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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 2014)
SAGINAW VINEYARD Big Mountain Country—1pm; Classic country, n/c SAM BOND’S GARAGE Farewell to Cindy w/Juice, Rosannas, The Whiskey Chasers—8pm; Variety, $5 SAM’S Open Mic Night—7pm; n/c SPRINGFIELD VFW Mckenzie Express—7pm; n/c TRAVELER’S COVE Paul Biondi Quartet—6pm; Variety, n/c TSUNAMI BOOKS Amy Speace & Kenny White—7pm; Singer/ songwriter, $16 UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH Eugene Gleeman: “Songs of the Sea”—2:30pm; Choral, $15 VILLAGE GREEN Dave Boch— 7pm; Guitar, n/c THE WEBFOOT Karaoke—9pm WOW HALL Head for the Hills, Water Tower—8pm; Bluegrass, $12 adv., $15 door MONDAY 11/17 AASEN-HULL HALL Denis Tryon—7pm; Horn master class, n/c BEALL HALL Eugene Symphonic Band—7:30pm; $5-$8 BLACK FOREST Karaoke—9pm BUGSY’S MondayBug—7pm; Acoustic, n/c COWFISH Inclusion w/Aaron Jackson & Guests—9pm; House, EDM, n/c MAC’S Hank Shreve & Friends— 7pm; Blues, n/c PORKY’S PALACE Karaoke— 8pm SAM BOND’S GARAGE Bingo— 9pm; n/c VILLAGE GREEN Neil Johnson— 7pm; Solo guitar, n/c THE MILKMEN DELIVER, AGAIN “Everyone loved The Milkmen in the early ’80s — the blues-ers, the punkers” says Dan Schmid, bass player for legendary Eugene band the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies. On Nov. 15, The Milkmen are reuniting for a one- night-only performance at Mac’s Restaurant at the Vet’s Club in Eugene. “It’d be nostalgic for sure,” Schmid continues. “[The Milkmen] were great. They rocked!” The band was active in Eugene from ’82 to ’84. They brought their new wave twist on groove-oriented blues-rock to venues such as Taylor’s, Max’s Tavern, B.J. Kelley’s and the EMU Beer Garden. “There was less a line drawn between genres,” Schmid explains, “because everyone played in everyone else’s bands — no matter the style.” Milkmen guitarist Henry Cooper notes that “Eugene in the early ’80s still had a good bar- tavern music scene.” The men of Milkmen describe their sound as “fast dance versions of roots-blues standards.” “We were a bar band and proud of it,” Cooper says. But watch old footage of The Milkmen (there are some gems on YouTube) and see a definite ’80s edge combined with 12-bar blues structure and impressive, blues- informed guitar playing from Cooper and Randy Haines (Haines still performs in Eugene as Lonesome Randall). “Our sound was a blend of blues garage rock and rockabilly with some R&B thrown in,” Cooper says. But there’s also a sense of Zappa-esque prankster-dom and post-punk agitation. Since breaking up, members of The Milkmen have gone on to perform in Screamin’ Jay Hawkins back-up band, alongside Northwest blues legend Duffy Bishop and, in 1993, drummer Boyd Small was inducted into the Cascade Blues Association Hall of Fame. The Milkmen Reunion with Van Wenda kicks off at 8 pm Saturday, Nov. 15, at Mac’s Restaurant and Night Club, Veterans Memorial Building; $5. 