Surreal
Spirito
Ethnic
folk and chamber music mix in oRSo.
BY
VANESSA SALVIA
In Phil Spirito's world, a bed of nails is as inviting
as a carpet of velvety rose petals. Donkeys bray and howl at the moon
with wolfish urgency, and sometimes a hiss or a sigh conveys more emotion
than any stanza of poetry. Such is the surreality of Spirito's band
oRSo.
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| oRSo
performs Friday at Sam Bond's. |
Having given life to their third release, My Dreams
are Back and They are Better Than Ever, Spirito and company are
no less cryptic, but there is a tinge of hope here that was missing
on their previous two releases. oRSo's music is at times spooky enough
to play as a Halloween soundtrack, and that eerie blend of ethnic folk
and "Appalachian chamber music" hasn't changed. What's notably different
is Spirito's well-developed songwriting. It seems more well-honed and
the songs are more delicate and spacious than what he's proffered in
the past.
Though many musicians have joined Spirito on stage and
called themselves oRSo, Spirito's vision is most enhanced by the quartet
of viola by Julie Liu of Rex, saxophone by Carlo Cennamo from HIM, and
double bass by Griffin Rodriquez, also from HIM and Bablicon. In addition
to those three, Spirito enlists drummer Doug Scharin, and guitarists
Matt Schneider and Josh Larue on Dreams. Scharin and Rodriquez
also share recording, mixing and editing duties.
oRSo will be performing Friday, Nov. 5 at Sam Bond's
along with Sin Ropas,
a duo featuring Tim Hurley and Danni Iosello. Formerly of Red Red Meat,
Loftus and Califone, Hurley creates abstract pop with unfixed focus
points. It sounds old and dusty, aided in part by their choice of instrumentation:
piano, concertina, clarinet, harmonium, organ, korg, glockenspiel.
Following the release of their debut CD, Three Cherries,
Hurley and Iosello received an academic Fullbright grant and spent a
year on the German Baltic coast. Their second release, 2003's Trickboxes
on the Pony Line, was the culmination of a year of home and studio
recording they did while in Germany.
If that doesn't float your boat, perhaps Corrine,
appearing at Cafe Paradiso that same night, will. Upon popping in her
CD, Bound for the Living and hearing the first notes of the opening
track, "Maybe Love Will Find You," you think "Bluegrass;" then her voice
washes over you, and all you can think is "Wow!" There's a palpable
energy stretched over a hard-driving country beat that transcends most
modern bluegrass attempts. Unlike so many bluegrass impersonators, Corrine
has no desire or need to affect a "twangy, hillbilly" voice. Throughout
Bound she lets her warm, full, slightly husky voice shine in
a beautiful blend of folk and country that's reminiscent of Emmylou
Harris's subtle style. Guitarist Nina Gerber (who worked with Kate Wolf)
and friends from The Waybacks offer musical support to Corrine's vocals
and rhythm guitar.
Hailing from California's northern Sierras, Corrine's
efforts are the most exciting country/folk/bluegrass body of work I
have heard in a long time. Special guest Alan
Glickenhaus from Higher Ground will also perform.
If you're looking for a band that funks up the rock,
jazzes up the pop and souls up the, uh, soul, then check out JND
at Luna Saturday, Oct. 6. This six-piece band from San Luis Obispo,
Calif., creates a groove that will take hold of you and leave you boppin'
all over the dance floor. Lead singer Damon Castillo has a smooth, suave
vocal style and the music flows effortlessly. Castillo, a graduate of
Boston's Berklee College of Music, formed the group in 1997. In 2002
the group won an "Unsigned Band Competition" on radio's "Mark and Brian
Show". Their prize was opening for supergroup Chicago at L.A.'s Greek
Theatre. They opened and ended with a standing ovation. Suitably impressed,
Chicago invited JND back the next night. The audience was wowed again,
and now's your chance to find out what all the hullabaloo was about.
Cheers!
Ax BILLY GRILLE & SPORTS BAR
SA: Mike Denny
BLACK FOREST
50 E. 11TH ST. 686-6619
TH: El Fabuloso, Ginger Hustlers, Stunt Poets--9:30;
Rock
FR: The Crimes of Ambition, the New Usual--9:30;
