Dan Brunell Emerald
Operated by a non-profit community center, the WOW Hall has nearly seen it all when it comes to
performing arts. Various performers have pulled in diverse crowds since the hall opened in 1906.
The WOW Hall has drawn in
crowds for concerts and other
events for nearly 25 years, and
the beat goes on
By Josh Ryneal
Oregon Daily Emerald
Want to see a punk show? Go
to the WOW Hall. A reggae
show? Go to the WOW Hall.
What about a folk show, or
a rap show? You guessed it: Go to
the WOW Hall.
The WOW Hall has meant a lot of
different things to different groups
of people. One of Eugene’s consis
tently all-ages concert venues, the
hall provides a diverse selection of
music to fans of all kinds.
The hall first opened in 1906
when the fraternal organization
Woodmen of the World bought the
building, a Presbyterian church,
and turned it into a meeting hall. As
the organization declined, promot
ers began renting the hall for dances
and concerts.
Now owned by the Community
Center for the Performing Arts, the
WOW Hall puts on concerts as well
as other forms of theater and art.
Fran Chyleck, general manager of
the WOW Hall from 1982 to 1995,
said the reason the it is so eclectic
in its offerings is because it is run by
the CCPA which is a not-for-profit
company.
“We offer the Encore Theater [a
senior theater troupe], children’s
theater, dance classes and art
shows,” she said.
Chyleck said that the WOW Hall
acts as a springboard for local bands
but also attracts big regional and na
tional acts because of what it offers.
“A lot of bands and booking agen
cies like the WOW Hall because it’s
a non-profit organization,” she said.
“It’s not alcohol-oriented, and it’s
all ages. It’s all about the music, and
they trust the professionalism of the
WOW Hall.”
Bob Fennessy, WOW Hall
spokesman, said the CCPA puts on
some of the shows, although others
are put on by outside promoters
who rent the venue for their own
concerts.
“When we put on a show, it’s a
co-production; the proceeds are
split 70/30 between the artists and
the hall,” Fennessy said. “Some
times, they don’t want to take a
chance with the percentage and
will rent the hall for themselves.
They take care of tickets, the door,
the security, everything.”
When the WOW Hall does put on
its own shows, Fennessy said, a big
part of its staff is made up of local
volunteers.
“We do a lot of recruiting at the U
of O street fair,” he said. “Volun
teers help in the office, set up the
stage or even run the lights and
sound. A lot of people who run
sound in Eugene got their start
here.”
There is a monthly volunteer ori
entation at the WOW Hall and no
minimum time commitment for
those who want to get involved.
Fennessy also said that the hall
has been targeted in the past by the
Oregon Liquor Control Commis
sion because of its dual all-ages and
alcohol-serving policies.
The WOW Hall is different from
most other Eugene venues in that
it’s consistently all-ages yet still
serves beer from its basement bar.
Through careful policing and a spe
cial permit from the OLCC, the hall
allows adult patrons to drink in the
basement, but they cannot bring
their drinks upstairs.
Fennessy said that alcohol con
sumption has never been a problem
because of the separate levels.
“We’re the first to cut someone
off,” he said. “But the OLCC wanted
to force us to choose between being
an all-ages or alcohol venue. Thank
fully, an amended law passed, and
they backpedaled away from that.”
Despite the hall’s reputation as a
concert venue, the CCPA also puts
on a variety of other shows and
events.
“We have a community focus;
we’re always open to groups from
thacommunity putting on shows,”
Fennessy said. “We’ve got the
Young Women’s Theater Collective,
the Bad-Ass Shakespeare Compa
ny, art shows ... we’ve got it all.”
Mike Meyer, a local concert pro
moter and Df at radio station
KRVM, said putting on concerts at
the hall is usually a great proposi
tion.
“When I want a really good quali
ty presentation, I go to the WOW
Hall,” he said. “It's one of the
neatest places to see shows."
Meyer attributed the hall’s
success to the fact that “most
of Eugene appreciates the val
ue of the WOW Hall” but said
that more formal, upscale
shows don’t do as well.
“It has a little bit of a stigma
of being in a particular neigh
borhood, or because of inci
dents that happened in the past,”
he said. “But I think the neighbor
hood is one of the safest in Eugene
and anything else is unfounded. ”
Although concerts make up a
large portion of the hall’s schedule,
the CCPA also puts on a monthly art
show in support of local artists.
Steve LaRiccia, art director for
The WOW Hall is bringing its usual diverse collection of musical genres to its November concert lineup. Throughout the next
week, rock, rap, bluegrass, folk, reggae and psychedelic music are all represented,
Tom Lauda and the Paperboys, a bluegrass band from Canada, will be playing their blend of Celtic and Latin influences at the
hall today at 8 p.m.
Richard Flohil, the band’s publicist, says the band focuses around LaRda, and the lineup is constantly changing.
“They’ve played huge folk festival events in Canada and won the JUNO Award,” which is the Canadian equivalent of the
Grammy, he said of the band, who has been touring Canada and the United States since 1992.
Mountain Con, a self-d escribed “hick-hop" band from Seattle, will be playing with King Black Add at theirCD release party
Saturday. Jim Nugent, the band’s lead singer, said the band sounds like “what would happen if Bob Dylan from 1969
jammed with the Beastie Boys."
The band features the traditional arrangement of guitars, bassand drums, but complements them with turntable scratching
and sampled drum loops. Mountain Con's resident DJ, Erik Blood, said it wasn’t difficult combining the sounds.
“The organicsound of drum loops tend themseives well to folk music," he said.
On Monday, the WOW Hall will host theX-ecutionersand the Souk of Mischief, two rap groups whose styles are decidedly dif
ferent.
The X-ecutioners perform “turntable art," while the Souls of Mischief, part of the West Coast Hieroglyphics hip-hop crew, are j
gaining fame thanks to the success of Hiero frontman Del tha Funkee Homosapien.
The hall wHI feature the rock stylings of the Delgados, who hail from Glasgow, Scotland, on Thursday, Nov. 16. Touring in sup
port of their third album “The Great Eastern,” the band features strings as well as indie-rock guitarsand drums.
the WOW Hall, said the hall has
been doing art shows since 1992.
One of his current projects is the
Salon des Refuses, a show consist
ing of works that did not qualify to
be ii the official Mayor’s Art Show.
“We don’t judge or jurv anvone’s
work,” LaRiccia said.
LaRiccia holds his shows in
empty spaces around town, and
each show has a different theme.
"Right now we’re showing the
work of Samonberry Marposa, a fa
mous poster artist,” he said. ‘Last
month, we did fantasy art.”
“People will usually
find something dif
ferent every
month be
cause
w e
like to focus on different formats
and mediums.”
LaRiccia said he welcomes sub
missions, and interested parties
can talk to him at the WOW Hall.
“I know how to promote art
work,” he said. “I used to be a pro
moter, and I can give artists help in
promoting their artwork.”
Artists can also have their art
shown in the WOW Hall, which is
good exposure to crowds attending
shows there.
“The hall is a good venue for art
because so many different groups
of people come to see shows,” he
said.
The hall is celebrating its 25th an
niversary in December, and perhaps
it will be a fixture in the Eugene mu
sic and art scene for years to come.
The WOW Hall is located at 291
W. 8tlr Ave., and information on var
ious events can be obtained by call
ing the hall at 687-2746.
Courtesy of SHURE
The X-ecutioners will play at the WOW Hall on Monday.