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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (July 29, 2004)
Pulse Editor: Ryan Nyburg ryannyburg@dailyemerald.com Thursday, July 29, 2004 — Oregon Daily Emerald PULSE Hot Picks: Actors Cabaret performance 'Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street' Friday 8 p.m., $12 996 Willamette St. Cinema out of doors Impact! Arts offers outdoor showings of film favorites RYAN NYBURG PULSE EDITOR Oregon has never been the best place in the world for outdoor film viewing. But with the hot summer months and parched weather conditions, the idea of open-air cinema has been taken up by local children's art education program Impact! Arts as a way to raise funds and build awareness about their organization. But it's not the first time Impact! has ventured into the world of film. "We started doing the Family Fun Film Festival at the McDonald Theatre during the winters," Impact! Education Director Katina Paxino said. "We decided it would be fun to do it outside." The idea of an outdoor film festival in Eugene didn't originate with Impact!, though. The plan was first developed by Downtown Eugene Incorporated, an asso ciation of downtown business owners with the goal of revitalizing Eugene's downtown district. "Our executive director brainstormed the idea of an outdoor festival and we pre sented it to Impact! Arts, who decided to use it as a fundraiser," DEI marketing director Michelle Emmons said. DEI remained onboard the project, helping Impact! gain the proper permits for the performance and helping with pro motion of the three film showings. But the showings themselves, entitled Moonlight Serenade & Cinema, are organized by Im pact! And the reaction has been good, if the turn out for the first showing on July 23 is any judge. "We had a fabulous turnout," Paxino said. "There were close to 400 people there. We had a great time." Impact! General Manager Randy Lords said that the popularity of the first showing the 1975 horror classic "Jaws," can be attrib uted to the crowd-pleasing nature of the film. "When the shark pops out of nowhere, you could see everyone jump and shake at the same time," Lords said. "At the end people applauded." The other two films in the series were also chosen for their popularity with audi ences. According to Lords, during the Fam ily Fun Festival shows, Impact! to recommendations for future showings. Please see IMPACT!, page 8 Jared Paben Editor in Chief Impact! Arts presents the 1975 horror film 'Jaws' on Friday, July 23. Future showings include 'Dr. Strangelove’ and 'Modern Times.’ Eugene music scene embraces fresh international flavor Eclectic releases include jazz, rock, guitar and Cajun music from varied artists RYAN NYBURG PULSE EDITOR CD REVIEW Some people seem to suffer from the misconception that the Eu gene music scene is a waste and that all the good shows take place in more happening places. Some people also believe that winged devils cause headaches, so maybe we shouldn't put too much faith in the belief systems of others. Here's a round-up of new releases from bands who will soon be visiting our fair city, each one worth checking out. - The first is "Djangolotry" from acoustic swing/jazz band Zazou. It seems that as modem music grows more stale, bands dig deeper into the past to find what has worked before and what might work again. Zazou's sound is straight out of the 1920's, mixing a range of European and Latin American styles from that time period into a pleasant, cohesive whole Everything from the lyrics to the choice of instrumentation sounds 75 years old at least and the only modem aspect to the whole thing is the production, which is surprisingly crisp considering (if I'm reading the liner notes correctly) it was recorded in some guy's house. Nothing really stands out in the mix, and the arrangements work due to the band's interplay rather than from any particularly inter esting soloing. The group has complete reverence for musicians of the past, especially (as the title implies) Django Reinhardt. All they lack is the technical skill, but that would be asking a lot of them, considering Reinhardt's status as one of the greatest guitarists of the last century. Though they never give a reason why anyone would want to listen to them rather than the music they emulate, they still give an excellent performance. They'll be playing at Sam Bond's Garage at 407 Blair Blvd. at 9 p.m. August 26. Now if you want to talk about digging into the past, the duo E Muzeki has just about everyone beat You know that music you some times hear at Renaissance festivals? That's these two. The music on their latest album, "Mavra Mafia," is interpretations of classic tunes from Eastern Europe and the Middle East, reworked on bouzouki, guitar, violin and other stringed instruments. The songs range from the past couple hundred years to 16th century and beyond, with the majority of them coming from the Greek or Celtic hinterlands. The album is a well-constructed collection, covering a wide range of styles but bringing it together through consistent approach and sound. A talented pair of multi-instrumentalists, the duo trades off rhythm and lead parts to accentuate their particular skills, making Please see CDs, page 8 Courtesy The recorded work precedes the live performances of four bands that will hit Eugene this summer offering an array of sounds. Visiting bands and Eugene's own enliven local stages Local acts like the Cherry Poppin Daddies and Floater will perform in the coming weeks RYAN NYBURG PULSE EDITOR Here is a roundup of concert dates for the next month here in Eugene. Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers will play at the Mc Donald Theatre at 8 p. m. on August 13. The San Francisco-based band plays classic and original jazz and has been voted one of that city's best bands by numerous publications. Whoop-dee-do. Tickets for the show are $ 18 in advance and can be purchased at TicketsWest outlets or at the theater box office on the day of the show for $20. The show is 21 and over, so all you 18-year-olds will just have to stay home and get drunk instead. (The Emerald does not endorse underage drinking.) Also coming to the McDonald is Eugene's own Cherry Poppin' Daddies, who will be playing at 8 p.m. on August 28. The Dad dies have been a mainstay on the Eugene music scene for more than a decade, playing a mix of ska, punk and swing. Tickets are only $5 and the show is for all ages. The McDonald is located at 1010 Willamette St. The WOW Hall has a whole bevy of shows ready for the com ing month. On August 6, Eugenean expatriate band Floater will be performing another damn acoustic concert featuring new ma terial. Tickets are $ 10 in advance and $ 12 at the door. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. and the show starts at 9 p.m. On August 11, singer/songwriter Janis Ian will perform a Wednesday night concert for some reason. Once called a prede cessor of Jewel by Rolling Stone magazine (is that a good thing?), Ian has been recording her songs since the late 1960s. Tickets are $18 in advance and $20 at the door. Showtime in 8 p.m. Finally, indie rockers Xiu Xiu will be performing their moody like-Thorozine music on August 31. T ickets are $7 in advance and $8 at the door, with the show starting at 9:30 p.m. The WOW Hall is an all-ages venue and is located 291 W. 8th Avenue. John Henry's will host a handful of concerts through the dog days of August. On August 6, the Organic Assault Weapons, the Cleveland Steamers and other delightfully named bands will be performing at 10 p.m. Tickets are $3 at the door. On the seventh, the bar presents "Freaks in the House," a performance by a col lection of weird-ass DJs playing twisted techno tunes. Spinmas ters include the Audio Schizophrenic, DJ J-Ray and DJ Steve Sawada. The show starts at 10 p.m. and is free to all. John Henry's is located at 77 West Broadway and is a 21-and-over venue. Sam Bond's Garage also has its collection of upcoming Please see CONCERTS, page 8
