For 2004, the Celebration's music goes clubbing.Byline: Lewis Taylor The Register-Guard The big news from the Big E.C. (that's the 2004 Eugene Celebration The Eugene Celebration is an annual community celebration and civic event held in downtown Eugene, Oregon, United States. Featuring bands and performers from throughout the Pacific Northwest, the three-day festival is held in early September and attracts more than 40,000 attendees for those of you who don't channel Creole) is the number of entertainment stages, which have multiplied since last year. The Broadway Plaza Broadway Plaza is the name of various places:
"I think people were looking around and asking what's going to be the future of downtown, and we're it," says Keith Martin Keith P. Martin, PC, MP, BSc, MD (born April 13, 1960, in London, UK) is a Canadian physician and politician. He is the Liberal Member of Parliament for the riding of Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca. Martin was first elected in 1993 as a member of the Reform Party of Canada. , booking agent Noun 1. booking agent - someone who engages a person or company for performances booker agent - a representative who acts on behalf of other persons or organizations impresario, promoter, showman - a sponsor who books and stages public entertainments and co-owner of John Henry's. "It's nice that the celebration got us in- volved." Downtown entertainment venues have long piggybacked on the Eugene Celebration; Rock 'n Rodeo used to stage its own outdoor concerts, and Good Times was legendary for its block parties. But the difference this year is that so many clubs are officially part of the event, which means you'll need a Celebration wristband wristband An identifying bracelet attached to a Pt's wrist at the time of admission to a health care facility, which may be the only identifier used during a person's stay in a hospital to get into Diablo's Downtown Lounge or Cozmic Pizza or any of the other affiliated venues. "It makes it more inclusive," says Michael Canning, the KLCC-FM music director and one of the members of the Celebration's eight-member booking committee. "One of the things we're trying to do is put on a party for the people of Eugene and help the businesses of downtown." More stages means more music, and there are more than 100 acts spread out over the Celebration's 12 stages. "I'm figuring it's about 12 cents a band," says Steve Remington, managing director and resident statistician. Wineries Stage features jazz The range of acts is as broad as the mix of different venues. Today, the Wineries of Lane County Stage, 10th Avenue and Olive Street, will feature traditional jazz (Black Swan Jazz with Marilyn Keller). And on Saturday, Portland's 1980s-era, funk-filled eight-piece ska outfit, the Crazy 8's Crazy 8's is a drinking game involving the use of playing cards. The predominant beverage of choice involves beer, but any type of liquor can be used. To begin, all of the 8's are taken out of the deck and laid in a vertical column on a flat surface. , return from the dead for a reunion show on the Broadway Plaza Stage. And speaking of blasts from the past, the Renegade Saints rock the Broadway Plaza Stage today. Remington says the presence of two nostalgia acts was largely circumstantial. "We booked the Crazy 8's first and (we) listened to the universe," Remington says. "The Renegade Saints had just played a very successful set at the Oregon Country Fair The Oregon Country Fair (OCF) is a three-day fair that takes place yearly beginning on the Friday of the second weekend in July in Veneta, Oregon, approximately 15 miles west of Eugene, with an attendance of approximately 45,000 over the three day period, with attendance peaking and we thought, this really makes sense." The Broadway Plaza Stage takes on a Celtic theme Sunday with sets by Amaden and Toad in the Hole
Blues also will be the theme at the Cozmic Pizza Stage, which hosts an all-blues lineup on Saturday and Sunday. Paul Biondi & Friends, the Vipers featuring Deb Cleveland and T-Bone Weldon and the Juke Joint Blues The term juke joint blues refers to a form of dance music that combines rhythm and blues and blues music, often played in the 1950s and 1960s (though not isolated to that era). The music tends to be rather heavy on the rhythm, and can encompass both quick and rather slow tunes. Band will all be playing. In addition, the newly formed Rainy Day Blues Society will be celebrating its emergence. The group seeks to preserve, promote and enhance the blues in Eugene. Not all downtown clubs are official Celebration stages. The Black Forest Tavern, which is known for its no-cover live music, will host a battle of the bands competition Saturday in the parking lot at 70 E. 11th Ave. Ten rock bands will compete for a $1,000 cash prize. Far more than funk Other musical highlights from the official Celebration stages include the quirky Southern singer-songwriter Paul Thorn. Thorn plays Sunday afternoon on the Fifth Avenue Stage. Often compared to John Hiatt and Warren Zevon, Thorn is a longtime favorite of KLCC KLCC Kuala Lumpur City Centre (Malaysia) listeners; Remington says he's the most-asked-about Celebration performer. Jesse Harris, the songwriter behind some of Norah Jones' biggest hits, appears Saturday on the Broadway Plaza Stage, and perennial favorites Little Charlie and the Nightcats shut down the Fifth Avenue Stage on Sunday. Detroit garage rockers the Hentchmen play Friday at John Henry's. And the War-and-Santana inspired Los Mocosos brings its Latin blend tonight to the Fifth Avenue Stage. Finally, the Urban Stage at the WOW Hall will host a much-anticipated show by the experimental outfit Jackie O MF. The band specializes in what it calls `1960s era, New York-loft, avant-garde" music, which apparently includes "free jazz, noise rock, graffiti, space rock, folk music, Xeroxed art" and other influences. Also, the unusual art rock ensemble from San Francisco, Sleepy Time Gorilla Museum, plays the same stage on Saturday night. Remington seems aware of the fact that there aren't more New Orleans artists on the schedule, but he's got a simple explanation. "It was our intention to fill the stages with Cajun, zydeco zydeco (zī`dĭkō'), American musical form originating among the African-American Creoles of Louisiana. Drawing on elements of traditional Cajun music as well as jazz, country and western, and blues, it is characterized by French lyrics, and Creole styles of music, but we're just all so bad at geography," Remington says. "We just didn't realize it was 2,000 miles away." Lewis Taylor can be reached at 338-2512 or ltaylor@guardnet .com. CAPTION(S): The Radiators are the band that comes closest to typifying the Eugene Celebration's New Orleans theme. |
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