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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 2011)
music Paint it Yela PHOTO BY TODD COOPER One last chance, Eugene, one last chance: Barring a polar inversion or some such other apocalyptic cataclysm, this will be your last chance to kick it intimate with the furious and brilliant Southern trash hip-hop master Yelawolf, who at the end of this month drops his Interscope/Shady Record’s debut, Radioactive. If you were lucky enough to catch Yela’s blistering, rollicking, rat-a-tat appearance May 29 at the Cuthbert — during which the self- declared Slumerican lit it up and burned it clean like a Roman candle — you understand the import of his Sunday WOW Hall appearance. You might not get this close again. With Radioactive, Yelawolf is going all in and doubling down. “It’s a play on words,” he told EW about the new album on a previous Eugene visit. “It’s a play on music. We’re trying to connect with people on an even bigger level… This deserves a bigger ear. This isn’t an underground record. This isn’t a buzz-worthy record. This is a record for the world, you know? It just felt that big to us.” Yelawolf’s “Hard White” Tour featuring DJ Craze and Ritz hits WOW Hall at 9 pm Sunday, Oct. 9; $15 adv., $18 door. — Rick Levin Waving the Freak Flag Chances are you love Greg Brown or you’ve never heard of him. He’s that kind of artist. If you’ve heard of him, stop reading now and go throw on his latest release Freak Flag — get yourself psyched up for his upcoming show Friday, Oct. 7, at The Shedd. If you’ve never heard of him, Brown is a living legend in the folk music world. Though not a household name himself, he is the guy behind many of those household names used today. His stuff’s been covered by the likes of Joan Baez, Ani DiFranco, Willie Nelson and Jack Johnson. Maybe you’ve heard him on Prairie Home Companion and didn’t know it. For years now he’s been mixing Woody Guthrie’s road-weary philosophizing and Dylan’s clever storytelling, with the cadence of a bullfrog. Brown runs his own label, Red House Records, which has released works by Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, John Gorka and Eliza Gilkyson among many others. Brown is also quite socially conscious as an artist; in 1999, his Solid Heart CD and accompanying video were recorded during a two-night benefit for In Harmony, an organization that supports foster children and their families. In 2002 proceeds from the sales of Going Driftless: An Artist’s Tribute to Greg Brown, featuring Ani DiFranco, Gillian Welch and Brown’s own daughters, went to benefit the Breast Cancer Fund. And on top of it all Greg Brown loves Eugene. He even wrote a song about us called “Eugene,” in which he sings “I know a few people that’d let me park in their drive. Plug in for a night or two. Stay up late and talk about these crazy times. The blandification of our whole situation.” Greg Brown plays Friday, Oct. 7, at The Shedd; $26-$34. — William Kennedy Feel the Love Concrete Loveseat is a local band composed of members from other local bands (the Sugar Beets, the Moonbox, Chanci Pants and the Educators) who came together organically during the heavy snow days that hit the city a few years ago. Vocalist Cynthia Valentine and Sugar Beets guitarist Marty Chilla ran into each other over warm drinks and a nice fire. From there it just snowballed. This is a band full of top-notch musicians, and Valentine can really belt it out. Paul Biondi (woodwinds), Austin Bowels on piano, Sylvain Duplant (standup bass), Beau Eastlund (drums), Daniel Gallo (guitar) and smooth bass master Bob Schlicting make up the rest of the crew — they are throwbacks who play old jazz standards with startling authenticity. “We’re trying to innovate but do things that don’t pop the bubble of our Billie Holiday-style jazz,” Chilla says. Gigging all over Eugene throughout the past year after releasing Love Me, a six-song album that sounds perfect for the upcoming winter season, Concrete Loveseat has found its groove. Although a little bummed out that local favorites Sea Bell broke up, Concrete Loveseat continues to contribute to the lively music scene and the venues that make it all happen. At its next show, Concrete Loveseat will be playing a unique alternating set with the fusion belly dance troupe Mint Eclyptic. “We can’t wait to play at the new, updated Cozmic Pizza,” says Chilla. “It is a really great place to play and we’re excited to check it out.” Concrete Loveseat plays 9 pm Saturday, Oct. 8, at Cozmic Pizza; $9. — Dante Zuñiga- West ONE WORLD, TWO GUITARS UN MONDO, DUE CHITARRE FRANCESCO BUZZURRO RICHARD SMITH )ULGD\2FWREHUSP Beall Concert Hall University of Oregon (WK$YH Don’t miss returning guitar virtuosos Francesco Buzzurro–Sicilian classical– and Richard Smith–contemporary jazz– celebrating the release of their new CD. dig deep saturday cafe mist covered mountain front porch 10a to 12p su 11a to 1p sa 2 to 5p su back porch friends & neighbors 9 to11p sa 7:30 to 9:30p mo Tickets $10; $8 students/seniors More information at music.uoregon.edu/events Tickets at 541-346-4363 or tickets.uoregon.edu EO/AA/ADA institution committed to cultural diversity. 36 OCTOBER 6, 2011 EUGENE WEEKLY WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
