And now, with the release of Iced Earth's new album, The Glorious Burden, I feel those terms can once again be used.
Burden isn't your usual Goth-and-brimstone-tinted Iced Earth album, as guitarist and songwriter Jon Schaffer has used this particular release as an outlet for his lifelong passion: military history. Songs such as "Valley Forge" and "Declaration Day" offer a soundtrack-perspective to the founding of our nation. "When the Eagle Cries" displays Schaffer's somber, yet vengeful, take on 9/11. Even the brutal nature of humanity on foreign soil is expressed in tracks such as "Greenface," "Waterloo," and "Attila," which feature an archaic and tribal quality through drums and vocals. However, "The Reckoning" does return to the hell-hath-much-fury riffing of yore. The centerpiece of the album is Schaffer's half-hour composition, "Gettysburg (1863)," on disc two. This evocative three-part song ranges from anger to victory, remorse to sorrow. Overall, a very emotional, thought-provoking and striking album. The song "Hollow Man" raises the questions, "What is freedom?" and "Can one be free from themselves ... ?" The answers are not easy to find.
Woodland, Twilight, 2003, IMAGINOSIS RECORDS By Scotty Perey
Our wealth of local music is greatly blessed by the recent arrival of a wonderfully magical ensemble from Arizona, the Celtic-inspired and Faerieworld-themed group Woodland. Their most recent release, Twilight, is a fantastic mosaic of musical offerings that caresses our ears and ancient souls with imagery of nature and Old World mystery, in a mode both relaxing and rhythmic. Its splendor dances finely within a texture of soothing meditation and solid songwriting. The lion's share of the songs are spun by guitarist/vocalist Emilio Miller-Lopez, with one notable track, "Into The Twilight," manifested as a W.B. Yeats poem of the same name set to music by harpist/vocalist Kelly Miller-Lopez. Kelly's enchanting voice shines in a rich mix of sonorities. Enticing young and old, Twilight makes both a great gift and a smart choice to lull the munchkins to dreamland. Every song on this album is thoroughly enjoyable; my easy favorites, interestingly, are the first "I Remember," and the last "Midnight Ring," with honorable mention going to "Mermaid." The artwork of the CD evokes perfectly the feeling of Twilight, with all paintings on the cover and in the liner-notes created by Brian Froud, well-known for designing the characters and worlds of the movies, The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. Both will be featured guests at Woodland's own magnificent production, the Fairieworlds Festival, July 31 and Aug. 1 at Horning's Hideout just outside of Portland, a truly magical venue in its own right.
BEANERY BLACK FOREST CAFE PARADISO CLUB TSUNAMI COFFEE GROVE COOPERATIVE CORNUCOPIA COUNTRY SIDE RESTAURANT
COZMIC PIZZA@THE STRAND All
Ages DIABLO'S
DOWNTOWN LOUNGE DUCK INN EARLY RISE CAFE EMBERS SUPPER CLUB GOOD TIMES INDIGO DISTRICT JO FEDERIGO'S FR: Ritmo de la Noche--9 JOGGER'S BAR & GRILL
JOHN HENRY'S JUANITA'S HIDEAWAY LAVELLE'S WINE BAR & BISTRO LONE STAR BAR AND GRILL
LUCKEY'S CLUB CIGAR LUNA MAC'S AT THE VET'S MAIN ST. BAR AND GRILL MCDONALD THEATRE THE O BAR OREGON ELECTRIC STATION OUR PLACE TAVERN PEABODY'S PERUGINO PLANET GOLOKA QUACKER'S RAMADA INN SAM BOND'S GARAGE STACY'S COVERED BRIDGE SWEETWATER'S TAP 'N' KEG TAYLOR'S BAR AND GRILL WETLANDS
WOW HALL All Ages
CORVALLIS FOX 'N' FIRKIN MURPHY'S
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