entertainment calendar
■ Thursday, April 25
12:15 p.m.—Songspinners,
(SHOcase performance), Hult
Center Lobby, Seventh Avenue and
Willamette Street, 682-5000, free.
7 p.m. — “Rhythm is the Cure,”
(Southern Italian ritual drumming,
dance and healing chants),
International Lounge, EMU, $10.
7:30 p.m. —“Steel
Magnolias,” (theater), Soreng
Theatre, Hult Center, 682-5000,
$15 to $25.
8 p.m. —“As You Like It,”
(theater), Lord Leebrick Theatre
Company, 540 Charnelton St.,
465-1506, $16.
8 p.m. — Medeski, Martin &
Wood, (jazz and funk), McDonald
Theatre, 1010 Willamette St.,
345-4442, $25 advance, $27 at
the door.
9 p.m. —Abandon Ship, (indie
rock trio), The Buzz Coffeehouse,
EMU, 346-0590, free.
9 p.m.—Casey Neill Band,
(rock), Sam Bond’s Garage, 407
Blair Blvd., 431-6603, $5.
11 p.m. —Nimbus, (guitar
jams), Samurai Duck, 960 Oak
St., 345-6577, $3.
■ Friday, April 26
2 p.m. —OboAddy and
Okropong, (African music and
dance lecture), Gerlinger Annex
Dougherty Dance Theatre, free.
7 p.m. —“Eat Drink Man
Woman,” (film), iRC, free.
7:30 p.m. — “Underground Zero:
Filmmakers Respond to 9/11
1136 W. Fifth Ave, $3 to $5.
8 p.m. — Obo Addy, (world
music), Beall Concert Hall, 346
5678, $8 advance, $10 at the
door.
8 p.m. — “Steel Magnolias,"
(theater), Soreng Theatre, $18 to
$30.
8 p.m. —“The Adding
Machine,” (theater), Robinson
Theatre, $5 to $12.
8p.m. —“A Funny Thing
Happened On The Way To The
Forum, (theater), Actors Cabaret
of Eugene, 996 Willamette St.,
683-4368, $17 advance, $22 at
the door.
8 p.m. — Prodd, Ordinary K,
Northwest Royaie, Half-Rack,
(college rock), WOW Hall, 291 W.
Eighth Ave„ 687-2746,$7.
8 p.m.—The Visible Men,
(jazzy funk and swing), McDonald
Theatre, $5 advance, $8 day of
show.
9 p.m. —Abakadubi, (family
funk), Sam Bond’s Garage, $5.
9 p.m. —The Visible Men, Dan
Jones & Tom Heinl, McDonald
Theatre, $5 advance, $8 day of
show.
9:30 p.m.—Tim Clarke Quartet,
(jazz piano), Jo Federigo’s, 259 E.
Fifth Ave., 343-8488, $4.
9:30 p.m. — Syrius Jones, Left
Hand Smoke, (college rock), Wild
Duck Music Hall, 169 W. Sixth
Ave., 485-3825, $7.
11:45 p.m.—Absoute Improv,
Lord Leebrick, $4.
■ Saturday, April 27
5 p.m. — Women’s poetry
celebration, Tsunami Books, free.
7:30 p.m. — Peter Thomas,
(classical guitar), Newman Center,
1850 Emerald St., $5.
8 p.m.—Techno Spinning
Mayhem, (hosted by John Ward),
The Buzz, free.
8 p.m. — “The Beauty Queen of
Leenane,” (comedy-drama),
Actor’s Cabaret, $17.
8 p.m. —“As You Like It,”
(theater), Lord Leebrick, $16.
8 p.m. —“The Adding
Machine,” (theater), Robinson
Theatre, $5 to $12.
8 p.m.—Martin Sexton, Chris
Trapper, WOW Hall, $15 advance,
$16 at the door.
9 p.m.—Foggy Valley Boys,
(family funk), Sam Bond’s, $3to $5.
9:30 p.m.—The Vipers,
featuring Eagle Park Slim, Oeb
Cleveland Band, Wild Duck, $8.
9:30 p.m. — Olem Alves
Quartet, (jazz piano), Jo
Federigo’s, $4.
9:30 p.m.—The U-Gene Band,
(spirit music), Black Forest
Tavern, 50 E. 11th Ave., 344
0816, free.
■ Sunday, April 28
1 p.m. — Star Wars Marathon,
(episodes 4 through 6),
McDonald Theatre, $6, free for
children under three.
3 p.m. — University Symphony,
(classical), Beall Concert Hall, $5.
3 p.m. — “Literary and Artistic
Response to Terrorism,” 180
PLC, free.
7:30 p.m. — jCubanismol, EMU
ballroom, $18.50 general public,
$9.25 students.
