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EUGENE profiles Default
MEMBERS: Hanif (mic), Furious (mic), Camilo Depaulo (bass), Jason Bradley (drums), Thierry Renoux (keyboard), Taylor Grube (mic), Miles (trumpet) GENRE: Hip hop RHYMING SINCE: 2004 "The reason we're even called Default is because we take jazz/funk musicians and rock musicians from different bands and mix and match the members to make improvisational hip hop music … we're a default band," says Hanif. The group has developed a core band, but still mixes and matches with other local musicians. It's a hip hop group but it incorporates other genres. "A lot of times it's people that have never played with each other before … very improvisational," says Hanif. Catch their act July 12 at John Henry's. The group plays there every other Tuesday at 10 pm, no cover. — Ursula Evans-Heritage
Diane Rios MEMBERS: Diane Rios (guitar, vocals) GENRE: Quiet indie rock SINGING SINCE: 2005 As experienced musicians in Eugene go, few are more professional than Diane Rios. Rios played guitar in Oswald-Five-O, a band who formed in 1988, and in 1993 hit the road for a three-week cross-country tour with the Spinanes and Some Velvet Sidewalk. Oswald had two full-length records, several singles and songs on numerous compilations. Real life intervened in the dreams of rock stardom, but Rios never lost the love of music. She later formed a long-distance band called The Love Supreme with friends from Olympia and Seattle. That group had a song on the Olympia compilation Property Is Theft. In 2003 Rios formed The Better Angels with friends from Salem and Eugene. After releasing one CD, that band fizzled. Now she's content to use new technology to record her own songs, without a band, at a friend's home recording studio. "Bands are just too hard to keep together, what with families and jobs and the good things in life," said Rios. "As it happens, I am the most conveniently available musician I know, so I am the one playing most of the instruments." Rios shines on catchy, intelligently-crafted quietly rocking tunes about tough decisions, tragedies and dealing with life's uncertainties. Also an accomplished artist, Rios is at work finishing a halfway-done CD, which will be available through her website, www.dianerios.com— Vanessa Salvia
The Fast Computers
MEMBERS: Peter Dean (vocals, electric piano, synthesizers, guitar), Jennifer Fox (vocals, drums, percussion) GENRE: Rock QUICK AND SNAPPY SINCE: 2003 "Can it start with the word 'awesome'?" asked Peter Dean when I told him I'd be writing a profile of his band. Pianist and vocalist Dean and drummer Jennifer Fox are local rock group The Fast Computers. Fox and Dean started playing together in New Orleans before moving on to Chicago and later Eugene. The group has gone through various line-ups, but Fox and Dean remain the group's core, says Dean. The songs on The Fast Computers' demo album are reminiscent of other indie rock bands that are oh-so-cool among college students. "We are the future of rock and roll," says Dean with a laugh. "Just kidding. That's horrible." Dean has been playing piano since he was 7 and at the time, like any 7-year-old with the heart of a rock star, he "thought piano sucked and wanted to play guitar." Since then, he's reconciled with the instrument and even grown to love it. "I don't have any delusions of grandeur," says Dean. "But," he adds, "If I ever hear music that I think is great then I should be the one to make it. Does that sound egotistical enough?" — Ursula Evans-Heritage
The Glorious Bride MEMBERS: Brian Hall (guitar, keyboard, vocals), Kyle Ambert (bass), Bryson Nist (drums) GENRE: File under Likes Death Cab, Radiohead and Modest Mouse STYLIE AND üBER COOL SINCE: 2005
While it might ruffle a few feathers to say so, Eugene has a shortage of actual indie rock bands. We've got punk, alt.-country and plenty of singer/songwriters, but the guitar/keyboard-based, highly melodic and hopefully catchy indie category, while it does have a few stars, is a little bare. So it's especially pleasant to stumble across a new and promising band in town, as I did a few weeks ago when The Glorious Bride played at Luckey's with Armored Frog and Portland's Climber. While the band still seemed a little tentative onstage, musically they were right on: Pretty, intricate songs led by Hall's voice, which sounds somewhat like that of a young Doug Martsch in a slightly lower register. "The first thing a lot of people hear is U2, and yes, I am a U2 fan," Hall wrote in an email. But the band's influences cover the indie spectrum, from the shoegazer noise of My Bloody Valentine to the quiet, intimate Kings of Convenience. "As a songwriter, I get ideas from anything I listen to, including some of the jazz I've been studying at the University. So really, we're a hodgepodge of ideas and sounds drawn collectively from everywhere," Hall wrote. The band is currently working on a full-length concept album, The American Wars, which Hall hopes to structure like a short symphony. A five- to seven-song EP should be available by the fall and in the meantime, the band's upcoming shows are definitely recommended. Check www.myspace.com/thegloriousbridefor a schedule. — Molly Templeton
John Shipe & the Blue Rebekahs
MEMBERS: John Shipe (guitars, vocals), Tim McLaughlin (trumpet), J.D, Sean Peterson (bass), Chris Chatto (keyboards), Scott Headrick (drums), Ehren Ebbage (permanent special guest on guitars, vocals) GENRE: Folk/rock HOWLING AT THE MOON SINCE: The '80s "Since you broke my heart, I found the cure for cancer … I won the Nobel Peace Prize … I unified the world religions," sings John Shipe in the song "Better Off Without You," from the group's 2003 release Pollyanna Loves Cassandra. Anyone with a heinous ex or two will enjoy this song, which I have authoritatively deemed the greatest break-up song ever. Shipe got his first guitar at age 17 and formed his first band, The Couch Potatoes, while in college. Since then he's been a part of several different bands and has shared the stage with a variety of well-known artists including Bob Dylan, The Cherry Poppin' Daddies and Cake. The group blends genres from folk to hip hop and has poetic lyrics ranging from social commentaries to mythological references. The band's sound is funky, original and always entertaining. — Ursula Evans-Heritage
