Weird Banjos and Furrowed Brows

If you’re a fan of modern-banjo country rock, you’ll be pleased to hear that Danny Barnes is rolling through town this week. Fans of unexpected covers will probably be pleased, too, though for haters of the above, it might behoove you to just stay home and get drunk — Barnes’ banjo style is strange (to say the least) and his songwriting is even stranger. While it’s clear that he has a comfortable grasp of both country and bluegrass traditions, he tries to peel away the layers of each genre and create an entirely new sound which, to put it bluntly, is really fucking weird. Though a step up from the likes of Big & Rich and Jason Aldean, Barnes’ big saving grace is his experience. From a young age he began garnering knowledge and skill with country, bluegrass, jazz, rock and even punk, and so a mélange of styles is able to shine through the country harmonies and banjo chunk.



Despite an array of solid testimonials from the likes of Sam Beam, Dave Matthews and Keller Williams, among others, I found myself with furrowed brow as I listened to his most recent release, Pizza Box. The album is redeemed mostly by its use of guest musicians and some of the more rockin’ riffs — beyond that I found it hard to imagine myself ever wanting to pick up Danny Barnes again. As previously stated, fans of this genre will certainly get a kick out of this one; to each his own, that’s what makes music great. As for the aforementioned covers: check out his (almost weirder) version of Beck’s “Loser” from 2003’s Dirt on the Angel. Beyond all this, I’ll leave it up to you to decide.

Danny Barnes plays with Betty & the Boy at 8:30 pm Friday, Feb. 11, at the Axe & Fiddle; $10.

EW 2/10

The Week in WOW

Marcy Playground, Jackie Greene hit town

The ’90s was a time of sifting for a lot of people — that is, sifting through some utterly rancid shit in order to dig up a good record. Looking back at the decade, it’s sometimes fun to polish off the gems that almost drowned in the sea of boy bands, girl groups and Limp Bizkits. Marcy Playground is one of those gems — although their single “Sex and Candy” was nearly dragged into the underworld of quintessential ‘90s pop — and so it was something of a shock to hear that the band is dropping in this week to play WOW Hall.

The average response to this news is probably: “Wait, what? They’re still around?” And this is more than justified. But what really needs to be asked is: “What the fuck happened to Marcy Playground?” The answer is more intriguing than you might think.



Marcy Playground’s eponymous LP was released in 1997, and garnered significant attention and mainstream success. The album is post-grunge meets ’90s pop, folk and rock to create a solid — and remarkably original — effect. Acoustic guitars, often layered, push to the foreground of many tracks, while John Wozniak’s vocals ring out beneath it all in a calm, dull drone. Other tracks, such as “Sherry Fraser” and “One More Suicide,” find Wozniak up front, singing his heart out. With the album now past the platinum mark, and “Sex and Candy” remembered for its 15-week streak at number one, it’s hard to imagine that every other album the band recorded skipped the charts, and the minds, of everyone. But alas, this is exactly what happened; in fact, the band hasn’t had a song chart since 1999’s “It’s Saturday,” which only reached 25 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart.

Since then, the band has released two albums, MP3 and Leaving Wonderland… In a Fit of Rage — which most people shrug at, seeing as they haven’t even thought about Marcy Playground in almost a decade. It’s easy to see why 2004’s MP3 didn’t really make it: granted, the album is solid, but it’s just so… ’90s. By 2004, most mainstream music had moved away from that cutesy ditty pop rock, but for some reason John Wozniak decided it was time to start writing just that. As for the ’09 release Leaving Wonderland, it’s more of the same. The production is better, and the songwriting remains solid, but it’s far removed from the target sound of the new millennium.

Here’s to hoping the wondrous sounds of Marcy Playground’s first LP will grace their setlist Tuesday.

But before that, on Feb. 3, Jackie Greene arrives at the WOW. Rootsy, wholesome and eclectic — Greene’s music easily earns these adjectives. The California singer-songwriter decided to get serious in 2004 when he made a makeshift studio in his garage, where he recorded and burned his music. And over time, he gathered enough money to release his debut, Rusty Nails, entirely by his lonesome. If that’s not thrifty, I don’t know what is.



