Ethos has officially accepted our challenge to partake in a dance-off of epic proportions!!!!! KWVA will be DJing the event, and while the date has not been set, it is certain that this will be a dance-off you don’t wanna miss! Until then, here’s a little preview of some OV Funk that I captured on a Saturday night at a birthday celebration of a certain staffer… hope you’re as pumped as we are.
We’ve started to include a sports section. Here are some excerpts from our current issue.
words Tyler Pell
“Mo Money Mo Problems” The Antoine Walker story:
The former Celtics Forward earned over $110 in his twelve year NBA career. Unfortunately, Walker’s career took a nose dive when a self professed love of fried chicken got the best of his slowing metabolism. Now 33, an overweight and unemployed Walker owes numerous Las Vegas Hotels sums upward of $4 million. Still not clear sure if they are gambling debts or unpaid buffet tabs, either way consider this movie a juxtaposition of the MC Hammer and Kirstie Alley stories.
“Undisputed”TheRock‘EmSock‘EmRobots story:
This classic rivalry seems to have spanned generations. But what goes on behind the scenes — when the Blue Guy and the Red Guy aren’t fighting? Is there any real animosity between them, or is it contrived? Is there a Don King of the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em circuit? Do they go out for a beer after fights? Which fighters did they look up to growing up? Did they really start the Crips/Bloods feud?
“Ellis D” The Dock Ellis story:
Consider Ellis the Hunter S. Thompson of the sports world. His most famous exploits involve a two day acid binge during which he was informed by his girlfriend that he was scheduled to pitch for the Pirates later that afternoon. Dock responded, pitching just the 174th no-hitter of all time; likely the only one pitched under the influence of a Schedule I hallucinogenic. YouTube “Dock Ellis & The LSD No-No” for a psychedelic animated re-telling narrative of the historic event.
“Pushin’ Weight” The Nate Newton story:
Newton was one of the NFL’s premier offensive linemen during the 1990s. He won three Super Bowls and made six pro-bowls appearances as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. While in the NFL, his 370 pound frame earned him the nickname “The Kitchen.” After retiring, ungodly weights continued to define Newton. In one 5 week stretch in 2001, Newton was busted with trying to move over 390 pounds of pot. After serving jail time, Newton has given up marijuana and took up Christianity. Maybe pot is a gateway drug.
After a cane-yielding Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey exited the Super Bowl stage with two other guys claiming to be members of The Who, one thing seemed evident: Janet Jackson’s nipple has forever altered the halftime show experience. Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, and somehow, Prince have all performed since Jackson’s nipple made an unexpected appearance at Super Bowl XXXVIII. Now I wouldn’t consider any pre-or-post nipple performances “good” by any measure, but these recent halftime performers look like they would be a lot more comfortable in a Buick than anywhere near a stage.
Words Noah DeWitt
Photos Mike Pearson
The stories are legendary. For example: “One time he came on stage in a space suit with a bucket of KFC and started throwing chicken at the crowd.” Another fable went, “He’s a pimp. No, literally he’s a pimp.” Last Tuesday in the Wow Hall basement between openers I heard a new myth, a first person account of a Kool Keith sighting at a Costco in LA, where he, Xzibit, and several hookers purchased some bulk goods. So no one really knew what to expect of Keith’s Eugene appearance, the first stop of his brief Cascadia tour with Foreign Objects.
For those unacquainted with him, Kool Keith is a man of many aliases. His better-known titles include Kool Keith, Dr. Octagon, Dr. Doom, and Black Elvis; his website lists more than fifty in all, though most were used only once or twice on isolated singles throughout his thirty year career.
He began in ’88 as a member of the New York old school crew Ultramagnetic MCs. He gradually established himself as a solo act, and in 1996 he released Dr. Octagonecologist, a psychedelic, futuristic collaboration with Dan the Automator; it was an instant hip-hop classic. A clever lyricist, Keith stands out starkly from the banal background of mainstream unoriginality. But don’t be mistaken; Kool Keith is not another politically poignant underground rapper who parades a vocabulary of multisyllabic words. His message is more often disturbingly raunchy than profound. He is difficult to pin down, a schizophrenic entertainer with as many personalities as monikers.
