Eugene Weekly : Calendar : 03.31.05

On Saturday night, master multi-instrumentalist Taj Mahal appears at the McDonald Theatre. A "champion of eclecticism," Taj Mahal plays in and with as many genres as instruments. Zydeco, Chicago blues, Cajun music, gospel, rock, pop, jazz, Latin and Hawaiian sounds (and more) are layered on his country-blues foundation. His 39 albums have earned six Grammy nominations and one win, for Señor Blues in 1997. Though he's played extensively with larger ensembles, Mahal's current touring incarnation is simple: himself on guitar, banjo and piano, Bill Rich on bass and Kester Smith on drums. Eugene blues guitarist David Jacobs-Strain and his band open the show. See Saturday Calendar.

Celebrate April Fool's Day with the Lane Arts Council First Friday ArtWalk. This month's walk, led by reigning Slug Queen Scarlett O'Slimera, pays special attention to art in downtown Eugene businesses. The tour's first three stops are at 5th Street Public Market: Swahili Imports, Lotus Antiques and Freudian Slip. The fourth and final stop is the LCC Artists Who Teach show at DIVA, which includes Rick Williams' "Kate's 4th of July Dream," pictured. As usual, many downtown galleries are open late but not part of the walking tour. These galleries include Circle of Hands, where Breaking the Silence: Images of Healing, a collaboration with Sexual Assault Support Services, is on display. John Henry's has an early show from Swing Shift and the Downtown Library hosts improv comedy teams and a slide show and talk by political cartoonist Jesse Springer. Maybe the rain will even stop in time for a lovely night around town. See Friday Calendar.

Even in simple photographs, Eyes Wide Open: The Human Cost of War is a truly remarkable memorial. The exhibit, created by the American Friends Service Committee, has been traveling since January, making its way through more than 40 cities across the country. The striking main feature of the exhibit, though it might sound slight, is shoes: 1,400 pairs of boots honoring U.S. military casualties and 1,000 pairs of shoes memorializing a small fraction of the Iraqi civilians killed in the war. A multimedia display rounds out the heartbreaking presentation. Recently, a Corvallis woman lost her son in Iraq; she's since contacted the Eyes Wide Open organizers, and her son's boots, brought home by the soldiers he served with, will be included in the exhibit's Eugene stop. See Sunday Calendar.

Does this guy really need an introduction? Even his website says "There isn't much point at this juncture in rehearsing all of Sting's accomplishments." But all the same, let's see what we can sum up: many, many records sold. Giant tours across the globe. Hit singles aplenty. More than a dozen Grammys. A few strange film roles, yes, those too, but really, lots of real rock stars have those on their resumés. (David Bowie, we're looking at you.) Sting and his four-piece band arrive at McArthur Court on Sunday night with Phantom Planet in tow. Phantom Planet used to turn up in the press a lot because their former drummer, Jason Schwartzman, charmed the socks off moviegoers as Max Fischer in Rushmore. These days, their name sounds familiar because "California," their catchiest song by far, dances over the credits of The O.C. C'mon, admit it. You watch it too. You probably know all the words. See Sunday Calendar.