WOW Hall
Canadian singer-songwriter Serena Ryder opens for Howie Day at the WOW Hall on Jan. 15. With any luck, she'll play her gorgeous, plaintive cover of Band of Horses' "The Funeral," which you can listen to on her MySpace page. Or you could just watch the live version:
The video isn't a lot to look at, but Ryder's is a shiver-inducing rendition of the song.
Click any image to see the gallery of Mayer Hawthorne photos from last Saturday night.
M.H. & The County played a short & sweet set of songs from A Strange Arrangement and a few covers (including this one). I was a little disappointed that there was no horn section but the band's sound came off tight regardless. We rarely get good soul bands like this coming thru the Eug. It's a shame attendance at the WOW Hall was on the thin side. I'm guessing the Duck game and lack of students in town had a lot to do with it. Had this show been 2 weeks later, I bet it would've been packed.
Mayer also dj'd at an early evening in-store at CD World. His mix included everythng everything from Fela Kuti to Pharcyde, old soul classics to rare disco cuts, and even a remix of one his own. Those who were there were definitely feeling it ... including the rather older foot-tappin' fella on the couch.
Words by Chuck Adams • Photos by me
Fathers and mothers, do you know where your sons and daughters were last night?
Dead Prez killed it last night at the WoW Hall! Rocking some songs completely a cappella. Even covering a bit of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" that lead into ("their version") "They Schools". Like I've said before, I suck at remembering setlists but I do remember them running through "We Need A Revolution", "That's War", "B.i.G. Respect", "Be Healthy", "Hip Hop", "Hell Yeah", & "Politrickkks".
I was able to hang out with the fellas and everyone else in the appropriately titled "green" room for a while before the show and take some photos. Stic.man was doing some warm-up yoga with dready girl ... sorry I forget your name :). There were fruit snacks, beer and lots of enlightenmentainment from my man O SAGE BUFFALO aka BiG BUFFALO aka EVERYWHERE! Boots Riley was in the house!
Stic.man & M-1 told me DP have 2 new projects coming out in 09: Their new mixtape with Green Lantern, Pulse of the People, which will be released on Malcolm X's birthday (Tuesday, May 19th) and their new album, Information Age, will follow later in the year.
They also said that they're about to totally rework their live set to include a lot of the new material. So next time they come thru Eugene (or your town), expect something completely different.
For reasons related to the sour economy, Green Jelly will not perform at the WOW Hall on Dec. 1. Refunds available at place of purchase.
My Brightest Diamond plays this week and it should be a lush, orchestra-heavy sonic experience. Here's what we wrote about MBD this week:
Gothic Fairytale Chic
Imagine if a mezzo-soprano opera star got her own backing rock band, complete with string section and distortion pedals. That pretty much sums up Brooklyn’s My Brightest Diamond. Fronted by cultural maiden Shara Worden, MBD incorporates equal parts Tori Amos, Portishead and City of Lost Children. MBD’s sophomore release, A Thousand Shark’s Teeth, kicks off with “Inside a Boy,†a rare high-energy track emoting Worden’s “love, love, love†for a boy. On an album of mostly slumberous lullabies, the opening song is a blitzkrieg. “Apples†also drenches Worden’s matter-of-fact narrative lyrics with a peppy drumbeat and staccato vibraphones, with pleasing results.
MBD veers into Gypsy-cabaret territory on “Black and Costaud,†imagining the fictional Belgium character Le Schtroumpf Costaud in a boxing match. But Worden loses me with lyrics that seemingly wandered off the page of a sophomore creative writing student’s notebook: “Black and Costaud / Black and chic / Black, black, black / Jolly fellow, jolly fellow, black.†As the centerpiece of the album, it’s a misstep that Teeth doesn’t fully recover from until the final track, the Beth Gibbons-inspired “The Diamond.†But, as far as dark soap operas go, Teeth succeeds time and time again. My Brightest Diamond plays with Clare & the Reasons at 9 pm Friday, Nov. 21, at WOW Hall. $12 adv., $14 door.
Also, listen/download MBD's cover of Soft Cell's "Tainted Love". Not what I'd expect from MBD. This is a good thing.
This reminds me that I never posted my Q&A with her! Dang.
Singer Janis Ian has cancelled her Sept. 25 appearance at the WOW Hall due to illness.
Talk to yr place of purchase for refunds.
Cellphone pic of SNZ by James Bateman
If you were gasping for a breeze at last night's Squirrel Nut Zippers show at the WOW Hall (where even the band admitted it was hotter up on stage), stay tuned. On the way out of the door, WOW Hall volunteers were reassuring attendees that they were working on installing A/C, and would have it operational soon. For those scorching summer shows, this is good news. Also good news: the A/C comes with heat, so classes at the WOW Hall in the winter won't be chilled to the bone.
