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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (June 24, 2004)
BY BRETT CAMPBELL Hamsa Lilla plays the McDonald Saturday, June 26. Full Bar Organic Café Mam Coffee Organic Menu for Lunch & Dinner Wireless Internet Locally Owned & Operated MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMM MM MM MMMM MMMM MMMMMM 13th & M Oak (formerly Field’s) • 434-6553 ©2004 Pabst Brewing Company AILMENT Does size really matter? Take a listen to the band Ailment and you will quickly learn that they give no props to that old adage. What they lack in size they make up for with a conta- gious and powerful sound. This melodic hardcore trio comes in the form of Aaron, Jobe and Kyle. This year Ailment unleashed a new album titled They Came On Waves. It is a must-have for your local music collection! Check out www.ailmentmusic.com and Eugene Weekly’s clubs page for this Saturday’s show time. 22 JUNE 24, 2004 Arabia to Zimbabwe ’Round the world sounds are indoors and out. T he advent of summer brings an as- sortment of outdoor activities, con- certs and festivals, including the Oregon Country Fair. With all those alfresco temptations and the Oregon Bach Festival, it’s easy to overlook some worthwhile music happening in the clubs this month, particu- larly for fans of sounds inspired by sources from beyond our borders. On Friday, June 25, Cozmic Pizza hosts one of the most important figures in African music, the Zimbabwean mbira master Cosmas Magaya. What Yo Yo Ma is to the cello, Magaya is to the 22-key metal instru- ment surrounded by a gourd. Magaya is one of the most accomplished performers, scholars and teachers of this beautiful instrument, which, when properly plucked, produces a danceable, shimmering shower of liquid notes; the renowned virtuoso Stella Chiweshe has called it “the sound of tuned raindrops.” A prodigy, Magaya grew up hearing and playing the mbira, which is an essential part of his Shona people’s spiritual traditions. He’s helped plant seeds of southern African music here in the Northwest and beyond, and he’ll be joined by local marimba mavens Kudana Marimba. He’ll also perform at one of the West Coast’s most varied showcases for world music, the Salem World Beat Festival, on Saturday, June 26. The festival, in Salem’s Riverfront Park, is one of the highlights of Oregon summer, fea- turing music, dance, food, workshops, kid- friendly activities and much more. You can hear music from Iran, Indonesia, Japan, and many other global sounds, including several groups from Eugene. Fans of African music might also want to check out the renowned Congolese singer, dancer and drummer Mabiba Baegne, who’s leading an intensive mini camp in all three disciplines at the WOW Hall in July and performing at Art & the Vineyard during the Fourth of July weekend. That festival of wine, art and song includes other excellent musicians including Tony Furtado, Austin blues queen Angela Strehli, and much more. Also on Friday, June 25, Café Paradiso fea- tures the Middle Eastern influenced local group Americanistan Tribalation, an American Tribal Style bellydance troupe, the Gypsy Sisters, an eclectic troupe from Sisters, and the Caravan Dancers, from Coos Bay. The spread of world music has also, un- fortunately, produced a plethora of fusion projects that do little more than water down the traditional music that inspired it; all music is hybrid music, as the great composer Lou Harrison noted, but, as in any cross fertiliza- tion, there’s as much chance of producing a dud as a triumph. One of the few pop bands that’s succeeded in creating a truly original and compelling world-music influenced sound is San Francisco’s Hamsa Lilla. Blending instruments from Africa, Arabia (especially the Gnawa music of Morocco), and America, and incorporating contempo- rary electronica and house music influences, Hamsa Lilla appeals to dance music and jam band fans as much as world music crowds. They sing in nine languages, dance in almost that many (including belly dancing and African dancing), and establish a danceable groove that can keep you pulsating for hours. They’re playing the McDonald Theater on Saturday, June 26, with Zilla (featuring String Cheese Incident drummer Michael Travis) opening. Some other good road shows coming to town this month include the great R&B singers the Holmes Brothers at the WOW Hall on Tuesday, June 29 — the same day, frustratingly, John Fogerty rocks the Cuthbert Amphitheatre, where the Holmes Brothers put on such a great show a few years ago. Fogerty’s show there a few summers back had to be one of the best outdoor con- certs I’ve ever experienced. Admittedly, boomer nostalgia for Creedence Clearwater Revival, maybe America’s greatest singles band, probably played a part — but most of it was Fogerty’s still-magnificent singing, sharp guitaristry, tight band, and strong recent songs. A sometime Oregon resident, he some- how seems to have maintained all his youth- ful fire and love for rock and roll, and I’m looking forward to hearing old and new sounds from him at the Cuthbert. And if you want even more outdoor music, check out the free band series at Washburne Park at 6:30 every Sunday through Sept. 12, featuring local brass and wind players. ew
