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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 2004)
BY VANESSA SALVIA Little Punks Face Eater rhymes with space heater. T hree 14-year-olds and two 16-year-olds have emerged on the Eugene punk scene with a band called Face Eater. I spoke with Cassidy Kane, the group’s 14-year old drummer, and guitarist Max Schramm, who is also 14. The young musicians have been exposed to a wide variety of music throughout their lives, thanks to family members’ influence. Kane’s mother is Raenie Kane, drummer extraordi- naire who’s played with numerous local bands including The Danged and, currently, The Shudders. Schramm’s father plays guitar while his mother runs the stage at Saturday Market. Vocalist Vince Marucci’s father is the owner of House of Records. His stepfather works there, along with Raenie, and both are walking ency- clopedias of musical knowledge. With so much exposure to music, it’s no sur- prise the boys turned to performing for personal expression. The fivesome, including bassist Robin Clemmen and Jesse Lynch on guitar, are friends from school. All but Clemmen attend South Eugene. The idea arose 11 months ago “to jam to- gether just for fun,” according to Schramm. “It started out as me, Kassidy and Robin,” he ex- plains. “We decided to get together and jam and it kind of turned into a band.” The crew honed their chops playing Nirvana songs, although that influence has since been dispersed. “Now, we’re playing all our own stuff,” says Kane. When asked to describe their music, Kane and Schramm each speak a few words, com- pleting the others’ thoughts on the subject, with the consensus being “rock with a hardcore in- fluence.” “Two of the bands that we’re into the most are Minor Threat and Black Flag,” says Kane. The friends are big into Fugazi right now; also MC5, The Descendents, Stooges, and Minutemen. In other words, just some of the best punk and rock music ever made. With con- fidence Kane says, “Of course we think highly of ourselves, but I’m not sure how much some of our influences show.” The name Face Eater was chosen because it rhymes with “space heater” and also because it was part of an inside joke, which initially mani- fested as Face Burner. The catchier name stuck. The pair says that the best thing about play- ing in a band is the music, plain and simple. “It’s definitely not about popularity or anything like that. It’s just about playing music and having fun.” Kane follows that up with a quick, “Yeah!” Kane and Schramm wrap up our conversa- tion by letting me know that Face Eater holds a vaulted place in their world. “Face Eater is the most important thing. Well, maybe not the most important, but it’s the thing we all enjoy the most,” Kane says. “By far,” they both say at once. The group will perform at Agate Hall on Oct. 29 at 8 pm, with local bands Entropy and 20th and Kincaid. Folk fans will enjoy Zoe Lewis’s perform- ance at Sam Bond’s Garage on Oct. 28, along with Brian Joseph. Lewis is a soft-spoken trans- planted Brit (originally from the seaside village of Rottingdean) who now hails from Provincetown, Rhode Island. She has a unique, vaudevillian approach to folk music, and finds her modus operandi in whatever inspiring events and people she’s privy to. In Lewis’s world, everything is worthy of a song, and the result is a joyous outlook that celebrates the seemingly mundane. One song, “Pies for the Public,” is about an elderly neighbor and friend whose cupboards were so bare she could only make one pie. She sold the pie for ingredients to make a few more pies, then sold those, and eventually found her- self with a thriving pie business. Another a cap- pella song pays tribute to a London flower seller. Between tunes Lewis banters with the audience, encouraging them to hoot and holler if they like, or just sit back and listen, perhaps enjoying a pennywhistle solo. ew THREE DAYS ONLY ALL SEATS $30* SPECIAL OFFER FOR THIS WEEKEND ONLY SALE STARTS FRIDAY! GO TO HULTCENTER.ORG VISIT THE BOX OFFICE OR THE EMU BOX OFFICE, OR CALL 682-5000 BOB AMARAL Photos by: Chris Callis/Paul Kolnik ANDY TAYLOR THE LAUGHS ARE JUST A PHONE CALL AWAY! BOB AMARAL ANDY TAYLOR ”THE PRODUCERS” the new MEL BROOKS musical book by music & lyrics by MEL BROOKS & THOMAS MEEHAN MEL BROOKS and by special arrangement with StudioCanal direction and choreography by SUSAN STROMAN NOVEMBER 9–14 • HULT CENTER Groups 20+ call 744-1962 *Fri Oct 29 - Sun Oct 31 all seats in rear orchestra, mezzanine and balcony for select performances, Tues, Thurs Mat & eve, Sat Mat, Sun Mat. Not valid with previously purchased tickets. Tickets subject to availability. Prices, dates and times are subject to change without notice. BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com Original Broadway Cast Recording Available On Sony Classical www.producersontour.com OCTOBER 28, 2004 29