Since then, Greene has shot into the limelight, touring with all kinds of crazy people — B.B. King, Phil Lesh, Taj Mahal, among others — and playing major festivals like Bonaroo and Outside Lands. His most recent release, Till The Light Comes, shows just how far he’s come as a songwriter and composer. It’s a collection of fun, soulful anthems crafted mindfully in the traditions of folk, Americana and the blues. Watching Greene live is proof enough that he truly feels what he sings. On stage, eyes closed, he pulls you into his world — a world of pure fun and relaxation.

Jackie Greene & Lauren Shera play 8 pm, Thursday, Feb. 3 at WOW Hall; $15 adv. $18 door; Marcy Playground, Acidic & Dirty Wink play 8 pm, Tuesday, Feb. 8, at WOW Hall; $12 adv. $14 door.

EW 2/3

Flapping Delicious

Hot Mama’s is so much more than a wing joint

Wings. Hear that word and birds, angels, Paul McCartney and food is pretty much what comes to everyone’s mind, right?

It seems chicken wings have been a staple of barbeques, Super Bowls and southern restaurants since time began, so it’s only fitting that a new joint in Eugene called Hot Mama’s Wings garnered hype before its doors even opened.

The place is all casual attire and low prices, and it boasts a family friendly environment as well as a bar area. You can get pick-up, delivery, eat in, whatever the hell you want — it doesn’t matter — as long as you’ve got a hankering for good, homemade food.



Michael Marzano — who co-owns the establishment with his wife, Angie — grew up in Eugene and met head chef and general manager Joel Poston at the Oregon Country Fair some years back. After life took Michael elsewhere for a while (namely Portland), he decided it was time to pay tribute to the town that raised him.

“[Eugene] is a great town,” Marzano said. “This is the best way I could think to give back for all it gave us.”

Not only was this refreshing to hear, it also gave insight into the deep commitment to community spirit that Hot Mama’s Wings hopes to foster. It’s not hard to pick up on the vibe that locality and togetherness are valued highly by the folks at Hot Mama’s, which is clearly evident in everything from their decoration to their ingredients.

“We’re trying to be as local as possible, staying inside Oregon for a good portion of our food, from the chicken to the produce,” said Poston, who is also responsible for creating the menu. But the food isn’t all that’s coming from a local source; the tabletops, seats, bar, appliances and, well, pretty much everything else, is either used or restored. The bar is made of a bowling alley wood, the seats are made of reclaimed timber from the Nike store, and the ceiling insulation is post-consumer recycled. Really, it’s about being as green as possible, a trait that’s hard to come by in restaurants. The Hot Mama's crew built the space sustainably and they plan to run it as such.

“What we do in the space is important,” co-owner Angie Marzano said, “so recycling, composting, energy efficient lights and heating, blow driers in the bathrooms to cut down on paper use… We all have an environmental ethic in how we live and how we want to do business, and we’re going to operate in that way.”

So now you know: Hot Mama’s Wings is more sustainable than a solar panel. Take note when you go in there. As for the food, well, it shouldn’t be all that difficult to notice. They’re going for a “casual neighborhood café” feel, with burgers, soups, sandwiches, salads, brunch, breakfast, beer on tap and, of course, chicken wings. Then there’s the kids menu, a piece of the restaurant industry that has always lacked style... until now.

“Peanut butter is salt, sugar, peanuts and oil, and that’s all it should be,” said Poston, who churns his own peanut butter for the organic PB&Js that the restaurant will offer.

“We want there to be healthy options for children so that families can come in and feed their kids right” Angie Marzano explained. “[Michael and I] have a young family, and there aren’t that many places like this where we can feed our kids, and so we want to encourage young families also to come in for that reason.”

The target price range for a two courser and some drinks for two people is under $30, with the kids menu holding strong at “five bucks or under,” so affordability is yet another value that the Hot Mama’s crew wears on its sleeve. It’s all about “leaving with a full belly for not a whole lot of money.”

On top of all this, they’re creating an atmosphere of togetherness that wings can only hope to provide standing alone: They have big screens to watch games, a bar and giant communal table (which is also made of a bowling alley scrap) as well as booths that allow folks to create their own atmosphere. All this, from a simple wing joint? I know: it rocks.

Hot Mama’s Wings opens Friday, Feb. 4 — just in time for Super Bowl Sunday — and is located at 420 W. 13th Ave.

Headed Down to that Mission Bell

Amos Lee takes his new songs on the road

Knowing the perfect soundtrack to play while out on the road is important, but it’s just as important to find something calming while you rest your bones after a long drive. There are tunes that just sound like road trips, and intentional or otherwise, Amos Lee’s songs are the epitome. His voice is soft, his arrangements soothing; it all fits together like Tetris.



