Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (July 17, 2003)
BY VANESSA SALVIA Refreshing Pop WOW, Luna host lively ensembles. T he WOW Hall will host a night of refreshing, hummable pop Sunday, July 20, as the Long Winters, the Carolines and Clem Snide converge upon our humble burg. These three ensem- bles have quietly perfected what they do, which alternates between wistful, sunny and twisted pop. Long Winters frontman John Roderick played in Harvey Danger and for- merly fronted the band Western State Hurricanes, which once upon a time was poised to sign with Sub Pop. When that fell through, Roderick went on hiatus, taking a solo trek during the winter of 2000-2001 on foot from Amsterdam to Istanbul. A rowdy Alaskan native with a bad case of wanderlust, Roderick emerged in 2002 with a debut CD, The Worst You Can Do Is Harm. That release catapaulted Roderick back into the limelight, along with the musi- cians who helped make that CD possible, for- mer Harvey Danger frontman Sean Nelson and Death Cab For Cutie guitarist Chris Walla. The immediate critical acclaim Harm garnered inspired two coast-to-coast tours and a retreat back into the studio. Songwriter Roderick and friends have crafted a powerful second effort that will dazzle fans of pop everywhere. On When I Pretend To Fall, we see Roderick stitching together his ideas into a more cohesive whole. Joined by many of the same musi- ON SALE TOMORROW 9AM! FRIDAY SEPT. 26TH • 7 PM CUTHBERT AMPHITHEATER EUGENE, OREGON cians who helped round out Harm, Pretend also features newcomers Scott McCaughey (Minus 5, Young Fresh Fellows) on boomerang harmonica, Jon Auer (Posies) on guitar and Peter Buck (REM) on man- dolin. All told, 26 guest musicians con- tributed to Pretend, with the core-and-tour- ing band being Sean Nelson, Eric Corson on bass and accordion, Michael Schilling on drums and of course Roderick contributing guitars, vocals, farfisa, lap steel, etc. Producer Ken Stringfellow (Posies, REM, Minus 5) also contributes vocals, piano, bass and kurtzweil. After Roderick’s epic walking journey, he said he became more comfortable in his own skin, and that shows in the mood of this CD. While the music and lyrics are defi- nitely still quirky (as on “Prom Night at Hater High”) we sense that his demons have loosened their grasp and the mood is light- ened. The Long Winters will be joined by two fantastic other bands. The Carolines hail from Portland and produce “pop with a ‘60s vintage flair,” ideal for fans of both the Beach Boys and Pavement. You will surely be hearing more about this young fivesome in the future. Clem Snide is another distinc- tive songwriter with a brand new CD enti- tled Soft Spot. This show is definitely a must-see. Clem Snide performs at WOW Hall on Sunday. Luna Jazz Club will host an exciting evening of electronic jazz when Echo comes to town on Tuesday, July 22. Composed of duo Joy Askew and Takuya Nakamura, Echo is known for blending down-tempo electronic grooves and jazz standards with trumpet, voice and occa- sional Brazilian guitar flairs. A native of England, Askew has toured the world and produced four solo CDs, Tender City (1996), Gorgeous Creature (1997), When (1998) and The Same (2000). Nakamura and Askew hooked up in the New York City nightclub, Shine. The pair began to collaborate, and there seemed at once to be a shared sense of jazz emerging in a non-traditional, fresh way. For instance, early on in their collabora- tion, Nakamura shared with Askew a new “bubbly” track he’d been working on. Instantly, Askew was compelled to sing along with the Cole Porter standard “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” Both recognized right away that something special was hap- pening and recorded the whole thing in about 20 minutes. Since then, Echo’s ap- proach has continued to be a happy mar- riage of known and unknown, expected and unexpected, electronica and traditional jazz currents. Luna is a great, intimate place to see such a show, with endless possibilities of groove, jazz, pop, and lounge. ew ONLY OREGON SHOW! TICKETS ALSO AVAILABLE THROUGH THE HULT CENTER BOX OFFICE 541-682-5000 JULY 17, 2003 23
