music
Diapers and Driving
Even through the muffled sound of a cell phone on some
desolate highway in the middle-of-nowhere Midwest, you
can hear New Orleans in Mike West’s voice. He and his wife,
Katie Eullis, constitute the playful, hillbilly band, Truckstop
Honeymoon. The group’s upbeat, lighthearted and lively
tunes contain laugh-out-loud lyrics and impressive high-
quality banjo and bass skills.
The painted image of two artists strumming instruments
in a quiet studio, free from the stresses of the world is far
from reality for Truckstop Honeymoon. Married with
children, West and Eullis are first and foremost, parents.
“We fit in our creative work in-between diapers and
driving,” West says. “It’s the most creative time of my life.”
Originally from “The Big Easy,” the couple was forced to
move after Hurricane Katrina destroyed their home. “We
were in the Lower Ninth Ward, but luckily we were out of
town when the hurricane hit,” West says. Without a clue of
where to go, the couple ended up in Kansas.
“There’s a kind of strange alienation that comes with a
forced move; you’re out of sorts,” West says. That move had
a ripple effect on all aspects of the duo’s life, especially
their music. “There is a lot of that psychology in our music,”
West says. “There’s a love-hate thing going on both for
where we are and where we are from.”
Between playgrounds and bedtimes, the band finds time
to create great music. Truckstop Honeymoon may as well call
itself “honeymoon with kids,” given how fulfilled and prolific
the two child-laden musicians are. “There’s definitely an
inspiration that comes from having a full life,” West says.
“There’s not a lot of time for profound contemplation.”
And that lack of deeply contemplative time is what
seems to be keeping Truckstop Honeymoon’s specific brand
of humor alive. The band takes a witty approach to
songwriting, discussing the oddities of life in a way that is
universally relatable. “We write songs that try to capture
those ordinary and yet bizarre experiences that everybody
has,” West says.
Eullis and West are laughing through the absurdity of life
and making fine tunes in the process. Oh, and in addition to
being a hysterically funny, incredibly talented musical force,
Truckstop Honeymoon can put on a live show that makes
the audience feel like a part of the family.
Truckstop Honeymoon plays 9:30 pm Saturday,
July 21, at Sam Bond’s; $5. — Ali Enright
One Degree of Mayall
Like many serious music fans, my
early favorites came from the albums
and artists that my father introduced
me to — the rock ‘n’ roll heroes of his
era that raised a middle finger to
conformists in the 1950s. The moping
mops of '90s rock had nothing on the
bad boys of my old man’s record
collection. But all things must pass, and
the Woodstock set morphed from the
bad boys into the good ol’ boys — Peter
and Gordon became Gordon and Gekko.
One doesn’t typically relate long-
haired icons of 1960s counterculture
with kings of high finance. But in a
world where aging rock stars behave
more like investment bankers than they
do Mick Jagger, the comparison seems
apt. And while the moneygrubbers
continue to tour and gouge the
populace like a sub-prime mortgage,
another titan of the era continues to
quietly fortify his legacy.
I’m referring to John Mayall, the
renowned godfather of British blues. A
bandleader whose Bluesbreakers band
featured a rotating cast of characters
rivaled only by the star-studded groups
of Billy Eckstine or Art Blakey (or the incestuous Seattle grunge scene of the early ‘90s, for a more
recent example). Mayall achieved his success all on his own — you certainly won’t find him on many
lists of all-time great guitarists or songwriters. But Mayall’s place in the pantheon of rock is
untouched. Consider the following: Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor, Peter
Green, Jack Bruce and Mick Fleetwood are just a few of the giants
who passed through the proving grounds of Mayall’s Bluesbreakers
before finding fame on their own. For those big timers, meeting
Mayall was the rock ‘n’ roll equivalent to throwing your life
savings into a little start- up like Apple, Microsoft, Google
and well … you get the point.
When it comes to the wilds of the 1960’s music
scene, Mayall is Kevin Bacon, and he only needs one
degree.
John Mayall plays 7:30 pm Thursday, July 19, at
The Shedd; Prices vary. — Mark Sullivan
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medical advice for global travelers
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Cynthia Doe “paints” with fabric that’s
reclaimed from natural fiber sweaters
and t-shirts. Her Cindylicious Clothing
& Jewelry booth is filled with her
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Local Crafts r(SFBU'PPEr-JWF&OUFSUBJONFOU
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EUGENE WEEKLY
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