Adventure Galley – (David, Aaron, George, Jesse, Forrest, and Brock)
You know we have been waiting to see these guys live since we caught their very abbreviated partial show at WoW Hall with Jultopia’s for their CD release party (see http://theclubcircuit.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/tcc-is-back-review-of-jultopia-adventure-galley-and-white-arrows-wow-hall-october-14-2011/) – and at last our patience was rewarded. And this was TCC’s first official venture into truly mobile format as well, so several firsts for this evening (including a new venue – see Spotlight below). After a brief delay for setting up/tuning up/sound check, we were ready to get seriously crazy with these guys!
This set featured songs from their upcoming album, which continues their growth on synthesizers and lovely vocals, while the guitars and drums held a strong foundation – loved it! All of their songs have so much going on, you hardly know where to start – three different keyboards, drums and lead with bass guitars keep everything lively, hopping and dancing. Which, with a little coercion from the guys onstage, finally got the audience off their feet and out on the floor.
They give “dance party” a whole new definition – kind of etheric, with a healthy dose of pop, based on immensely talented musicians who take the standard and make it something unique to them.
The only thing I can say against the show was that it started entirely too late, and the sound was quite a bit louder than it really needed to be – but that’s it!
I really didn’t know what to expect at this little bistro tucked up next to UofO’s campus – I’d heard good things about their food but it is difficult to run a live music show at a restaurant, honestly. What works here is having separate rooms from the main bar that gives folks a chance to participate i f they want to or – or not, as the case may be.
The bistro is pretty, clean, and eclectic decorations which makes for a fun environment to hang out in regardless of what else is going on. They have a full bar, a nice selection of brews on tap and a good wine selection as well as a gourmet menu of delectable food items.
One drawback was lighting (or the lack thereof). Just can’t do much in a restaurant with lighting for a music show! Call it mood lighting and all is well.
This review is split in two – no way I could put both of Friday’s shows into one column!
I wanted to make a special point to be here and see Scott Austin in an acoustic show. The last time I saw him (see review 8/13/11) it was in a much different venue, and with The Everyone’s Band backing him. That was where I first fell in love with his poetry of word and song.
In an acoustic show, Scott has one of those voices that sits like a perfect single-malt scotch – smooth and mellow at first, following with a warm afterglow. Velvet, silk, honey… none of those capture his voice, but somewhere in all of that is Scott. His guitar work is equally enchanting; a sweet backdrop to his picturesque lyrics. His songs speak to everyone equally, bearing witness to the common threads in our lives.
By request, he gave us a stellar performance of “Crazy Awesome” which the audience just devoured. Another one of my favorites, “Happy Now” was also very memorably portrayed. Both of these are available on Scott’s debut EP album, “Into The Light” which you can find online or at the merch table of his shows.
Select covers were mixed throughout his originals, each performed in a uniquely Scott Austin fashion. One of my favorite covers from last night was Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry” – done un-reggaed and what I call “Scott-ified.” Just loved it! He makes every one of his covers become one of his own creations, each an original work of art in his loving care.
On many of them, like “Let It Be,” it took a few moments for the audience to figure out why a song sounded familiar – and then you’d see the collective “ahh!” as recognition dawned on us. In a very real and personal way, it was a true collective experience. Rarely do I see an audience, especially one in a small tavern setting, become a communal creature, but this is exactly the effect Scott has. It is a unique talent and one we seem to have lost – I continue to be reminded of Seger, Springsteen, or even Dylan, when I watch Scott perform his magic.
He also makes a point of connecting with individuals throughout the club, grinning and cracking jokes between songs, nodding and smiling with eye-to-eye contact during a song. I’d be hard-pressed to recommend a more mellow and perfect end to a work week. Find Scott on FB, bandcamp, and ReverbNation so you can be sure to catch his next live show.
Scott’s set list (actually his repertoire) :
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SPOTLIGHT – WestEnd Tavern, 563 West Centennial Boulevard, Springfield, OR
This little bar is tucked away in one of our ubiquitous strip malls – you might miss it at a casual glance. But it was obvious from the nearly full house that many folks consider it worth their time and trouble to be there. It seemed to be a friendly and warm establishment; upon walking through the doors for the first time last night we were greeted with a hearty “hi! how are you?” from the personable lady behind the bar. They have a nice selection of mouth-watering hot dishes and a full bar, with some nice Hop Valley on tap including the seasonal Bad Tempered Gnome, an excellent brew for those of us that love and appreciate a dark-natured ale.
For such a tiny place, the sound was absolutely lovely. It might have something to do with the unfinished wood walls, aided by its unique floorplan – not quite an L, almost a Z-shaped layout.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and, now that we know where to find it, will be looking forward to coming again to see live local music.
Well, first off, apologies for this being sooooo late (nearly a week) – call it Turkey Day – A – Phobia, or just a lack of time while trying to get EVERYTHING else done on this three-day work day work week… but I do apologize to all three bands for this being so way freaking LATE… then the technical difficulties attached to going offline and all that…
nevertheless, we have PHOTOS and COMMENT from last Saturday’s show at Quackers (and a Spotlight for the venue to boot, go TCC!) so here we go, ready or not! And as this is our final and last column before we go off the grid (with downstairs neighbors pounding on the ceiling/floor below us, guess we need to take it down a notch maybe???) we give you….
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Open – Dead Set Life (no info online for this band!) I would get you set up with how to contact this band, but they have very little online info available unfortunately….
Photographer Jeanice and I absolutely LOVED these guys, who evidently wish to remain anonymous online (huh?!!) as we could find nothing about them on the internet at all but some blank FB and old myspace pages with no band member names etc. So…. going just on the basis of what we saw of them live, while only 3 members were in this night’s show, I understand another guitarist was unavailable for this show but they still completely awed us. I think they have played this venue previously and we just missed them but we won’t do that again if we can help it, trust me. The first thing I noticed was their vocals – I could understand them (and lyrics that made sense), and that each of these guys make this incredible wall of sound look so easy -
drums were so simple, eloquent and tight, heavy on cymbal (with one cymbal? WTF? evidently the rest of the brass was forgotten until the show started!)