Lee hits the road Jan. 20, expecting to stop and calm the McKenzie for a night early on in the tour. He’ll be backing his fourth album, a poppy collection of his best country-folk anthems. Whether guest appearances on the tour will be a factor is unconfirmed, though Lee’s new full length, Mission Bell, does contain collaborations with the likes of Lucinda Williams, Willie Nelson and Sam Beam. By virtue of this fact, it’s probably a safe bet that the show won’t be the mosh pit of the century, but rather the perfect escape from the cold stress of this New Year.

Mission Bell is a far more personal work than Lee’s prior releases; it is a poignant, 12-track record that examines the re-evaluation of life, and where to go next.

“It’s pretty personal,” Lee says. “There’s always gonna be an outside perspective inspired by other sources, but certainly ‘Windows Rolled Down’ is autobiographical.” He goes on to say that “El Camino” and “Flower” also hold weight at a personal level. As for the rest of the tracks on Mission Bell: “It’s about half and half,” he says. “I just sort of wait for the tunes to come, and when they come I finish them up pretty quick. If they aren’t going anywhere, I put them aside, and if they don’t come back, it wasn’t meant to be.”

Lee has been up to more than just recording Mission Bell. CMT’s “Artists of the Year” special saw him crooning delicately alongside the Zac Brown Band, he’s got a Daytrotter session to his name and he made waves at Austin City Limits last year. Things seem to be looking up, and this tour should be the icing on the cool cake.

So whether it’s the rain and cold that’s got you down, or your legs are just tired from a hard day’s work, it shouldn’t be all that difficult to stand up in the face of Amos Lee.

Amos Lee, Vusi Mahlasela 8 pm Saturday, Jan. 22. McDonald Theatre. $22.50 adv., $25 door.

Upcoming Events: “The Wall” Folk Style

So you thought you might like to go to the show?

Pink Floyd’s rock-opera masterpiece “The Wall” was—and still is—considered the stuff of legends, and since its release in 1979, it has guaranteed those four English geniuses a place in the world’s memory. Sure, “Dark Side of the Moon” and “Wish You Were Here” have their respective places at the forefront of any classic rock timeline, but ask almost anybody older than age 14 if they’ve ever heard “Another Brick in the Wall pt. 2” and it’s a safe bet that the answer will be yes.



The double album blends beauty with intensity for a potent outcome that has scarcely been matched to date. In its inexplicable delicacy, “The Wall” seems a perfect candidate for intricate reinvention, and that’s just the way a gaggle of Portland folk artists saw it:

First on the list are Jenny Conlee and Chris Funk, long time members of The Decemberists that have recently been working hard on their side project Black Prairie—along with fellow Decemberist Nate Query. Together, these two are incredibly talented and tight-knit musicians that truly know how bone-chilling folk music is supposed to sound. After all, there’s nothing like an accordion and six string combo to get a musical connection flowing.

Next up is a trio of dudes that clearly value the classics. Sneakin’ Out can often be found doing live covers of the Stones, Floyd and the Beatles. They’ve got it down well, putting their own rockin’ spin on things but still keeping the strings tightly wound. Strong folk undertones certainly grace Sneakin’ Out’s style, and so a nice balance can be kept while walking the fine line between folk rock and classic rock.

Twisted Whistle exemplifies bluegrass in such a raw, rootsy way that it’s not all that hard to get lost in the entire ensemble. They’re not afraid to get dancy—drawing from all kinds of different influences to create a potpourri of flavors—and a raw, high-energy sound is the result. The genre is such that each instrument has to be tight with those surrounding it in order to make the sound complete, but Twisted Whistle seem to have figured out a way to take perfection and make it rugged. Being rough around the edges, after all, could very well be considered the essence of bluegrass, and these guys just about sum it up.

(Dave Gerow, to whom the "Wall" project can be credited is both a member of Twisted Whistle and Sneakin' Out)

Multi-instrumentalist Lewi Longmire has served up his talent with the likes of, well, pretty much everyone; playing with Casey Neill, the Minus 5, the Freak Mountain Ramblers and others has aided him in garnering attention while developing a style all of his own. Since then, he’s been working on his own music with his own band, a group with deep set roots and a great sense of what Americana is all about—having tight, high energy musical fun.

