The Parson Red Heads Catch The Worm

Since the release of their debut LP King Giraffe, the Parson Red Heads have found themselves streaking faster and faster toward widespread recognition and success. Being natives of Eugene, they have no qualms with tickling our Oregonian fancies, but their 2010 tour finds them kicking up beautiful, Croce-esque dirt from Chicago to Santa Cruz. Along the way, the group will offer a tour-only, four track EP, Early Birds, which contains three re-recorded versions of old Red Heads songs (including “Choose”), as well as the new “Never Ending Road,” which allows the group’s consistent songwriting talent to shine through.



Early Birds essentially contains more of the beloved, upbeat folk-pop that has served as a staple of the Red Heads sound over the years — and all ye who enter here in search of a folkier Neil Young, Fairport Convention or Byrds influence, do not be disheartened; there is great beauty and poise to be found in the noodles and harmonies of the EP as well as a finely tuned sense of lyricism.

Live Red Heads performances have been known to turn the original three-person group into a gigantic, 14-musician collective that still keeps a tight-knit performance going. Most shows exhibit a mellow, smile heavy atmosphere, interrupted only by the occasional psychedelic pedal fuck-around. In short: the perfect music for a chilled out night in the band’s hometown. The Parson Red Heads and Cotton Jones play at 9 pm Thursday, Aug. 12, at Sam Bond’s Garage. 21+. $5. — Andy Valentine

[From the 8/5 Issue of the Eugene Weekly]
Also Scope: Rick Levin's T-Model Ford Write Up, 3rd down, http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2010/08/05/music2.html

Wildlife Services: A Vicious Cycle

In 2007, Wildlife Services spent upwards of a $100 million in order to control predatory attacks. By the time the year was over, Wildlife Services had become responsible for over 100,000 animal deaths—coyotes, cougars, cats and dogs among them.

Every year livestock and cattle owners across the Northwest still call in the government’s Wildlife Services program in order to deal with predators that threaten their animals. For some, Wildlife Services seems like an excellent source to turn to when no other means of protection is available. Many others, however, see Wildlife Services as a nuisance. The general consensus among those who disagree with the policies of Wildlife Services is that the information readily available and advertised to the public is quite different to the reality found beneath the surface. For example, the extermination of rabid raccoons is advertised as a solution that Wildlife Services provides, and the public rarely disapproves of this activity due to the dangerous nature of rabies. However, by advertising such services, other happenings such as the indiscriminate killing of wolves, cougars, bears and coyote are swiftly thrown out of the limelight.


Photo: Cougar heads killed by Wildlife Services - predatordefense.org

Despite their attempts to protect the livestock industry, Wildlife Services has seemingly worsened the problem: Long time researcher of Wildlife Services, George Wuerthner, says: “Indiscriminately killing predators skews the age of a population over time…leaving a higher percentage of young, inexperienced predators that are far more likely to target livestock.” In this, Wuerthner explains the beginnings of a vicious cycle created by Wildlife Services: A livestock owner calls in a troublesome predator, several animals are killed (among them a large population of older, more experienced hunters) and inexperienced hunters are left to once again target livestock. After this, the cycle repeats.

Part of the reason that this cycle exists is due to the fact that there are no hunting laws in Oregon and so farmers and livestock owners often have no incentive to properly protect their animals. “In Chile, the farmers take protective measures like cattle sheds and corral fences to protect their livestock because there are laws against killing predators,” says Wuerthner, who recently returned from Chile. “In the Northwest there are no laws in place and so it’s easier just to call in Wildlife Services.”

Statistically, predator attacks play a far smaller part in the death of livestock than disease, poisonous plants and injury, but predators are treated differently because, well, you can’t shoot a disease. Death happens, but hunting and killing predators indiscriminately solves nothing—it just worsens the problem.

For more Information: http://www.predatordefense.org/USDA.htm

Take ‘em or Leave ‘em

It’s summer again, and everybody is ready to throw their mundane lives aside for some time out. For many, this break takes the form of a weekend camping trip to an overly commercialized — but nevertheless pretty — hosted campground; for others, ridiculous tourist traps like California and Cancun seem to be the only options. But if everybody and their dog decide to go on vacation, what actually happens to the dogs? What about the cats, birds, iguanas and all the other weird creatures that people like to detain and keep as friends? When we humans decide to spend a few days throwing all sorts of money into relaxation, what exactly are we to do with our pets?
Many Eugene pet owners seem to choose the outdoorsy options (camping, backpacking, etc.) because these are pet friendly ways to take time and relax. You can bring your pooch camping most places in Oregon, but national parks such as Crater Lake have restrictions on pets and do not allow them on trails.

For those who are not the outdoor type (but for some reason feel that bringing their pet along on vacation is an absolute must), there are an abundance of Oregon establishments that cater to the canine and other furry clientele. This ranges from inns and hotels to vacation rentals and resorts. If these places don’t cater to pets, one response that has worked for some is stuffing your little friends into a backpack and sneaking ’em in Trojan-horse style. Disclaimer one: This may not work with small yappy dogs. Disclaimer two: We’re not suggesting you do this, just that it happens sometimes.


(Photo: Mandie Stuhan, Lucky Dog)

Now, for those who want to venture far from home, attachment to these cute little life forms tends to pose a larger problem. Paying extra to have your dog locked in a cage for four hours while you fly across the country sounds awful, not to mention the fact that you’re locking up your precious poodly-kins. But here’s the good part: Pets, as much as we sometimes want them to be, are not children. Eugene is littered (pun intended) with cat and dog daycares and boarding kennels, so don’t rule them out as a possibility. This is not to say we should ditch our pets, but rather to weigh the pros and cons of bringing them long distances to crowded vacation spots.