He mounted the Wow Hall’s modest stage wearing a sequins headscarf and wielding his microphone. His DJ cued a record from the Ultramagnetic MCs years, and Keith began to rattle off rhymes in a funky old-school pentameter.
In essence, the show was a chronological recap of the many chapters of Kool Keith’s career. After a five-minute spree of uninterrupted free styles (which bested the average written rap), Keith and his hype-men moved on to songs from the Dr. Octagon era. The crowd erupted with excitement for “Blue Flowers” and “Earth People,” two better-known singles off of Dr. Octagonecologist.
With his albums, the listener is able to turn a blind eye to Kool Keith’s less wholesome (i.e., degrading) lyrics. But when confronted with his living presence, one is forced to see the sheer crudity of his words. Aside from a few outliers, Kool Keith’s raps are only about sex. It is sometimes suggested that he means to satirize the misogyny of the mainstream. If so, then he’s doing a great job. Between songs, he asked, “How many ladies here like hotels?” The audience laughed nervously, unsure whether it was creepy or hilarious. He went on: “Who here is a freak? Are there any secret freaks? Ok, who here is a conservative freak? We’re looking for secret conservative confined freaks.” He eventually dropped the issue to play more raunchy songs released under his Dr. Doom alias.
After a satisfying survey of Kool Keith’s contributions to hip-hop, the show took a turn for the worse. For the last twenty minutes or so, Keith and his posse performed half-minute song segments, abruptly ending one and moving on to the next. They were attempting to cram the show’s tail end with as many songs as possible: it was quantity not quality. And it was annoying. Just when you settled into the groove of a beat, the record flipped, the tempo changed, and you had to readjust.
Despite ending on such an irritating note, the overall concert experience was a fascinating and enjoyable glimpse at who Kool Keith really is: a very strange man.
On November 15 Doug Martsch, in a brown rain jacket and a thinning mop of hair, climbed the WOW Hall stage with his Built To Spill band mates and dutifully setup shop sans roadies. “Christ,” I thought. “These guys are geezers!”
Initially, I questioned whether going to the concert would be the “right thing” to do. I had a major test the next afternoon and my conscience was saying DO NOT GO NO NO. But BTS is too hard to resist. I’ve been a fan for some time and I had never seen them live. Before I knew it, their familiar maestro guitar attack–that I had recently forgotten– rocked the living daylights out of me. If the band is an apple of temptation, their genius is baring some badass fruit.
Martsch, who formed BTS in 1992, is surprisingly reserved onstage considering he is revered as a founding father of indie rock. The Boise musician said little more than a feeble “Thanks” between their lengthy songs (which are that much longer live). It seems that for Martsch, the music comes first.
Guitarist Brett Netson did most of the crowd-schmoozing.
“This is dedicated to men who built WOW Hall..and to the people who throw rocks in the windows of corporations,” Netson exclaimed before the sheer force of BTS’ signature guitar echo, loops and feedback, essetnially brought down the house.
(The name “Built To Spill” is definitely not a misnomer.)
Yet it was during “Strange” as Martsch’s plaintive voice whimpered, “yeah its strange but what’s so strange about that/ yeah its strange but what isn’t strange/ yeah its strange but oh well” that their anti-establishment vehemence felt most genuine and the results are absolutely mesmerizing.
Martsch so prolifically converts feelings into remarkably assured rock n’ roll, its no wonder he is considered one of the best guitarists in the business today. He might resent the Rock God ascription, but well, that’s what he is.
Yes, in the midst of popping my “BTS Live” cherry, I became a born-again believer.
