BY VANESSA SALVIA
Rock and Reggae
WOW Hall fills the week with reggae, hip hop and rock.
What a week of great shows, all over
town! First, reggae fans will rejoice to the
tropical sounds of Midnite , a popular roots
reggae band from St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin
Islands. If you’re looking for an inspiring,
danceable way to bring in the weekend, check
this band out, Friday, July 30 at WOW Hall.
Brothers Vaughn (lead vocals, songwriter)
and Ron Benjamin (keyboards, musical direc-
tor) founded the band in 1989. They are
joined by a strong rhythm section of drummer
Dion Hopkins and bassist Phillip Merchant.
The brothers have a strong musical vision and
base their music on the foundation of “old-
school roots sound matched with powerful
lyrics that address various issues such as
racial oppression, misrepresented social histo-
ry and fundamental Rastafarian teachings.”
Midnite keeps things fresh by never play-
ing the same set twice and constantly working
on new material to bring to its live perform-
ances. Midnite spends a considerable
amount of time each year on St. Croix, in a
stimulating community of people that nour-
ish the musicians’ musical and spiritual lives.
This Friday marks Midnite’s third time in
Eugene following sold-out shows at John
Henry’s and WOW Hall in past months.
Eugene artists Satya Yuga (Sanskrit for
“The Age of Truth”) will warm up the crowd
before Midnite takes the stage. Drummer
Julian Fritz and vocalist Omkarananda
spread consciousness and musical melody
through a rootsy jazz fusion approach. Satya
Yuga recently toured California to promote
its debut album, Wine of the Mystics.
On Sunday, Aug. 1, the WOW Hall hosts a
night of hip-hop with Lifesavas , X-Clan
Millennium Cypher , Diverse and Libretto .
Vursatyl, Jumbo the Garbageman and DJ
Rev. Shines make up Lifesavas. MCs Vursatyl
and Jumbo met playing basketball in
Portland’s city parks. As their friendship grew,
so did their repertoire of raps and routines. The
two MCs became known around Portland by
playing last-minute shows as a duo, gaining
the respect of promoters as two who could be
counted on as, literally, “lifesavers.”
With Rev. Shines on the turntables, the
group has garnered much acclaim from fans
and fellow musicians, including Blackalicious,
co-owners of artist-owned San Francisco label
Quannum Records. Blackalicious invited
Vursatyl to tour the world as part of their live
performances and Lifesavas recorded on the
Quannum label shortly after. Brooklyn’s X-
Clan released two acclaimed albums, To The
East Blackward and Xodus, before disbanding
in the mid ’90s. X Clan’s Brother J has joined
up with members of the Dark Sun Riders have
formed X Clan Millennium Cypher, who are
touring with a new album, The Music, The
Mission, The Cypher.
Skip ahead a couple days and save your
money for The Supersuckers , also at
WOW Hall, on Tuesday, Aug. 3. Formed in
Tucson, Ariz., in 1988, the boys quickly relo-
cated to the nexus of rock music, Seattle, in
1989. That was a smart move, as the Suckers
quickly gained in popularity. Starting with
1992’s The Smoke of Hell, people started tak-
ing notice of this band led by punk-rock cow-
boy Eddie Spaghetti, a beer-guzzling cowboy
hat and cowboy boot wearing noise-maker.
Combining Motorhead-ish big riffs, a
strong garage rock sensibility and a hefty dose
of alcohol-fueled humor, the Supersuckers
always satisfy. Their tongue-in-cheek country
record, 1997’s Must’ve Been High, released
on Sub Pop, is a humorous take on drunken
nights, hungover mornings and country music
clichés. Their last full length, Motherfuckers
Be Trippin’, showcased the boys’ energetic
rock blended with a little touch of hillbilly
hickishness. Recently, Eddie Spaghetti
released a solo recorded titled The Sauce. The
current tour, which the band is calling “The
Big Show,” is said to feature both rock and
country facets of the band as well as
Spaghetti’s music from The Sauce.
Yet another show at WOW Hall you’ll
want to check out, on Wednesday, Aug. 4, is
the Kottonmouth Kings with OPM , Big
The Supersuckers play WOW Hall August 3.
B and Strawman . Kottonmouth Kings play
hip-hop and punk and are touring in support of
Fire It Up. Having released eight albums in as
many years, the seven-man crew spreads
awareness about legalizing marijuana and
increasing personal freedom. Producer and MC
Brad “Daddy” X founded the group in 1994.
Since then, their popularity has spread largely
through the underground; they’ve sold more
than one million records and more than one mil-
lion concert tickets for more than1500 shows.
Los Angeles’s OPM blends hip-hop with
laid-back reggae rhythms. Kottonmouth Kings
have their own label, Suburban Noize, which
also released OPM’s new CD, For Them Asses.
The debut CD, Menace to Sobriety, also came
out on Suburban.
The next night at WOW Hall is Floater ’s
acoustic CD release party. What a great week
of shows!
Two shows at Cozmic Pizza sound inter-
esting. E Muzeki on Friday gathers Greek
bouzouki, Gypsy violin, Flamenco gui-
tar and Celtic fiddle to weave a lush
tapestry of world music. Through a
modern interpretation of these ancient
musical forms, E Muzeki gives them all
a satisfying new life, together and individu-
ally. Saturday entices with a night of
Brazilian percussion with Eugene’s Samba
Ja , and Nigerian Afro-beat and Juju music
with Portland’s Jujuba . Samba Ja is a 30-
member mobile percussion ensemble, play-
ing the music of Brazil’s streets. The infec-
tious rhythms of Brazil’s Carnival music will
get you dancing!
Under the direction of founder and lead
drummer Jake Pegg, Samba Ja recently cele-
brated its third birthday. Jujuba features
Nojeem Lasisi from Igbo Ora in Nigeria.
Lasisi learned the art of drumming from his
father, himself a master drummer. Lasisi
toured the world as a member of King Sunny
Ade’s group, The African Beats . He
appeared with King Sunny Ade on the
recordings Seven Degrees North and Odu.
At Sam Bond’s on Aug. 2, witness The
Mae Shi , performing songs from their new
one, Terrorbird. If you like Deerhoof, The
Ex, or The Monorchid, you might like The
Mae Shi. Performing with them is Olympia’s
The Punks , featuring record label Kill Rock
Stars founder Slim Moon.
ew
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