Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 8, 2007)
abilities. Then London moved back to Eugene, and the two began a new musical adventure. Although they haven’t recorded together yet, it’s easy to hear, listening to their solo projects, why these corresponding mu- sical personalities came together. Both write beau- tiful, sensory-rich songs that flow more like litera- ture than indie rock. To ac- company lines like “I wish there was a button on your chest to stop you from wandering,” they play everything from ac- cordions to toy pianos. Currently they’re revamp- ing their individually pro- duced songs while also working on some co-writ- ten ones. These naturally The Tiffany Lamps gifted musicians are old souls, and their chemistry Corresponding Pieces together illuminates like a halo. I met Michelle Zauner of Little Girl Big While their “futures lie like pavement in Spoon last May after seeing her open for the sun,” I can’t wait to see what the future Maria Taylor. Intrigued by her lyrical struc- holds for them. The Tiffany Lamps play ture and quirky demeanor, I asked about a with Sam Barber at 8 pm Friday, Feb. 8 at possible interview. We talked all things Cozmic Pizza. $3. — Amanda Burhop music, from female musicians to the Eugene music scene. We also discussed the Artistic Response to War idea of turning her solo act into a full- On Feb. 11, DIVA hosts an important fledged band. But worried her songs would event that fans of new music, dance, and lose their intimacy, she quickly rejected the anyone interested in the excesses of the idea. Now that LGBS has disbanded, Bush regime’s so-called War on Terror Zauner’s taken the plunge. This is a two shouldn’t miss. Portland-based composer person band. This is The Tiffany Lamps. Jack Gabel composed a gripping, passion- With Leo London, formerly of The ate score to T h e Fa l l ‘ 0 1, a “choreodrama” Deleted Scenes and The Virginal Sound, choreographed by Agnieszka Laska and the duo came together last November by Luis Arreguin with image montages by happenstance. While London was living in Uehara Takafumi. Beginning with the Portland with his bandmates, struggling to September 2001 terrorist attacks, the mul- keep peace in the house, Zauner was strug- timedia work explores, in images and gling with sameness in her songwriting music, how the administration twisted structure. “I grew out of those songs,” she America’s horror into the nightmares re- says about those written for LGBS. Feeling vealed by Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. stuck in her songwriting, Zauner consid- The full production was staged in Mexico ered a collaboration to exercise her musical last fall, and the artists are showing a 45 minute video documentary about that pro- duction to raise funds for an Oregon pro- duction and world tour. This is a chance to support one of the most potent artistic re- sponses to war and state terrorism perpe- trated by our government I’ve ever seen. The screening takes place at 3 pm Sunday, Feb. 11 at DIVA. Donations accepted. — Brett Campbell Standards Deviation The East Coast has more than its fair share of funny, feminist singer-songwrit- ers, but few of them present the mix of in- telligent humor and rhythmic interpreta- tions that characterize the music of Erin McKeown. With an odd but compelling voice, delighted and knowing at the same time, she seems to quirk her mouth ironi- cally with every word yet deliver those words sincerely. She’s not yet 30 and has five album releases under her belt with an- other full album of songs in the hopper, which she’s planning to record this sum- mer. The songs she writes refer to every- thing from lit-crit theories to nursery rhymes, and they all showcase her unique syncopation and complex storytelling. But she was featured in Jan. 22’s People maga- zine for her new album of jazz and big band Sing classics, You Sinners. “It seemed like the time for me to make a quick record of the music I loved,” McKeown says. McKeown likes standards, she says, and making decisions about what to include wasn’t hard. “Every song has a different story.” The song Erin McKeown “Coucou,” a quick, charming French ditty, came into McKeown’s life from a Django Reinhardt box set. “I didn’t know the track names, but I knew this was track 10 on disc four!” she says. (On Sing, You Sinners it’s track three.) The explosively enjoyable album evokes the snappy sound of long-gone eras, but McKeown and her band stamp their own swinging interpretations on songs like Nat King Cole’s “I Was a Little Too Lonely (You Were a Little Too Late)” and the joyously in- fectious “Rhode Island is Famous For You,” a 1948 song from the little-remembered musical Inside U.S.A. McKeown, whose band in Eugene will include the album’s drummer, Allison Miller, pianist Art Hirahira and McKeown on guitar/banjo, says, “We’re going to have a killer band there!” She’s planning to play old favorites from her own pen along with some of the (much older) faves from the new album. Eleni Mandell, whose Miracle of Five contains haunting and lyrical songs underpinned by her smoky voice, opens for McKeown. This show’s a truly unbelievable value; buy a ticket for your valentine and warm your- selves at the glow of McKeown’s fire. Erin McKeown and Eleni Mandell play at 8 pm Tuesday, Feb. 13 at the WOW Hall. $10 adv., $12 door. — Suzi Steffen Take a short survey & get SKI LIFT TICKETS CHEAP AVAILABLE FOR: HOODOO ALL DAY $20 Call 484-0519 and take a 4 question survey. FEBRUARY 8, 2007 33
