Eugene weekly., June 29, 2017, Page 29, Image 29

LUCKEY'S The Broadway Revue
Burlesque Show!—10pm; $5
MOE'S Stone Cold JAZZ w/Kenny
Reed—6pm; jazz jam, n/c
MOHAWK TAVERN Karaoke w/
Caught in the Act—9pm; n/c
OAKSHIRE Eric Rowen—5pm;
latin guitar, n/c
OLD NICK'S A Volcano,
Kemosabe, Senza—9pm; metal,
punk, hardcore, $5
RIVER STOP RESTAURANT River
Stop Sunday Jam w/Brian
Chevalier—6pm; n/c
SAM BONDS GARAGE Jonathan
Brinkley, Arrows in Orbit—9pm;
$5
SLADDEN PARK Sunday Jams—
3pm; n/c
WASHBURNE PARK Junction
City Polka Band—6:30pm; n/c
WEBFOOT Karaoke w/KJ
Power—9pm; n/c
MONDAY 7/3
ALTON BAKER PARK Art and the
Vineyard: Mayr Makenna—
1:30pm; $5-$25. Bossanaire—
3:30pm; $5-$25. Thorcraft
Cobra—5:30pm; $5-$25. The
Music of ABBA: ARRIVAL from
Sweden—8pm; $5-$35
BLACK FOREST Karaoke w/KJ
Power—9pm; n/c
BUGSY'S MondayBug—7pm;
acoustic, n/c
CENTENNIAL STEAK HOUSE
Karaoke w/Dominic—8pm; n/c
COWFISH Motown Monday w/DJ
Kingsley Strangelove—9pm;
soul, n/c
THE EMBERS Karaoke w/Jim
Jim & Sassy Patty—8pm; n/c
FIRST NATIONAL TAPHOUSE
Open Mic—8pm; n/c
OLD NICK'S Irish Jam—6pm;
n/c. Transcend The Realm,
Jargon, ForestMuse, /root_DIR—
9pm; metal, punk, $5
SHADOWFOX Soul & Blues
Jam—7pm; n/c
SPFD GRIDIRON BTM Karaoke—
8pm; n/c
WANDERING GOAT Songwriters
Night (originals only)—7pm;
n/c
TUESDAY 7/4
5TH ST CORNUCOPIA Jesse
Meade w/Girin Guha—9:30pm;
n/c
ALTON BAKER PARK Art and the
Vineyard: Zac Wolfe Band—
12:30pm; $5-$25. Gumbo
Groove—2:30pm; $5-$25. Soul
Deception—4:30pm; $5-$25.
Rock N Rewind—6:30pm;
$5-$25. High Street Band—
8:30pm; $5-$25
COWFISH Trap-House Tuesday
w/Wes Light—9pm; n/c
CUSH Poetry Open Mic—
7:30pm; n/c
THE EMBERS DJ Victor—8pm;
Current hits, standards,
requests, n/c
HI-FI LOUNGE & MAIN HALL
Childspeak's "Mini-Merica"—
8pm; local band festival w/10
local bands, $10-$12
LEVEL UP Karaoke w/Kade—
9pm; n/c
LUCKEY'S Amusedays w/Chaz
Logan Hyde—10pm; comedy,
open mic, n/c
MAC'S Roosters Blues Jam w/
Skip Jones & Byron Case—
7pm; blues jam, n/c
CLUB
MULLIGAN'S PUB Steve
Ibach—8pm; acoustic, n/c
O BAR Karaoke w/Jared—9pm;
n/c
OLD NICK'S Weirdo's
Experimental Open Mic w/
Jevon—9pm; n/c
SAM BOND'S GARAGE Bluegrass
Jam—9pm; n/c
WASHBURNE PARK Eugene
Symphonic Band—6:30pm; n/c
WHITE HORSE SALOON Karaoke
w/Slick Nick—9pm; n/c
WOW HALL La Luz w/Savila &
VCR—9:30pm; $15-$18
WEDNESDAY 7/5
5TH ST CORNUCOPIA Karaoke
w/Slick Nick—9pm; n/c
BLACK FOREST Karaoke w/KJ
Powers—9pm; n/c
BREW & CUE Crystal Harmony
Karaoke—9pm; n/c
THE COOLER Karaoke w/Caught
in the Act—9pm; n/c
COWFISH Submerged w/Rico &
Olivier—9pm; deep-house,
techno, disco, n/c
HAPPY HOURS Mama Jan’s
Blues Jam w/Brian Chevalier—
8pm; n/c
HI-FI LOUNGE Funk Night—
10pm; funk jam, n/c
ISLAND HUT Karaoke w/Jared—
5pm; n/c
JERSEY'S Karaoke w/Sassy
Patty—8pm; n/c
LUCKEY'S Quintron & Miss
Pussycat, Chest Cavity, TBA—
10pm; indie rock, garage rock,
noise rock, $5
MOHAWK TAVERN Karaoke w/
Caught in the Act—9pm; n/c
MULLIGAN'S Open Mic—
8:30pm; variety, n/c
OLD NICK'S Jake McKelvie,
Tyler Burdwood, Paul Quillen—
9pm; folk, acoustic, americana,
$5
PARK BLOCKS Now! Performing
Arts Series: Spiller—noon; n/c
ROARING RAPIDS Chris
Shuttleworth Jazz Quartet—
7pm; n/c
SAM BONDS GARAGE Dandu—
9pm; wonky groove, $3
SIDELINES SPORTS BAR
Karaoke w/Mike—9pm; n/c
TSUNAMI BOOKS Chris Kokesh
& LJ Booth—7:30pm; folksing-
ers, $15
VANILLA JILL'S Open mic—
8pm; poetry, music, n/c
WAYWARD LAMB Lipsync
Battle—9:30pm; n/c
WEST END TAVERN BTM
Karaoke—9pm; n/c
WHIRLED PIES Grateful
Wednesday—9pm; Grateful
Dead & Jerry Garcia Concert
Videos, n/c
CORVALLIS
& THE REGION
BRITT PAVILION —
Jacksonville
TH Pink Martini ft. Storm Large
& China Forbes—8:30pm;
$28-$244
FR Brit Floyd Immersion World
Tour—7:30pm; $29-$224
HAPUNA KAHUNA TIKI BAR &
KITCHEN — Corvallis
SU Bobby Previte, Mike
Gamble, Wolf Rojas—8pm;
$10
A British-American
MUSICIAN
NAMED NELLIE
musician Nellie McKay tends to find the inspiration for her musical projects and performances in other
people, and most of her subjects, although not widely known, are extremely interesting.