Rock
SA: 1 Point Star, Kieskagato--9:30; Rock
SU: Caught in the Act--9:30; Karaoke
MO: Karaoke--9:30
TU: Les Hell on Heels, Pistols at Dawn, The Wanteds--9:30
WE: Gle3K and Guests--9:30
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| CORRINE
PLAYS CAFE PARADISO FRIDAY |
CAFE PARADISO
115 W. BROADWAY 484-9933
TH: Blade Runner--7; Movie Night
FR: Corrine--8; Folk
SA: Rashomon--7; Movie Night
TU: Acoustic Open Mic--7:30
WE: Take Back the Folk Tour with Matt the Electrician,
Southpaw Jones, Casey Holford--8
CLUB TSUNAMI
2222 CENTENIAL BLVD.
SA: DJ Tekneek--10:30; Hip hop, R & B
COFFEE GROVE COOPERATIVE
510 E. MAIN ST., COTTAGE GR. 942-8847
FR: Fortune Cookie--8; Folk
SA: Blue Road--8; Folk Rock
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| JACKSTRAW
PLAYS AT COZMIC PIZZA FRIDAY. |
COZMIC PIZZA@THE STRAND All
Ages
8TH AVE. AND CHARNELTON ST. 338-9333
TH: The Rhythm Pimps--9; Garage Funk
FR: Jack Straw--9; Bluegrass Jam
SA: PK Dwyer Band--9; Folk Blues
MO: Karaoke Benefit Show--5; Variety
TU: End of Suburbia--7; Film
WE: Best of Open Mic--8; Variety
DA HOUZE
951 OAK ST. 345-7878
FR: DJ JFM--9; Hip hop
DIABLO'S
959 PEARL ST. 683-3855
TH: Ladies Nite, 80s music--9; Ladies Free
FR: Supa J, Gen. Erik--9; Hip-Hop
SA: Vinyl Pimps--9; House
DOWNTOWN LOUNGE
959 PEARL ST. 343-2346
TH: Android Ethic, the Adjustments--9
FR: Unkle Nancy, Mr. Plow, Voodoo Organist--9;
Rock
SA: Coretta Scott, The Crash Engine, Core 13,
A Taste for Murder--9; Punk
SU: Kung Fu Karaoke--9
MO: Denise Steele, DJ Diablo, DJ Joe--9
TU: West Coast Swig, Stone Cold Jazz--9
WE: Cheapskate Wednesday--9; Hip-Hop
DUCK INN
1795 W. 6TH AVE.
TH: Ben Coleman's Karaoke--8
SA: Ben Coleman's Karaoke--8
EMBERS SUPPER CLUB
1811 HWY. 99 N. 688-6564
TH: Billy McCoy--9; Country
FR: Michael Anderson Trio—9; Variety, country
SA: Michael Anderson Trio—9; Variety, country
WE: Billy McCoy—9; Country
GOOD TIMES
375 E. 7TH AVE. 484-7181
TU: Rooster's Blues Jam--8
JOE'S BAR & GRILLE
25 W. 6TH 221-3360
TU: DJ Tekneek--10; Hip hop, R & B
JOHN HENRY'S
77 W. BROADWAY 342-3358
TH: '80s Night w/Chris, Jenn and John--10
FR: The Shudders, The Piss Shivers, Heavenly Oceans--9;
Benefit for Kelani & Marietta
SA: Melissa Ferrick, Tegan and Sara--8
SU: Bad Wizard, The Witnesses--7:30, Broadway
review--10; Burlesque
MO: DJ River--9
TU: Citizen Cope--9
WE: DJ Kal El vs. DJ Tekneek--10; Reggae,
hip hop
LATITUDE 10 CAFE
2757 FRIENDLY ST. 343-3460
SA: Edson Oliveira--6; Latin guitar
LAVELLE'S WINE BAR & BISTRO
5TH ST. PUBLIC MARKET 338-9875
TH: Skip Jones--6
FR: Gus Russell--5
SA: Gus Russell--5
WE: John Crider--6
LONE STAR BAR AND GRILL
I-5 AT COBURG 686-8686
TH: Girls get wild--9; DJ dancing
FR: Guys get wild--9; DJ dancing
SA: Karaoke--9
WE: Coyote Ugly--8
LUCKEY'S CLUB CIGAR
933 OLIVE ST. 687-4643
TH: Testface, Beltline, Chevron and Heavenly Oceans--9:30;
Indie rock
SA: The Shudders, Ed Cole and the College Girls
of Tora Bora, The Woods--10
SU: Lucero, Joshua James and the Runaway Trains--10
TU: The Manis Trio--10; Jazz
WE: Wasteband Tuck--10; Party rock
LUNA
30 E. BROADWAY 434-5862
TH: Garrin Benfield, Laura Kemp, Erik Muiderman--8;
Singer/songwriters
FR: Erik Muiderman--7; Singer/songwriter, JC Rico
and Zulu Dragon--9:30; Blues
SA: Erik Muiderman--7; Singer/songwriter, JND--9:30;