So yeah, we won’t mention how the brass rack arrived via friend in the middle of the set… right? Damn, I just mentioned it, didn’t I?
Bass knows his business, keeping it snapping and lively while running backup vox – nicely done!
And lest we forget, frontman on lead/rhythm guitar AND vox extraordinaire… if we said his guitar weeps and wails, would you hear it? If we said his vocals were clear, pretty one moment and biting the next, would you hear it?!!
Face it – if you weren’t there, you DIDN’T hear it… your loss!
I loved the repartee between the band members and the audience. I liked that they work with what they’ve got to KICK YOUR A$$! I can’t honestly imagine what they sound with four members playing… we especially loved “Rat Race” opening and absolutely LOVED “STRAIT JACKET” – and that the bass player hung out with us most of the night, chatting and trading impressions of the other bands – thanks for the awesome night!
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Second up – Vial…Experiment (see FB and ReverbNation pages, right?!)
The last time we saw these guys it was a very short set at 2am… Coming on after Dead Set Life as second up, this was our first chance to see them play a full set – and that not in a cramped, rushed venue – right?
Call them stoner psychedelic metal (if there is any such thing) – they feel almost oriental in their chord progressions and patterns, not to mention their time signatures…
We were bludgeoned!! Absolutely loved their cover of AIC’s “Junkhead”….
Kevlar (we know him by another name but no matter!) is completely captivating as frontman lead vox and guitar – we would almost forget what we were waiting for -
Gary’s guitar just RIPS (and yes, darling, your hair is gorgeous as you whip your head around).
Tony on bass just stands there, pounding sound around everyone, mohawk standing standing proudly.
And their temporary drummer (who is nameless at this moment but not without image, right?!!) absolutely nailed every song, every time… HIRE THIS MAN NOW… need I say more???
I’ll always love how Kevlar switches it out from screamo to lead vox (me being the NOT screamo fan, right – except for Slipknot/Stone Sour and the like)… Also love how Kev and Gary play guitar in unison between guitars which is really unusual…
should be payed more and kept on – he was seriously SICK – and was that a Gladhander shirt Gary was wearing??? gotta love Eugene’s serious support in the music scene here!!
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Last up… Gladhander
What can I say about these guys??? We loved them when we saw them in Last Band Standing, but this was the first time we could see them play a full set – they are the fully elemental hard rock band definition.
Mitch is completely beyond description with his clear and cutting vocals and searing lead/rhythm guitar licks.
Dave on bass is headbanging amazing, and
Kasey on drums keeps everyone in line while keeping up the energy.
One of the amazing things about these guys is their energy – cataclysmic….
We were completely blown away with this set… beyond words, sorry – I was left speechless…
all these bands have Facebook or ReverbNation or myspace pages – but more than anything else you want to CONNECT with them so LIKE THOSE PAGES – RIGHT?!!!
and always Always ALWAYS – go see LIVE LOCAL MUSIC when you can… enuf said…
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SPOTLIGHT – Quacker’s Last Stop – 2105 West 7th Avenue, Eugene
With no house PA system but a couple full-size floor speakers, that’s ok – the fact that this sports bar venue is sponsoring (no cover at the door) live local bands speaks volumes. They have a decent-sized stage, nicely appointed, with real huge wood insets on the stage back and surprisingly good sound flow through the club.
Mitch Chamberlain (from Gladhander) tells me their food is amazing, with a wood-fired pizza oven and grill – it sounded amazing but with the holidays fast approaching and my pants already fitting tighter than I would like, I took a pass on the menu.
It was a very nice venue and we look forward to coming back to see more local live bands play here – ya’ll should seriously check this out!
So here I was, dead (really, actually dead – just hadn’t had a chance to be declared legally dead by the coroner but in every other way, I was DEAD, trust me) with so little sleep as to be in the negative zone at this point… and it was Friday and Robert Meade was playing a solo acoustic show at Mulligan’s Pub… and me without my trusty pad of paper and pen… or photographer sidekicks??? WTF?!!! Nevertheless, I did want to hear Rob, he is so amazing – if you haven’t heard him before look him up on FB and plan to be there, right?!
So I could only stay for one set (and the pictures are stolen from Rob’s FB page) – but here is what I loved in just 60 minutes:
He starts the set early (slated for 9pm, he opens at 8:45p)
Someone (not sure who it was, Mulligan’s regulars will know him I am sure) drops in some mouth harp at the bar… to which Rob manages to cajole and sweet-talk into sharing the mike with him on the cover of Petty’s “MaryJane’s Last Dance” which was every way awesome!
This really sweet instrumental piece that I absolutely fell in love with… so I grab him after the first set when I need to leave (or risk driving completely somnambulent at this point) and ask for the title, he tells us, ‘There is no title for the instrumental right now. I’ve just stuck it in front of an existing song called “Run” for the time being…” which is no help at all but he does give us a link to listen here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JVxMvndWEQ.
Rob is gearing up for his upcoming “Sundance” tour with Nathan Lynch (who partnered with Rob on his recent Santa Monica tour), heading it off with a 2012 New Year’s show at Luckey’s on January 4th.
If you are anything like me (completely NOT patient), Rob gives us some comfort – ” JUST IN: Nathan and I are playing for a full night at Black Forest on Thursday Dec. 1st to raise funds for the trip.”
