Back Beat

This Sunday, Feb. 9, would have been the 26th annual Eugene Record Convention. With the passing of the convention’s beloved founder Bill Finneran in October, the reins have passed to Thomas Jones of Portland. Jones, owner of Crossroads Music (a Portland record shop), has been frequenting the event since 1997 and this year, he hosts a continuation of the convention, the Eugene Record Show, 10 am to 5 pm Feb. 9, at the Eugene Hilton; $3 (or $15 for early entry 7 to 10 am). “It’s basically the same thing,” Jones says, adding, “there may be a substantial number of dealers that haven’t been there before.” Jones notes that Eugene’s yearly record mecca has always been a bit more special than the biannual conventions in Portland and other cities. “The dealers are really able to reload,” he says. “It’s always a new experience.”

Why not start drinking green beer five weeks early? Luckey’s hosts a “Pre-Saint Patty’s Day Party” 10 pm Saturday, Feb. 8. Celtic country punk band Sid and Fancy will join Irish rockers Toad in the Hole in cracking floors and inciting jigs.

As part of special programming in conjunction with the exhibit Emancipating the Past: Kara Walker’s Tales of Slavery and Power at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, the Tardis Ensemble will explore musical themes drawing on Antebellum America in The American South, a free concert 2 pm Sunday, Feb. 9, in the museum’s Papé Reception Hall. UO musicology instructor Larry Wayte will lead a discussion after the show.

Don’t miss: The blues-folk-rock of The Wood Brothers at Feb. 6 at WOW Hall; the funky polyrhythmics of Human Ottoman with Lady Paw Feb. 7 at Wandering Goat; the Grease Sing-a-long Movie & Sock Hop Feb. 8 at Upstart Crow Studios.