B BACK B
BEAT
MUSIC NEWS &
NOTES FROM
DOWN IN THE
WILLAMETTE
VALLEY
Summer reunion: After a four-year hiatus,
beloved folk-cabaret and self-described
“Portgene” outfit Bad Mitten Orchestre is
reuniting for one night only 8 pm Friday, July 29,
at Sam Bond’s Garage; $7. The band features a
host of familiar faces: the Eugeneans — artist,
singer and guitarist Ila Rose (read about her new
mural in the Whiteaker; “Poster Child” 6/30),
guitarist and singer Corwin Bolt (of Eugene band
Corwin Bolt and the Wingnuts) — and the
Portlanders — accordionist and singer Naima
Muntal, drummer Ian Haight and cellist Yoko Silk.
Let’s hope Sam Bond’s clears the tables for this
show because the crowd will be itching to dance,
boot-stomp and sway.
A telenovela is a Latin-American soap opera, which
seems utterly appropriate as the name for the self-described
“macabre-pop” band Tele Novella from Austin. The sound is moody, woozy,
sly and dreamy, pulling influences from Os Mutantes, Belle and Sebastian
and The Velvet Underground — the kind of soundtrack I imagine Joan
Didion had playing in her head during her California years. Since the band
last came through Eugene, its star has been rising, with songs featured on
the soap-operaesque Pretty Little Liars and a compilation tribute album to
Wes Anderson. Tele Novella is touring for its soon-to-be-released
sophomore album House of Souls, out Sept. 23 on Yellow Year Records, and
will take the stage 6 pm Saturday, July 30, at Old Nick’s Pub. San
Francisco’s Battlehooch and Eugene’s VCR join the party.
The revolution is nigh: The Oakland bike, music and art collective The
Pleasant Revolution will be rolling into town for two shows — 7 to 11 pm
Saturday, July 30, at Vanilla Jill’s (298 Blair Blvd.) and noon Sunday, July
31, at Monroe Park in the Jefferson Westside neighborhood as part of
Eugene Sunday Streets. This summer the 18 musicians of Pleasant
Revolution have been cycling through the Pacific Northwest, powering
their Biketopia Music Festival with stationary bikes. The collective writes,
“This tour will be hauling all of their gear on bike, no ‘sag wagon’ required.
The impact of this project is not just about showcasing good music and
sustainable technology; it is to inspire and empower creative minds to
think outside the box and realize the power that exists in community.”
If you’re a self-employed creative like a musician in the U.S., chances
are you’re responsible for your own health insurance — a somewhat
Sisyphean task in the current system where many Americans are one
medical bill away from financial collapse. Fortunately there’s MEMA, or the
Musicians Emergency Medical Association, a nonprofit working to
support musicians throughout Lane County. Support a healthy, robust
local music scene at the 4th annual MEMA Band-Aid Benefit 2 to 10 pm
Sunday, July 31, at Elmira’s LaVelle Vineyards, featuring the music of
Concrete Loveseat, saxophonist Paul Biondi and Veneta’s Americana
band the Franklin Ladies Aid Society; $10 suggested donation.
Axe & Fiddle for the win: This gem of a venue in Cottage Grove has two
fantastic acts coming through this week. Don’t miss the laidback
heartache and stirring roots-folk of Minnesota band Hobo Nephews of
Uncle Frank at 8:30 pm Friday, July 29; FREE. Next up is Colorado-based
indie blues singer-songwriter Megan Burtt, whose tune “Waiting for June”
won best song at the 2010 Rocky Mountain Folk Festival. Catch Burtt 8:30
pm Monday, Aug. 1; $10.
BAD MITTEN ORCHESTRE
PHOTO BY TODD COOPER
eugeneweekly.com • July 28, 2016
29