Spotlight on: Mulligan’s Pub – 2841 Willamette Street Eugene, Oregon
This is your average neighborhood kick-back spot, with a couple of pool tables and a nice bar – but they feature live local musicians every week which gives them a huge THUMB’S UP from your’s truly, right? And the fact that the folks there (at the bar and on the tables) were applauding (rather than ignoring) the featured artist playing that night speaks volumes. I did at first think I was the only girl in attendance, but there were others there, they just were very quiet (very much not like me!) and I must have missed them at first glance =)~
We really didn’t know what to expect with either of these bands – but seeing as how we’d never been to Luckey’s for a show either, we figured all bets were on! So without further ado, we give you…
Leaves Russell (Matthew Russell – vox/keys; Isaac Medina – bass; Thacher Schmid – strings/vox; Jackson Conrad – drums)
Wow – where do I even start?!! This four-piece band from Portland blew us away… First, I have never heard or seen a band that plays progressive/alt rock that didn’t have a lead or rhythm guitarist, but Thacher’s strings are far and away some of the best lead riffs I’ve heard. If you could put Transcending Maya with This Patch of Sky, and then add a little Forever Growing into the mix, you might see a shadow of what this band gave us.
Matt’s vocals are pure honey, with a range that goes from sultry to raw power, and his proficiency on the keyboards was simply beautiful. Jackson’s drums alternated between pounding and a sweet, simple foundation, and Isaac’s bass (both electric and standing) was a different kind of perfection, running a steady stream of dark melodies like the undercurrent of a river that you just wanted to drown in. And seriously? He makes love to and with his standing bass, swaying and weaving with it – it was… hot!
Thacher’s backup vocals were perfect, blending so seamlessly with Matt’s lead vocals that you could hardly tell where one started and the other came in. And his work on the strings (violin and what they called a “mini-guitar” – it wasn’t a dulcimer or mandolin, I’m not sure what the actual definition of that instrument is!)… I don’t know where to begin. If I say that they were hot and bright and hard and completely amazing, that wouldn’t even come close to adequately describing it.
The combination of the vocals with the keyboards and violin was haunting, evocative of your darkest fantasy – just lovely. Their songs run from funk to eclectic to light-hearted stomps. I bought a CD – it’s become my new obsession! Find them on Facebook and ReverbNation. Truthfully – I think their live work completely outshines their studio album – check out this recent video from Portland’s Hawthorne Theatre:
Scott Austin and The Everyone’s Band (Scott Austin: acoustic guitar, lead vocals; Ben Klenz: drums; Joe Intile: bass, backing vocals; David Michael Frank: electric guitar, backing vocals; Erik Berg-Johansen: violin)
What a great group of guys outta Eugene! They were lively and tight, with Scott on acoustic guitar and lead vocals. Erik’s violin was an interesting addition to this grassroots jam band. Folks were immediately out on the floor, struttin’ and cuttin’ moves – even the folks playing pool were bobbing and weaving. Scott reminds me a bit of Bruce Springstein and Bob Seger – not so much in sound but just his energy, as his music comes shooting straight from the heart. He has this magnetism that pulls you in to the party!
And it was fun to see Robert Meade (who recently opened for Floater at the WoW Hall), snapping pics and cuttin’ it up on the floor as well – got to say hi and get a hug, always a treat! Also note – Scott’s guitar is NOT pink as it looks in the photos – not sure why the stage lights were pretty much off for their set, but his guitar is a natural blond wood, not pink!! And me without my fedora too – man, I really shoulda worn it…
The backup vocals by David were nice, and his riffs were well done too. I really liked Erik’s violin work with the guitars, it made for a great combination. Scott’s lyrics are easy to understand, speaking of things that everyone can relate to, and the composition of his music is just pure fun. I think most of his previous work has been solo, with a band backing him being a fairly recent addition. With the addition of the Everyone’s Band, it just brought up the exponential element of his work. We especially liked the title track from his recent EP, “Into The Light.”
Spotlight – Luckey’s Club Cigar (933 Olive Street, Eugene, Oregon)
This was our first visit to this venue, one of Eugene’s oldest establishments. Walking in, it felt warm and inviting – we could still almost smell and see the blue cigar smoke haze from times past. I think they must have the longest bar of any club I’ve ever been in! The club is big and dark and feels very much like a place where you wanna just put your feet up and have a cold (or hot – depending on the weather) beverage. With a full bar, you could easily spend most of an afternoon or evening perfectly content. They have three pool tables, with tables and seating scattered throughout the club, as well as several black leather couches close to the stage and a huge dance floor area. The house sound was excellent, and the stage, while deceptively small, has enough depth to allow folks room to move while performing onstage. We definitely liked this club and are looking forward to coming back soon!
I knew we were gonna be pummeled but just could not resist the opportunity to follow Nancy Glass’ advice (see her Night on the Town column dated July 30, 2011: http://eugenedailynews.com/2011/07/30/night-on-the-town-16/) and see two of Eugene’s finest metal bands lined up with two bands from Roseburg to make a seriously hard freaking rock show for a Saturday night. It was all that – we had an awesome time, and even got a chance to sneak in a few surprises to boot!
Dead Horizon (Ryan Gould-vocals; Jake Logsdon-drums; Rosco Perkins-bass; Paul Radon-guitar; Brandon Chapman-guitar)
So, remembering that neither photographer Jeanice nor myself find ourselves seriously hard-core screamo fans (no apologies here!), we decided to focus primarily on the musicianship for this Roseburg-based band. And we were definitely not disappointed – this is a very tight band, with a lot of energy and good stage presence. Front man Ryan knows how to pull the crowd in, Shephard pounds on drums (without a shirt on which was a different kind of distraction!) along with Rosco’s ripping bass, and both Brandon’s and Paul’s guitars are hard-driving solid walls of screaming sound. They did a great job of mixing up the music between the guitars, and it was so nice to see Rosco not playing the typical hide-n-seek bass player role – he was front and center, directing traffic alongside Ryan! Ryan’s vocals did include some spoken/sung parts which were nice when they happened alongside Brandon’s occasional vocal contributions. Their timing was perfect throughout the set which was also really nice – an excellent set by a great band! Find them here: http://www.myspace.com/thedeadhorizon; http://www.reverbnation.com/thedeadhorizon; http://www.facebook.com/thedeadhorizon?