The Water Tower Bucket Boys are a group of upstanding young men to whom music has become a great passion. With music degrees among them, a lifetime of musical experience, and a whole lot of talent, these dudes work perfectly together to show off a masterful grasp of arrangement and lyricism. These are some of the best buskers you could hope to hear, and when moved to the stage their harmonies and instrumentation only tend to sound better.



All of these awesome musicians have recently set to work pulling (and plucking) strings for a summer project that aims to recreate Pink Floyd’s masterpiece with a folk twist. Sitting down with Kenny Feinstein of Water Tower Bucket Boys—the project's organizer—I was enlightened as to his hopes and aspirations for the venture, along with a few of its inner workings.

Producing a small business card for a temporary wall manufacturer out of Portland, Feinstein told me that he would like for the entire thing to be as Floyd-esque as possible, while still keeping things unique and fresh. Thus, the breaking down of a temporary wall during the concert’s finale would be a significant moment for the show. Along with this, full versions of “Dark Side of the Moon” and the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” can be expected as openers before the main event.

There is much work to be done before the summer dates—July 29 and (tentatively) August 13—and fundraising for the event is a must. Currently the total cost is forecast at $2800, including advertising, venue rental, rehearsal costs, and pay for the musicians involved. The eventual goal—as noted on the event’s Kickstarter—is $3800, though with few pledges to date the pace needs to be picked up in order for the project to continue.

This event, should it come to be, could quickly become one of the things for Portlanders to look forward to this summer. “The Wall,” “Dark Side of the Moon” and “Sgt. Peppers” are all incredible albums that have garnered mass followings respectively since their original releases, and so we’ll leave it in the hands of some great folkers to bring them back to the forefront of our minds once again.

Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” with a Folk Twist is set for July 29, 2011 at the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland, with a second show tentatively set for August 13 at Pioneer Courthouse Square.

More information regarding the event, or to pledge HERE

www.watertowerbucketboys.com
www.sneakinout.com
www.lewilongmire.com
www.blackprairie.com
www.twistedwhistle.com

Refreshed

Black Prairie makes for a nice change of pace

The Decemberists have been around for some time now, and after lapsing into a strange, riff-based alt-rock orchestra, it’s been nice to hear something fresh emerging as a side project. Black Prairie is raw, ballsy and awesome. The project essentially came to be as a brainchild born to Chris Funk and Nate Query—The Decemberists’ respective guitarist and bassist—while on tour with the Colin Meloy’s Portland powerhouse. Jenny Conlee’s skills as the Decemberists’ accordion and piano player were soon employed and the three began work on Black Prairie.



While intricate instrumentation is the project’s primary direction, excellent refrains and lyricism still pad out the tracks on Feast of the Hunters' Moon. It’s often hard to find complaints for good, wholesome Americana music, and Black Prairie has preserved this fact (at least for me). When a sinister feel strikes the music and makes my bones shiver—a feeling for which I have gained quite a fondness—I’m reminded of why I loved the Decemberists, and why I continue to love the crazy side projects that it has helped spawn.

Check out Black Prairie’s Feast of the Hunters' Moon.
Also check out The Norway Rats for more Jenny Conlee action.

I've been writing over at Natural Beardy lately, this post and others can be found there.

Promiscuous Cyclops Blink

Considering the three Eugene rockers that make up Dirty Wink formed for a one-time gig at a Halloween party, it’s safe to say that they’ve made a beautiful mountain out of a molehill. If it’s possible to imagine Sublime jamming with Lenny Kravitz and Silversun Pickups then I guess you should go ahead and imagine it — that seems to be what these guys did.

Maybe you’re thinking, “Whoa, that sounds nuts!”

I know, right? But it’s the hybrid quality of Dirty Wink’s sound that makes this shit fun. The best part is that they’re really not trying to be anything other than what they are; all of them have the same basic taste in music, but each adds their own unique flavor to make the sound whole.


[Greatest band Photo known to man]

Their first full length is set to release — a wonderful milestone considering they’ve mainly been rocking house shows and bars up until now — and the album is just what you would expect. The production is sound and the songs flow well. At times I’ve found myself getting lost in the music entirely, with the gaps in between songs as nothing more than blips between the rock.

These guys are set to become a local powerhouse, so look out, Eugene.

Dirty Wink’s CD release party with Kingdom County and Blast Majesty is at 10 pm on Friday, Dec. 17 at Luckey’s. 21+. $5

EW 12/16