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
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