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Rock for Reproductive
Rights Planned Parenthood is planning more than parenthood when it gathers a night of speakers, poetry and music Saturday, Jan. 22 at the WOW Hall to observe the 31st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the groundbreaking Supreme Court decision which guaranteed women access to doctor-assisted abortions. Mayor Kitty Piercy, who will speak at the event, worked as Eugene's Planned Parenthood's public affairs director from 2000 through last week, when she quit to assume her post as mayor. The mayor says, "The right to choose is in more danger today than it has been at any time since the Roe v. Wade decision was made. Restrictions are being put into place all over this country and restrictive legislation at the national level continues to grow." Over the past four years the Bush administration has quietly but relentlessly sought to undo more than 30 years of progress in women's reproductive rights since the Roe v. Wade decision was handed down in 1973. In November 2003, Congress passed and President Bush signed the first ever federal law banning second-trimester abortions. Implementation of the law has been delayed pending court challenges. Critics of the measure call it overly broad and say it offers no recourse for pregnant women experiencing health-related issues prompting them to seek an abortion at 12 to 15 weeks. Forty states already ban third-trimester abortions except for health-related reasons, so Bush's move encroaches into territory previously off-limits to federal jurisdiction. President Clinton twice vetoed similar bills. In October 2002, the Bush administration elevated the legal status of fetuses by allowing fetuses — but not pregnant women — to be eligible for health care coverage under the State Children's Health Insurance Program. One year to the day after his Jan. 20, 2001 inauguration, Bush declared Jan. 20, 2002 "National Sanctity of Human Life Day" effectively linking abortion to terrorism in his speech marking the event. He said, "On Sept. 11 we saw clearly that evil exists in this world, and that it does not value life. Now we are engaged in a fight against evil and tyranny to preserve and protect life." Most recently, in October 2004, the Bush administration refused to align with 179 countries in endorsing the Cairo Program of Action, which was adopted in 1994 at the International Conference on Population and Development. The Cairo protocol is unique in that it marked the first time in the international community that reproductive rights were explicitly accepted as human rights. Bush rejected the protocol citing objections to the phrases "reproductive services" and "reproductive health care," because they could imply a right to an abortion. What about the Supreme Court? The court's composition has not changed since Clinton appointed Justice Stephen Beyer in 1994, and Republican presidents appointed seven of the remaining eight justices. As the current court continues to age, with all but two of the justices being over 70 by the 2008 elections, it's ever more likely that Bush will have the opportunity to appoint two or possibly more conservative judges to the highest court in the land. A sobering thought to reproductive rights activists is that Justices Stevens and O'Connor, two of the court's three oldest members, are part of the slim six-justice majority for retaining Roe v. Wade. Kellie Shoemaker, vice president for public affairs at Planned Parenthood, says the event is to raise awareness of the tenuous hold women maintain on their right to abortion access. "It's an anniversary we need to recognize because of the importance to women's rights and women's health care, but we also use [the anniversary] as an opportunity to celebrate as a community," she says. Local musicians Laura Kemp, Hallie Loren and Marietta Bonaventura will perform, and Jorah LaFleur will offer spoken word poetry. Local activists will be on hand to share their experiences. The event is free and open to all ages with a suggested donation at the door to help cover Planned Parenthood's costs of renting the hall. Coffee, tea and desserts will be available. "It's really an opportunity to invite the community in to celebrate with us, to celebrate women, to pay tribute to reproductive choice," Shoemaker says. "And obviously we hope to educate people who attend about where Roe v. Wade stands right now and why it's important to recognize the anniversary."
Jazz Giants Herbie Hancock emerged from Chicago in the early 1960s with a series of now-classic, impressionistic Blue Note albums that displayed both his keyboard virtuosity and his study of composers from Debussy to Bill Evans. Music's greatest spotter of young talent, Miles Davis, recruited Hancock for his celebrated 1960s quintet, to which he became a major compositional contributor.
