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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 2005)
BY MOLLY TEMPLETON Kasher’s songs spark an intensely personal reaction among listeners, a reaction due in part to his confessional but saccharine-free lyrics. to be this cycle, but it didn’t work out. But he’s not sure Album worked out either. “I thought I was writing this really linear, cohesive collection of music, but it came across to a lot of people as 12 vignettes, short stories with a similar subject. Some people got it. I wasn’t accurate enough, or descriptive enough. But that’s OK.” Both with Cursive and The Good Life, Kasher’s songs spark an intensely person- al reaction among listeners, a reaction due in part to his confessional but saccharine- free lyrics. It’s strange, then, to be in a room where people are pumping their fists in the air without a shred of irony as Kasher yells, “Cut it out/ Your self-inflict- ed pain/ Is getting too routine,” in Cursive’s “Art is Hard.” “I think about that too much,” he says. “I think about it enough that I bounce back and forth whether or not I want to keep playing and releasing music. It’s a lot of internal conflict for me. I don’t think it’s wrong at all, it’s just … I don’t know.” Kasher pauses, and adds, “That’s really a whole different article.” ew Short Stories, Renegade Songs Tim Kasher brings The Good Life to Eugene. That sounds about right. This week’s visit might be a little dif- ferent for Kasher, who’s headed to town with The Good Life. Kasher’s last three releases — Cursive’s The Ugly Organ and The Good Life’s Lovers Need Lawyers EP, a collection of “renegade songs,” and Album of the Year — have a mountain of glowing reviews between them; The Ugly Organ appeared on more than a few best- of lists at the end of 2003. Following jaunts through Europe and Japan, The Good Life are on the brink of a second U.S. tour for last fall’s Album of the Year, the band’s third album. D espite a brief residence in Portland awhile back, The Good Life (and Cursive) leader Tim Kasher hasn’t been to Eugene since he was 10, when he visited a nearby relative. “I remember walking around a cute little downtown,” he says. “And I had gone to the river to pick up crawdads.” The Good Life, The Velvet Teen, Bella Lea, Consafos WOW Hall • 8:30 pm Friday, April 22 • $8 adv/$10 dos Album isn’t exactly the self-aggrandiz- ing title it might appear. Musically, it’s a conscious shift to a stripped-down, acoustic guitar-based sound — a step away from the burbling synths, plinking keys, doubled vocals and electronic impulses of the band’s previous album, Black Out, a remarkable, bipolar paean of self-analysis. Lyrically, Album is the story of a rela- tionship, one year long, one song per month, laid out in the CD booklet as a small calendar. The year-long cycle was something Kasher had in mind for some time; he says Cursive’s Domestica wanted VE ©2005 PABST BREWING COMPANY Wetsock With influences ranging from Sublime, Op Ivy, The Vandals, and The Violent Femmes, Wetsock refuses to compromise their artistic integrity whether they are denouncing Columbus, praising commodes, or learning life’s lessons. They have set out to save rock and roll! These boys are on a mission. For information on where to see Wetsock this Friday night check out Eugene Weekly’s clubs grid or www.geocities.com/wetsockmusic. ON SALE FRIDAY at 10AM GORGE AMPHITHEATRE FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND SATURDAY & SUNDAY JULY 2 & 3 Tickets available online at www.ticketmaster.com or hob.com, at all Ticketmaster outlets, or charge-by-phone (503) 224-4400 APRIL 21, 2005 27