Among other projects, McKay has written and performed musical biographies about Barbara Graham, the third woman
executed at San Quentin prison, and Rachel Carson, a marine biologist and environmental pioneer.
“Other people’s problems are easier than your own,” McKay laughs. “It’s lovely trying to recognize what’s in somebody
else’s heart and soul, or try to.”
She adds: “People are so complicated; they’re cauldrons of contradictory things.”
And when she was taking on the role of Billy Tipton, a transgender 1940s pianist and bandleader, for her current
musical biography, she fully submerged herself into the depths of that contradictory cauldron. Tipton’s story first blipped
on McKay’s radar when her mother found a used book about the midcentury transgender musician in a thrift store.
Tipton’s story goes like this, McKay recaps: “Billy Tipton was born Dorothy Tipton.” At first, Tipton dressed as a man only
for his performances, but as time went on, he began to live his life as a man on and off stage.
“Billy spent quite a lot of time in the Northwest. He came from middle America, Oklahoma and Missouri,” McKay says.
“He wanted to travel more, but he was too afraid that he’d be outed in the big cities, so the Pacific Northwest was a good
compromise between urbanity.”
Tipton had various female love interests, says McKay, tallying a total of five wives throughout the span of his life. In
order to hide his identity, he told his lovers he was injured in an accident as an excuse for why he kept his chest bound and
genitals hidden, McKay says.
Tipton continued playing music into the 1970s, until arthritis and other health problems hindered his ability to perform.
He died in 1989. It was not until his autopsy that it was revealed he was anatomically female.
McKay has been performing the show based on Tipton’s life, titled “A Girl Named Bill,” off-and-on since 2014. In the
show, McKay and her backing band perform a mix of jazz and cabaret originals as well as “a potpourri of different sounds
from different eras” to reflect events in Tipton’s lifespan, McKay says.
During the show, McKay dresses in drag in an attempt to resemble Tipton, sporting short hair and a loose-cut suit while
she performs. When researching the bandleader, she tried to step into his shoes, and mindset, as much as she could.
“It’s so hard to imagine how he did it,” McKay says. She says she experimented with attempting to wear a binder around
her chest and a male prosthetic between her legs. “I couldn’t do it,” says McKay. “I lasted about two hours.”
Other than dressing the part, McKay says her transformation into Tipton for the stage was not that much of a challenge.
“Besides trying to practice for once,” McKay laughs, “I kind of act not particularly like a lady anyway.”
Though McKay is known for her quirky, catchy songwriting, she is also a vocal feminist and civil rights activist, making
her portrayal of Tipton more than just a musical performance.
McKay says she also learned a lot from Tipton personally when researching him. “Billy, he was very soothing. He was
gentle and friendly and kind, and those are qualities I would like to work on myself,” she says.
Regardless of the controversy surrounding his gender expression, Tipton’s dedication to his art and to living life as his
true self is an undertaking everyone should want to aspire to. — Meerah Powell
Nellie McKay is performing A Girl Named Bill: The Life and Times of Billy Tipton at 7:30pm on Saturday, July 1, at The Shedd. Tickets range from $28-$36 with additional discount
opportunities available. Visit theshedd.org for more information and to purchase tickets.
RED BARN
100 YEARS
N AT U RA L G R O C E RY & D E L I
9:30PM FRIDAY, JUNE 30TH $3:
READY STEADY SOUL CLUB WHOLE LOTTA SOUL
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D ELI S PECIAL OF THE M OMENT :
10PM SATURDAY, JULY 1ST $5:
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933 Olive St | 541-687-4643
$.45 CENTS OFF
IM·PEACH·MINT SMOOTHIE
830 Olive St | 541-343-3204
luckeysclub.com • In the heart of the Barmuda Triangle
*HOPEFULLY AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY
4 TH & B LAIR • 541-342-7503 • 8 AM -11 PM D AILY (D ELI 9 PM )
eugeneweekly.com • June 29, 2017
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