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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 2010)
music Kreepy Krauts It’s hard to believe the German psychobilly band Mad Sin began in 1987, almost 25 years ago. It’s even harder to believe they’re still at it, considering they haven’t exactly been the poster children for clean living, and that they took a hiatus following their 2007 album 20 Years of Sin Sin. Some of the personal tragedies that have befallen them in recent months gave inspiration to their 13th album release, Burn and Rise. As the name suggests, some of the themes are about coming back like the phoenix from the brink of what nearly ended their musical careers and their very lives. In 2009, some close friends of the band passed away. Then vocalist Koefte deVille suffered from severe blood poisoning that left him hospitalized and facing death. As if that wasn’t bad enough, deVille was dumped by his long-term girlfriend, followed by a doctor’s diagnosis: “Change your ways or be dead within a year.” Well, change he did, and his physical and mental resurgence resonated with the rest of the band as well. They got back into the studio, and the result was Burn and Rise. The album’s 18 songs sound tight as ever, indicating that their blend of psychobilly, rockabilly, ’50s rock-and-roll, punk, surf and even a little country is still fresh as ever. Mad Sin and The Phenomenauts play at 7:30 pm Tuesday, Oct. 26, at WOW Hall. $13 adv., $15 door. — Vanessa Salvia Passion on the Plains If there’s one thing Eugene learned from the Eugene Symphony’s most recent conductor search, it’s that Danail Rachev has the passion and grace to conduct composers like Alexander Borodin. In this week’s concert — whose main event is the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 with guest artist Jon Kimura Parker — local audiences will again get to hear some Borodin, with the famous In the Steppes of Central Asia kicking off a concert of Russian intensity and glory. The fi nal piece is Stravinsky’s Petrushka, a ballet which, like Prokofi ev’s Romeo and Juliet, is just as often played as performed. While Borodin’s piece depicts what one reviewer called “the untamed frontier of Russia’s past,” Stravinsky focuses on the tale of a puppet who comes alive. This concert, perhaps needless to say, will mix narratives with the musical sensitivity Rachev always shows, and he’ll keep on demanding a high-quality performance from the musicians while also asking the audience to keep up. It’s also Rachev’s opening concert for the season thanks to the birth of his fi rst child just as the season began. As for the Tchaikovsky, don’t fret, lovers of Tchaikovsky symphonic works: This piano concerto gives much play to the power of the orchestra as well as the skill of the soloist. From armies to a piano/orchestra duel/duet to the animation of the puppet, this concert of Russian masters, under the baton of Maestro Rachev, should earn wild applause from a fi red-up Eugene audience. The weather may not be warm, but Silva Hall will be. The Eugene Symphony with Jon Kimura Parker plays at 8 pm Thursday, Oct. 21, at the Hult Center. $36-$54. — Suzi Steffen WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM EUGENE WEEKLY OCTOBER 21, 2010 35
