Eugene weekly., August 16, 2012, Page 24, Image 24

music
For Rio with Love
PHOTO COURTESY LAURENDARLING.COM
Drop It Like It’s Hot (Potato Style)
This summer just got steamy, a welcome change from our usual rainy cloud-covered setting. And trendsetter
Nicky Da B is about to turn up the heat. If you don’t love sizzling, bass-thumping dance parties, then this isn’t the type
of show you want to go near. But if you’re a dance floor diva, a fiesta fiend or a connoisseur of crunk, then Nicky Da B
might be your newfound patron saint.
Take the electricity of dancehall reggae, the bouncing vibe of Southern hip hop and the pounding drums of dubstep,
mix it with an emcee who can dance, scat like a jazzman and hype the crowd like a rock star — this is what you are in
for at a Nicky Da B show.
After meeting up with iconic Philadelphia-based producer Diplo and crafting his breakout single “Express Yourself,”
Nicky Da B has been busting out songs at warp speed and blowing up dance floors in the South. And now that he’s
taking his Southern bounce style on the road, bringing the party to the people is Nicky Da B’s top priority. The party is
coming to Eugene — brace yourself.
You will need stamina, you will need to be properly hydrated, you may even need to call up those friends of yours
who are so wild you can only handle them in small doses. A Nicky Da B show is that type of affair. There will be booty
shaking, bass blasting and dance choreography the likes of which you have never seen before — so party safe and get
low with it.
Nicky Da B plays with Rusty Lazer 9:30 pm Thursday, Aug. 23, at Cowfish, 62 W. Broadway; $5. — Dante Zuñiga-West
Although you may not have
heard of him, you’ve without a
doubt heard his music. Jesse
Harris is no newcomer to the
music biz; he has years of
experience under his belt. Having
collaborated with everyone from
Smokey Robinson to Willie Nelson,
and mastered guitar playing,
singing, songwriting and producing,
Harris is jack-of-all-trades.
While the guy already has a lot
to brag about, the release of
Harris’ latest album Sub Rosa is a
game changer. This is the
collection of songs that will
undoubtedly put him on everyone’s
map. The album was inspired and
recorded last year in Brazil,
meaning the sunshine, colors and
culture of Rio de Janeiro shine
brightly through the perfectly
listless guitar riffs Harris plays so
well.
Harris says that music is to
Brazil what food is to Italy; they
just do it better than most. With
the influences of South America
seeping into his soul, the Sub Rosa
album perfectly layers Harris’
traditional folk-pop sound with
lively arrangements native to
Brazil.
The CD is flawlessly recorded
and produced, the vocals are as
pure and raw as you can get them,
the instrumentals are unbelievably
accomplished and the list of
collaborators (like Norah Jones) is
impressive. But don’t let the many
collaborations mislead you, Sub
Rosa is first and foremost a
showcase of Jesse Harris’
undeniable talent. This time the big
names are taking a back seat and
letting Harris shine ever so
confidently and with the perfect
amount of charm. His live show is
just as fine-tuned, go and see.
Harris plays 9 pm Saturday,
Aug. 18, at Sam Bond’s, 407 Blair
Blvd.; $5. — Ali Enright
Split the Bill
Father Figure and My Autumn’s Done Come (MADC) are seeing double. The Portland bands, boasting lineups of
former Eugeneans, have released a split single record. “Our bands go together surprisingly well,” Father Figure guitarist
Chad Heile says.
MADC has the perfect pop sheen to counter the wonderfully hot, loud mess that Father Figure is. “It costs a lot of
money to press vinyl, and that was a dream of our bands, so we thought we’d save some dough and make it a split with
our buds,” Heile concludes.
To celebrate the release, the bands are coming to Eugene for two shows — an early all-ages set at Wandering Goat and
later that same night at Sam Bond’s. “This is both bands’ first time releasing vinyl so now being in a band feels a bit more
real,” Heile says. “We [Father Figure] had a digital EP, Tremmels, but somehow this still feels like our first real release.”
Father Figure hit the Portland scene in 2011. The group’s contribution to the split single is a song called “Murder,” an
atmospheric country western-tinged ballad that, as its title suggests, tells the story of a life taken by the hands of
another. The track would play well in a dive bar — not the kind where the median age is 65 but more like the kind in
downtown Portland. Yes, the trucker caps, beards and flannel shirts are still present and accounted for, but the musical
reference points aren’t Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings but Bright Eyes and Neutral Milk Hotel.
MADC’s contribution to the record “Nicotine Dreams” is decidedly sunnier. One hallmark of MADC is a poppy
interplay of male/female vocals, and the track positively drips with it. Energetic percussion propels blissed-out and
fuzzy guitars. Like “Murder,” the song also descends into indie guitar noise to remind us that these bands are indeed
from Portland.
Father Figure and My Autumn’s Done Come play 6 pm Thursday, Aug. 16, at Wandering Goat, 268 Madison St.; FREE;
9 pm Thursday, Aug. 16, at Sam Bond’s, 407 Blair Blvd.; $1-$5. — William Kennedy
24 AUGUST 16, 2012 EUGENE WEEKLY
WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM