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Bossa
Nova Nova In the early 1960s, way back before anyone used the term "world music," a sultry, swinging musical wave from Brazil washed ashore and flooded American pop charts, nightclubs and living rooms. Bossa nova was all the rage, especially after jazz tenor giant Stan Getz's collaboration with Brazilian songwriter Joao Gilberto, including "The Girl from Ipanema."
That wave receded rapidly, but at least since Paul Simon's Rhythm of the Saints and the advocacy of American artists like David Byrne and Pat Metheny in the 1980s, Brazilian music has enjoyed a resurgence in the U.S. The latest Brazilian import to make a big splash is Gilberto's daughter, Bebel Gilberto, whose electronica-laced update of the classic bossa nova sound has warmed up dance floors, lounges and bedrooms around the world. She's followed her million-selling debut CD, Tanto Tempo, with an equally seductive self-titled album and a disc of remixes by the likes of Thievery Corporation. She's appearing at the Shedd on June 13 with Peter Cincotti, a rising young pop singer who'll appeal to fans of Billy Joel and Harry Connick Jr. More Brazilian rhythms will float through Luna on June 9 when Macaco Velho plays samba, forro, milonga, and other traditional styles from one of the world's richest and most diverse musical cultures. The septet features Brazilian singer Heliane Ferreira Pinto and her husband, John Hicks on stringed instruments and marimba. On June 17, Luna also hosts Amelia, the Portland band whose members share an admiration for the Getz/Gilberto sound. The quartet's songs (most written by guitarist Scott Weddle) also incorporate jazz and country and other world music influences, borne on the rich voice of singer Teisha Helgerson. Café Paradiso hosts Canadian Celtic masters An Tua on June 18. Led by ex-Paperboy Hanz Araki on flute, vocals, and pennywhistle, the group also includes Dave Cory (banjo, guitar, bodhran, bouzouki) and pianist Suzanne Taylor. One of this year's happiest developments was the creation of the Eugene Composers Collective, mostly made up of recent UO grads who write various kinds of contemporary classical music, although their shows might include electronica, modern medieval sounds, guitars, even robots. After well received showcases at DIVA and Cozmic Pizza, they're bringing some brand new sounds to Sam Bond's Garage on June 13. This concert will include string quartets, live electronic music with spoken word and dancing, and a piece for North Indian tabla and electric guitar. If we want young creative talent to stick around town, we need to support them. Given the variety of sounds unleashed in previous concerts, there's sure to be something to excite anyone interested in cutting edge music. You can hear local musicians in some older music throughout the summer in the delightful community orchestra concerts at Washburne Park. The first batch includes The Highlanders on June 12, and New Horizons Band on June 19.
Visions
of Saints, Stories of Sinners It's a tough call: to simply contemplate the straight-ahead, classic rock swagger of The Hold Steady, or to marvel at the over-the-top amount of hype compacted into one page in the band's press kit? Sure, it's not the band's fault that seemingly every notable music publication's writers are piling their most eloquent praise on Separation Sunday, The Hold Steady's second album. But that doesn't make the phenomenon any less fascinating.
A few choice selections: The Village Voice's May cover story on the band proclaimed "We Believe in One Band: The Hold Steady's liberation theology makes for the year's best album so far." Pitchfork.com, which, as its hipster readership knows, basically dismisses everything unless no one else likes it yet, described the album as "… epic and huge and molten and beautiful." According to The New York Times, "These songs … can grab you from the first line." Well, there's truth to that. It's the lyrics that do the grabbing, repeatedly, as the band plows through their polished versions of '70s and '80s bar band riffs. Singer/guitarist Craig Finn (formerly of Lifter Puller) doesn't so much sing as rant, his worn voice reminiscent of the Afghan Whigs' Greg Dulli. Finn's lyrics tell stories about scrappy, down-on-their-luck characters, including Charlemagne (who "got caught up in some complicated things") and Holly (short for Hallelujah), "a sexy mess/ She looked strung out but experienced/ And we all got kind of curious." The main character, though, the beautifully detailed thread that runs through Separation Sunday's songs, is an unexpected depth of biblical imagery. Saints and crosses turn up on first listen, but Finn's Catholicism runs deeper than that. One character "has pages in his pockets that he ripped out of the bible from the bedstand in his motel/ He likes the part where the traders get chased from the temple." In "Don't Let Me Explode," Finn says wryly, "She said we didn't go to Dallas/ Because Jackie Onassis said it ain't safe for Catholics yet/ If that's what they did to President Kennedy/ What do you think is waiting for you and me?" This isn't religious music, not by a long shot. But the imagery grounds Finn's characters in a mythological setting, giving their trials a different sort of weight. So is it worth the hype, this album? Does it matter? The music isn't breaking any new ground — where one song calls up The Who's "Teenage Wasteland," another strikes notes of pre-superstardom Springsteen. But Finn's got an unparalleled talent for turning the messy, misunderstood experience of disillusioned youth into a sort of modern fable. Like any good storyteller, he shows, he doesn't just tell, and he does it with grace and empathy. For that, at least, The Hold Steady deserves the attention.
