Best
STAFF Eugene PICKS
THE
OF
2018-2019
Favorite Eugene Bands
Here are my picks for Eugene’s Best Bands. If you’ve
yet to catch of these acts live, do so right away.
1. Pancho + The Factory Facebook.com/
panchoandfactory.
A little punk and a little soul, Pancho + The Factory
is mostly indescribable. What’s for certain is it puts on
Eugene’s best show, with Pancho acting as ringmaster
to a three-ring circus of his own design. When will the
world start listening? Look for its debut full-length out
(hopefully) sometime in 2019.
2. This Patch of Sky Thispatchofsky.com.
On the vanguard of Eugene’s emerging post-rock scene
(including but not limited to other strong candidates like
Gazelle(s) and Eugene/Portland’s Childspeak), This Patch of
Sky recently recorded a session with Chicago’s well-known
online music site Audiotree. This Patch of Sky will soon be
recording the follow-up to 2017’s These Small Spaces.
3. Ferns Facebook.com/fernstheband.
Featuring Eugene music-scene stalwarts Jake Pavlak,
Dave Snider, Jivan Valpey and Ryan Cchini, Ferns
consistently puts on a great show, bolstered by strong
songwriting and Pavlak’s world-class guitar work. After
playing around town for years, Ferns is in the studio
recording its debut full-length.
4. Holler House Facebook.com/hollaholla420.
If you’re looking for tight and modern rock ‘n’ roll
with plenty of reverence for classic bands like the Rolling
Stones or Johnny Thunders, check out Holler House. Like
New York meets Eugene, sample the music video for
“Bukom” available on YouTube and let’s hope for more
studio material soon. In the meantime, don’t miss Holler
House live.
5. Paul Quillen Facebook.com/paulquillenmusic.
Quillen’s acoustic ballads are dusky little jewels, or the
skyline of a city at night: reachable but somehow far away.
Quillen put out a debut EP this year, and it’s terrific. As are
his live performances. Eugene doesn’t deserve your songs,
Paul, but thanks for sharing them anyway.
Honorable mentions: Caitlin Jemma, Girls Punch Bears,
Baroque Betty, VCR and Surfsdrugs. — Will Kennedy
Best Hole in the Wall Restaurant
Chi’s Korean Tacos 30 W. 10th Avenue. 541-636-6136.
Facebook.com/tacosformybelly.
Deep inside the Mos Eisley of the LTD downtown
transit center is a place you could easily miss. Hanging
high next to the McDonald Theatre’s marquee is a sign
with a cat happily holding a taco. The cat should be happy
because Chi’s Korean Tacos is an establishment that should
be hailed as a national treasure — by both Koreas and the
U.S. The restaurant maintains a small menu, which is great
because I can never trust a place with a menu that could
double as a Tolstoy novel. The tacos are a safe bet and, at
$2.50 each, you can sample different meats: beef, chicken
or pork. The burritos are a creative marriage of Mexican
and Korean culinary tropes; it brings together kimchi, rice,
cheese and any of the protein the restaurant serves. Of
course, if you’re aiming for something more traditional,
Chi’s offers bowls that are generous in size. Best of all,
the owner says his mother makes the kimchi — ensuring
the authenticity of the recipe. The sole downside is the
restaurant is only open during the day, but that just means
Chi’s is meant to be something of an afternoon delight.
— Henry Houston
Best Move by Local Law
Enforcement
When, a few years back, a handful of emergency
responders in the New York borough of Queens started
carrying nasal-spray doses of Narcan — the opioid
antagonist known as Naloxone, which quickly counteracts
the effects of heroin — they completely revolutionized the
way we deal with the national opioid epidemic. Instead of
trained medical professionals being forced to maneuver
in risky situations to deliver a hypodermic shot, just about
anyone can squeeze a cloud of Narcan into the nose-hole of
an overdose victim. So it was nothing but a good thing when
police started carrying Narcan in Eugene, which often feels
like ground zero of the opioid (and methamphetamine) crisis
in America. The recent spate of overdoses in Lane County,
linked to a bad batch of smack laced with fentanyl hitting
the region, makes the fact of cops packing Narcan more
crucial, and laudable, than ever. Dare we say the county
health department should make this saving spray even more
available? Narcan for everyone? Why not? — Rick Levin
Best Running Community
Run Hub Northwest 515 High Street. 541-344-1239.
Runhubnw.com.
I avoided my senior year of high school PE thanks to
a loophole that counted marching band as fitness. So it’s
ironic that running has become a favorite hobby of mine.
There’s nothing more fun for me than plodding through a
half marathon and wondering if that black toenail is going
to fall off (it still hasn’t). I mean, I’m not going to break
any records anytime soon, nor can I sport a moustache like
Steve Prefontaine. Thanks to Run Hub Northwest, though,
I at least have access to some pretty smart people who
know tons about running. About once a year, the Eugene-
based running store offers a class that teaches some of the
mechanics of running and all the science behind the sport.
They also host weekly community runs and sometimes
donate running gear to school running programs. Granted,
I haven’t run with them since I slogged through 90-degree
heat in July, but the store and its staff have a dedication to
instilling a sense of community for all runners —not just
the fast, decorated ones. — Henry Houston
Cele
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neighbor nds and
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NK YOU!
Born and raised in Eugene
11th & Olive • Downtown Eugene
Mon-Fri 8 am -8 pm • Sat & Sun 9 am -8 pm
kivagrocery.com 541-342-7019
eugeneweekly.com • November 8, 2018
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