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The
Healing Sounds of Samite
One of the first musical instruments that Ugandan musician Samite remembers hearing as a child was earth itself. "My mother dug a hole in the ground and covered it with a metal plate," he said in a phone interview. "We tied a string to the plate and stretched it over a tree branch. She would pluck the string and the ground would sing. I could feel the power of it." That power fascinates Samite (pronounced Sam-ee-tay) still, and it is a driving force behind why he continues to make music. He believes it has the power to heal the spirit, which can lead to solving other problems. Exiled from Uganda since 1982 when his brother was slain, spiritual renewal is a topic Samite has had to learn something about. Inspired by a 1997 trip to his beloved homeland, he founded Musicians for World Harmony, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting peace through the healing power of music. He said, "Whenever war or hard times come, you will see that it is always the music that goes first. Our mission is to bring the music back so that we will see the beginning of healing." Performing on flute and on his collection of kalimbas (finger-pianos), Samite's music is soothing and beautiful. His sixth CD, Tunula Eno, was created during the last year of his wife Joan's life as she lost a battle with cancer, yet the CD is positive and upbeat. "I knew my wife was going for a long time, which was a good thing," he said. "The music is not sad because as she got sicker, the music was meant to surround her with an expression of love. The last song on the CD of just the kalimba is what I would play for her to ease her pain." Now, with a new CD, Embalasasa, released March 14, Samite is ready to get back to his mission. His prognosis for his Eugene performance is "total joy." "It's been three years since my wife died, and I feel like I'm in a very positive place in my life. When you look into the eyes of the children in Uganda and speak with them, they only talk about the future. That is what I want to support with my music."
Multiple
Personalities When Bill Frisell comes to town, the question is: which Bill? Last year, the guitarist/composer's trio played folk-influenced jazz at the Shedd, culminating in an epic version of Dylan's "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall." In 2003, another Shedd show with his quartet featuring bassist Viktor Krauss invoked Frisell's fever-dream of American roots music — mostly country, blues, folk and rock tunes. Before that, Frisell and slide/lap steel guitarist Greg Leisz unfurled the mellowest concert I've ever heard at the WOW Hall.
And those are only a fraction of the identities Frisell, who took guitar lessons from Jim Hall and spiced up that acoustic jazz sound with moves borrowed from Jimi Hendrix, has assumed over the last few decades. He's gone bluegrassy with banjo boss Danny Barnes; enlisted drum majors as diverse as former Coltrane sideman Elvin Jones and rock legend Jim Keltner; explored world music with musicians from Mali, Brazil and more in his Intercontinentals ensemble; covered Bacharach and Costello (with Elvis himself chipping in); essayed jazz standards with pianist Fred Hersch; exploded and unwound country classics by Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash; and even channeled classical composers such as Copland and Ives. From Muddy Waters to Marvin Gaye to Madonna to Mancini, it's all grist for Frisell's musical mill. His recordings include the atmospheric ECM discs he cut while exploring New York's downtown avant garde scene in the '80s, the extended sonic structures he built on his subsequent Nonesuch albums, the deconstructed Americana of the '90s and the global reach of his recent efforts. And throughout them, Frisell's own voice rings clearly, his many influences refracted through the prism of his off-center esthetic so that it sounds like no one else's. Frisell's range has occasionally confounded jazz purists who equate chops and virtuosity with content, missing the forest of texture, evocative atmosphere. This cinematic quality has made Frisell's music ideal accompaniment to movies by Wim Wenders and Gus Van Sant, old Buster Keaton films, the Far Side TV specials of fellow Seattleite Gary Larson, and even exhibitions of drawings and cartoons. That's the Frisell we'll be seeing on March 21 when he brings his 858 Quartet — violinist Jenny Scheinman, violist Eyvind Kang, cellist Hank Roberts — to the Shedd. This ensemble tends toward the impressionistic, but just when it's all drifting into abstraction, a rhythmic figure will suddenly propel the music forward. Fans of classical chamber music, jazz, and Americana should immerse themselves in Frisell's blues dream. A couple other recommended jazzy shows: Guitarist David Acker and pianist Toby Koenigsberg play at Luna on March 18. And Brown & Bigelow Quartet, featuring ace percussionist Dave Storrs, and other floor percussion undergirding trance-like guitar grooves, plays Sunday afternoons in March at World Café. Speaking of percussion, the UO Percussion Ensemble plays music by the West Coast's finest composer, Lou Harrison (including an example of Mexican-influenced "world music" from 1940) along with works by Telemann and William Albright on Sunday afternoon March 19. And on March 18, the excellent Eugene Contemporary Chamber Ensemble plays a free show featuring some of the most accessible music by one of the greatest living composers, Gyorgy Ligeti, as well as works by Webern and original pieces by UO grad students Justin Morell and Jerry Hui. It's always rewarding to see live music and dance renewing their eternal bonds. On March 17, the UO's East European Folk Music Ensemble and Eugene's Balladina play Balkan music to accompany spirited folk dance at Agate Hall, one of the most fun events on the UO music calendar, with free dance instruction provided. And on Wednesday, March 22, the Nrityagram company brings classical music and dance of India to the Hult Center (see dance story, p. 35). The company's founder, Protima Gauri, established the village of Nrityagram (near Bangalore) as a communal arts space devoted to preserving the two-millenia old Odissi dance style, one of the world's most venerable. The training includes yoga and martial arts, and the original music (sitar, violin, flute, percussion, vocals) and choreography incorporate modern (even American) elements into a living tradition. Nrityagram has won ecstatic reviews around the world for this enchanting combination of storytelling, dance, and music; this performance is one of the highlights of Eugene's performing arts season.
