music
Back to the Mothership
Half a century since the ‘60s, and modern music continues to rely
on the neural framework of psychedelia established during that
seminal decade. Sure, not everybody is noodling on guitars and hand-
dancing, but for San Francisco’s Monophonics, the set and setting
haven’t changed. What has changed is the music. “We try to stay true
to the old-school, retro style of our genre, but mix it up with some
modern stuff, too,” vocalist/keyboardist Kelly Finnigan says. “This
soul and funk resurgence is great to see and be a part of.”
Indeed, the combination of guitarist Ian McDonald, bassist Myles
O’Mahony and drummer Austin Bohlman, plus the soaring horns of
trumpeter Ryan Scott and saxophonist Alex Baky — as well as the rich
synth and echoing voice of Finnigan — creates the sense that the only
thing missing is George Clinton’s mothership. Heavy thump-and-bump
funk with a twist of what Finnigan calls “the drug influences of the
psychedelic movement” allows Monophonics to become a polyphonic
sonic trip.
“Monophonics are in your brain,” McDonald says, in reference to
the practice as well as the product, the band’s recently released
record. In Your Brain, a tighter, more mature effort than previous
albums, is a well-rounded cranial exploration that makes your pupils
dilate almost as fast as your legs start moving. The eponymous
single, “In Your Brain,” is a lifted swinging throw-back jam, while
“Mirage” and “Temptation” are cooler, groovier, soul-wailing numbers.
And it only proves the point when Monophonics cover Sly and the
Family Stone’s “There’s a Riot Going On.”
Monophonics play 9 pm Saturday, July 7, at Diablo’s Downtown
Lounge; $10 adv., $13 door. — Patrick Newson
A Drop in the Bucket
Dating back to antiquity, musicians and entertainers have taken to the streets seeking fame and
fortune through song, dance and tricks. Today, buskers remain a common sight the world over,
from magicians wooing street-corner crowds to the Naked Cowboy strumming his guitar in Times
Square.
Eugene’s streets may be home to many a panhandler with a guitar, but three locals in particular
are revealing a serious belief in their ability to entertain as mobile musicians.
His card reads “Stephen St. Claire, Accordionist and Balladeer.” You can find St. Claire on the
produce side of Saturday Market, decked out in a three-piece suit, his hair slicked back and glasses
perched on the tip of his nose. His song repertoire evokes the fantasy scene of a quaint European
market, and you half expect to find a monkey dancing at his feet.
A musician by the age of seven, St. Claire, now 29, has been playing the accordion since 2005.
He takes his accordionist persona seriously. “I wouldn’t play on the street if I thought I couldn’t
entertain somebody,” he says. “If I had a bunch of songs that weren’t really put together on
accordion, I wouldn’t feel right putting on a show and asking for money.”
Fellow troubadour Samuel ‘Beefcake’ Mitchell, 21, has also been playing since childhood.
Catch him in the company of banjo player and guitarist Sarah Jean Olson as these musicians
cruise through town in a red pickup affectionately known as Piano Truck.
The piano — set up in the bed of the pickup and adorned with a stuffed, three-legged coyote
named Family — is Mitchell’s stage, allowing him to draw in crowds with a blend of ragtime, jazz and
dirty blues. He plays family friendly during the day, but come night he hauls out a bevy of clever
originals with titles like “Road Kill Ballad,” and he refers to his piano as “delightfully out of tune.”
“It’s different than stage performance; it’s different than cinema,” Mitchell explains. “It’s a whole
new thing. I’m a walk-by performer and I have to grab people’s attention as they are walking by. But
I play to hundreds of people a day.”
Violinist Christopher Stark, 20, got his start at the age of six in the Suzuki Strings Program.
He’s won concerto competitions, and he placed fourth in Oregon’s state competition. He is
currently a music student at UO.
For Stark, busking is a chance to practice new pieces in a setting that differs from the concert
hall. He performs on the produce side of the Saturday Market, where he says he’s noticed that
people show more appreciation for classical pieces on the violin.
“For me, music has always been about emotional context — the reaction of the audience, making
them enjoy it the same way I’m enjoying it, is one of the things I like the most,” Stark says.
Keep street performers on our streets: Fuel their passion by tossing a buck into the bucket the
next time you find yourself strolling by. — Jackie Varriano
Bluegrass, Blue-gene
The year is eighteen hundred ‘n’ somethin’. Hezekiah Goldfarb is making his way across the
Oregon Trail from Tennessee. Among Goldfarb’s personal belongings is a single piece of real
Tennessee grass, the color of sky on a clear day. He protects this slender blade throughout his
arduous journey and when he arrives in the Willamette Valley, Goldfarb plants it in the fertile soil.
Little does Goldfarb know, as the reed grows it releases magical powers that seep not only into
the soil, but also into the water and the rivers of Hezekiah’s new home. Now, more than 150 years
later — as cities and towns have sprung up in the valley — those who drink the water or eat from
the earth have a little bit of that magical Tennessee bluegrass in them.
OK, this is B.S., but it goes a long way in explaining why so many folks here are bonkers for
bluegrass. If this story were true, Eugene band Rusty Still would make Mr. Goldfarb proud with
their fancy pickin’ and fiddlin’. Rusty Still blends pro musicianship, bluegrass tradition, newgrass
sounds and western swing into warm and inviting, toe-tappin’ tracks like “Washington County.”
Or maybe the legend is true, and Rusty Still has discovered the original patch of earth once
tended by pioneer Hezekiah Goldfarb, unlocking the secrets of traditional Tennessee music
planted there so long ago. See it live and find out.
Rusty Still plays 8:30 pm Friday, July 6, at Axe & Fiddle; $3. — William Kennedy
Music in the Raw
Eugene singer-songwriter Caroline Bauer is only 21, but the
lyrics to her gracefully composed love songs might have you
thinking differently. Yes, Bauer is calendar young, but she’s a
musician wise beyond her years.
Until just few years back, Bauer was hesitant about sharing
her art with the public. “My music always felt private like an
intimate experience,” she says, “but when it got the point where
I really wanted to share it with people, that nervousness went
away really organically.”
Bauer’s songwriting reveals an unrefined and folksy vibe that
is balanced by the pure, authentic nature of her love songs.
Relying solely on her voice and guitar (and the occasional
appearance of her ukulele), Bauer creates an unprocessed sound
that maintains its innocence. “It’s well-produced but also raw,”
she says.
“Of all the emotions, love is the feeling that inspires me the
most,” Bauer explains. And love is what this singer appears to
know best. Bauer’s music is honest and vulnerable, and that
vulnerability is what creates the softness that is so appealing.
Currently, Bauer is busy preparing tracks for a full-length
album — one that she says she hopes will be released by the end
of the year. Her EP, Goodbye Beautiful, is available for free
download on her website at soundcloud.com/music-by-caroline
Caroline Bauer plays 5 pm Thursday, July 5, at Cozmic; FREE.
— Ali Enright
22 JULY 5, 2012
EUGENE WEEKLY
WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM