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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (May 27, 2004)
Grasshopper plays Luna on Thursday, May 27. BY VANESSA SALVIA Roots in Rock Grasshopper alights on Luna; variety abounds through town. ‘There’s really nothing more American than a grasshopper.’ – Tony Gilchrist Also on the 27th, Sam Bond’s welcomes two eclectic pop singer/songwriters: Ivan Okay and Sandman. Okay, formerly Ivan Klipstein, crafts music using funky sojourns into human beatboxing, samples, answering machine messages and “found sounds” gar- nered from carrying around a hand-held tape recorder. In short, Okay uses anything to get the sound he wants. A Wisconsin native, Okay’s recorded music is a “purposeful mish- mash” of sounds he doesn’t even try to dupli- cate live. Performing with only his guitar, you get just him and his spontaneous, creative id. Chris Sand, a.k.a. Sandman, is an equally multi-faceted performer, strongly influenced by the cowboy culture of North Dakota and Montana, where he grew up. As a child, he was hooked on breakdancing, then rap, listening to Ice T in between his parent’s force-feeding of George Strait and Alabama. In the early ’90s, while in college, Sand bravely starting his first rap band, DJ Dave and done anything with his own compositions be- yond recording them in his home studio. Hamm encouraged Gilchrist to give his songs life in a band and despite his initial reluctance, he did. The pair played at open mics to “get our sea legs back,” according to Gilchrist, and they gradually met other musicians who wanted to play the same brand of blues, country and rock-based Americana music. Bassist Mike Nemeth, who has played in a number of north- west bands, joined Grasshopper when Gilchrist took his amp to Nemeth for repair and complained that he couldn’t find a bassist. Drummer Chris Munson, who currently plays with Honey Buckit, Peter Wilde and Sun Bossa, worked as a session player in Nashville and has played with such figures as Vassar Clements. Lead guitarist Paul Hobbs has per- formed and recorded with Colin Raye and Brother Weasel. Gilchrist, an admitted “insect freak” who would likely be an entomologist had music not swayed him from that pursuit, chose the band’s name in part because it’s memorable and also because “there’s really nothing more American than a grasshopper,” he says. “It makes you think of being out in the country, in farmland.” As of March, the trio Rasputina has re- leased the anticipated follow-up to 2002’s Cabin Fever. The new CD, Frustration Plantation, is performed by founder and cellist Melora Creager, cellist Zoe Keating and drum- mer Jonathan TeBeest. Rasputina began as an ensemble of women, clad in dress of the late Victorian era and influ- enced by the music and literature of those times. Having welcomed a man to the fold was an unexpected move, even more so since TeBeest’s background in music is in ska — however, he fits right in with the girls and adds an even more unique texture to the music. Plantation was inspired by Creager’s time spent in Louisiana and shows all the hallmarks of her creative vision: creaks and crackles like a drafty old house at night, ghostly vocals and dramatic flair. Rasputina appears Friday at WOW Hall. Looking ahead to June 2nd, the WOW Hall hosts Phoenix,’s Reuben’s Accomplice and San Luis Obispo’s Watashi Wa. Accomplice’s latest CD, The Bull, The Balloon and The Family, is released on Western Tread Recordings, a start-up imprint run by Jimmy Eat World’s singer Jim Adkins. It features guest vocals and piano by Giant Sand’s Howe Gelb, vocals and guitar by Adkins, steel guitar and banjo by Jon Rauhouse (Neko Case, Old 97’s) and vocals by Pedro the Lion’s David Bazan. Arizona natives Jeff Bufano and Chris Corak, the core of Reuben’s Accomplice, de- buted in 2001 with I Blame The Scenery. After splitting with their rhythm section, they en- listed their “extended family” to help them record the follow up. The Bull’s urgent energy and catchy melodies are softened by a wistful tone, espe- cially on “Tonight We Drink,” which features Gelb’s fantastic, sun-baked voice. Each song starts out with an infectious energy and pulls the listener through with pulsating bass lines and distinctive melodies. Adkins’ production gives the guitars a razor- sharp rock edge but allows an overall shambling, plaintive mood to shine through. This CD is des- tined to become one of my favorites. Watashi Wa was formed in 1996 by four 13 year olds who are now 20 and touring to sup- port their third album, The Love of Life. The guys combine mature lyrics with melodic power pop and punk. ew MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Full Bar Organic Café Mam Coffee Organic Menu for Lunch & Dinner Wireless Internet Locally Owned & Operated MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Sandman. Montana’s rapping cowboy then came out west to attend Evergreen College in Olympia, where his mingling with the anar- chists and hippies left a permanent mark on his psyche. He found a way to merge his upbring- ing in western culture with his direct sexuality and awareness of politics, filtering it all through his “post-modern troubadour’s hip- hop heart.” Over at Luna, Eugene band Grasshopper takes the stage on the 27th. Singer/songwriter and guitarist Tony Gilchrist and vocalist Paige Hamm migrated north to Eugene from Austin in 2001. Hamm was a classically trained musi- cian who “wasn’t doing much of anything with her talents,” says Gilchrist, while he had not MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM T he week kicks off with several great bands vying for attention on Thursday, May 27. First up, seven- piece ensemble Macaco Velho (Ma-ca-cu Vel-yo, literally “Old Monkey”) brings the col- orful music and dance of Brazil to Café Paradiso. Velho specializes in the traditional aspects of the music, especially the accordion- driven Forró (pronounced Fo-ho) from the rural countryside. Brazilian-born singer Heliane Ferreira- Pinto fronts the group, with an expressive stage presence and irresistibly powerful voice. Wistful melodies and irrepressible rhythms will transport you to the verdant hills and vi- brant streets of Brazil. MMM MM MM MMMM MMMM MMMMMM 13th & M Oak (formerly Field’s) • 434-6553 MAY 27, 2004 39
