Thursday, 5
Free Range Open Mic, Bombs Away Café, 2527 NW Monroe Ave. 8 p.m. Free
No performer can truly know if they suck or not until they’ve run the open mic night gauntlet. Fortunately Corvallis has a bunch of OMNs for young American Idol hopefuls to scrape a knuckle on. I like Bombs Away’s for its close proximity to the frat houses. That way if you hear something spectacularly bad, you have a place to go trash. They won’t notice anyway. This weekly courage test switches locations between Bombs and Cloud & Kelly’s, so you should never have to suffer a Thursday night without some amateur music.
http://www.bombsawaycafe.com/music-art/
Old Time Appalachian Music Jam, Old World Deli, 341 SW 2nd St. 7 p.m. Free
The only thing that complements a deli sandwich better than coleslaw is some older dudes, preferably with ZZ Toppian beards, playing on things like jugs, washboards, and Jew’s harps. Okay, that was a mouthful, but you must trust me here. I swear it makes the sandwich taste better. Get your Deliverance on with some excellent Appalachian jamming at the Old World.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Old-World-Deli/187552621276559
Friday, 6
Belly Full of Bob, Bombs Away Café, 2527 NW Monroe Ave. 9 p.m. $10
I can’t pretend I’m the type to shell out $10 for a tribute band. But if I was, this band would surely be among the tribute squads I’d consider throwing down for. Belly does Bob Marley songs, and they do it with the musicianship you’d expect considering their pedigree: Space Neighbors, Xenat-Ra and Stairway Denied are some of the bands the members of Belly Full of Bob hail from. This is sort of like a Willamette Valley Traveling Wilburys but for reggae. Okay that was a reach, but these guys are probably the best musicians in town on this particular Friday night.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Belly-Full-of-Bob/154526712782
Rainbow in the Clouds, Cloud and Kelly’s Public House, 126 SW 1st St., Corvallis, OR 97333, 10 p.m. $3
This dance party is not only built to make you shake your ass, it’s a benefit for Rainbow Health Resources, a non-profit that educates about sexual responsibility and bullying in the LGBTQ community. That means your dance moves will not only galvanize the hot jams, but will power an admirable public health initiative. DJ Coco returns to spin this community favorite dance party. Though the theme is LGBTQ-centric, this party is open to anyone who wants to shake it and knows a good cause when they see one. I’ll be the one there dressed as Priscilla Queen of the Desert’s accountant (and cousin), Larry CPA of the Desert.
Saturday, 7
100 Watt Mind, Radion and Patrimony, Bombs Away Café, 2527 NW Monroe Ave. 9 p.m. $5
If you live around here and patronize local music you must know some or all of these bands. They’re all talented musicians and there’s a fair amount of hard rocking going on. Patrimony is super classic rock style and they really throw it back in an authentic sound with a modern sensibility. Radion has a more garage punk sound that’s also sweet and mellow. And 100 Watt Mind sounds sort of like a mix between the other two. This is a finely tuned three act show, easily worth $5.
http://www.reverbnation.com/patrimony333
http://radionsucks.bandcamp.com/
http://www.reverbnation.com/100wattmind
Samsel & the Skirt, Cloud and Kelly’s Public House, 126 SW 1st St., 10 p.m. ≤ $5
This band’s website calls them “An alt-country band from Portland…” I probably would have opted for setting the band off from the crowd a bit- being an alt-country band from Portland is a bit like calling yourself a French person from Paris- but they’re still good. The uplifting vocals and creamy harmonies are probably the calling card of this group, and I actually found their pure country side to be more charming than their “alt side.” The cover isn’t set yet, but is said to be $5 or less…
https://www.facebook.com/samselandtheskirt/info?tab=page_info
Saturday, 8
A Floor for Terpsichore, Majestic Theatre, 115 SW 2nd St. 2:30 p.m. $10 Students, Members and Seniors, $14 Adults
The Majestic is raising some money for a new dance floor, and that’s a s worthy a cause as there is in the arts community. The dance studios at the Majestic give people of all ages a chance to dance in their chosen style. This benefit dance show will feature ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop, tap and other styles.
Blues Jam!, Calapooia Brewing Company, 140 NE Hill St. 4 to 6 p.m. Free
I believe it was the great Robert Johnson who once said, “I have a wicked case of the Mondays, brah.” He used to fix my’92 Plymouth Colt in exchange for Magic cards, but he also happened to love the blues and be named for one of its greatest practitioners. If he hadn’t been arrested for selling Meth, I bet he’d go to this Sunday Blues Jam at Calapooia Brewing. But he was also an alcoholic…
https://www.facebook.com/calapooiabrewing
Monday, 9
Traditional West African Dance Classes, Oddfellows Hall, 223 SW 2nd St. 7:15 p.m.
