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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (April 12, 2007)
L O C A L S O N LY Eric Jensen THE CASE OF THE DISAPPEARING MUSICIANS Did they really vanish – or just move to Portland? BY AMANDA BURHOP I Exquisite Foods Phenomenal Presentation Superior Service thought it was just me. Well, at least I did until others started bringing up the same topic: The Eugene music scene and its lack of indie rock bands. This is a college town, right? Don’t college kids fall head over heels for this stuff? Then it occurred to me: There used to be really great bands creating interesting stuff. A whole community of artists, musicians and their supportive friends gave Eugene something to wrap its arms around, something to remove them from their entertainment rut. Bands like Chevron, Mine Thirty Seven, Pellet Gun, The Little Twos and Dragging An Ox Through Water dominated the music scene just a few years ago. So what happened? It’s as if they disappeared, taking the music with them. But they didn’t really — most just relocated to Portland. Not long before some of the major players in this music scene left us for bigger and better things, Halle Williams, Jevon Cutler and Adam Newton produced a com- pilation on their Schapendoes Records. The Last Thing We Ever Did compiled some of the Northwest’s best: Dutch Flat, Black Darts, Mood Area 52 and Animal Beard. In an Oregon Daily Emerald article, Williams said: “There’s a lot of good bands in Eugene that would get more coverage in a bigger city where there is a more estab- lished music scene and a bigger chance of a label being interested in wanting to help out a band. But in a small city like Eugene, there is not the same opportunity.” So that’s the cause: coverage and opportunities. Well, not exactly. Eric Jensen, of Pellet Gun and Tractor Operator, says, “Eugene is such a transitory place. It’s a college town, so a majority of people are there to get something and then leave. That’s why the music scene ebbs and flows so drastically.” Jensen’s been focusing most of his efforts on Tractor Operator but also plays drums in Ferocious Eagle. Jensen, who just finished recording his second full-length album on Jealous Butcher Records, says being a musician is difficult in any town, not just Eugene. “If you do it because it’s what you do, Portland is a great town to be a musician,” says Jensen. Brian Mumford — of Chevron, Dragging an Ox through Water and Iodil — has, since leaving Eugene, lived on a farm in Hood River with llamas, moved to Portland, then New York and then Portland again. “Portland’s very good. I just got back and feel like getting acquainted with it all over again,” says Mumford. Mumford says he left Eugene simply because it was time: “I love Eugene and don’t think anyone has to leave it.” But he also believes Portland to be more of a cultural megaphone than Eugene. In Portland, Mumford is able to dabble in a little of everything. His focus is on Dragging an Ox Through Water, but he still plays in Chevron, Animal Beard and Ghost Money. His most recent collaboration is with Haiku Ambulance, one of his favorite Portland bands. So we shouldn’t be upset with them for leaving us, and we shouldn’t take it per- sonally. It’s not us; it’s them. And if you love something, you should set it free. Serving Northwest-French Contemporary Cuisine D INNER • W EEKEND B RUNCH Local and French Wines • 4 Ever Changing Beers on Tap Seasonal Cocktails • Catering Available Intimate Monthly Wine Dinners three square southtowne shoppes - 2835 oak street, 284.2825 APRIL 12, 2007 39