LaunchPad MEMBERS: leluslaserlight (will play anything and everything), Mr. Random (anything and everything), Orbital Dave (anything and everything) GENRE: Science fiction TO THE BEAT OF THEIR OWN DRUMMER SINCE: 2004 Sorry, Zen masters. Being in the moment is out. Take me to the future, baby! Enter LaunchPad, Eugene's only science fiction trio. This band of freaks strive to improvise the very pants right off ya. Willing to play any damn thing they can get their hands on (and some they can't too!), LaunchPad says, "When you are playing the music of the future, plans cannot be made." Well, alright! Evoking Sun Ra, early Pink Floyd and other cosmos dwellers, LaunchPad is ready to crack our earthly little heads wide open. They do a pretty good job of it too. With yelps and maniacal laughter filtering in and out of keyboard filled swooshes and swirls, it's important to stay alert. Otherwise, one very well might float away. Vibrating onto the scene just last year, LaunchPad is already building quite a little following. Their live shows are like scenes from the very robot films they seem to worship like a golden god of circuitry. Beeps, whistles and other unworldly noises emanate from the stage, but there is a sense of a grassroots sound as well. Sometimes the members of LaunchPad pick up an actual instrument to play! Not to worry, though. LaunchPad refuses to stay in one place too long. All the more reason to catch them sooner than later. Happy landings! — Jeff Winicour
The Ovulators MEMBERS: Dori Prange (bass and vocals), Kelani Larson (guitar and vocals), Tina Sarno (guitar and vocals), Kayla Tabb (drums and vocals) GENRE: Glam rock GETTING THE CROWD HOT SINCE: 2002
Welcome to the weird, wild world of The Ovulators. This fearsome foursome have been driving otherwise normal people giddy with their live performances. After honing their skills on-stage these past few years, the Ovulators have a new CD, a new drummer and, gosh darn it, a new attitude for their future. As a live act, these ladies are the undisputed champions of the world. Their initial take on the grrrl glam rock thang was refreshing. The only knock was that as a band, some felt they lacked certain musical chops. Not that they aren't talented. All have been playing music for 10 or more years now. It was just that they were learning the intricacies of playing together by doing gigs, not in the practice room. And their gigs were joyous occasions. Never failing to pack a Sam Bond's or a Luckey's, the Ovulators screeched and wailed their way into our hearts. Then, cosmic intervention took over. They were cast as the house band for the local production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. This was the very play that helped shape the band's direction in the beginning. Having to learn and perform someone else's work was both a challenge and a breakthrough. The result is a much tighter sound that they hope carries over to their new CD, Alien Abduction Singles, being recorded locally at Dogwood Studios. The Ovulators are touring this summer. See them live … if you dare. — Jeff Winicour
People and Machines MEMBERS: Cooper Bombadil, April Dawn, Alex Geddes, Andrew Harmon, Niko Kwiatkowski, Brendan Newell, Adam Purcinger, Ryan Reeves, Eliza Sohn, Nathaniel Talbot and Kriya Townshend GENRE: Experimental PLAYING SINCE: 2004 Bobby "Dangerous" Smith describes People and Machines as "neo-Luddite freakout music." For Smith, the project is just as much an intellectual experiment as it is a band. People and Machines is a foray into the relationship between technology and humanity, which is reflected both in the music and the robot costumes the band members usually wear at their shows. "We're the ones that are creating this communication between man and machine," Smith said. "In a way, we're taming technology." Many of the band members met through the Freebased Art Collective, so People and Machines is just another of their artistic collaborations. The music itself is half improv, half composition, which results in a loosely structured electronic noisefest that comes out a little different every time. And even though there are 12 members, it's not necessary to have all or even most of them present to put on a good show. The band members are all multi-instrumentalists who often trade instruments and synth/sampling duties between songs. "There are certain parts that are composed, but a lot of stuff we've done have been performance pieces, so those are integrated into improv work," Smith said. "It's a vessel experience. We think of a lot of our jamming of getting in the vessel of sound." — Sara Brickner
YOB MEMBERS: Mike Scheidt (guitar, vocals), Isamu Sato (bass), Travis Foster (drums) GENRE: Doom metal SCARING PEOPLE SINCE: 1996 I started elementary school when Metallica released Kill 'Em All. Heavy metal scared the shit out of me. Twenty-two years later I've finally overcome my fear. If a scaredy-cat can grow up to have a healthy appreciation of heavy metal, it's not that far-fetched that in a city known world wide for blissed out hippies, a native can turn to the dark side of rock and become YOB. Vocalist and guitarist Mike Scheidt said he had no problem tuning out the lighter music associated with Eugene. "I grew up with the punk scene and metal. I guess my attention was just somewhere else," he said. By concentrating on the heavy music scene, Scheidt, with Isamu Sato and Travis Foster, developed a traditional doom sound with progressive touches. But while its stated mission is to bring true doom to the masses, YOB goes above and beyond, especially with lyrics that separate from the usual gloom of doom metal. "Our music may be dark, but when you read the lyrics, they aren't really that dark. Maybe from a perspective of spiritual process they are," Scheidt said. Buddhist and Eastern philosophy lends to the content, even influencing the music. "When we play in the low tuned frequencies, it's more about playing the mantra frequencies," he said. YOB's 2004 album, The Illusion of Motion, made best of lists by fans and critics alike, and the epic The Unreal Never Lived is out on Metal Blade Records August 23. — Jef Stout
:: Intro :: Genus Pro :: Eugene Bands :: Corvallis Bands :: CD Reviews :: CD Quickies ::
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