Old
Dominion Reppin' in Eugene
In the future, when musicologists look back on the history of hip hop in the new millennium, the Northwest underground hip hop scene will undoubtedly garner several mentions. At the center of much of that attention will be Sleep, a founding member of the Oldominion crew. Sleep migrated to the Northwest from New Mexico in the early '90s. He teamed up with Pale Soul and began touring the region, eventually founding Oldominion. Since then, Sleep has made guest appearances on tracks by Kid Frost, the Micranots and the Boom Bap Project. Sleep's new album, Christopher, which just hit the shelves, is a follow-up to his highly acclaimed 2002 album Riot by Candlelight. Listener friendly in terms of its structured, straight-ahead hip hop flavor, Christopher sheds new light on the darker sound that Riot by Candlelight embodied. It features guest appearances from the legendary Masta Ace, underground hero Abstract Rude, as well as Josh Martinez (Sleep's partner from his Chicharones project). The album also features guest production from Pale Soul, Smoke as well as the man of the hour, Vitamin D. Sleep will debut his new album Saturday, June 11 at the Downtown Lounge. The Christopher record release party will also feature local heads Money Shot, SoundProof and Sand People.
Music
Shorts Irish Meets Punk Weird, dark punk lyrics get even weirder when set to traditional-sounding Irish music. Take the line "I got a body in the back of my '69 Cadillac," from "69 Cadillac" off Madison, Wis.-based The Kissers' new album, Fire in the Belly. But the weirdness works. The Kissers "combine traditional Irish melodies with contemporary rock rhythms and an old-time country flavor," wrote singer Waylan Palan in an e-mail. They started as a Pogues cover band in 1998, but over time, began writing songs and developed their own following. Now they have a distinct, eccentric sound unlike any I've heard before. In all honesty, I'm not a fan of punk, country or celtic music, but I've got to give props to The Kissers for originality. They've got an intriguing sound, and some of their songs are surprisingly catchy (check out "So Tired II" from Fire in the Belly). I'd listen to The Kissers over unmelodic, whiney, punk bands any day. The Kissers play Sam Bond's Garage at 9 pm, Thursday, 6/9. $7. — Ursula Evans-Heritage
The Girlfriend Experience Is Not Porn Somehow I missed The Girlfriend Experience when they came through on a mini-Northwest tour in March. Now they're back to take on Luckey's, and you have another chance to check out what this San Francisco band can do.
Press on The GFE boasts that their sound is "simultaneously dark, beautiful, psychedelic, hot and heavy." I would agree. It also says common comparisons have been made to Joy Division and Bauhaus. To that I would emphatically not agree, so don't go getting your hopes up, all ye glorious goths of Eugene. Maybe the comparison comes across live, because the band's photo does show the foursome clad completely in funereal black, and the singer croons like he's got a few skeletons in his closet. Their five-song EP titled It Felt Like A Kiss starts out with "Thumb," a moody, alternative-radio-ready tune that's melodic but powerful with touches of Flaming Lips or Fountains of Wayne. Vocalist Tobias Hawkins III actually sings, with skill, but he's got enough of a growl that it doesn't seem overdone. "Katy" is a friendly tune with razor-sharp guitar work by Ty C. Gerhardt that's also revisited at the CD's end as an acoustic track. A great poppy tune with an undercurrent of restlessness and disaffection, train tracks and methadone, "Katy" morphs into the shiny-happy tune "Gonorrhea." This startling song is clearly about someone who fucks around, a lot, complete with images of scabs and stench. Hawkins screams "Gonorrhea" over and over again in a high-pitched wild-man caterwaul. The song seems slightly out of place sandwiched between two tame tunes, but the effect is like a crazy person off their meds; one minute it's scary deranged hell and then it's all over and you never speak of it again. The band's slower tunes seem familiar in a way I can't put my finger on. Maybe it's shades of Paul Westerberg tunes sung by Jeff Buckley. Maybe it's flashes of Nick Drake. Either way, the music rocks and leaves me wanting more. Luckily for me, the band just spent two weeks recording new material in Weed, Calif. with System of a Down producer Sylvia Massy-Shivy. The band's website is http://www.girlfriendexperience.org.The porn site that comes up when you Google their name is not so hot, so just skip ahead to the band website. The Girlfriend Experience play Luckey's at 10 pm on Thursday, 6/9. $3-5 sliding scale. — Vaness Salvia