Since then, Hancock has become one of jazz's most popular artists, always pursuing new sounds and technology (his Powerbook is as important to him as his Steinway), from the landmark '70s fusion bestseller Headhunters through the proto-techno of "Rockit" in the '80s to his current electronica-tinged multimedia work. But Hancock maintained his ties to mainstream jazz, from the '70s acoustic supergroup VSOP through his gorgeous, Grammy-winning Gershwin's World CD a few years ago. Now he's teamed up with fellow multiple Grammy winner and tenor sax titan Michael Brecker, whose funk fusion helped define jazz in the '70s and '80s, and Roy Hargrove, the young Texas trumpeter who became one of the jazz stars of the 1990s. On Feb. 3 the Oregon Festival of American Music is bringing their New Directions in Music show, which celebrates the music of the post-Davis/Coltrane generation — Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ray Charles, Chick Corea, and more — to the Hult Center. This compelling confluence of jazz musicians is an absolute must-see concert for any jazz fan. OFAM is bringing another contemporary jazz star, violinist Regina Carter, to the Shedd Friday, Jan. 28. Her influences range from earlier jazz fiddle legends Stephane Grappelli and Jean-Luc Ponty to the Motown soul of her hometown of Detroit. She's played with some of today's top jazzers and in the String Trio of New York and Uptown String Quartet, and was the first jazzer allowed to play Paganini's famous Guarneri violin on an album of jazz arrangements of classical works. I found Carter's earlier efforts a bit slick, but her later music shows a percussive swing to go with her easy lyricism. This concert should appeal to jazz fans as well as many pop, soul and even classical music lovers. The Shedd hosts yet another fine female fiddler on Jan. 26 when the charismatic Natalie MacMaster brings her Cape Breton-style music and dance moves back for the third time. Her electrifying shows, awards and collaborations (Paul Simon, Alison Krauss, the Chieftains, and more) keep winning new fans for Celtic music. As long as we're name dropping, Jerry Marotta has played drums for Peter Gabriel, Elvis Costello, John Mayer, Trey Anastasio and dozens of other famous rockers. He's appearing at Café Paradiso on Jan. 27 with Tom Griesgraber, who plays the several instruments including the Chapman Stick, a 12-stringed guitar/bass/synth hybrid played by tapping strings behind frets — like playing the guitar fretboard without plucking or strumming. The duo can certainly rock, but also conjures a delicious variety of melodic moods and atmospheres one reviewer called "space age soundtrack music." The UO's Beall Concert Hall hosts some enticing concerts from a couple of new faculty members, each accompanied by pianist David Riley. On Jan. 24, James Bunte plays modern music for saxophone by Samuel Barber and several contemporary composers, including a piece that combines jazz and hip-hop motifs with taped dialogue from Texas death row inmates. Then on Feb. 3, Nancy Andrew plays flute music from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, including one of Haydn's cheerful London trios, contemporary pieces by Shulamit Ran and fantasy variations on a Sacred Harp tune by UO professor Robert Kyr. On Feb. 1, the UO Chamber Choir plays still more recent music by Benjamin Britten and other composers, plus traditional folksongs and show tunes. Anyone who's seen the Monty Python Tchaikovsky sketches, as well as some hardcore classical fans, may find it difficult to take the Russian Romantic's music seriously: "Tchaikovsky. Was he the tortured soul who poured out his immortal longings into dignified passages of stately music, or was he just an old poof who wrote tunes?" Yet he's is easily one of the most popular composers ever, and his unforgettable melodies can still move all but the most jaded listeners. Even I can't resist the ebullient string sextet, "Souvenir of Florence," to be played with other Tchaikovsky chamber works and songs on Jan. 26 at Beall Hall. It's part of a weeklong festival including lectures, ballet excerpts, a Marché dinner menu, that culminates in two full concerts of Tchaikovsky's most popular music at the Hult Center. The Jan. 27 show features the famous Violin Concerto and the wild and blustery tone poem Francesca da Rimini inspired by Dante's Inferno, while the Jan. 29 has the bombastic "1812 Overture," the powerfully dramatic Romeo and Juliet tone poem, and the even more famous Piano Concerto, performed by soloist Stewart Goodyear. Either concert is good choice for the casual classical music fan who likes a lot of musical fireworks and memorable tunes.
