Thursday, 26
Wild Hog in the Woods, Calapooia Brewing Company, 140 Hill St. NE, Albany. 7:30 p.m. Free
It’s that time of the week when you want to get sauced on White Lightnin’ and wear overalls. Wild Hog’s got your back, as they have for like the last thousand years. They’re like a ghost jug band that you see playing every week and never realize has been playing since 1927 and never age. Am I right? Or is this totally in my head? I had a country bumpkin version of The Shining going… All work and no play make Zeke a dull boy.
Stiff and Restless (featuring members of Floater), Bombs Away Café, 2527 NW Monroe Ave. 9 p.m. $7
I take it you all know Floater? They’ve played here a bunch, and this is one of their spinoffs. There’s a free Ninkasi tasting going on before the show, from 6 to 8 p.m., but the music is still a bargain at only $7. Rob Wynia is a staple of the scene, so I think you owe it to him, or at the very least me. Right? Or am I misreading our relationship?
Friday, 27
Linden Wood Local Acoustic Showcase, Bombs Away Café, 2527 NW Monroe Ave. 9 p.m. $3
He looks like Ugly Kid Joe and he sounds like John Mellencamp, and he’s deep in the Corvallis music scene, so I think you can trust Linden Wood to pick out some strong acoustic musicians for a good show. And at $3, you can expect a high ROI on your music outing investiture. And clearly that’s what all you slick, bottom line, three-piece-suited Gordon Gekkos of local music are looking for, right? What’s that? Ugly Kid Joe wasn’t just one specific dude in the band? Wait, don’t tell me Jethro Tull isn’t a real guy either…
http://www.reverbnation.com/lindenwood
Autumn Electric, Calapooia Brewing Company, 140 Hill St. NE, Albany. 7:30 p.m. Free
I’m not going to lie to you and pretend Autumn Electric is the best band name I’ve ever heard. And I’m not going to pretend I’m not the type to hold a subjective thing like the “quality” of a band name against a band I’ve never seen before. But these guys are playing “expressive melodies and beautiful guitar mixed with tasteful piano phrases,” according to one description of them, and that sounds like a bargain for free.
Saturday, 28
The Crescendo Show and Holiday Friends, Bombs Away Café, 2527 NW Monroe Ave. 9 p.m. $5
Go on now, Corvallis, it’s finally time to cut loose with these two incredibly unpretentious bands that I think are definitely in show-of-the-week contention. Crescendo Show is local Corvallis open hearted folk alternative, and Holiday Friends is pop rock with a funky synth spirit out of Astoria. Holiday Friends is the band you fall in love to while on summer vacay in the Pacific Northwest… if you’re a total to complete douchewrangler living in 1989. But still, the band is really good, regardless of your wranglin’ ranking and what year you’re living in.
http://www.holidayfriendsmusic.com
Five on the Hour w/Asterion, Cloud & Kelly’s Public House, 126 SW 1st St. 10 p.m. Free
I’ll be over at Bombs getting down to Holiday Friends, but if you’re looking for something a little bluesier, a little proggier, a little more Evanescent, than you may want to check out this odd pairing at the Public House. Asterion sounds too big to fit in any pub, and Five on the Hour is a mystery. This show could end up being awfully spectacular, or spectacularly awful.
https://www.facebook.com/AsterionNW
Sunday, 1
Simon Trpceski, La Sells Stewart Center, 875 SW 26th St. 4 p.m. $20 (free for students)
This Macedonian pianist is one of the best in the world, so it’s a uniquely excellent situation to be able to see him live in Corvallis. Trpceski will be playing pieces by Brahms, Liszt, Schubert, and Ravel. This show is part of the Steinway Piano Series of live international performers that brings great pianists through town thanks to Corvallis-OSU Piano International (COPI). It’s a no-brainer for an elegant Sunday night of music.
https://corvallispiano.org/calendar/steinway-piano-series/tickets/
First Sunday Vocal Jam, Old World Deli, 341 SW 2nd St. 2 p.m. Free
Like I really needed to tell you this was free. Look, you want to see something a little edgier with more at stake than a no-judgment jam circle? These are the shows, Corvallis. I don’t book ‘em, I just point them out to you. I sometimes like to show up at this monthly vocal jam and just shout out curses in languages I’m guessing nobody in the room speaks. Choom meri gaand, right? Now that’s how you vocal jam. But it’s also profiling, and that’s not cool.