Beware, Enemies of Metal
In the old days, heavy metal was often associated with fantasy and medieval themes that dominated stage presence and lyrical content. Black Sabbath wrote about wizards and fairies. Ronnie James Dio threw up the horns, grabbed a broadsword and called himself the "Holy Diver." Then Spinal Tap came along and showed us that this style, with the failed yet hilarious "Stonehenge" performance, could be corny as hell. Yet some bands stayed serious in their devotion to this gimmick. Based right here in the Pacific Northwest, 3 Inches of Blood is the premier band that carries this flag of fantasy metal into the present. You want pirates? The band's lyrics, particularly on their most recent release Advance and Vanquish, feature pirates and mighty warriors annihilating the "enemies of metal." Want some Tolkien-esque monsters? In "Destroy the Orcs," the lead singer, in his wailing Rob Halford-like falsetto, demands that we too spill some orc blood while thrashing to the melody of incredibly catchy guitar riffs. This is no spoof — the band is serious in their devotion to the imaginary in metal, and they plan on getting even darker with their next release, which they are recording as I write. "It's a whole new machine for us," says bassist Brian Redman. "It's going to be a lot darker and a lot more modern. There are definitely fantasy elements in our music that you heard in classic metal, but we're a lot more aggressive." 3 Inches of Blood plays with SIK 9 and Forrestal's Fall at 8 pm Friday, March 17 at Latitude 21. $7. — Dan Hoyt
Bash the Prez, Sing and Swing
Lea Jones, singer, songwriter and guitarist for Swing States Road Show, calls his band's music "Dubya-bashing, GOP-bashing acoustic swing." With lyrics like, "But you fondle the rich and the corporate head/ One hand on the Bible no grip on the fact/ That half the people of this very large country/ Most emphatically did not want you back," his label seems about right. Oops … did we say right? Excuse us; Swing States Road Show is left, very left. Want some proof? Swing States opened shows for Al Franken and closed for Howard Dean. The proceeds from the www.efolkmusic.orgsales of their spanking-new album Housecleaning go to Common Cause, an election reform group. And the band's website has links to corporations that don't support the GOP. Jones, a Eugene resident from the '70s through 1990, says, "I wrote a lot of songs to get people off their butts and oust George Bush from office in 2004." That didn't quite work, but the cause continues 6:30 pm Friday, March 17 at Cozmic Pizza. $5. — Tim O'Rourke
America's Folk Tradition Lives On
Folk and bluegrass music are two styles that are timeless in American culture — always disappearing and reappearing again every few years or so when a bunch of jam bands or solo artists decide to hit the road. To many, traveling and experiencing everything the world has to offer is not only an opportunity to make a living, but it's also a musical inspiration. For Laurie Lewis, a 30-year veteran of the bluegrass scene out of Berkeley, what she sees and who she meets on the road often drives what she writes about in her songs, be it real life stories or fictional tales. "I love to travel," she says, "and I write about what I know about or what I can imagine. I enjoy coming to the Northwest because everything up there is so wonderful." On her 2004 album Guest House, Lewis has a song called "Alaska," which is described in the liner notes as "Northern Lights, Moose, Grizzly, Mountain Goat, Humpback," and so on. Another tune, "Willie Poor Boy" is a contemporary tale that also doubles as a tribute to Woody Guthrie. Accompanied by her mandolin-playing bandmate of 20 years, Tom Rozum, Lewis proves time and time again that no matter the year or the location, there is always a place for America's traditional music to be welcomed back in. Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum play at 8 pm Friday, March 17 at Sam Bond's. $15 adv./$17 dos. — Dan Hoyt
A Musical Boon(e)
At 25, David Boone is six years deep in what he hopes to be a long career as a singer and songwriter. His introspective, honest lyrics and raspy voice can remind one of John Mayer or (cough … cough) Bob Dylan. They definitely don't bring to mind David Boone, construction worker. But before touring, recording and writing became his "bizarre profession," Boone dabbled in the construction arts. Talking about his days working construction in his native Montana, Boone says, "It helps me appreciate touring, which can seem like a lot of hard work sometimes." The way Boone tours, it is hard work. Now in the midst of an 18-month touring binge, Boone, percussionist James Wasem and Boone's wife Stephanie Meyers-Boone have a goal of hitting all 50 states. So far, they have 30 under their collective belt. By the time they get to Eugene, they will be rounding the bend of 300 concert dates. While David sings and strums in cafés, coffeehouses and concert halls across the U.S., Stephanie sells her jewelry, acts as resident photographer and handles the business side of the band. "People think we're crazy to do it," Boone says. "It's kind of breaking the idea of what you've been raised to think about marriage." Come witness the extended honeymoon and hear some inspired music 7 pm Wednesday, March 22 at the 5th St. Beanery, free, and 6 pm Thursday, March 23 at Cozmic Pizza. $3. — Tim O'Rourke
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