Funk, pop, rock
WE: Ala Nar--8:30; Middle Eastern
MAC'S AT THE VET'S
1626 WILLAMETTE ST. 344-8600
TH: Thursday Night Blues Jam--9
FR: The Valley Boys--9:30; Rock
SA: Deb Cleveland and the Vipers--9:30; Rock
WE: Christie & McCallum--7; Honky tonk
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| COLONEL
CLAYPOOL PLAYS FRIDAY AT MCDONALD THEATRE. |
MCDONALD LOUNGE
1010 WILLAMETTE ST.
FR: Col. Claypool's Bucket of Brains, Gabby Lala--7;
Rock
SA: Hell's Belles--9; AC/DC tribute
SU: George Clinton and Parliment Funkadelic--8;
Funk
WE: John Prine--8; Folk
THE O BAR
155 COMMONS WAY 349-0707
TH: Thirsty Thursdays: DJ Johnny--9;
Hip hop, dance
TU: DJ Jared--9; Karaoke
OREGON ELECTRIC STATION
27 E. 5TH 485-4444
FR & SA: Don Latarski Group--8; Jazz
OVERTIME TAVERN
770 S. BERTELSEN 342-5028
TH: West Side Blues Jam—8:30
SA: The Cheeseburgers--8
PEABODY'S
444 E. 3RD AVE. 484-2927
FR: Patrick, Giri & Axel--8; Acoustic rock,
blues
TU: Tim Patrick, Peter Giri--8; Acoustic variety,
humor
PERUGINO
767 WILLAMETTE ST. 687-9102
WE: Irish Jam--7; Celtic
PRIME TIME SPORTS BAR
1360 MOHAWK 746-0549
SU: DJ Jared--9:30; Karaoke
QUACKER'S
2105 W. 7TH 485-5925
MO: Karaoke--9; Variety
WE: Blues Jam--8:30
RAMADA INN
225 COBURG 342-5181
FR & SA: Johnny Law & the Rebels--9:15;
Rock
SAM BOND'S GARAGE
407 BLAIR 431-6603
TH: The Buscuit Burners, Cascade Colonels--9;
Bluegrass
FR: ORSo, Sin Ropas--9:30; Rock
SA: Ala Zingara, Cross Eyed Rosie--9:30; Variety
SU: Nowhereman, Whiskey Girl--9; Friends of KRVM
benefit
MO: The Tiptons--9; Avant jazz
TU: Bluegrass Jam--9
WE: The Sugar Beats--9:30; Rock
SAMURAI DUCK
980 OAK ST. 345-6577
FR: Debris, Ikonoklast, Domesticide--9
SA: Whore, The Meat Shits, Mummification, Blind
Legacy--9
SU: Tales From the Crate--10
MO: DJ Syncronoise--9
TU: A8a8a8--9
SAM'S PLACE
825 WILSON ST. 484-4455
TH: Judy K--9
FR: Juke Joint Blues--9:30
SA: McKenzie Blues Project--9
STACY'S COVERED BRIDGE
401 E. MAIN ST., COTTAGE GROVE 767-0320
WE: Open Mic Night w/Ron O'Keefe--8:30
SWEETWATER'S
VALLEY RIVER INN 687-0123
FR & SA: River City Rhythm and Blues--8:30
TAP 'N' KEG
1704 MAIN ST., COTTAGE GROVE
942-8713
WE: DJ Jared--9; Karaoke
TAYLOR'S BAR AND GRILL
894 E. 13TH AVE. 554-5320
FR: DJs Smur & Tekneek--10; Hip hop,
R & B
WETLANDS
922 GARFIELD ST. 345-3606
SA: Genus Pro, SoundProof, Money Shot and others--10;
Hip hop
WOW HALL All Ages
291 W. 8TH AVE. 687-2746
TH: Built to Spill, Mike Johnson, Ape Shape--9;
Rock
FR: Forbidden Beauty w/Helene Eriksen--7:15; Afghan
dance
SA: Club Groove--9; DJ dance
SU: ... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead,
Dance Disaster Movement, Forget Castles--8:30
MO: Stan Ridgway, DeVotchka--8:30; Singer/songwriters
TU: Rebirth Brass Band, Carlos Washington &
The Amazing Giant People--9:30; Jazz, funk
WE: Pepper, ASG, Mastro3, The Sweater Club--8:30;
Reggae, rock
YUKON JACK'S
4TH AND W. BRDWY., VENETA 935-1921
FR & SA: Go 211--9; Rock
CORVALLIS
FOX 'N' FIRKIN
202 SW. 1ST ST. 753-8533
FR: The Dimes, Android Ethic--9
WE: TenPas' Tricky Trivia--8:30
THE PEACOCK TAVERN
125 SW. 2ND ST. 754-8522
TH: DJ Tekneek--10; Hip hop, R & B
SU: The Nairobi Boys--6; Jazz
WE: Neal Grandstaff, Ray Brassfield--8:30; Blues,
jazz
PLATINUM NIGHT CLUB
126 SW 4TH ST.
FR: Hell's Belles, I Can Lick any SOB in the House,
Knockout John--8; Rock
SA: DJ Hes--9; Football afterparty
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