art ALLISON FONDER

1. CAMPUS AREA

words NOAH PORTER

A radioactive nucleus for student living, the generally accepted boundaries for “campus area” stretch from Kincaid to Pearl Street, between 13th and 18th Avenue. An emerald city of factory-issue condominiums intermittently sprinkled with abandoned high-heels, the dream of Seth from Superbad is alive and well in this five-block radius. For those who wish to become better acquainted with their fellow students, an over-crowded apartment party can be a great place to rub shoulders, chests and buttocks with the best and the brightest that the Sociology department has to offer. Most recently, the “campus area” has become something of a cultural hub for Eugene’s up-and-coming frozen yogurt scene.

2. FRIENDLY

words SAMUEL TEPE

To answer your question, yes, the Friendly neighborhood is a friendly neighborhood indeed. Quaint and cute are qualities of this neck of the woods. Home to many happy students and families, the Friendly embraces many positive qualities of Eugene. The intersection of 24th Avenue and Friendly Street is the community’s core. On the north side of this crossroads you will find a handful of local businesses including a gourmet teahouse, a park, a potter, two different acupuncturists, a natural grocer, and a new organic food stand named “Party Cart.” Cruise on over for an exploration of sorts, and you will be happy with what you see.

3. SOUTHTOWNE

words MARGARET APPEL

Three words: Long’s. Meat. Market. The Southtowne hood doesn’t really need anything else to qualify it as the fillet of Eugene, and yet still it gives you so much more. Take the Amazon bike path out to these parts and enjoy a peaceful stroll through the likes of southern High, Mill, and Ferry Streets, while the hustle and bustle of Willamette remains just inches away. Our nearest laundromat comes equipped with pool table and attractive hipsters, and you can always end your night at the seedy dive that never disappoints — Mulligan’s pub. Barry’s Espresso can be enjoyed without the long line, and if the nearby 7-11 Redbox doesn’t have that romantic comedy you’re looking for, the neighboring McDonald’s Redbox probably does. Southtowne? Swagtowne.

4. JEFFERSON WESTSIDE

words BEN FICKLIN

The trees are the most remarkable feature of Jefferson Westside. They loom over the neighborhood, hiding it in a shadow from the rest of the city. These elderly trees make the blocks from 7th Avenue South to 18th Avenue seem older than the rest of Eugene. For those who live here, the neighborhood is a treasure. Largely residential, the few businesses that operate in Jeff West are charming. Sweet Life Bakery makes all sorts of confections that taste like love, New Frontier Market is open until midnight, and the hole-in-the-wall Mi Tierra makes one of the better burritos in town. But like I said, the lawn-grown fruit trees and towering oaks are where Jeff West exudes its magic. Stroll through  the tumbling leaves of Monroe Park on a misty night and check out the enchanted trees yourself.

5. THE WHITEAKER

words EDDIE BOND

The Whiteaker is among the most vibrant and interesting neighborhoods in Eugene. The Whiteaker is the parents who walk down the street while their children run ahead barefoot. The Whiteaker is the man on the street corner selling newspapers to buy his bread. The Whiteaker is music and the venues like Sam Bond’s Garage that support the local acts. The Whiteaker is wild graffiti and colorful murals and the artists who create all night and day. The Whiteaker is a stray cat wandering down an alleyway, a conversation on the street corner with a stranger, and the smell of fresh hops from the Ninkasi Brewery floating through the air. The Whiteaker is 6th Street north to the river and east from Skinner’s Butte to Chambers Street. The Whiteaker is a breath of fresh air; an energetic, creative neighborhood with a strong sense of community.

For more information on exploring Eugene, check out these groovy bicycle adventures.

As most of you know campus is going smoke and tobacco free. To be honest, I don’t really have much of an opinion on the matter. We all know it’s not good for your health, and if people still want to smoke, it’s their choice. What causes me to say “what the fuck” is the policy’s advertising campaign. At first glance, it’s kind of funny. Smoke and Tobacco Free University, STFU, shut the fuck up, I get it. But let’s for a moment think beyond our small bubble of students and faculty. Custodians, construction workers, and other support staff are a major smoker demographic on campus. The message isn’t “We’re concerned for you and our campus’ health.” It’s more like, “Get the fuck out.”

As far as publicity methods go, it fails to meet several key criteria. Is it creative? Yeah, I guess. Does it get your attention? Yep. Is it informative (i.e., does it really tell you anything about the smoke and tobacco free campaign)? Not so much. And last, but certainly not least, does it give you a way to put the movement into action? Not even close. The health center is providing free nicotine patches for those willing to try and quit, but you don’t see anything about that on the poster. Instead it says, “You smoke? You suck, and also you have no say in the matter, so shut the fuck up.” The salt in the wound of this whole issue is that the ad was created by none other than our very own corporate uncle, Nike. Thanks Phil, that’s really nice.

RJD2 mini-interview/performance @ Mallard Madness.

Featuring work from Quinn Robinson, Ginger Chen, and Arthaya Nootecharas. The Show runs March 7-11.

Above: Busby surprises the ASUO’s finest, including ASUO Vice President Maneesh Arora,  with a Vagina-gram.

