Thursday, 18
Rough Jazz, Calapooia Brewing Company, 140 NE Hill St., Albany. 7 to 9 p.m.
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.
www.reverbnation.com/roughjazz
Sean Davis Presents ‘The Wax Bullet War,’ Corvallis Public Library, 645 NW Monroe Ave.
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.”
Friday, 19
Wups w/Painted Plain, Bombs Away Café, 2527 NW Monroe Ave. 9 p.m. $3
Rock ‘n’ Roll at its finest (and perhaps deliciously crustiest), Corvallis locals Wups tear up the stage with Portland’s Painted Plain. Two bands representing different parts of the Oregonian rock spectrum… all in one spot for just a couple of dollars? Sheeeeeeeee*t.
www.facebook.com/pages/Wups/154656781348267
www.facebook.com/pages/Painted-Plain/295136167208307
Crimson Guardian w/Open Defiance, Cloud & Kelly’s Public House, 126 SW 1st St. 10 p.m. 21+, $5
Speaking of shows where both bands complement the hell out of each other, enter Oregon metal acts Crimson Guardian and Open Defiance. With hints of everything from Motorhead to Pantera and more modern acts, any metal lover (except for maybe Skid Row fans, but that’s just me) will find something to love.
www.facebook.com/crimsonguardianofficial
www.facebook.com/opendefiancerocks
Saturday, 20
John Shipe, Calapooia Brewing Company, 140 NE Hill St., Albany. 8 to 10:30 p.m.
John Shipe has been around the block, having shared the stage (more or less) with acts like Bob Dylan and Los Lobos. His blend of Americana and folk is distinctly warm and likely to delight even the sort of folks that become enraged at the mere mention of Art Garfunkel.
www.facebook.com/johnshipemusic
The Comettes, Manx & Radion, Bombs Away Café, 2527 NW Monroe Ave. 9 p.m. $3
From the sound of it (seriously, go take a listen), this is the Corvallis indie/alt rock show to catch if you don’t grab another one for the rest of the year. Or maybe longer than that. When checking out their tunes for this entry, I almost decided to just quit my job and listen to them instead. Actually, I’m not joking.
Sunday, 21
Car-Free Festival, Corvallis Riverfront Park, 1st St. between Monroe and Jackson. 1 to 4 p.m.
It’s that time again—to grab sledgehammers and beat your gas-guzzling traveling coffee can into submission! No? Well, dammit. I guess just giving up on driving it, to celebrate the positive impact this can have on your life and the environment, will have to do. For now.
http://visitcorvallis.com/event/car-free-festival/?instance_id=111188
Blues Jam, Calapooia Brewing Company, 140 NE Hill St., Albany. 4 to 6 p.m.
Do you have the blues? No? Well, you sir (or ma’am), are a liar. Also, I heard you were hungry and in need of a few frosty beers. Stop on in, soak it up, or even find yourself behind a set of strings cranking out some tasty tones with fellow blues lovers.
Monday, 22
The Piano Stylings of Bryson Skaar, Imagine Coffee, 5460 SW Philomath Blvd. 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Bryson Skaar takes the stage once again at Imagine Coffee to share his love for piano and leave many onlookers saying things like “Holy %#@!, that guy is amazing.” Mainly because he is. If you haven’t caught his regular show yet, you really should. And while you’re at it, enjoy a tasty caffeinated beverage.
Tuesday, 23
Community Movie Night with Ygal Kaufman, Darkside Cinema, 215 SW 4th St. 7 p.m. Free.
Next up in the free screening series curated by The Advocate’s own Ygal Kaufman, it’s Life with Father (1947). This raucous comedy directed by Michael Curtiz (Casablanca, The Comancheros), stars the immortal William Powell (The Thin Man) as the curmudgeonly and outspoken patriarch of a wealthy family who just can’t seem to get control of his brood. Constantly battling his wife played by Irene Dunne (Anna and the King of Siam) and always mindful of his daughter played by a young Elizabeth Taylor (seriously, you should know who she is), he draws the line at religion with hilarious results. As always, this is a free screening, though donations are always appreciated, and will be preceded by newsreels, cartoons, and other surprise vintage goodies. Get there early!
www.facebook.com/freemovienightcorvallis
Wednesday, 24
Catherine Feeny w/Chris Johnedis, Bombs Away Café, 2527 NW Monroe Ave. 7:30 p.m.
This Portland-based partnership of an accomplished percussionist and an acclaimed singer-songwriter (Catherine has opened for Wilco, need I say more?) is a winning combo. Subdued tunes with a strong beat oozing personality and rich vocals come together to create a sound all its own, taking influence from too many sources to count.
www.catherinefeenyandchrisjohnedis.com
Thursday, 25
Wild Hog in the Woods, Calapooia Brewing Company, 140 NE Hill St., Albany. 7:30 p.m.
Fifteen-plus year Corvallis stringband veterans Wild Hog in the Woods will be taking Calapooia brewery by storm, and I’m thinking you should be there. If you’re a fan of old-time music of any kind, you’ll thank me later as Corvallis’ finest pluckers fill you with the warmth of yesteryears.
www.facebook.com/pages/Wild-Hog-in-the-Woods/144350742279339
Left in Schechem w/McDougall, Bombs Away Café, 2527 NW Monroe Ave. 9 p.m. $3
You have to admire a guy who can handle himself on a guitar and bits of a drum kit at the same time… and then after listening to him, you REALLY have to admire McDougall, mainly because he’s the real deal: an incredible lyricist innovating in the oral history/folklore songwriting style. Check him out along with local indie act Left in Shechem; you won’t be disappointed.
www.facebook.com/McDougallMusic
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