The last time I saw these guys was during the 2011 Last Band Standing competition, and getting a chance to catch up with Mitch after the set tonight was awesome (thanks Mitch!!). For a trio, these guys have a much bigger sound than the sum of their parts. Dave’s bass snaps and pops, and Mitch’s guitar work is always a treat, with silky-smooth transitions from running rhythm guitar backgrounds while carrying the lead vocals to killer lead guitar riffs. Kasey’s drumming is still flawless, using the double-pedal bass kick to full effect and keeping the different time signatures flowing smoothly within the songs. I especially liked the two song medley (“Spit” which transitioned into “Fine”). Always a pleasure to see these guys again, find them here: http://www.facebook.com/gladhandermusic?; http://www.reverbnation.com/gladhander; http://gladhandermusic.com
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Lidless Eye (Matt Webber/vocals), Jay Stanturf /rhythm guitar, Brian Auer/lead guitar, Tony Marin /drums, Nick Kirby/bass
With screamo lyrics by front-man Matt that I could understand mixed with straight vocals, I actually enjoyed this hard-core set from the second Roseburg band of the evening. They have an excellent, tight sound, with Jay and Brian’s guitars blending seamlessly, Nick’s bass in-your-face pounding, and Tony’s drumming was just spectacular. Not to mention Matt’s serious energy (the pictures show nothing – it was just impossible to catch him standing still!) combined with this solid wall of sound – I kept saying “Wow!” over and over (to Jeanice’s annoyance after awhile!). Since these guys are based out of Roseburg, I didn’t do a lot of research on them prior to the show. It wasn’t until Jay popped a string right after the second song and Matt asked Brian to do a guest guitar solo that I realized there was more here than I first realized – for that you have to backtrack five years, when I lived for a year in Roseburg and got to know the most amazing cover band that has ever existed called “Silent Witness” (which I think has since disbanded). They still have a video floating around (although someone completely over-produced it after the fact) called “Technical Difficulties” where you can see the lead guitarist playing the most amazing guitar solo… well, it used to be the most amazing guitar solo, until I heard Brian tonight. But it was Matt’s use of the phrase that clued me in – he kept repeating, “we are experiencing some minor technical difficulties…” and then would glance at Brian. After the second time he did that, I took a hard look at Brian – and realized it was the SAME guitarist from my favorite Roseburg cover band! What he did tonight was so astounding (and it is probably just normal messing around for him) – I’m not sure who the composer is and title of the piece, but I can recognize classical music (especially piano) when I hear it, and the guitar solo Brian performed sounded like nothing I’ve ever heard before – a freaking harpsichord on steriods!! Simply amazing, he is absolutely one of the most gifted guitarists I have ever seen, and of course we chatted really briefly after their set while they were tearing down. Finally, you had to see Matt during the last song when he decided (with a cordless mic) to take a tour through the club while singing the vocals and ran out the door to the street, then back in and out on the floor with the crowd just screaming… Who cares what the people outside the club thought – it was just awesome!! Do NOT be surprised when these guys go national – I suspect that is just a matter of time. Find them here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lidless-Eye-Band/189361904415097?; www.reverbnation.com/lidlesseyemusic
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Vial Experiment (Kevlar/ guitar-vocals; Gary Hutchings/lead guitar, Tony Hahne/bass; Linn Wheeler/drums)
It was so late by the time these guys hit the stage (2am) that their set was cut short, but I’m glad we stayed to catch what we could from them! First, I really like their “grunge” drone sound, and Kevlar’s vocals that mix screamo with regular lyrics. Their sound reminds me like a cross between Pink Floyd and Rush, but gone completely metal – Gary’s guitar drives freaking hard with Kev running alongside him, and Tony’s bass work is excellent. Linn’s drums were awesome as well, timing dead on and without a flaw. The lead vocal mic could have used a little less reverb, but otherwise it was a great set. Being a huge AIC fan, I loved their cover of “Junkhead” with their own unique twist, turning this hard rock song into screamo-metal but it worked! I’ll be looking forward to seeing them again for a full set. Find them here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/vialexperiment/103480626362242?; http://www.reverbnation.com/vialexperiment
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Spotlight – John Henry’s , 77 W Broadway, Eugene, OR
What can I say about John Henry’s? It felt like coming home (we spent ten successive weeks there covering the 2011 Last Band Standing competition), with Brooklyn Jay behind the bar pouring the baddest-a$$ drinks in town – always ready with a joke, snarl, or a grin (sometimes all three at once!). The club is creepy, with cobwebs hanging from the rafters (untenanted as far as I can tell) that apparently are leftover from some previous Halloween party, your basic black and red flat finish paint for decor, a spacious black and white tile dance floor, and a killer house sound system – we just love the place! Definitely one of my absolute fave clubs for live entertainment – they have fun stuff happening every night of the week so you have zero excuse for sitting on the couch bemoaning the fact that your social calendar is empty on any given day… Check out their Facebook page for regular and special events and be sure to “friend” them or you’ll seriously miss out!
We had an amazing weekend, with lots of stuff to see and hear and write about! Friday found us at the WoW Hall to catch Robert Meade opening for Floater on July 22, 2011. Robert is a pretty new addition to the Eugene music scene, having started out south of us, traveling to the East Coast, and then finally landing here . This solo guitarist/vocalist has a great voice (reminds me of Smashing Pumpkin’s Billy Corgan) and commanding stage presence, and his guitar work is first-rate as well. We really liked his opening number, “All & Everywhere” with its snappy/poppy folk sounds and nice energy. His vocal range is excellent, and he started building a rapport with the audience (primarily just killing time until Floater hit the stage) early in the set. The crowd (pretty thin at the beginning of the set) soon increased, as more folks trickled in and stayed, cheering after each song finished. His second song, “On The Beach” is a pretty ballad, with a nice transition up to a plaintive, high energy “hard” folk piece. Maybe you could call it “modern folk” if there is such a term. I especially liked how he used the last part of the word “beach” to create the sound of waves breaking. “Lingerie” followed that, with more excellent vocal effects. The entire set was entirely too short (in my opinion), closing with a unique cover of John Lennon’s “Happiness (Is A Warm Gun)” that was just perfect. While I thoroughly liked this solo set, I could almost hear him backed by drums and a bass guitar. Go figure – I checked out his history after the show and he used to have a backing band of anywhere from two to four other members previous to starting his solo gig in 2010. I’ll definitely be keeping an ear tuned for more from this talented musician!