Fefafe is the engine that drives this traditional West African dance class. They’re an excellent band dealing in African rhythms that should get your feet and probably every other part of your body bumping. Now if you’re a terrible person who doesn’t believe in the transformative power of dance, I guess you’ll probably want to stay at home and watch Gotham…
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fefafe/511049845683731
Bryson Skaar, Imagine Coffee, 5460 SW Philomath Blvd. 7:30 p.m. Free
Bryson Skaar brings the piano thunder on Monday nights with the reliable effervescence of Regis and Kathy Lee. I know that might not seem like a compliment, but it is. And there’s not a tremendous number of jazz pianists in Corvallis anyway, so take a chance on Skaar-face, which is what I would probably call him if we were friends (and if he didn’t have a restraining order against me).
http://www.reverbnation.com/brysonskaar
Tuesday, 10
Community Movie Night with Ygal Kaufman, Darkside Cinema, 215 SW 4th St. 7 p.m. Free
M (1931) starring Peter Lorre, directed by Fritz Lang, in German with English subtitles. This may be the most thrilling and brilliant film to come to Community Movie Night all year. The legendary Lang’s film is so influential, and reverberates so much even today that it doesn’t even seem old fashioned despite being 84 years old. CMNYK curator Ygal Kaufman, known for his good looks and rapier wit, brings another classic to the Darkside for free. Better get there early, this one should be packed.
https://www.facebook.com/freemovienightcorvallis
Celtic Jam, Imagine Coffee, 5460 SW Philomath Blvd. 7:00 p.m. Free
Someday I hope to live in a world where a Celtic jam means a mix of techno and country with alt folk and spoken word. But for now we live in the world where Celtic music only means Celtic music. So you’ll have to just settle for lovely and energetic violin driven melodies played by dedicated musicians who love the sounds of traditional Irish music. Sorry about that.
Wednesday, 11
Chuck Holst and Gary Rowles, Bombs Away Café, 2527 NW Monroe Ave. 7:30 p.m. Free
If you can’t get down for this show, I think we should see other people. Gary Rowles is a legitimate legend of classic rock, and he and Chuck Holst get down with a wild technical ferocity and flare. If you skip these guys playing for free all the time in Corvallis, don’t pretend to be down with them later on when Arthur Lee rises from the Grave and they play a 3 night stand at Royal Albert Hall for a BBC recording. People are going to look at you like, “you’re from Corvallis? You must know Gary Rowles and Chuck Holst!” And you’re just gonna stare back at them like a glassy eyed goon. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Wednesday Acoustic Live!, Les Caves, 308 SW 3rd St. 8 p.m. Free
Does it really matter who’s playing? Les Caves doesn’t put on anyone who doesn’t belong on a stage, and if you’re really lucky, it’ll be Gumbo. Plus there’s not really a better reason to go out on a Wednesday then the hot pretzel into cheese & fermented veggie board combo that I like to refer to as the pretzel-pickle-parcel. Try saying that 5 times fast. Just kidding, don’t. If you do it in front of a mirror, Pickleman comes and rips your face off.
http://lescavesmusic.blogspot.com/
Thursday, 12
TEDx Disruption, LaSells Stewart Center, 875 SW 26th St. 6 p.m. $20 General Admission, $15 Students
This mini TED conference is a locally organized offshoot of the public speaking idea incubation behemoth that has become synonymous with next gen thinking for almost a whole gen already. On the speaking schedule for this exhilarating event are Emily Calandrelli of FOX Xploration Outer Space, David Edelstein from the Grameen Foundation, Hanson Hosein with HRH Media Group, Michelle Lesniak a winner of Project Runway and Matthew Kaiser, OSU student and first Helen P. Rumble Research Scholar.
Comedy Nite, Bombs Away Café, 2527 NW Monroe Ave. 9 p.m. Free
Former Corvallisite and up and coming Oregon comedy act, Jeff Oliver, hosts a stand up comedy night at Bombs. The show will feature Joann Schinderle, Paul Jay and Steven Wilber and promises to be a night of big laughs. If you are a heckler, I recommend getting incredibly drunk first. I find that it feels like you win every time if you’re drunk.
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