WomenSpace Benefit Marks Eve of Hamlin's Murder June 11, 2005 marks the five-year anniversary of the murder of Amy Hamlin. Her body was found in the McKenzie River strapped to a mattress. She was 21 years old when her 25-year-old husband, Chad Hamlin, strangled her to death. After separating from her husband and obtaining a restraining order in April of 2000, Amy relocated to Seattle with assistance from WomenSpace. Amy returned to Eugene during the weekend of June 11 for a friend's birthday. She met up with Chad Saturday night, and he murdered her on Sunday morning. Ian Gray, a student at the University of Oregon, was a friend of Amy's, and also had a working relationship with Chad. "He seemed really nice and easy going," Gray said. Amy and Chad lived together in Eugene after moving from Texas. Gray befriended both of them. "We were actually doing music for a film I was making at the time, and we were up in the studio in the house. She came up and he yelled at her and told her to leave. He took off a week later and then I found out everything about him," Gray said solemnly. He later discovered through candid conversation with Amy, that Chad possessed a dark, abusive side. In her memory, Gray has organized several benefit concerts for WomenSpace at Luckey's and John Henry's. With the generous assistance of local bands, venue owners and Brail's Diner (Gray's sponsor), Gray has raised around $1,000 to $2,000 at each show. The bands donate time and effort, and the clubs give them a place to play. All proceeds from admissions go to WomenSpace. On the eve of the five-year anniversary of Amy's death, Friday, June 10, Gray will hold another benefit, this time at John Henry's. The line up includes Chevron, Satin Fury, Damn Your Eyes, A.R. and In the Name of God. He already has events planned for October and December, and is working on a large outdoor event for next summer. If you're interested in donating to WomenSpace, visit www.enddomesticviolence.com. If you are a victim of domestic violence, please contact their 24-hour hotline at (800) 287-2800. Domestic violence plagues Lane County. When we hear about these incidents, they seem to reverberate with a frightening yet almost unrealistic horror. But the fact is all women, despite their age or background, can become victims. It's important for every man and woman to recognize the signs of an abusive relationship and seek help quickly. And we must all vigilant watch over our community. The benefit kicks off at 9 pm on Friday, 6/10 at John Henry's. $5 — Steven Sawada
AX BILLY GRILL & SPORTS BAR BADA BING'S BLACK FOREST CAFÉ PARADISO CLUB TSUNAMI CORNUCOPIA All Ages COUNTRYSIDE COUNTRYSIDE
COZMIC PIZZA@THE STRAND•All
Ages DA HOUZE DIABLO'S DOWNTOWN LOUNGE EMBERS SUPPER CLUB EUGENE WINE CELLARS GOOD TIMES
INDIGO DISTRICT JAXX LOUNGE@PREMIUM POUR JO FEDERIGO'S JOE'S BAR & GRILLE JOGGER'S BAR & GRILL
JOHN HENRY'S LAVELLE'S WINE BAR & BISTRO LUCKEY'S CLUB CIGAR LUNA MAC'S AT THE VET'S MCSHANE'S BAR & GRILLE MONROE STREET CAFE All Ages MULLIGAN'S PUB O'DONNELL'S IRISH PUB OVERTIME GRILL PEABODY'S PERUGINO QUACKER'S RED LION INN RICK'S PUB SAM BOND'S GARAGE SAM'S PLACE SHER'S TAVERN SPIRITS STACY'S COVERED BRIDGE SWEETWATER'S TAP 'N' KEG TAYLOR'S BAR AND GRILL TINY TAVERN VET'S CLUB BALLROOM
WETLANDS WOW HALL All Ages
CORVALLIS BEANERY BOMBS AWAY CAFE IOVINO'S RISTORANTE MURPHY'S NEW MORNING BAKERY All
Ages PLATINUM NIGHT CLUB TOMMY'S PEACOCK karaoke TH: The Cooler, Countryside (River Rd.), Da Houze,
Duck Inn, Lone Star
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