8 Days A Week

Thursday, 2 

ImpPerf_Thursday2Imperfect Perfection: Work by Chia Hui (Tracy) Shen, The Arts Center, 700 SW Madison Ave. 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Join The Arts Center for this reception event, welcoming a collection of beautiful and stirring charcoal/pastel drawings, as well as acrylic paintings. Shen, a Corvallis mother and artist, created this collection by witnessing her children practice violin and cello. The partially rendered images interject illustration with a gorgeous semi-realist perspective, and then knock you for a loop with what I can only describe as “third party additions.” You’ll have to see her work, trust me. Even if you can’t make the reception, make it up there before the last day (Oct. 25).

http://theartscenter.net/?post_type=exhibit&p=9070&preview=true

Free Range Open Mic and 10 Barrel Brewing Tasting, Bombs Away Café, 2527 NW Monroe Ave. Tasting: 6 to 8 p.m., Free; Music: 8 p.m. Free

Corvallis’ newest open mic, Free Range brings together the best, the brightest, and everyone else for a great night of diverse performance. Signup starts at 7 p.m. and the open mic lasts until 11 p.m., but you should definitely get there early for the 10 Barrel Brewing tasting. If you’re not familiar, you probably should be—they’re one of Bend’s best hop-wielders.

https://www.facebook.com/events/775796452480223/?ref=22

Friday, 3

Jeffers&Carlson_Friday3Music à la Carte, OSU Memorial Union, 2501 SW Jefferson Way. Noon. Free   

Here’s how it works: you bring some friends, and they in turn bring you a sack lunch and a great cup of coffee (that’s why they’re called friends, right?). Then the lot of you snags a spot on an inviting couch while you relax and soak in 45 minutes of beautiful music from any number of rotating acts, including OSU’s Concert Band, faculty performances (such as this week’s Jeffers-Carlson four-handed piano duo), and all sorts of string quartets coming out ye olde wazoo.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Music-a-la-Carte/300516616688533

Ludicrous Speed’s Farewell Show, Bombs Away Café, 2527 NW Monroe Ave. 9:30 p.m. $5

Ludicrous Speed is the kind of ska band that even ska haters would love—mainly because they’re just really awesome. Their live shows have the kind of vibe that warms over even the most fudge-filled day. Did I mention they’re from Corvallis?

https://www.facebook.com/LudicrousSpeedSka

Saturday, 4

Blocktober_Saturday4Bloktoberfest 2014, Block 15 Tents 1 and 2, SW 3rd St. & SW Jefferson Ave. 12:30 to 10:30 p.m. $5

A general rule in life is if one event cleverly rhymes with another, larger event, it is automatically going to be great. I actually just made that up, believe it or not, but it applies here. Entering its sixth year, Block 15’s live-music-German-inspired-food-and-tons-of-beer event is well known around these parts. It’s cheap to get in, lasts two days (this is the second, longer day… check the event link), and on Friday there’s some weird thing called “cornhole” that may or may not be legal.

http://www.block15.com/bloktoberfest 

That Coyote w/Roselit Bone, Cloud & Kelly’s Public House, 126 SW 1st St. 21+, 10 p.m. $5

I’ve quoted this before, but Corvallis’ That Coyote’s self-description is too perfect: “We play knife-fight music. We play psychotic cowboy music. We will suck the smile off your drunk face.” And by perfect, I mean insanely accurate. Sharing the stage is Portland-Based Roselit Bone, an act that only be described as Very Western. Paired up with Coyote’s punk/experimental blend, these two bands always put on one hell of a show.

https://www.facebook.com/events/711667302232381/

Sunday, 5

MSBand_Sunday5Main Street Band, Calapooia Brewing Company, 140 Hill St. NE, Albany. 8 to 11 p.m.

Living up to their name in at least one existential way, MSB (as they’re called) is a folk band featuring four excellent musicians (in kilts, mind you) that aren’t afraid to use the word “folking” in a less than civil way.

https://www.facebook.com/themainstreetband

Monday, 6

‘The Penumbra Falls: On the Collapse of Western Civilization,’ CH2m Hill Alumni Center OSU (Willamette Room), 4 PM, Free Admission

Before I encourage you to attend this, let me first ask you; are you easily bummed out? If so, you may want to consider doing something less in your face with harsh reality than this lecture from renowned NASA historian, Erik M. Conway, will discuss his new work with Naomi Oreskes (with whom he teamed on the book Merchants of Doubt, which has now been made into a film) which covers the history and (in their opinion) current and coming wave of doubt shadows being cast over environmental realities by a shadowy cabal of corporations, scientists and politicians. Best case scenario here is that they’re going to tell you it’s not technically too late to stop the end of the world.  I have my doubts they’re going to say anything like that though. Instead attend this event if you can handle a cold dose of horrifying reality.  And bring your friends, because admission is free and drinks and snacks will be provided by OSU’s Environmental Arts and Humanities Initiative.

Tuesday, 7

Ian-Black_Tuesday7Ian Black, Athletic Footwear Designer To-Be, The Arts Center, 700 SW Madison Ave. Noon to 5 p.m.

Ian Black is a Corvallis teen with a plan to get a degree in industrial design, and to apply that to footwear design. At the age of 12, he decided he wasn’t a fan of his sports shoes and so he started drawing his own. That has since blossomed into a promising collection that proves art can exist in many forms. For a show that’s off the beaten path and as hyper-local as it gets, this is a great opportunity to get out and see something new.

http://theartscenter.net/?post_type=exhibit&p=9073&preview=true

Graphic Novel Book Club, New Morning Bakery, 219 SW 2nd St. 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

If you like graphic novels and would like to engage with others that share the same passion, this is your chance! The group meets on the first Tuesday of every month, discussing the current month’s reading selection. This time around it’ll be March: Book One by John Lewis—a fantastic bit of artwork wrapped around a critical story from the Civil Rights movement.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1531400587076199/

Wednesday, 8

Chuck Holst and Gary Rowles, Bombs Away Café, 2527 NW Monroe Ave. 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Free

Two local guitar slingers bring their instruments and voices together to create what Bombs Away says is “infinite harmony.” Personally, that sounds a little dangerous on the quantum level, but I’m willing to risk it.

https://www.facebook.com/events/283207578535409/

Thursday,

100Watt_Thursday9100 Watt Mind & Deluxe Brewing Tasting, Bombs Away Café, 2527 NW Monroe Ave. Tasting: 6 to 8 p.m., Free; Music: 10 p.m., $3

100 Watt Mind is a rock band out of Ashland that’s most easily described by yelling and moving around a lot. Let’s just say that they’ve got this rock ‘n’ roll thing down, only they have trampled and killed the “roll” in the process. The only thing better than one of their shows is one of them accompanied by Corvallis’ very own rowdy garage-punk act Browntown.

https://www.facebook.com/100wattmind   

https://www.facebook.com/events/1489345904653291/

Three Below, Majestic Theatre, 115 SW 2nd St. 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. $15

If you are a fan of bass guitar and want to have your mind blown, it’ll cost just $15. I’ll spare you the accolades and just say this: Three Below is the combination of three genius pioneers, bending the capabilities of the instrument in ways you likely never thought possible, unless you’re a HUGE music dork, of course. You won’t hear anything like this anywhere else. Except for maybe on your computer or stereo, but you know what I mean.

https://www.facebook.com/events/563187847140845/

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