Set List: All & Everywhere, On The Beach, Lingerie, Cambio, Holla, I Want Love, Happiness (Is A Warm Gun) (cover)
Saturday found us slummin it downtown at Diablo’s to catch a couple cover bands that are hardly anything short of amazing. I don’t usually “cover” cover bands, but couldn’t resist this opportunity to hear some old-school rock!
The Seven Surfers – Diablo’s, July 23, 2011
A trio of talented guys consisting of Pete Weinberger (lead guitar), Mike Nemeth (bass), and Matt Vargus (drums), we were pleasantly surprised by both their amazing musicianship and the energy flowing between them and the audience. As Mike will tell you, they subscribe to the “church of surf,” their music bringing us back to simpler and happier (but definitely not more innocent!) times. They were a refreshing break from my self-ascribed penchant for searching out new local hard/alt rock music. I had to ask after their set where the rest of the band was (as only three were there tonight), and Mike laughed and yelled, “SHARK!” One never knows whether he’s serious or just messin with you, but I suspect in this case it was the latter. While no one got up and danced (which was an absolute shame), there was no head not bobbing or foot not tapping through their entire set. I think they do have several songs in their set that are originals in addition to the traditional covers, such as “Wipeout!” – I’ll have to confirm that as I’m just not familiar enough with this style or music period to be anything close to an expert. I can tell you that Pete’s guitar work is absolutely flawless, Matt pounding along on drums with more energy than I would have thought possible without missing a beat or speeding up or slowing down, and Mike’s bass guitar riffs running alongside the guitar for a wicked-sweet, full sound that was pure pleasure. Don’t try to find them online tho – they seem to have stayed true to the 60′s music scene and are nearly non-existent on the web! I did manage to get some contact info for Mike and Pete individually tho, you can find both of them on Facebook – check the Diablo’s events calendar periodically as they are a favorite of the patrons there and visit regularly.
The Kingpins
With a psychedelic light show backdrop from “The Godfather” (aka Don), the band is: Greg Scott on guitar and vocals, George Nash on guitar, keyboards, harmonica, and vocals, Marcus “The Man” Mueller on bass and vocals, and Jeff Alberts on drums and vocals. Covering 60′s oldies such as The Doors (Greg looks and sounds like Jim Morrison!) and Velvet Underground, these guys play some serious old-school rock-n-roll. I especially liked their cover of Peter Weir (Fleetwood Mac)’s “Oh Well.” Lots of folks got up and danced for this set which was fun to watch and only added to the performance. Another group of excellent musicians – and again, as I don’t usually review cover bands they will only get a passing glance here, but you definitely want to catch these guys live at Diablo’s if you haven’t previously – outstanding musicians and funny as well!
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Spotlight – Diablo’s Downtown Lounge (959 Pearl Street, Eugene, Oregon)
Located next to the Greyhound Bus Station, this club is a favorite for folks who want to kick back and relax in a rather diabolically-decorated, yet comfortable lounge. If seriously twisted is your thing, head downstairs to the basement where they have regular events including Fetish Night. I’m not sure what was going on below us during our visit (rumor had it possibly a rave), but the bass pounding through the floor kind of set my teeth on edge. We opted not to explore downstairs, but instead availed ourselves of front row seating in front of the stage in the main street level lounge. Anvil, who runs house sound while doubling as bar-back, was friendly and informative (and hella cute to boot!). I loved the awesome etched black ceiling tiles, and they have an absolutely first rate wood dance floor in front of the decently-sized raised stage. We’ll be back on August 6 to see IB6-UB9 playing with Eastman Band and will definitely get there early for optimal seating! For more info, check out their webpage at http://diabloseugene.com/club_info.html.
This weekend found us visiting two different Whiteaker clubs for our Friday and Saturday explorations, one we had previously visited before and a brand new venue. The entertainment offered between the two almost differed as widely as do the establishments themselves – we saw folks performing folk / blues and bluegrass/Appalachian folk on Friday, and what I can only call funk hard rock (you’d have to see them to understand that!) on Saturday. But enough with the intros – here’s the scoop!
Friday, July 15, 2011 at Sam Bond’s Garage, Eugene, Oregon –
Tumbledown House
This duo from Bozeman, Montana were excellent, with the amazingly sultry, dulcet tones of Gillian Howe paired with Tyler Miller on guitar who strummed and noodled like a classic master. It was a delightful set – Tyler also provides very nice vocals as well. We absolutely loved Gillian’s peacock lace dress with ribbed stockings and western boots (ok, I like eclectic fashions!). Tyler’s patter between the songs was both witty and barbed, really fun. They throw in a respectable amount of bluegrass with what would best be termed “caberet” folk stylings sprinkled throughout. While most of the set were original songs from their recently released self-titled album, they did throw in a couple covers at the end of the set. Gillian makes nice use of a bullet mic as well. It was a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable performance – thanks for coming to Eugene, TH! Find this awesome pair on Facebook, Myspace, and at tumbledownhouse.com.
Blackberry Bushes – Kendl Winter (banjo, vocals), Jes Raymond (guitar, vocals), Jakob Breitbach (fiddle, vocals), River Breitbach (hope I have that right – most of the info online did not include info on this amazing mandolin playing madman!), and Joe Capoccia (upright bass, vocals).
notice Sam Bond’s fan in the foreground!
