music
Portrait of the Boy Eating Drum Machine
Portland’s Boy Eats Drum Machine, a.k.a. Jon Ragel, is literally a one-man
band. A funky amalgam of horns, synth and percussion all blend in a glitchy, many
times disharmonic yet extremely danceable meshwork as Ragel stands guard
over the turntables and a variety of other instruments. This is music made with
inspiration coming from seemingly everywhere, yet harnessed all together by
Ragel’s casually confi dent voice and mastering ability.
Ragel’s newest release, September’s 20 Beats, differs from his other works by
going heavy on the percussion and synth and laying off the vocals that dominate his
other albums. This seems to be the progression of a talented electronica artist, and
it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Where his other albums have an almost post-punk,
rocky sound to them, this one is more in the vein of Tobacco or other heavy analog-
synth musicians; the snare and hi-hat of the acoustic drum kit keep things real.
This funky mixture of digital-analog, fl ow-glitch and jazzy improv to highly
calculated beats — plus odd snippets of vocal melody — all blend into something worth
checking out, if only for the entertainment factor of watching Ragel juggling his odd
assortment of instruments all over the stage.
As Ragel continues to develop and expand
on his multi-instrumental talent, the only
thing he has left to do is shave off
those atrocious sideburns of
his. They’re really all that’s
holding him back.
Boy Eats Drum
Machine plays at 8pm
Friday, Jan. 28, at
the WOW Hall; $8
adv., $10 door.
– Andrew Hitz
With Circa Vitae, It’s ‘About Life’
The phrase “circa vitae” is Latin for “about life” and, by natural extension, change.
The Eugene band by the same name came together in 2008 and soon after released
a self-titled EP. And though the voices and music of the fi ve band members seemed to
mesh beautifully, life changes. Vocalist and keyboardist Anna Ponto, the lone female
with a rich timbre and soaring drama to her voice, is no longer part of the band. Ponto
moved to Portland, and diffi culties in managing practices led them to enlist Erin Flood,
a singer with a similar style.
Their new CD, Lovers, was tracked mostly live at the end of 2009 and includes
Ponto’s vocals. “So there’s the feel of the moment,” says guitarist Wesley Curtis.
Curtis also plays in folk pop duo Martini and James, which took a month-long trip this
summer to see the country and play gigs — another reason Lovers was delayed. The
remainder of the band is Britt Brady (vocal/guitar), Thaddeus Moore (drummer) and
Nate Beveridge (bass), all of whom have other musical projects.
“I think Lovers is a nice step forward for us,” says Curtis. “I feel like we grew a
lot and you can hear it. The album sound is relatively similar but I’d like to think
it’s more mature.”
One of the most appealing aspects of Circa Vitae’s swooning Radiohead-esque
pop was the interplay of Brady and Ponto’s voices. But Curtis is confi dent that Flood
will be equally appealing. Flood has sung with several local bands, including Tyler
Fortier. “She’s a really great singer,” Curtis says. So don’t let change scare you off;
after all, that’s what life’s about. Circa Vitae celebrates its CD release with Purple
Sparrows and Motae at 9:30pm Friday, Jan. 28, at Sam Bond’s; 21+ show, $5.
— Vanessa Salvia
26 JANUARY 27, 2011
EUGENE WEEKLY
Womp
I have nothing against the purported “bedroom
musicians.” Aside from love-making I’m sure many of
the great rock and roll musicians of our time and times
past have penned hit singles whilst lounging around
their most private of chambers. There are notable
electronic musicians that make a living doing this,
and they do it very well. But Christ, how the fuck
did Bassnectar’s “womp, womp” sell out at the
McDonald two months before his upcoming
show? Two demographics: 14-year-old
kandi ravers and UO frat bros.
Some of Lorin Ashton’s (real
name) remixes are actually
okay. His remix of Fever Ray’s
“When I Grow Up” wasn’t a total
desecration of the original, and
his “Cozza Frenzy” is bearable
the fi rst few times around. But
can anyone really listen to this
guy sober? If you actually take
a listen (not high as a kite), his
drops are about as predictable
and repetitive as a metronome,
and his overbearing bass lines
are so in your face you really do
need something to take the edge
off. But I’ve been told it’s about
“the experience,” which consists
of a trippy light show, tons of
sweaty, slippery bodies, and young
adolescents with their eyes rolled
back in their skulls. I’m sorry, but
in my most humble and modest
opinion, Ashton can take his “omni
tempo maximalism” back to San
Francisco.
Bassnectar plays 8pm Thursday,
Feb. 3, at the McDonald Theater; the
show is SOLD OUT. – Andrew Hitz
Sit under the Bodhi Tree
It’s been six years since we’ve heard new music from Laura Kemp. The last time
I spoke with Eugene’s favorite songstress, it was to congratulate her for winning
Favorite Vocalist and Solo Performer in EW’s 2009 “Best of Eugene” issue. She had
recently returned from a six-month-long, life-changing trip to India that she now
feels helped “wrap up” music she’d written earlier in her life.
It’s easy to tell that trip is still infl uential, even though only three songs on
Bodhi Tree are overtly about India. “I don’t think I was ready with the songs before
I went or it would have been a very different CD,” Kemp says. “My other CDs have
been so relationship focused. This one feels more inward.”
“Waxer’s Song” was written from the perspective of a dog that Kemp lost
when a relationship ended. Another song, “Lucinda May,” is about her own dog
and includes the poignant lines: “’Cinda May, I wish I could be like you / Forgiving
myself for everything bad that I do.”
“No Regrets” is about Kemp’s relationship with her life. “That’s defi nitely
looking back at my 44 years I’ve lived and just thinking about the different paths
I’ve taken and the decisions I’ve made, and trying to be OK with it all,” she says.
Bodhi Tree was produced in Nashville by Uygar “Nomad” Ovunc, the partner in
both music and life of former Eugenean Mare Wakefi eld. This represents the fi rst
time Kemp left Eugene to record and produce, though Nashville is familiar to her.
“I feel like going to Nashville was as big a deal as India,” she recalls. “I went to
college in Nashville, so it was pretty wild to go back but not be a student anymore. I
felt like it was consistent with the whole India experience in that so much of it was
about letting go. In Nashville I had to let someone else put their creative control on
this project and see what happened. I’m really happy with it.”
Laura Kemp performs a CD release show at 8pm Saturday, Jan. 29, at Unity of
the Valley Church, 3912 Dillard; all ages, $10.50 adv., $12 door. — Vanessa Salvia
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