One of the coolest options open to Lane County dog lovers who want to leave town but don’t want their beasties to languish without the benefits of the great outdoors is the Canine Campout provided by the highly certified Mandie Stuhan, owner of Lucky Dog. The campout basically involves your dog living a fun and healthy outdoor lifestyle at the coast or out hiking for a few days. They can “run on the beach, have fun and basically just chill,” says Stuhan.

So take ’em or leave ’em, the choice is yours.

Talk to Lucky Dog about their Canine Campout at
744-BARK


(In the 7/29 issue of EW)

Young Homeless In Eugene: Cover Story

Tim, age 20, Radcliffe, Ky.

“My entire family has been made up of criminals, addicts, alcoholics and car mechanics,” Tim says. He’s been homeless for about two months, he says, and lives on the doorstep outside of John Henry’s. He earned his GED from an adult education center and recently got a job at the Wendy’s on Franklin Boulevard.
He left the South because, “Kentucky seemed bland, you know? I just wanted to see the world for what it was.”
“I want to be a carnie; it’s my life dream to own a traveling circus.”


(Eugene Weekly 7/1 issue)

Jesus, age 16, Eugene
He calls himself Jesus because, “I was on mushrooms and decided that, not unlike Jesus, I see everything for what it is.”
Jesus says he was raised by a normal family in the Whiteaker area and was homeschooled til about halfway through high school. He’s been homeless since he was 13. Jesus used to live in a traditional homeless shelter, now lives on the doorsteps of businesses in downtown Eugene.
He says that nobody ever gives homeless people — much less homeless kids — the time of day to hear their stories. “Living outside of society, trying to keep equilibrium with everything around.”
He manages to make an average of $10 in an hour (on a good day) by asking for change.

(From the Cover Story: Eugene Weekly 7/1)
http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2010/07/01/index.html

Voodoun Moi: My First Writing In Print

Picture this: A bar in the early years of jazz, notes floating softly from the stage and smoke lingering in a thick haze. Okay, now throw that bar into a time machine, sex it all up a bit, and set the date for 2010 — you’ve just discovered Voodoun Moi, a new outfit that includes Eric Valentine and Genevieve Bellemare, former members of “Next Best Thing, Eugene”-winning band John Giovanni.

With a delicious concoction of nu-jazz, funk and folk, this groovy quartet combines smoky, better-than-burlesque vocals with sly grooves, bass lines and rhythms right out of jazz music’s sassiest eras. Damn hard to capture their sound in words, so best to see them live and let the music speak for itself. Voodoun Moi plays with Phoebe Blume at 8pm Friday, June 25, at WOW Hall; $10 adv., $12 door.

(From the 6/24 Issue of Eugene Weekly)

Sleigh Bells First LP Blows my Face off Twice

(This is a good Thing)

Last year the first traces of the face melting, bone shaking noise-pop project that is Sleigh Bells found their way onto the Internet and immediately gained a following. With the digital release of their first full-length: “Treats”, the music world just got a notch louder. After listening to the album, I am fairly certain that the band stole their amps from Spinal Tap; near every song has at least a minute of flinch-inspiring volume that forces the listener to wonder how in God’s name they finished recording without destroying their equipment.


The truly unique aspect of Sleigh Bells’ music however is not their extreme threshold testing, but rather the perfect contrast that is created between Alexis Krauss’ sugary (and for the most part calm) voice and Derek Miller’s violent distortion. The sound certainly bares comparison to Yeah Yeah Yeahs, with the female lead vocal reigning supreme as pandemonium ensues
around them.

With opening positions for Yeasayer and Major Lazer helping put their name on the radar of thousands, this band should become one of the more renowned bands for 2010. Though I have yet to experience the duo live, I have read that the floor shakes from start to finish. This, I can only assume, is an accurate depiction. After all, it’s not hard to imagine the opposite-of-tender sounds that make up “Crown on the Ground,” “Straight A’s” and “Kids” scoring points on the Richter scale.

For me, “Treats” leaves every other 2010 album thus far dead in the water. This is a true example of auditory perfection: Chaos and harmony both play their respective parts in making Sleigh Bells’ “Treats” one of the most unique and enjoyable albums I have ever heard.

Upcoming Events: Wolf Parade

The five—and more recently four—man Montreal group Wolf Parade will release their third LP entitled “Expo 86” on June 29th and thus far the tracks that have been pre-released are sounding impressive. After mild disappointment with their second album, it is comforting to hear some remnants of “Apologies to the Queen Mary” shining through. Though the loss of Hadji Bakara will leave a hole in the band’s sound manipulation department, this is not by any means a death sentence for Wolf Parade’s sound. In particular the layering of high, melodic lines on the new “What Did My Lover Say (It Always Had to Go This Way)” is quite evocative of the classic Wolf Parade style that so many listeners crave.


(Wolf Parade - "Expo 86" Album Cover)

It has been almost two years since the band’s “At Mount Zoomer” tour carried them here to unleash blissful chaos on the McMenamin’s Crystal Ballroom. Upon entering the show I was not anticipating a particularly lively show—after all Wolf Parade’s studio sound had always seemed oddly tame to me in conjunction with their upbeat style—and so I (foolishly) decided to wear open toe footwear. In hindsight I can safely say that the 2008 show was the most definitive sweat-shower of my life: Over the course of their set I received several bruises, caught countless foreign sweat drops in my eyes and mouth, watched from across the pit as my friend battled with a violent asthma attack, and lost both of my sandals. I am expecting nothing less from this summer’s concert. Wolf Parade will hit the Ballroom on July 27th; get tickets, get sweaty, get out satisfied.