Eugene Weekly : Music : 4.14.11

 

Southern Bayou Boogie

The Louisiana-raised Texas-born Marcia Ball is a pianist/vocalist/songwriter known for her bluesy swamp pop and many years of touring musicianship. She is a natural, brought up in a family whose female members all played piano. Deeply inspired by the music of Irma Thomas, Marcia boasts a 40-year music career that has been featured in publications such as USA Today, Keyboard, and DownBeat. She has just released her 15th solo recording, Roadside Attractions and she is headed for Eugene.

The queen of bayou boogie is not only an amazing songwriter but an absolutely killer pianist. Live, she can grip her audience between the black and white ivories while spinning tales of classic southern character, love and family ties. The songs she will be performing from Roadside Attractions differ from those of her previous albums, as Ball has written or co-written each ballad ã something she had never before done over the course of her expansive career. Listeners will be in for a rootsy roadhouse romp of keyboard mastery and authentic southern boogie. Marcia Ball plays at 8:30 pm Saturday, April 16, at Cozmic Pizza; $23 adv., $25 door. ã Dante Zu¿iga-West

 

Steampunk Electronica

There are three different spellings of the mythological Greek craftsman Daedaluss name. James Joyces reoccurring figure, Stephen Dedalus, in both his A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and his epic Ulysses is depicted as a nascent explorer (some critics say that mirrored the character of Joyce himself) of experiences in art and life. Though he is not eloquently enshrouded in a literary stream-of-consciousness technique, L.A.s Daedelus prefers to melt minds on the dance floor via his orchestrated labyrinth of glitchy, trip-hoppy, electronic Victorianism.

Whilst craning over his Monome ã a large, wooden interface box with a grid of small, identical square silicon buttons ã Alfred Darlington (Daedelus) with his mutton chops, pasty hair and natty Victorian suits, patches together beats on the fly for high-as-a-kite ravers and electronica aficionados alike. Patchwork is the term to describe Darlingtons music. Snooty critics have termed it as having a “lack of cohesion,” or being “eager-to-please ADD,” but Daedelus is really more performer than composer. While some of his tracks may seem cluttered, they also reflect the artistic creativity of an all-American boy piecing together and reworking snippets of a crazed industrial culture. Darlington orchestrates an electronic steampunk interlocking of hip hop beats, odd monologues, and everything else from dub to triphop as he swipes and punches at his dizzying grid of illuminated buttons. Daedeluss show is an electronic performance unto itself, and as much as he wouldnt want you to stand and stare (hes very conscious of crowd reaction), one cant help but to ogle the master at work. A figure from a waning industrial age with his box of magic sounds, Daedelus continues to reinvent the definition of performance and improvised electronica. Daedelus plays at 9 pm Wednesday, April 20 at the WOW Hall; $12 adv., $15 door. ã Andrew Hitz

 

The Grrrlz are Back in Town

Grrrlz Rock, the organization dedicated to celebrating the contributions women make to the local arts scene, is hosting a showcase of talented performers at Cozmic Pizza this Sunday.

Girl musicians, troupes from The Dance Factory and father/daughter circus act Freepilesirkus will entertain audiences throughout the day. The event is a fundraiser for their CD compilation project, scheduled for release early this summer. The CD will prominently feature girl bands and was recorded at live shows throughout the year. The liner artwork will be original pieces from the musicians and the art will be on display during the event. New CDs from several participants will be available, along with Grrrl-gear prizes for the winners of the door drawings.

Organizer Matrisha Armitage says to look forward to regular events in the months leading up to the Grrrlz Rock Festival in November. She is working to reach out to local girls and encourage their participation in the arts. The proceeds will be used to sponsor the next generation of “grrrlz” in their endeavors. The Grrrlz Rock Showcase will be at Cozmic Pizza from 3 pm to 11 pm Sunday, April 17, $3-5 donation, all ages. ã Bronwynn Manaois

 

Outlaws and Carnies

Anyone with a proper hillbilly name and a back-up band named after some of societys least desirables deserves further investigation.

The sideshow attraction that is Bob Wayne and the Outlaw Carnies pull up in their signature black Cadillac limo, complete with horns and a John Deere RV, to the Axe and Fiddle this Thursday night.

On tour to promote their first studio album, Outlaw Carnie, Wayne and his vintage-hillbilly, road-warrior sound have taken a dust-covered boot step from selling homemade CDs out of the back of the Caddy.

As a former roadie for Hank III, Waynes own gritty, “more punk than country” sound evolved to its fight-at-a-trucker-roadhouse style. Wayne is the sordid underbelly of the American road, mixing classic Americana stand-up bass and banjos with punk-a-billy electric guitar.

Songs like “Everythings Legal in Alabama,” Waynes personal favorite on the album, features fellow bad-boy Wayne Hancock and makes you want to slam a few Budweisers and join the carnies to see just what you can get away with out there on the open road. Bob Wayne and the Outlaw Carnies play the Axe & Fiddle at 7 pm Thursday, April 14, $5. ã Bronwynn Manaois