Raw Stringband Goodness

Solid instrumentation is a facet of folk, country and bluegrass that should never be ignored, and The Brothers Comatose certainly don’t miss this aspect of the genre. The coolest part of their music, though, is the songwriting. It’s often fun and upbeat, but sometimes you feel slightly taken aback by the eeriness of it all.



The first four members of Bros. Comatose met in high school — with the exception of brothers Ben and Alex Morrison — and quickly took to jamming together, though a band was never truly formed until the five of them all found themselves in San Francisco eager to get a real project started.

The outcome is raw stringband goodness, full of inventive instrumentation and nice harmony. Their album Songs from the Stoop nicely exemplifies this unique style while still maintaining a comfort zone for newcomers to the country-bluegrass genre. It’s never experimental, but it’s always tight. What more could you ask for?

The Brothers Comatose play at 9:30 pm Saturday, Feb. 26, at Sam Bond’s; $5

EW 2/24

Peace Out, Brooksy

Long-time Lane County resident and fingerstyle guitarist extraordinaire Brooks Robertson says farewell to our beloved city on Feb. 12 when he makes a break for the stars up in Portland. LaVelle Wine Bar, a recurrent host of Robertson, plans to make the event as fitting as possible while we see off one of the area’s most talented and unique artists. Brooks has been named the Buster B. Jones of his generation, and this seems apt considering how smoothly and impressively he makes his guitar hum. Jones was also a mentor of Robertson from an early age, and so the legacy of virtuosic fingerpicking will live on for years to come.



There’s something about the power and raw energy of one dude sitting in a chair with just a six string and a bunch of intense chops that makes the heart sing. Brooks has made this feeling a reality for years in Eugene, and there’s no doubt he’ll do the same up in P-town. His reputation is already large, and it’s boosted magnificently by his memorable second-place overall finish at last years “Yamaha Six String Guitar Theory Competition,” an international event that draws guitarists from almost fifty countries worldwide.

The evening-long “Bon Voyage” event at LaVelle features a meet-and-greet with Robertson starting at 5 pm, a set by local country-pop band Apropos from 6 to 6:45, and a two-hour Brooks set worthy of this momentous sendoff beginning at 7. Food will be available for purchase all night, and everything else is free. Could you really ask for more?

So let’s doff our hats to Brooks for supplying us with one of the coolest guitar techniques around. Thanks for all the good times, dude.

The Brooks Robertson “Bon Voyage” concert starts at 5 pm, Saturday, Feb. 12, at LaVelle Wine Bar; FREE

EW 2/10

Airstream 4 Lyfe

Considering the fact that the entirety of Hymn for Her’s new album Lucy & Wayne and the Amairican Stream was recorded inside a 16-foot Airstream, it’s shockingly well engineered. Sure, the acoustics within such a small, metal place were probably useful, but it’s a testament to the talent shared between Maggie Jane and Pierce Ternay that the album turned out the way it did. The music is different from the Americana floating around these days, mostly due to the distortion that fuzzes the acoustic instruments on almost every song. Hymn for Her clearly had country traditions in mind, though they added a rock twist that makes everything more fun. This isn’t just a collection of weakening croons; it’s a solid record of unique music.



How about that Airstream thing, though, right? So cool. It makes perfect sense that Hymn for Her are touring right now because, well, they’re always touring. They literally live in an Airstream — no, that’s not just a gimmick — and travel from place to place across the nation recording their music and finding inspiration. It’s clear, too, that they drew from multiple sources while recording their newest: sounds of the Delta, sounds of the Northeast, sounds of Arizona and the Southwest, burlesque, country, classic rock, they’re all in there somewhere. It’s fun-loving hillbilly rock, and if this is what a mulch of different parts of the U.S. sounds like, maybe the whole country should collaborate some time.

Hymn for Her plays at 10 pm, Friday, Feb. 11, at Diablo’s Downtown Lounge

EW 2/10

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.