■ Monday, April 29
8 p.m. — Oregon Brass Quintet,
(faculty recital), Beall Concert
Hall, $4 students, $7 general
public.
9 p.m. — Anticon, featuring
Sole, Passage, Restiform
Bodies, Kevin Blechdom, (hip
hop), WOW Hall, $10.
■ Tuesday, April 30
8 p.m. — Dead Prez, (hip-hop),
McDonald Theatre, $15 advance,
$17 at the door.
9 p.m. —Amy Speace, (folk
rock-pop with an indie edge), The
Buzz, free.
10 p.m.—Jaka, (world beat
afro-pop), Taylor's Bar and Grill,
894 E. 13th, 344-6174, $5.
■ Wednesday, May1
8 p.m. —The Beta Band, (rock),
WOW Hall, $15 advance, $16 at
the door.
8 p.m. — Cracker, the Sound of
Urchin, (slacker anthems), Wild
Duck, $13 advance.
8:30 p.m.—Groove Carnival,
(organ jazz), Luna, two-drink
minimum.
Poetry
continued from page 6
“If you read poetry, this crowd
will support it,” sophomore Chris
Birke said. “You can read anything.
They won’t necessarily like it, but
they will support it.”
Birke started attending poetry
night last year. Like many other po
ets at the Buzz, he said traditional
written poetry lacks a certain spirit
or connection with the reader —
but poetry written to be performed
gives poetry a specific and intimate
connection with the crowd.
“Poetry written for classes is de
signed for people to sit and contem
plate,” he said. “Read poetry is de
signed for the audience to be active
and feel the message.”
Monday night’s poetry had more
in common with spoken-word and
hip-hop than anything lifted from
the syllabus of a standard English
class. Many of the poets have re
sponded to the live audience and
changed the nature of their poetry.
Performed poetry is usually longer
than traditional poetry, Birke said.
It also carries more alliteration,
sound effects and musical rhythms.
Langston said a huge chasm exists
between the standard academic po
etry taught today and poetry that is
mostly written to be performed.
“Literary readings are well at
tended — and there is some really
great poetry there — but people
don’t even know if they are sup
posed to clap,” he said. “There is
no connection with the audience.”
Takipg fhp argument one step
further, Langston said academic po
etry alienates poetry’s potential
popularity with people outside the
walls of academia.
“The way (academic) poetry is
constructed, it has no ability to cap
ture the populist ear,” he said. “It
has gotten away from where its real
power is — the people.”
Langston started the poetry
nights shortly after he came to the
University three years ago. He
scoured Eugene’s art scene and
found a lot of bookstores and cof
feehouses offered poetry as a sec
ondary activity, not as a headliner.
Music always came first for many
venues, he said.
“Poetry is different than music.
You can groove to music and still
talk with your friends,” he said. “You
can’t zone out to poetry, you must
stay awake to what is happening.”
Stressing a love of poetry above
all else, Langston wanted a place
where many different people can
come together and enjoy poetry.
During the two and a half years, the
eclectic crowd become just as im
portant as the poets and performers.
“We have hip-hop b-boys, smart
kids, drunken greasers, tribal peo
ple and frat kids,” he said. “Lan
guage is a connecting factor that ex
ists to join these weird people in
the oldest way.”
On any given Monday night, the
Buzz will fill up with nearly 30 po
ets and 75 audience members. The
performances run the whole gamut
from stand-up comedy to songs,
blatant politicking to announce
ments of other poetry events. Sit
ting in a corner behind a micro
phone, under tfye, lights, they rg^d
from notebooks, scraps of paper
J
and school tablets. The Buzz can
get so quiet, only the cappuccino
machine is heard. On any given
night, many of the poets try to read
whatever they have been writing
lately. However, there are also older
poems, and even a few standards
that come back week after week.
“Some of the best poems are the
favorites that always come back,”
said Sam Rutledge, a LCC student.
He pointed out a poem of Langston’s
called “Psychedelic Basketball,”
and “Mary Magadalene” by Anny
Gateley, a University senior.
“I’ve heard these poems 1,000
times, and I want to hear them
1,000 more times,” he said.
Gateley loves both sides of the
equation, being an audience mem
ber and performer.
“When you hear somebody
reading their poetry, it comes
alive,” she said.
However, many poets admit the
power of performance is a driving
factor to return week after week.
Standing under the lights with all
eyes focused on you is a very electric
feeling — similar to acting on a stage.
Theater major Christina Jamer
son said she has been onstage with
drama and her own poetry. While
she loves drama, she is convinced
that the personal and intimate na
ture of poetry is a much more in
tense performance.
“There’s a big difference in say
ing to the audience, ‘Here’s my
heart and soul on a silver platter,
and you can take it.’”
E-mail Pulse and features
. editor Vqhn'kigbhjr^ ; ; - \
at johnliebhardt@dailyemefald.com. *
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