By the time this Olympia, Washington group opened their set, the club was packed (as in SRO) - Jeanice had to elbow her way through the crowd to the front of the stage for pictures! We loved this band – the vocals by Kendl and Jes were so sweet (reminded me of Dixie Chicks), with excellent mandolin strumming and picking by River. Kendl’s banjo picking was amazing, weaving around and through Joe’s bass thumping. Jakob on fiddle was pure joy – he tore it up! Bluegrass never sounded so good, I really wish this venue had a full-sized dance floor although folks did manage to stomp around in front of the stage anyways. We were mesmerized – I didn’t want to stop watching and listening to take notes! Joe’s vocals on “Virginia” were a treat (he wrote that song), and Jes’ boot stomping was beyond description – she’s awesome! They used some excellent tempo changes throughout as well. If you weren’t there, you missed a helluva party! Find them on Facebook, Myspace, and their webpage at http://theblackberrybushes.com.
Saturday, July 16, 2011 at the Wandering Goat, Eugene, Oregon –
The Filthiest People Alive – Ken Howe (drums), Andrew Lathrop (rhythm guitar,harmonica, vocals), Jeff Matthews (keyboards, lead vocals), Mike Tolman (lead guitar, vocals), Jeff Walske (bass)
Both bands made a point of catching up with us both before and during the show as well as between sets (thank you guys!!). I try to get a bit of info that may not be available to the casual online observer, so I asked Andrew and Mike what one thing would they want to say to other young bands in the area, and they were quick to answer: “Don’t give up!” I think that pretty well sums it up. The name comes from the old 70′s movie, “Pink Flamingos” (you’ll have to ask them for the specific reference, I can’t repeat it because it makes me laugh too hard to type!). As a band, they’ve been together for about five years now, and while several of the members are involved in other projects, FPA has still been active, frequently playing local venues such as the Wandering Goat and including some PDX events. Ken on drums is the most recent member of the band, having only been with them for about two years now. Jeff M.’s lead vocals bring a whole new definition to the term “bass” but don’t try to pin him to that one range – he can do an alto/tenor wail just as easily! He has the most amazing, ultra-cool funk rock stylings, boogie-ing along with the band when he wasn’t singing lead vocals – it was awesome! I also loved how they changed the vocals up between Mike and Andrew. Their transitions from funk to old school rock were excellent as well. Reminded me a bit of the Talking Heads on their second song, “Love and Money” (see full set list below). I really liked how all the guitars were absolutely tight with the bass and drums. The crowd loved these guys – Jeff M.’s keyboards on “Month of Mondays” (please gods, let that never happen!) were a really nice touch as well.
What I thought was pretty funny was that FPA made a point of saying that Poli High were their favorite local band – and guess who Poli High’s fave band is? Yep – you got it: FPA! I asked Andrew what was up with that (some kinda conspiracy maybe?!!) and he just laughed and explained that they are all friends, having known each other for years. They simply enjoy playing together – and it shows. They dedicated “No End” to Poli High which was cool, and I really liked “No End.” If it was possible for such a thing as hard R&B rock as a genre, then this band is IT. Andrew’s guitar work with the mouth harp on “You’ll Never Find Me” was perfection. I noticed nice tempo (and style) changes throughout the set as well, which kept the energy moving without dragging or stalling, especially in “Stealing Keats.” Ken’s drumming on “The Sickness” kicked a$$, with Mike’s lead guitar weaving such pretty melodies, that was definitely one of my favorite songs of the evening. Lyrically, their songs are as complex as the music – I’d love to get some lyric sheets (hint hint), I know I missed some of the poetry of the songs just being blown away by the awesome music.
Bottom line is this band puts on an awesome show, with front man Jeff’s theatrics just the icing on the cake as all of them are excellent musicians. I’d like to see them in a bigger venue, I noticed Jeff W. (aka bass man) tried to hide next to Ken’s drum kit, but Jeanice managed to catch him as well (don’t you love that expression – it just screams, “Wha? Wha you lookin’ at?!”). Whether he tries to hide or not, his bass work was straight on, and the audience adored Mike’s lead guitar riffs, which just ripped. The train rolling by periodically seemed to do nothing but add to the sound, almost as if they had it timed. It was pretty awesome! Find them on Facebook and Myspace – check out this youtube video – a couple years old, but it gives you an idea!
Set List: Kind Bud, Love and Money, Escape From the Earth, Month of Mondays, No End, Barely Legal (cover), You’ll Never Find Me, Stealing Keats, The Sickness, Blue Sky Man
Poli High – Matthew V. Le Shay (piano/vocals), Jonathan Bilenki (guitar/vocals), Trevor Enright (bass), Douglas Keilitz (drums)
Besides their AWESOME flyers (created by Matt), this band (their name comes from Harry Nilsson’s “The Point!”) packs some serious energy. Most of the members originally hail from the East Coast (Trevor being the exception as sole Oregonian), they also took the time to chat several times throughout the evening, especially Matt and Jon who made sure I got their set list (thanks!) and the flyer from the show (thank you thank you!!). Jon’s answer to my question of what would you want to say to local bands trying to make it was, “Don’t take yourself too seriously – have fun! Make music with your friends – buy a ukulele and sing birthday songs (preferably in one key)!” As I mentioned previously, these guys also stated that FPA was their fave local band – I still think that is really way cool and too funny! They are also one of the member bands of the collective “Working Stiff Music” (a group of sixteen local music groups – get a punch card, fill it out, get free stuff – excellent!). Matt’s keyboards are just astounding, you can definitely see his classical music background here. It’s hard to believe this band has been together less than a year. They do some nice transitions with different time signatures as well. Jon’s lead guitar riffs simply shine, with nice rhythm guitar strumming filling in and excellent vocal harmonies, and Trevor’s bass was well placed.
Smooth as silk, their R&B stylings are hard to put into any one genre. The club still had a full crowd for this set, and it was nice to have Doug playing drums with wrapped brushes, keeping a solid foundation without overwhelming the rest of the music. Trevor tried to hide as well (what is it about bass players wanting to fade into the background?!) but he played a solid and rock steady bass line throughout. Matt’s vocals are a gravel pathway riding on the front – an interesting and unusual effect for lead vocals. I especially liked “Performance Anxiety” as vaudeville funk comes on with a hard rock edge.
