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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 2017)
MUSIC BY MEERAH POWELL Student Bike Packages with Locks & Lights! 1-Stop School Bike Shop We are transportation specialists. PHOTO BY EBRU YILDIZ ÓÇäxÊ7>iÌÌiÊ-ÌÊUÊx{£°{n{°x{£ä °qÀ°Ê££qÇ]Ê->Ì°Ê£äqÈ]Ê-Õ°Ê£Óqx Õ}iiÉ-«À}wi`ÊLiÊ>«ÃÊqÊ, t SOFT SOUNDS Former Eugene musician Michelle Zauner returns to town with her project Japanese Breakfast M ichelle Zauner, who writes music under the moniker Japanese Breakfast, was born in Seoul, Korea, but grew up right here in Eugene. “I feel like I got my start there,” Zauner tells Eugene Weekly over the phone. Zauner started writing music at 16 and took guitar lessons at Guitar Center’s Lesson Factory. She played her first shows, in a band called Little Girl Big Spoon, at Cozmic Pizza (now Whirled Pies) open mics, WOW Hall and South Eugene High School (where she attended school). “My mom, for a while, kept all of my Eugene Weekly clippings,” Zauner says. She moved to Pennsylvania at 18 to attend Bryn Mawr College outside of Philadelphia. There she continued writing and playing music, both with indie band Post Post and later with emo outfit Little Big League. Terrible circumstances brought Zauner back to her hometown. Her mother was diagnosed with cancer, and Zauner came back to Eugene to care for her. That experience, and her mother’s subsequent death, influenced Zauner to curate old material and create new, and from it Japanese Breakfast’s first studio album, 2016’s Psychopomp — which features an old photograph of Zauner’s mother as the cover art — was born. “I was sort of stuck in Eugene and it took on this nightmarish quality of being trapped,” Zauner says. “My mom had cancer, and I was stuck in this house that I grew up in, but now didn’t have any happy memories associated with it.” Zauner followed up Psychopomp quickly with her next album, Soft Sounds From Another Planet, which came out in July of this year. Despite any preemptive expectations due to the inspiration for Japanese Breakfast’s albums, Zauner’s music isn’t tangled up in the muck of sadness or darkness, but rather steeped in resilience, reflection and personal growth. Lyrically, Zauner undoubtedly dabbles in the harsh, claustrophobic dealings of the death of a close loved one, but musically Japanese Breakfast is well-structured and carefully put together; its emotional and authentic hurt is balanced thoughtfully by brilliant writing, perched gracefully on lush guitar, swirling synthesizer, dancing bass and the diverse spectrum of Zauner’s own vocals — from quivering heights to whispered, somber lows. Both Psychopomp and Soft Sounds gained positive attention from various musical outlets and Zauner herself has had a growing fan base over the past 10 years from all of the bands she’s been involved with — and from the fact that Japanese Breakfast has been a supporting band on tours with up-and-coming artists like Mitski and Alex G. “I’m sort of waiting for the trapdoor, for people to get tired of me and spit me out, but I’m hoping that doesn’t happen,” she says of newfound attention to her music. “I feel very privileged to be in this situation.” For now, Zauner says, she’s taking a break from writing any new music. “They’re both largely related to my mom’s death,” she says of Japanese Breakfast’s two albums, “and I feel like I need to write something else for a while.” She adds: “I want to take some time to figure out what I’m interested in. I have some other mediums I want to try out like directing [and] I want to write a book.” Zauner also recently released an RPG browser game called “Japanese Breakquest” which features midi versions of all of her songs off Soft Sounds. With the musical material she does have, though, Zauner and her bandmates in Japanese Breakfast are setting out on their first headlining tour, including a date in Eugene. SePtemBer 29 ShoW Sold out! september 28 Arlene schnitzer concert hAll with brAin & brewer october 5 w.o.w. hAll 1037 SW BroadWay Portland, or 291 W 8th ave · eugene, or 6:30Pm ShoW · all ageS 8:00Pm ShoW · all ageS ticketS at ticketS at all WWW.Portland5.com ticketmaSter locationS charge By Phone charge By Phone 1-800-745-3000 800-992-8499 alSo availaBle at WoW hall alSo at Portland5 Box ÓÇäxÊ7>iÌÌiÊ-ÌÊUÊx{£°{n{°x{£ä Box office office °qÀ°Ê££qÇ]Ê->Ì°Ê£äqÈ]Ê-Õ°Ê£Óqx co-Produced With ShoWBox PreSentS Õ}iiÉ-«À}wi`ÊLiÊ>«ÃÊqÊ, t & fAntAstic neGrito fridAy november 3 elsinore theAtre 170 high St Se Salem, or 8:00Pm ShoW all ageS ticketS at ticketSWeSt locationS charge By Phone 800-992-8499 alSo at elSinore theatre ticket office & brother roy sAturdAy october 7 w.o.w. hAll 291 W 8th ave · eugene, or 8:00Pm ShoW · all ageS ticketS at all ticketmaSter locationS charge By Phone 1-800-745-3000 alSo availaBle at WoW hall Box office november 6 mcdonAld theAtre 1010 Williamette St eugene, or 8:00Pm ShoW all ageS ticketS at all ticketSWeSt locationS charge By Phone 800-992-8499 ticketS alSo availaBle at the mcdonald theatre Box office & mAdAme GAndhi fridAy nov 10 mcdonAld theAtre 1010 Williamette St · eugene, or 8:00Pm ShoW · all ageS ticketS at all ticketSWeSt locationS charge By Phone 800-992-8499 ticketS alSo availaBle at the mcdonald theatre Box office only oregon date! only WeStern oregon Performance! november 14 elsinore theAtre 170 high St Se Salem, or 8:00Pm ShoW all ageS ticketS at ticketSWeSt locationS charge By Phone 800-922-8499 ticketS alSo at elSinore theatre Box office On Sale fri 10:00AM fridAy jAnuAry 12 elsinore theAtre 170 high St Se · Salem, or 8:00Pm ShoW all ageS ticketS at ticketSWeSt locationS charge By Phone 800-922-8499 ticketS alSo at elSinore theatre Box office Catch Japanese Breakfast with openers Mannequin Pussy and The Spirit of The Beehive 10 pm Saturday, Sept. 23, at Hi-Fi Lounge; $12 advance, $15 at the door. 21 and over. eugeneweekly.com • September 21, 2017 23
