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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 2004)
BY BRETT CAMPBELL Charlie Hunter Trio plays WOW Hall Monday. Guitar Greats & Soul Brothers Jazzers Jazzers and and OFAM’s OFAM’s ’50s ’50s fare fare this this week. week. R ©2004 Pabst Brewing Company CONCEPTION With influences like Tool, Primus, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Deftones, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin how could you go wrong? Throw in a fog machine, a mosh pit, a talented new drummer and you have the extremely popular Eugene band, Conception. Cameron (guitars), Ben (bass), Kevin (vocals) and Brian (drums) make up this melodic hardcore group. If you haven’t seen Conception lately, this Saturday would be a great time to catch them. Check out Eugene Weekly ’s clubs page for more details. 2 2 AUGUST 5, 2004 ecently, a New York promoter called the great English guitarist John Renbourn , asking if he knew the music of Robert Johnson. Before he could answer, the promoter explained that a large check would be forthcoming if Renbourn would perform at a tribute to the pioneering American bluesman. Of course, he knew Robert Johnson’s music, Renbourn replied, neglecting to mention the fact that the Robert Johnson he knew served as the lutenist to Queen Elizabeth I half a millennium ago. The promoter needn’t have worried — Renbourn, who appears at Café Paradiso on Friday, Aug. 13, is a master of blues, folk, and most other traditional music for guitar from across the centuries. A key member of the 1960s British folk revival that also produced Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span, the classically trained Renbourn earned a solid reputation for his first few solo albums. Then in 1967, he met the great blues guitarist Bert Jansch and the spellbinding singer Jacqui McShee, and they formed the superb folk-rock group Pentangle, which used haunting English ballads, American blues and other traditional forms as a takeoff point for jazzy improvisa- tions on ancient modes that surpassed most of the indulgent jams of the period. Renbourne’s subsequent solo career con- tinued his fascinating fusions — variously incorporating Indian, Celtic and many other influences. He’s collaborated with other great musicians like Robin Williamson, Larry Coryell and Stefan Grossman, and his nuanced, incomparably fluent fingerstyle playing complements his earthy singing style, taking listeners across oceans and centuries through ancient and recent songs and stories. His appearance at Paradiso with McShee was one of last year’s highlights; this show will especially enchant fretboard fanatics. As will the Charlie Hunter Trio ’s appear- ance at the WOW Hall on Monday, Aug. 9. Another great guitar innovator, Hunter’s eight- string axe improvisations startled jazz fans in the 1990s with their simultaneous bass, lead, and rhythm lines, and his funk grooves brought in a broader, younger audience, Medeski, Martin & Wood-style jamfans. His stint in the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy and appear- ances at Lollapalooza further showcased his variety, but his current trio (including sax and drums) seems to be heading in a jazzier direc- tion. A musician this adept should be experi- enced by any fan of guitar music. Another pair of virtuosos appears at Far Horizons School on Thursday, Aug. 12. The Mysore Violin Brothers play classical music of South India. Although the Indian classical music tradition stretches back at least 1,500 years, the violin is a fairly recent addition, introduced less than 200 years ago, and adapted to provide controlled improvisa- tional elaboration on the ancient ragas, often accompanied (as in this show) by a two- headed wooden drum. Another band of musical brothers comes to town this month as the Nevilles inaugurate downtown outdoor concerts at Broadway/ Kesey Plaza. After all these decades, these vet- eran New Orleans groove masters can still get feet moving and hearts pounding, thanks to Art’s funky keyboards (he’s a founder of the funkmeisters The Meters), Charles’s sultry sax, Cyril’s gritty vocals and percussion, and Aaron’s sublime tenor voice, which has graced hits from 1967’s “Tell it Like it Is” to duets with Linda Ronstadt. With an audience that includes Deadheads as well as soul men, they’re immensely popu- lar in Eugene, and the feeling is mutual, as Charles used to live here and still regards the town with affection. The brothers are set to release a new album in the fall, and they’re about to tape another Austin City Limits appearance, so we can expect to hear some new sounds to go with the classics, perhaps along with cuts from Aaron’s imminent solo album. And don’t forget the Oregon Festival of American Music’s wayback machine to the 1950s this week. The big concert is Dave Brubeck ’s show at the Hult on Saturday, Aug. 7, but there’s also the opening gala con- cert on Thursday, Aug. 5, a folk revival show on Tuesday, Aug. 10, a bop and Beat poetry concert on Thursday afternoon, Aug. 12, show tunes that night, movie music on Friday the 13th (all at the Shedd), and the big closing concert featuring the Legends of Doo Wop and a tribute to rock and roll song- writing legends Leiber and Stoller (they craft- ed so many fabulous songs for the Drifters, Coasters, and others), and a bunch more con- certs, films, talks, and a big new production of ew My Fair Lady — with live orchestra.