With nice intros for each song from Jon, I would have liked to see a bit more energy going back and forth between the band and the audience – it would have made this set go from noteable to astounding. They are obviously extremely talented musicians, and everything was so complex that I won’t even attempt to try to put this band in a box – Cake comes to mind, but only inasmuch as the stories in the songs were so twisted! I’ll definitely look forward to seeing them again to see their continued evolution towards perfection. Find them on Facebook, Myspace, and ReverbNation.
And less anyone thing Eugene’s music scene is competitive and closed, I’d beg to differ – see the fellow at the front of the stage? Sam Bond’s represents (again)!
Set List: Headspin (sound check – new song!), Totem Turtle (instrumental), Portholes & Porcupines, Performance Anxiety, Shiitake Attack, I’ll Trade You a Daisy [For a Mushroom]), Brundlefly, The Wickerman, Piss & Vinegar, Worm’s Eye, Sugar Cain
Spotlight – The Wandering Goat (268 Madison Street, Eugene, Oregon)
A very cute coffee café, this is not a bar (so don’t go expecting hard alcohol – although they do have Ninkasi on tap as well as a nice selection of house wines), the decor is basic black tables and chairs with mint green walls and an unfinished concrete floor, and very cool art work throughout the place. Situated on the far side (away from downtown) of the railroad tracks, this location gives a bit of competition to bands playing when the trains come through periodically (although it can – and did – provide a cool counterpoint!). They have a very nice house sound system, and the raised floor seating area doubles as a decent-sized stage. With select bagels, scones, and other baked goods as well as a homemade soup of the day and killer wraps, this place has everything you could want in a live music venue. They could use some fans (the kind that blow air – not people clapping!) facing the stage tho. Excellent service from the folks at the counter who were friendly, patient, and helpful (I had no idea what I wanted when I walked in – but I definitely recommend the single cup brewed Ethiopian Sidamo!). Don’t dress to impress when you come here, this is casual come-as-you-are comfort. I wasn’t feeling all that great and nearly canceled TCC’s attendance tonight, but I have to tell you I felt at least 150% better for having been here – they have the most amazing coffees, and the music was just perfect!
And we thought the bathrooms (ladies at least) which offered chalk to write on the walls was an awesome touch – and of course I couldn’t resist – so I had to make our mark for history (which has now become TCC’s new picture!!)
Dragging photographer Jeanice Marvel outta bed for Saturday night’s club circuit, we’re back in our element to stretch our respective experience envelopes, catching Eugene’s Saturday night eclectic mix of blues/folk rock, featuring all Eugene bands of Bryan Wood, B-Line, and Atomic Symphonic – and what an experience it was!
Bryan Wood – he is an amazing solo acoustic guitar/vocalist, with a nice range and a pure, sweet voice. Offering a folks/blues style, with poignant lyrics, Bryan reminds me of Plain White T’s stylings – Bryan has an incredible voice (amazing lungs!), this was a beautiful set, a poetry of voice and guitar. I was thinking he should be playing in a smoking club down in Soho (he even sports a nifty beret).
Bryan originally hails from Helena, Montana, but has been in Eugene for the past seven months – let’s hope he decides to make this his home! The crowd absolutely loved him (even tho I think he brought a few fans with) – I would definitely nominate him as a candidate for a future Eugene RAW show (and yes, I’ll be sending respective mail to those who need to know)! His upbeat laments show a strong blues root. He also does some nice work with his acoustic guitar – and a definite thank you for singing on pitch with a well-tuned guitar (our ears are blessed)! He also had some excellent patter with the audience between songs. I especially enjoyed “Playing the Fool, with its nice tempo changes. He has an excellent range in his vocals, and makes good use of varying styles of guitar chords with the vocals progressing throughout the set. We picked up a copy of his demo and previously released album, “The Experience” with his former bandmates – check him out at http://www.myspace.com/bryanwoodmusic/music.
B-Line
Our ear plugs were definitely IN for this set for sure (as Bowie of Transcending Maya says, “Safety First!”). This was a nice, tight young trio, featuring Joey Thomas on lead guitar, vocals; Tyson on bass, vocals; and Jacob Thomas on drums - for your basic trash punk rock, these guys are your band! Jacob’s drums were excellent, with Tyson’s bass pounding and Joey’s lead guitar riffs hard driving and solid. Not being huge fans of “punk rock” (the Ramone’s, notwithstanding), these guys were excellent. I could simply not like these guys! They are all amazing musicians and vocalists, catching and holding my attention (and that of the audience) for the entire set. Joey made some nice transitions between rhythm and lead guitar riffs, and their cover of the Offspring’s “The Noose” was – well, unique to say the least – Tyson’s bass literally flew! They also had good communication with the audience as well, but I would have liked to have better intros for the songs with titles. Both Joey and Tyson handled the lead and back vocals equally well. Jacob’s vocals weren’t bad either (I noted someone after the set outside making a point of that song being their fave of the night). It’s hard to go wrong with this particular genre on vocals, but Jacob’s drum solo was much more memorable! These guys work hard – check them out at http://www.facebook.com/pages/B-Line/137324119631850?sk=app_2405167945#!/pages/B-Line/137324119631850?sk=wall and http://www.reverbnation.com/bliner.
First, thank you for intro-ing each song with its title so we could follow the set =) With a full house when they started their set close to midnight, this blues/surf/punk band defies definition (so I won’t try!). They opened with “Saturday Morning Cautions” and the first thing I thought was, “Adam Sandler!” – if anyone wants to argue the point with me, they are welcome to, but I do have to say that Austin does a better job of Adam than Adam does! This was one amazing show, with theatrics just as strong as the musical performance by each individual band member. Even tho photographer Jeanice still didn’t feel well, you can tell she loved this group by the number of pics she snapped. Adam runs the most awesome lead guitar riffs while doing an excellent job sharing lead/back vocals with Austin as well. The beginning of the set could have been a bit tighter, but by the end of the night, these guys were one solid piece of work. You have to catch these guys live (video from a previous performance below) – pictures and words simply do not capture them at all.
