Jucifer plays the Indigo District
this Friday.
BY VANESSA SALVIA
Kickin’ It
John Henry's, Indigo District host pure, joyful rock.
K
Records artist Mirah returns to
WOW Hall on May 12, this time
with supporting artists Tara Jane
O’Neil and Liarbird . Mirah Yom Tov
Zeitlyn (Mirah rhymes with the former
Italian currency, lira, and her middle name
means “good day” or “holy day” in
Hebrew) grew up in suburban Philadelphia,
but moved to the green shade of Olympia,
Wash., to attend Evergreen State College in
her late teens.
After graduating, Mirah stayed on in
Olympia, taught herself to play guitar and
compose, and released her first album,
Storageland, on YoYo Recordings in 1997.
K snapped her up in 1999, a move that
allowed her more creative freedom in
experimenting with recording and produc-
ing. She has since released three records for
K: You Think It’s Like This But Really It’s
Like This, Advisory Committee, and her lat-
est, C’mon Miracle.
Mirah’s trademark lo-fi indie pop has
only strengthened with time. C’mon
Miracle opens with “Nobody Has To Stay,”
showcasing her fresh, girlish voice, pluck-
ing guitar and beautiful cello.
She brings in drums and a rock vibe for
the next track, “Jerusalem.” “The Light”
throbs over a scratchy, electronic landscape.
Mirah’s songwriting defies categorization
and zips between ghostly confessional,
experimental digital rock, or guitar-driven
pop. Fans of Mirah will love it, and for new
listeners, it’s a great place to start enjoying
her unique sound.
Tara Jane O’Neil began her musical life as
a solo performer in Louisville in the early ‘90s,
then played bass and sang in Rodan and
Drinking Woman (before age 21!). She migrat-
ed to New York City, played with Retsin and
the Sonora Pine, who broke up after recording
their third album. The split freed O’Neil to
become a solo performer once more.
Liarbird’s music is soft, poetic and contem-
plative. The upright bass, violin, two guitars,
percussion and vocalists merge into one entity.
Local hip-hop artist Michael Kay , who
once went by the moniker Scoob from
BMF, is an influential man among his north-
west contemporaries. His documentary,
Mastermind of His Time, follows Kay and
his hip-hop journey from his childhood days
into manhood and projects into Kay’s future
and the future of hip-hop. The documentary
will be shown at the Bijou on Saturday, May
8. It’s loaded with interviews, live stage per-
formances, free-styling and dancing.
Kay has proved to his fans and to the world
that you don’t have to be a gangster to be real
and keep it true to the streets. His philosophy
is you can have it all; you can be wise and spir-
itual and know God without being owned by
religion; a man can have a family and free-
dom; and life has a balance. His lyrics reflect
homage to his homies, odes to hip-hoppers
who came before him, the reality of the current
“crazy generation” of thugs and drugs, and, of
course, the heavy reality of living in a country
at war with a faceless, formless enemy.
Kay’s film is not rated, but has no pro-
fanity and is suitable for most ages. The
show is being promoted by Eugene-based
Northwest Beat, whose stated “soul” pur-
pose is to aid in the growth and develop-
ment of a flourishing urban music and enter-
tainment industry in the Pacific Northwest.
My first experience with Jucifer live on
stage left me slack-jawed for days, body tin-
gling, $10 less in my wallet but with an
incredible EP (Lambs) that proved to all my
friends who hadn’t been to the show that I
had witnessed the heaviest band ever,
Melvins and Godheadsilo included.
There is no more lovely trickster god-
dess in all of rock and roll than Jucifer’s 5’
4”, vintage clothes-wearing guitarist
Amber Valentine . This small package can
dupe even the most astute listener — there
is no bass in the band’s line-up. All the
floor-rattling, chest-crushing noise Jucifer
creates emanates solely from Valentine’s
guitar and her partner Ed Livengood ’s
drums.
Full Bar
Organic Café Mam
Coffee
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for
Lunch & Dinner
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Oak
(formerly
Field’s)
• 434-6553
30 MAY 6, 2004
The pair exists in the realm of bone-
crushing volume where the music becomes
psychedelic by sheer force. In fact,
Valentine has stated in past interviews that it
was this body high that got her and
Livengood hooked on playing with stacks
and stacks of bass and guitar amplifiers in
the first place. The band’s stadium set-up,
which she and Livengood tote around by
themselves every night, ensures that her
guitar throttles everyone within a square
mile. The bass-loving two hail from Athens,
Ga., talk with a gentle Southern accent and
live in an RV with two dogs.
Jucifer’s recently released War Bird is
the most expansive effort yet, though limit-
ed by its short length. Valentine, who once
split her vocals between angelic whispers
and devilish, gutteral utterances, actually
sings throughout most of War Bird, even
plucking a banjo at one point and crooning
like Loretta Lynn. Jucifer appears at Indigo
District on Friday.
John Henry’s will host another powerful
night of rock on May 11 when the
Hangmen return to the stage. The L.A.-
based band has been doing cowpunk for
more than a decade. The L.A. Times
describes the latest CD, Loteria as “bluesy,
punk-flavored, slide guitar-drenched tales
of street level love and woe.”
Or, imagine the Supersuckers getting
high with Neal Young, while X and the
Rolling Stones rolled their splifs in the back
room. There’s no studio flash on Loteria, it
just kicks in with solid energy on the first
track and doesn’t let up. Original Hangman
Bryan Small (vocals/ guitar) is joined on
stage and on the CD with his new band-
mates Todd Haney (drums), Angelique
Congleton (bass/vocals), and Rane
Raitsikka (guitar).
ew
BEETHOVEN NINE: ODE TO JOY
T H U R S D AY, M AY 2 0 , 8 P M
Giancarlo Guerrero, Conductor
Eugene Symphony Chorus
BEYOND
All Expectations
Esther Heideman, soprano
Two hundred performers pack the stage for Beethoven’s monumental
Symphony No. 9—the Olympian, heaven-storming “Ode to Joy.”
Don’t miss the mighty pinnacle of Beethoven’s career and a thrilling
season finale. Let your spirit soar!
Carolyn Gronlund, mezzo-soprano
Scott Piper, tenor
Mark Kaczmarczyk, bass
Call now fo r t icke t s 6 8 2 .5 0 0 0 —Co nce r t s e lling o ut !
Concert
Sponsor
Artist
Sponsors
David Weza Family
Brockett Family