21-plus. — William Kennedy TUESDAY 11/18 5TH ST. CORNUCOPIA Jesse Meade w/Jeremy Pruitt— 9:30pm; n/c AXE & FIDDLE Poetry Night— 7pm; n/c THE BOREAL Run with the Hunted, Hollow Earth, Exalt, Unrestrained, Weather—8pm; Metal, hardcore, punk, $8 adv., $10 door THE CITY iPod Night—6pm; n/c COWFISH Work-Nite Vibin’ w/ Stephen Rose & Derek Trackback & Guests—9pm; House, electro, n/c COZMIC Fortunate Youth, The Expanders, Thrive—8pm; Reggae, $10 adv., $12 door EMBERS Ladies’ Night Dance Party w/DJ Victor—8pm; n/c THE GREEN ROOM Karaoke— 9pm GOODFELLA’S Karaoke—9pm; n/c HOP VALLEY TASTING ROOM Blue Grass Jam—7pm; n/c HOT MAMA’S WINGS Open Mic— 8pm; n/c LEVEL UP Ninkasi Karaoke Night w/KJ B-Ross—9pm; n/c MAC’S Roosters Blues Jam— 7pm; n/c THE O BAR Karaoke—9pm SAM BOND’S BREWING CO. Ashleigh Flynn—6pm; Folk, n/c SAM BOND’S GARAGE Bluegrass Jam—9pm; n/c VILLAGE GREEN Neil Johnson— 7pm; Solo guitar; n/c WANDERING GOAT Like a Villain, Tree Branch Twig, Entrail—8pm; Solo, loops, experimental, don. WOW HALL Busdriver, Milo— 9pm; Hip hop, $12 adv., $14 door WEDNESDAY 11/19 5TH ST. CORNUCOPIA Karaoke—9pm AXE & FIDDLE Stringtown Ambassadors—8:30pm; Mandolin-fiddle duo, n/c BEALL HALL UO Symphonic & Campus Bands—7:30pm; n/c BLACK FOREST Karaoke—9pm THE BLIND PIG Karaoke w/Jim Jim—9pm THE BOREAL Vain & Valor, Goodtime Boys, Novellas— 8pm; Punk, hardcore, $5 THE CANNERY Jeremy Clark Pruitt—7:30pm; Acoustic, n/c THE COOLER Hump Night Trivia w/DR Dumass—7pm; n/c COWFISH “Hump Night” w/ Connor J, Club Bangers—9pm; n/c DEXTER LAKE CLUB Acoustic Sessions w/Morin, Sorseth & Peter Giri—7pm; Acoustic, n/c GRANARY Mama Jan’s Blues Jam w/Brian Chevalier—8pm; n/c THE GREEN ROOM Karaoke— 9pm; n/c JERSEY’S Karaoke—8pm LUCKEYS KI & the Architex— 9pm; Hip hop, $2 MAC’S 2nd Annual Chuck Nathan Memorial Jazz Jam Session—6pm; Variety, n/c MAX’S Lonesome Randall— 7pm; Rock & roll historian, n/c MULLIGAN’S Open Mic— 8:30pm; Variety, n/c OLD PAD Trivia Night—9pm; n/c POUR HOUSE Karaoke—9pm SAM BOND’S GARAGE Champagne Charlie—9pm; $5 TAYLOR’S BAR & GRILLE DJ Crown—10:30pm; Hip hop, top 40, dance, n/c TINY TAVERN Comedy Night w/ Mac Chase—9pm; n/c WOW HALL Vance Joy, Jaymes Young—8pm; SOLD OUT CORVALLIS (AND SURROUNDING AREAS) FIREWORKS RESTAURANT MO Southtown Open Mic—9pm; n/c NUCLEAR FUSION The music oozed by Radiation City is so warm and romantic that it’s a bit tedious to see the Portland band categorized time and again as indie rock, a genre that at times feels like it’s been hijacked by aloof, sullen drones. “When I see that, it’s kinda — it’s a little bit baffling,” says Cameron Spies, guitarist and a vocalist for the band. “For one, indie rock is such a broad, general- ass word. The roots of our music are more in older styles of music, vintage styles if you will.” He adds, “The fact that we got lumped in there is more of an aesthetic.” Yes, on appearances alone, the svelte all-white band with a pinch of retro styling looks like your average indie darling, but the similarities stop there. Radiation City’s waterfall of vocals — everyone in the band sings (Elisabeth Ellison, Randy Bemrose, Matt Rafferty, Patti King) — meshed with fuzzed-out guitar and drums is more Mad Men pool party than Portland hipster slouch. Perhaps that’s because the band tries to reimagine old sounds. “The initial inspiration for this band was a couple of bossa nova records that we love and were playing all the time,” Spies says. He notes that Frank Sinatra and Dusty Springfield have also been inspirations, which can be heard on the sparkly 2013 album, Animals in The Median (also see their cover of “Fly Me to the Moon”). The band’s fourth album will be out in early 2015. “It’s taken the longest of any of our records to make,” Spies says. Portland pop outfit Wild Ones and Eugene’s alt-pop Pluto The Planet join Radiation City at 8 pm Saturday, Nov. 15, at WOW Hall; $5 adv., $7 door, student discounts available. All ages. — Alex V. Cipolle eugeneweekly.com • November 13, 2014 25