Their cover of the Black Keys’ “I Got Mine” was rockin, and as I may have mentioned before, you can tell the bands Jeanice likes by the number of pictures she takes! Besides the basic performance energy and enthusiasm, it was nice to note that these guys also know how to sing on key and have their guitars in turn to each other – a relief to our ears, trust me. They have a solid rhythm & blues foundation to most of their original songs, and Austin’s jokes (as he pulled a battered and tattered, thin paperback copy of Frog’s jokes to read aloud) were hilarious.
They were all absolutely invested in this evening’s set, with Andrew on bass playing it very sedate and serious, then breaking into this shit-eating grin that would keep catching us off-guard, and Alex on drums all business – until he’d see Adam cutting it up and start laughing. Adam really needs twice as much stage – we won’t mention how he biffed it and landed on his butt in the middle of the second song of the set (ooops – we just did!) – and the two “A”s (Austin and Adam) bounced and danced around the stage without sounding at all sloppy or loose – really impressive. Their original “On The Prowl” has some great tempo changes, and was one of their two fun instrumental pieces. “Records” had Austin and Adam changing it up, as Adam took the acoustic guitar (with Austin holding a mic for him to sing duet), and Adam’s voice is an absolute treasure. Jimmy Cash’s “Cocaine Blues” cover had them switching it out yet again, as Austin took the acoustic guitar and Adam took the bass.
If you could summarize these guys, it would be to say you can’t summarize them – they really do it all, and really well at that. Their cover of the Beatle’s “Rocky Raccoon” was another moment entirely, wit Austin piping away on the kazoo between verses, and their close with Hendrix’ “Foxy Lady” found Adam on the floor (really) at one point, then with guitar behind his back, and then just setting it down on the table and pounding on it.
Friday night found TCC (minus photographer Jeanice Marvel, who wasn’t feeling well) in Springfield for our first visit to Goodfellas. You know we’ve done several columns on the Eastman Band, this amazing Springfield band, and I was fully prepared to simply sit and enjoy the show, but with this first opportunity to see the band playing without sharing the bill, we got three full sets of amazing music, including several covers and a lot of material they’ve had shelved since the Last Band Standing. This was a special night for them as well, celebrating their fans that made them the winners of LBS, it was also founder John Eastman’s daughter Nicole’s birthday party – so it was a pretty wild night!
(pictures from previous Goodfellas show, 08/24/10)
Their covers of U2′s “New Year’s Day” and Coldplay’s “Clocks” were amazing, not just an attempt to replay the same song the same way (as most covers are done), they made them their own – this wasn’t John Eastman doing Bono or Chris Martin. I still wished I was doing the keyboards instead of the ‘puter tho! Cheap Trick’s “Surrender” was way too much fun, and of course Cat Steven’s “Cats In The Cradle” was dedicated to Nicole for her 26th birthday, with guest singer “Big Rod” (yes, Jimmy, I made a note of that) making a special appearance. Their cover of Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back In Town” was turned into a medley with their original “You Outta Know” that put a new spin on an old classic.
Aside from the fun covers, hearing various versions of some faves was awesome – John pulled out his 12-string in their second set for the originals of “Smile” (which Jeanice asked them to play even tho she wasn’t there!) and “Tell Me Now” which just blew me away – never heard those two songs live before. This much talent should be more noticed – where are the world’s eyes and ears, anyways?!! And getting to hear a completely different version in the hard rock third set of “Tell Me Now” was, from a purely technical view, interesting to contrast in a single show. Don’t ask me to pick a fave version – I love them both!
(and by the way, Jimmy, the comment I was making on my notes as Nicole figured out how to work the projector screen switch to make it lower in the middle of one of your songs while we were all sitting there going WTF?!!, was “The third set kicked ass!!”) – ::grins:: I actually wasn’t going to mention that until you made a point of it!!)
Here’s a video of their previous visit to Goodfellas, you can see their awesome light and sound set up, and hear some amazing rock:
I had to leave at 1:30am, I’m sure they did at least one more set but I had to get home and get at least a couple hours of sleep before kids and all called me to duty – and yet more shows to review for a Saturday! It is always amazing to see these guys live – I’ll keep you posted on their upcoming shows, but you can find them on ReverbNation, Facebook, Myspace, and a zillion other pages – if you haven’t ever seen them, you have absolutely missed the essential rock band – just saying…
Spotlight – Goodfellas (117 South 14th Street, Springfield, OR).
Under the new ownership of Kevin and Teresa Powell, this club is deceptively tame at first glance. If you walk in the nondescript front door (off 14th Street), this looks like another normal bar, with several pool tables available, and ample comfy seating with cozy tables just waiting to be claimed. Weaving my way through the tables, I was greeted by friendly staff behind the bar and introduced to new owner, Teresa Powell, who was happy to see me and chatted for several minutes while deftly directing staff to their various duties. Turning to my right, I saw a whole ‘nother side of the club – yet more tables, opening onto an ample wood dance floor and a HUGE stage. With a nice outdoor patio for those of us dragons who still find it a pleasure to smoke coming off the left side of the stage, this venue could easily seat upwards of 200 patrons comfortably. They have breakfast starting at 7am M-Sat (8am Sun) and lunch menus, with dinner menu items available after 3pm, and a full bar selection of course. This is a perfect venue for live music, with a sweet house sound system and lights. You can find more info on their Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/goodfellaslounge?sk=wall, or http://www.nightouteugene.com/goodfellas. Give them a shout at (541) 726-9815 if you have questions – you know we’ll be making more stops here in the near future!
You know we have been waiting to see these guys live since we caught their very abbreviated partial show at WoW Hall with Jultopia’s for their CD release party (see http://theclubcircuit.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/tcc-is-back-review-of-jultopia-adventure-galley-and-white-arrows-wow-hall-october-14-2011/) – and at last our patience was rewarded. And this was TCC’s first official venture into truly mobile format as well, so several firsts for this evening (including a new venue – see Spotlight below). After a brief delay for setting up/tuning up/sound check, we were ready to get seriously crazy with these guys!