Well, it’s finally official: LeGarrette Blount is a full fledged member of the Oregon Ducks football team. Two months after dropping an unsuspecting Boise State player with a beautiful disgraceful right hook, the Ducks announced Blount’s reinstatement in a press release on Monday. Blount, who was suspended for the season following the incident was reinstated after completing “academic and behavioral ladders.” You know, like attending class and stuff.
We here at the Voice are more than pleased with the reinstatement. Since the cash-strapped athletic program could no doubt use some assistance — and because we’re tired of renovating our office every year — we decided to spend some of our cash surplus on a gift that will no doubt make Blount’s transition a little smoother…
As you may remember, around this time last year there was supposed to be a Cultural Forum sponsored concert in the EMU Ballroom with the nationally touring act: Rogue Wave. That show, because of a broken hand suffered by guitarist Zach Schwartz, was in most sense, a bust (Save for those local bands who did their best to still hold it down.)
It happens again – the curse continues.
Now, apparently Michael Angelakos of Passion Pit took the words of Disturbed a little too seriously and got “down with the sickness.” What sickness we’re not exactly sure, but word on the street (of course it is) suggests Swine Flu. Let’s hope that’s not the case.
For Pacific North-westerners, this cancellation comes as another major blow after the band cancelled their Nike-sponsored performance at MFNW this past September in favor of shakin’ it (At a completely different point on the spectrum that is history.) in Juan’s Basement – an entirely overrated and Pitchfork-approved (word on the street is) moldy venue with the capacity of a Ford Aspire.
Though if you’re into that sort of thing, check out this article and accompanying video for Passion Pit’s song “Sleepy Head” from the Portland Mercury.
Article here.
Here’s a link to all three songs they played in Juan’s Basement via Shock & Yawn magazine.
Video’s here.
Tickets to the Pixies’ upcoming Doolittle 20th-Anniversary tour went on sale this morning at 10a.m. The Pixies will be playing their 1989 masterpiece in its entirety and more – an event not to be missed.
According to the ladies at the EMU ticket office, bulk tickets are going fast and may sell out long before the Nov. 14th show at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts.
If you’re a Pixies fan and have yet to get your ticket(s) to their ONLY OREGON SHOW, get ‘em now. Tickets are $37 for upper-balcony seats and $55 for all others. They may be spendy, but it’s surely worth it. I’ve got my four, now you go and get yours.
P.S. – If you’re currently broke but still yearn for tickets, do what I did. Charge them to your student account via a two-step process. First, go to the Card Office in the basement of the EMU and put enough money on your Student ID/Campus Cash card (By charging to your UO student account.) to cover the cost of the number of tickets you want (FYI: There is an 8 ticket limit per person.) Second, go upstairs to the ticket office and use your Student ID/Campus Cash card to purchase the tickets. Voila!
And lastly, if you get Federal Financial Aid, don’t forget to thank Uncle Sam for your Pixies tickets!
The first issue of this year is now available for viewing! Check around campus in the coming days for a hard copy. If you have a hard time finding the issue we understand since a majority of our distribution boxes have been stolen but fear not! Simply send a message and we’ll make sure you get your warm hands on a copy asap. Happy reading.
Thanks everyone who came out and rented puppies yesterday! Check out the ol’ Dirty coverage, pie-chart free:
http://media.www.dailyemerald.com/media/storage/paper859/news/2008/05/22/News/Puppy.Love-3374724.shtml
Credit for this great event goes to Stephen the dog lover (in a non-sexual way, of course) and Greenhill Humane Society.
Other people who are awesome: Max the puppy chaser; Iris the pooch wrangler; Justin, Shane, Cori and Leah doggie paparazzi; Natalie, Libby, Scot guardians of the puppies; and whoever else I forgot. Also Greenhill Humane society for providing 10 dogs and volunteers aplenty. Thanks as well to the scheduling office for helping us coordinate this.
We’re hoping to do a second event like this soon so keep an eye out for that, and shoot us an email if you want us to let you know personally.
