Month: March 2014
Foster Body @ Diabolical/Albatross Records 03.01 with The Circulars, Discoid...
Madison Donnelly punched out the beat to get this post-punk/hardcore–amalgam engine chugging, and the (comfortably) packed record-shop den began hopping. Banks scream-sang with wet effects that bounced around the speakers and the room like mad clowns at circus. Martin strummed angular chords that stabbed with bright tones and played brittle one-off lines that gave Foster Body’s songs their bite. … read more
The English Beat @ The Depot 02.26 with Insatiable
The English Beat’s arrival onstage provoked considerable excitement. Wasting no time, they blasted out “Rough Rider,” “Twist and Crawl” and “Hands Off She’s Mine”—thoroughly enjoyable with a nice beat, the folks to the right and left of me swayed and twisted. During this I tried managing a combination of dancing, snapping some pictures and avoiding getting my nose smashed by the back of some wanker’s head. Such juggling acts are not feasible for long periods of time. … read more
Skinny Puppy @ Lo-Fi Cafe 02.26 with Army of the...
Outside the Lo-Fi Café there was a line to end all lines. Skinny Puppy and Army of the Universe were about hold a crowd in their hand before they crushed them with pulsating industrial rock … read more
Pentagram @ Club Sound 03.01 with Merlin’s Beard, Kings Destroy,...
Seeing “old” bands is always a double-edged sword. On one hand, dusting off old tunes for a festival crowd or quick reunion circuit can equal big dollar signs at the ticket office, but lackluster performances from old heroes well past their prime can quickly sour that magic. I guess that’s what made this all the better. Pentagram never really had a prime to grow out of. … read more
Russian Circles @ Urban Lounge 03.02 w/ KEN mode, Inter...
Russian Circles’ tones, tempos and rhythms rise and fall, fold and buckle, tear and crumble, melt and congeal, in the way that mineral processes sculpt the land. The spectacle is orderly, rational, frequently beautiful, and spatially and temporally grand. … read more
Concert | Music | Show Reviews
Lake Island @ Muse Music Cafe 03.01 with Coral Bones,...
It was a damp, mild Saturday night—nice enough not to have to wear a coat, dry enough not to really notice. I was heading to Muse, the other music venue on University Avenue, to check out Coral Bones—whose album, Youthemism was my favorite local release of last year. … read more
Annie, Get Your Skates: JCRD Saddle Up for the Wild...
Junction City’s travel team was up in Bremerton, Wash. to take part in the Wild West Showdown, an annual three-day derby brawl with leagues from all over the nation hosted by the Slaughter County Roller Vixens. … read more
Movie Review: 300 – Rise of an Empire
Eight years after the release of Zack Snyder’s 300 (or as my friend calls it, “Eighteen-hundred Abs”), director Noam Murro has made a prequel/sequel/equal to the franchise that explores characters’ origins, parallel storylines and events that take place after the Spartans’ bloodbath. … read more
SXSW Film Festival: The Infinite Man
Director Hugh Sullivan leads this awkward yet charming tale of jealousy and redemption with a delightful cast of characters. McConville is provided with the entertaining opportunity to portray a love-starved mess to a conniving mastermind as his versions compete against one another. … read more
God Module @ Area 51 03.06 with The Witch Was...
The members of Mordacious joined a horrifying, hooded man in a mask that looked as if his face was falling off. The room began to fill with tiny lights from phones and many tried to capture the evil that was taking place onstage.The mask was removed, revealing God Module front man Jaysn Bangert exposing his even more devious facial expressions. At that moment it became obvious who had brought the larger-than-average turnout. … read more