Monday, 2
Bryson Skaar, Imagine Coffee, 5460 SW Philomath Blvd. 7:30 p.m. Free
Jazz piano is afoot, people. And Bryson Skaar is the athlete on that foot. Yeesh. That didn’t land as smoothly as it did in my head. There’s no going back, though. So nip that fungus in the bud by showing up and liberally tipping this hard-working ivory stroker at Imagine Coffee. Don’t even dream of trying requests, though, because he doesn’t know any Steely Dan. I’ve been shouting “Hey Nineteen” at him for weeks and nothing.
http://www.reverbnation.com/brysonskaar
Traditional West African Dance Classes, Oddfellows Hall, 223 SW 2nd St. 7:15 p.m.
West African dance is so much better than East African dance, it’s not even funny. So you’ll be happy to know you can only learn one of the two at Oddfellows, and it’s the superior Western genre. Fefafe provides the music for this fun and welcoming taste of world dance. Better stretch first, though, because it’s about to get limber in here. Also wear deodorant, because… well, I don’t need to explain it. And I shouldn’t need to remind you, but this is Oregon.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fefafe/511049845683731
Tuesday, 3
Community Movie Night with Ygal Kaufman, Darkside Cinema, 215 SW 4th St. 7 p.m. Free
The last few times Ygal has shown a Hitchcock movie for Community Movie Night at the Darkside, it has been literally standing room only. So take this “show up early” warning very seriously. This time around, it’s Under Capricorn (1949) starring Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotton. A dark and moody melodrama with suspense and thriller elements, this underappreciated classic takes place in Australia and is one of Hitchcock’s most unusual pictures. Get ready for excitement, and of course a smattering of ridiculous newsreels, cartoons, and other gold, courtesy of the curator.
https://www.facebook.com/freemovienightcorvallis
Celtic Jam, Imagine Coffee, 5460 SW Philomath Blvd. 7 p.m. Free
The Celtic Jam is just objectively awesome. As world music goes, Irish music sometimes gets overlooked. I don’t know why, but it’s just not as sexy, I guess. Well, come to this charming little jam and learn to get your groove back. Also, don’t hesitate to show up completely fershnickered on Guinness. The owners of this very family-friendly establishment won’t like it. But the musicians will absolutely hate it.
Wednesday, 4
OSU Men’s Basketball vs. U of O, Gill Colliseum, 660 SW 26th St. 8 p.m. $15-$40
In case you hadn’t noticed, and judging by attendance, you haven’t, the OSU men’s basketball squad has become a fun to watch, competitive program, and they managed to do it incredibly quickly in the aftermath of Craig Robinson’s departure. This is the last home game of the season and it comes against those dastardly Ducks that you presumably hate so much. Gary Payton, Jr. is a beast, just like his dad was (well, not just like…) and if you weren’t lucky enough to see his dad making opponents look like fools, you should take this last opportunity of the year to see him do it in person.
LMNO, Bombs Away Café, 2527 NW Monroe Ave. 7:30 p.m. Free
These guys are frequently described as a supergroup. I’m not sure how much I love that moniker for a local band of stars from other local bands. But these guys are crewed by members of the Svens, Xenat Ra, Space Neighbors, Walk the Plank, Calobo, Sideways Portal, and others. So I guess I’m the idiot; this is indeed a bona fide local supergroup. They’ve got elements of Tribe, Gang Starr, and others in their sound. Seeing them for free seems almost unfair. Don’t blow it, Corvallis.
https://www.facebook.com/LeaveMyNameOut
Thursday, 5
Substitute and Mightiest Monster, Bombs Away Café, 2527 NW Monroe Ave. 9 p.m. Free
Former Bombs owner John Huyck is up to no good with his Who tribute act live on stage. This night has the smell of nepotism all over it, but I do love the Who, and I like a Who show I don’t have to pay for even more. Bring your squeezebox and your pinballs; this rock ‘n’ roll revival is going to something something Boris the Spider. Oh duh, Substitute… I just got that.
509J District Student Art Show, La Sells Stewart Center, 875 SW 26th St. 5:30 p.m. Free
The Giustina Gallery at La Sells will be the site of this non-juried art show for students from elementary, middle, and high schools around Corvallis. All mediums will be showcased, and if your kid is one of the artists being showcased, I’m sure you’ll be there anyway. I like to go with 10 or 15 of my really fit and well-dressed friends and then walk around chuckling rudely at the work. It may hurt their feelings now, but in the long run we’re going to make great artists out of these kids.
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