Eugene Evolution "Don't bother trying to sue us. To us it's just publicity." Thus begins Plagiarism Nation, the first properly released album by the Evolution Control Committee, an audio collage group that can proudly wear the title: The bane of Dan Rather's existence. For those of you unfamiliar with audio collage, it is what the label suggests: a collage of spliced songs, familiar rhythms, audio clips and ambient sounds. Collagists layer the pieces together to create a new, cohesive version with new meaning. Sometimes, there is also a slight political spin, many times a critique of corporate capitalism. The Ohio based … committee, as it's hard to consider them a typical "band" without the standard guitars and drums, rocketed to cult as well as popular-fringe status through an audio collage piece titled "Rocked by Rape." Released in 1999, "Rocked by Rape" cut quotes from Dan Rather's CBS Evening News completely out of context and pasted them over AC/DC's "Back in Black." "CIA/ mayhem/ crisis/ horrible/ inflation/ military/ flaming debris," and "dangerous radiation/ communist/international/smuggling/pipeline," are just some examples of Rather's disembodied vocals turned apocalyptic news report. The attorneys at CBS news didn't think the song was funny at all and threatened to sue the group over copyright infringement. The ECC responded by saying the song was done in parody, and thus superceded the particular laws that the lawyers referred to. Forcing meaning and humor out of something as drab as
Dan Rather news reports is what the ECC is all about. Their craft can
be compared to the act of drawing Sharpie mustaches on people's yearbook
pictures: slightly sophomoric, but nonetheless completely This really is a big show for Eugene. With a 20-year history, the ECC will entertain and enthrall the news junkie in all of us. Fans of quality, sample-based electronic music ala Negativland will also wet their pants. But check it out. The show is really a triple bill. Seksu Roba, the Korean-Japanese-American future disco duo, makes their second visit to Eugene in as many years. The always fashionable Lun'na Menoh brings her seductive song and stage performance, while Sukho Lee, master of synthesizers and beat machines, once again astounds audiences with his virtuoso Theremin skills. Finally, local band Atrial Flutter will open the show. This relatively new group features a very refreshing, clear guitar sound, similar to bands such as the Sea and Cake. Their guitar and violin combination relies on gentle melodies rather than crunching distorted riffs. Catching one of their stunning, rare performances is enough reason to attend the show.
BLACK FOREST
CAFE PARADISO CLUB TSUNAMI COFFEE GROVE COOPERATIVE COZMIC PIZZA@THE STRAND All
Ages COUNTRY SIDE RESTAURANT DA HOUZE DOWNTOWN LOUNGE DUCK INN EMBERS SUPPER CLUB EUGENE WINE CELLARS GOOD TIMES HiDEAWAY LOUNGE JO FEDERIGO'S JOE'S BAR & GRILLE JOGGER'S BAR & GRILL
JOHN HENRY'S THE JUNGLE LATITUDE 10 CAFE
LAVELLE'S WINE BAR & BISTRO LUCKEY'S CLUB CIGAR LUNA MAC'S AT THE VET'S MONROE STREET CAFE MULLIGAN'S PUB OVERTIME GRILL PEABODY'S PERUGINO QUACKER'S RAMADA INN SAM BOND'S GARAGE SAM'S PLACE SAMURAI DUCK STACY'S COVERED BRIDGE SWEETWATER'S TAYLOR'S BAR AND GRILL TINY TAVERN
WOW HALL All Ages YUKON JACK'S
CORVALLIS AJ'S BOMBS AWAY CAFE FOX AND FIRKIN PLATINUM NIGHT CLUB SQUIRRELS
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