Thursday, September 11
Jive Coulis w/ Space Neighbors, Cloud & Kelly’s, 126 SW 1st St. 10 p.m. $5 cover.
www.facebook.com/JiveCoulisBand
www.facebook.com/spaceneighbors
Describing themselves on Facebook as rock/funk/blues, Ashland trio Jive Coulis hit all possible nails on their heads. Conjuring sonic images of blues-infused classic rock in their purest form, they’ll share the stage with our very own gypsy-disco funk powerhouse Space Neighbors. Seriously, if you live in Corvallis and don’t know the Space Neighbors, it’s about time you introduce yourself.
Farm Stand String Band, Bombs Away Café, 2527 NW Monroe Ave. 9 p.m. Free. www.facebook.com/FaRmStaNdSTringBand
What you’d expect and so much more, Corvallis’ Farm Stand String Band vibrates the air around them with hints of bluegrass, Americana, and all sorts of old-timey charm that hits you right in the gut and reminds you that you’re alive. That and there’s a washboard player, which is second to only the jug as the best instrument, ever.
Friday, September 12
Jonathan Warren and The Billygoats w/ The Moonshine, Bombs Away Café, 2527 NW Monroe Ave. 10 p.m. $5. www.facebook.com/jonathanwarrenandthebillygoats. www.facebook.com/themoonshinemusic
Jonathan Warren and The Billygoats describe themselves as “progressive psychobilly folk grass,” and while I have no idea what the hell that is (even after reading their description), I do know this: this Boise, Idaho band is a lot of fun and you should catch their show. They’ll be playing with PDX’s The Moonshine, a string band with an unconventional approach that’ll be sure to pluck your strings.
Art of the Garden Reception, Studio 262, 425 SW Madison Ave. 6 to 8 p.m. http://www.studio262gallery.com/events-calendar/2014/9/12/art-of-the-garden-reception
If you’ve seen one garden-themed art show, you’ve seen them all, right? Wrong. Some of the best local artists gather to share gripping, gorgeous celebrations of the end of summer and the onset of the harvest season in myriad styles. Garden art like you’ve never seen it before, guaranteed. Help celebrate the opening at Corvallis’ newest gallery!
Saturday, September 13
Shores of Oblivion, Bombs Away Café, 2527 NW Monroe Ave. 9 p.m. Free. www.facebook.com/shoresofoblivion
Shores of Oblivion is Portland-based psychedelic rock at its finest. They simultaneously reminded me of a few dozen bands I really like, yet I can’t put my finger on any one and say “They’re like them.” Probably the closet thing to classic rock made modern I’ve heard in a long time, their web playlist was a joy to listen to and I can only bet it’d be doubly so live.
Septembeerfest After Party, Cloud & Kelly’s, 126 SW 1st St. 10 p.m. www.facebook.com/events/548941435142577/?ref=5
Septembeerfest is over… or is it? Cloud & Kelly’s will be hosting an epic DJ dance party with Cloudy Dee & Volatile. Anyone with a Septembeerfest wrist band will get a discount on the cover. The party is set to last until a wee bit after 2 a.m., so bring your dancing shoes.
Sunday, September 14
BBQ Cook-Off, Murphy’s Restaurant & Lounge, 2740 SW 3rd St. 1 p.m. $10. www.facebook.com/bentonbco
BBQ cook-offs were something I always thought had been restricted to the humid states, but for the third year in a row the Benton County BBQ Cook-Off defies convention to raise funds for the Benton County 4-H Youth Program. The best BBQ chefs in the valley butt heads for a good-natured competition. Chicken, ribs, and tri-tip vie for your votes amongst live music, a raffle, and drink specials.
Monday, September 15
Fifth Annual Local Eats Week, 19 Local Restaurants, Sept. 15 to 21. http://visitcorvallis.com/calendar-of-events/action~agenda/exact_date~9-15-2014/
Do you cringe when people use the word “eats?” I do, too. But that shouldn’t stop us from sampling this mouth-watering fall harvest event, which lasts from now (Sept. 15) until Sept. 21. A whopping 19 local restaurants, from Brew BQ to Nearly Normal’s and beyond, will each be offering a $6 sample plate (or an appetizer) that’ll be based around Local 6 ingredients.
For those not in the know, Local 6 is a reference to products produced, processed, or grown within the counties of Benton, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, and Polk. This means that unless they’ve been storing it in a barn for a decade and are bringing it all out specifically to get you, it’s going to be delicious by default.
Tuesday, September 16
Community Movie Night with Ygal Kaufman, Darkside Cinema, 215 SW 4th St. 7 p.m. Free.
After a trilogy of WWII era thrillers the last three weeks, Movie Night shifts gears with this completely zany comedy classic, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948). This (borderline) horror comedy stars the legendary comedy duo meeting a cadre of ghouls in a wild laugh-fest. This movie is oft cited as an influential behemoth in the pantheon of cult and genre bending greats. It features Lon Chaney, Jr. as the Wolfman, Bela Lugosi as Dracula, and Glenn Strange as Frankenstein. As always this is a free screening, but donations are most appreciated. There will be newsreels and cartoons beforehand, and you’re encouraged to show up early as these have been standing room only.
Wednesday, September 17
Andrew Tennant, Cloud & Kelly’s, 126 SW 1st St. 8 to 11 p.m. https://soundcloud.com/andrew-tennant-2
Andrew Tennant packs rootsy vocals and a warm, articulate guitar style that feels a bit like that moment of stillness after you finishing rolling down a hill on a really nice day. If you have a taste for soft but heavy-duty solo folk, this Salem musician will provide it in spades.
The VAM Commanders, Bombs Away Café, 2527 NW Monroe Ave. 9 p.m. www.facebook.com/pages/The-VAM-Commanders/179864735373784?ref=stream&fref=nf
Punk/Ska/Ganster Polka. Because it’s 2014, the world may finally be ready for The VAM Commanders. Named for a conspiracy about cars passing by one member’s house, this five-piece tune brigade sounds a lot like a huge pile of trash at a landfill toppling over, and I mean that as a serious compliment. Humans playing the hell out of some rock music. I dig it, and so should you.
Thursday, September 18
Rough Jazz, Calapooia Brewing Company, 140 NE Hill St., Albany. 7 to 9 p.m. www.reverbnation.com/roughjazz
They’re rough, they’re jazz. They’re very nearly a total ghost on the Internet, but you don’t really need much of a description—videos available of their performances say it all. I highly recommend enjoying a couple, and if you dig the kind of jazz you can really just sink into, you’ll thank me later. This is the real deal.
Sean Davis Presents ‘The Wax Bullet War,’ Corvallis Public Library , 645 NW Monroe Ave. www.facebook.com/hubrispress
Talented PDX artist, writer, and war vet Sean Davis presents his memoir, cutting “through politics and party lines to explore the ugliness of war and the restorative beauty of art.” From the press release: “He discovers the oddities of a pop-up America in a hostile desert wasteland; loses his best friend in a violent ambush; returns, critically wounded, to confinement in a place that’s not his home; deals with the fallout of PTSD and the horror of what he experienced in that war zone; and, finally, he rediscovers art and its power to heal.”
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