In other news, University of Oregon journalism student and my dear friend Joey Geglia did a nice little write-up that reported the Vagina-gram fundraiser. It was featured on KVAL’s online news, and received hilarious web backlash:

That last one’s my favorite. Don’t let it get you down, Busby. I know you won’t. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone, and don’t forget to laugh at how awkward it probably was for someone to sing pop songs in a vagina suit to complete strangers all week. If you want to see someone else from the UO Women’s Center perform a Vagina-gram, you can peep it here:

This week Hitz tackles a rather hairy subject: under arm follicles and the female gender.

Highlights include: “Natural Selection has spoken via socially constructed norms.” Clearly, this Grizzly Bear is not a Biology major.

Next week on the hipster beat: Denial.

The Oregon Voice is goin’ all green an’ shit.

With the help of Dawgs’ Ram, Cara, Mary, Noah and a newly adopted Nowist attitude the OV has its first bike in its ever expanding distribution fleet. Keep your eyes open for the primary-colored mobile distribution unit for the freshest issues.

The Oregon Voice staff, we’re no strangers to the flashing red and blue lights. Tonight, it was my turn to face the siren.

There I was, mindin’ my own business, atop my Schwinn Continental (thanks, Cara), taking in the brisk summer sunset when out-of-motherfucking-nowhere a DPS officer flicks on his lights and siren behind me. The siren seemed excessive to me too.

But, it was a Tuesday night, what else to do other than pull over light-less cyclists?

Fuckin’ with me cause I’m a teenager
With a little bit of gold and a pager.

It’s a bizarre feeling, getting pulled over on your bike, almost surreal. Once to the curb I put my kickstand down, unbuckled my helmet and awaited my fate. A second officer soon rolled up, this one of the bicycle variety.

Questions poured in. Even with much of my short-term memory seriously compromised, I answered ‘em like a champ. Your god damn right I know my address and phone number.

Then shit got serious. My following responses took required more than regurgitation of information.

‘Alcohol?

‘No, no drinking for me.’

‘I smell like smoke?’

‘Well, I just left my buddies house, he was smoking a cigarette…’

All in all, it was about fifteen minutes of some Grade A Hasslage.

Two tangents helped lighten the mood.

The first was about the giant felt rubik’s cube mounted on my bike fender — which the bike cop was totally digging on.

The second was about bike auctions. Turns out, most of the stolen bikes that recovered at UofO, (there’s a lot) that aren’t registered to students are auctioned off for crazy low prices. The bike cop once got two bikes for eight dollars! Who knows, though, maybe he just made that up. Cops are good at that.

To the police I’m saying fuck you punk
Reading my rights and shit, it’s all junk

Before I was let go, I was reminded one last time how lucky I was to be getting off with just a warning. He could have sighted me for $300 in fines.

‘Yes sir, thank you officer, I do realize I’m fortunate not to be written up for failure to signal on my bicycle … in the middle of campus,’ as five helmet and light-free riders speed past.

Yeah, I’m a gangsta, but still I got flavor
Without a gun and a badge, what do ya got?

An occupation void of purpose?

photo by Carolina Riveria

Phantogram’s haunting, post-electronic dream pop oozes a certain amount of intoxication, and the epic performance by the New York duo at Eugene’s Willamette Valley Music Festival last Saturday was comparable to watching globules in a lava lamp. I pity any one who wasn’t in attendance. It really was a seductive—if not spellbinding—show.

I recently had the chance to interview Josh Carter of the group. Here is what he had to say on the West Coast, the music industry and the future of Phantogram.

Fond memories from your last visit to Eugene?

Indeed! We had a great time playing the Willamette Valley Fest. The crowd was awesome!

Any thoughts on the West Cost vs. your native East?

So far, we have enjoyed playing the West Coast very much. We’ve had awesome response to our music on both coasts – the Midwest is great too! We haven’t really gotten to play a lot of shows in the South yet. We are looking forward to getting down there soon. There are nice people and jerky people everywhere we go… We prefer meeting friendly, sincere people.
We definitely miss home on the East Coast right now, because we’ve been on tour for a month and will continue to tour for a while.

How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard it?

Beat-heavy pop, with spacey synths, swirling guitars, chopped up samples, honest, emotional lyrics, and a lot of texture.

What are major influences to the band, musically and otherwise?

Musically- everything from Debussy to Talking Heads, Curtis Mayfield to Slowdive, The Beatles to J Dilla…. We like all kinds of music. We draw a lot of inspiration from film and movies, too. Some of our favorite directors are David Lynch, Terry Gilliam, Michel Gondry…

And what’s your favorite thing about music and the industry today?

My favorite thing about music is that it is as close as you can get to spirituality or the heart and soul of an individual. Music can touch people in ways that most other things can’t. It gets under your skin.

What’s the meaning behind the word ‘phantogram’?

A phantogram is a two-dimensional optical illusion that appears in three dimensions. We thought that ‘Phantogram’ would be a good name for our band as we are a two-piece that creates a stereophonic sound – a sound much larger than you would expect from two people.

Any acts you would like to collaborate with?

We would’ve liked to collaborate with Sparklehorse. RIP Mark Linkous. It would be cool to do scores for films too.

What are your three must have songs on a dance party mix?

EMF’s “Unbelievable”, Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind”, and “I Would Die For You” by Prince.

Besides a wealth of tour dates, what does the future have in store for Phantogram?

Lots of more music and albums!