SWIZZLE 2004
Under
Under
ground
In search of Eugene’s underground scene.
y definition, finding an
underground scene would
require my taking giant steps
beyond the average Starbucks envi-
ronment. It begins with high hopes
and a sense of ambition; almost a
craving that can only be contained by
the accidental discovery of the next
phase of Drum ’n’ Bass. At best, there
should be a 1970’s, early ‘80s punk
movement festering around the back
alleys. Whatever it may be, there
should be some new, secret scene
around here, one I can’t expect to
stumble upon in some dance club.
Any scene worthy of a recogniza-
ble status starts with a buzz and a fol-
lowing by the true believers. John
Henry’s, Diablo’s, Wetlands and
WOW Hall all seem promising places
to start in search of those inclined
toward an independent status, hope-
fully leading me underground to the
real scene. A good couple of week-
ends spent hanging around these
joints should help clear the path
toward the next hardcore discovery.
But the search dies almost instant-
ly at Diablo’s. There, while the band
Stacked does their rendition of
Madonna’s “Music,” there is the
expected crowd enjoying and moving
with the music, but the size of the
crowd leaves much to be desired.
There’s enough room — too much
room — to sit, to walk, and hardly any
chance for one to “accidentally” spill
some of his drink on another person,
were one so inclined. Diablo’s should
be packed. The Red Bull/Vodka only
costs $5 and a band that made
Madonna acceptable to a small crowd
of heathens is worth visiting. But this
an underground scene does not make.
Local musician Scott Von Rocket,
formerly of The Wristrockets, knows
and feels the lacking environment,
one swallowing any underground
scene quicker than its growth. “Just
within the last few months, any bands
that you could find to support a rock
underground have either moved away
or broken up. Even my band is on hia-
4 APRIL 1, 2004 SWIZZLE
Sawyer Family at the Wetlands
BOBBIE WILLIS
B
By Jonathan Amabisca
tus,” states Von Rocket.
Bob Fennessy and Mike Tugwell
at the WOW Hall wished they could
help with my search. “I was part of the
early punk scene,” says Tugwell. “So
I’ve seen the ups and downs of the
underground movement. Right now,
we’re in a lull.”
A few years ago, these venues
would be filled with spiky-haired
folks wearing more leather than the
cows from which it was made. Now
the average John Henry’s or Diablo’s
crowd is sparser, while places like
Tsunami and The Jungle, purveyors of
the ever expanding hip-hop scene, are
filled beyond capacity.
“There is an underground scene,”
says Tricia Raes, local resident and
hater of clubs. “It’s more under-under-
ground: bluegrass. It’s here. It’s huge
where I’m from, Denver, Col., and it’s
weird how small it is here.”
And that’s what it’s come to for
Eugene’s underground. From punk
and techno to bluegrass — the wave
of the future.
Time to drink.
ew
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