Ducks @ Oregon - University of Oregon

Music in Eugene

Katie D.

August 23, 2009 - 7:00 PM

I love going to see live music. Obviously I should be prioritizing this more in my life: music is something that makes me unreservedly happy. Being at a concert with friends, hearing a band that I love, dancing and singing all add up to near-perfect happiness. I've been incredibly lucky to have seen some of the shows I've been to already, and I'll hopefully spend a good amount of time at various concerts during the coming year. So many great bands come through Eugene, and it's such a good way to spend a few hours. I'd love to see some new groups and styles, plus following my old favorites (this spring will be my third Decemberists show at McDonald Theater in Eugene!)

This week I saw three great bands. I've finally started to exercise my freedom as a twenty-one-year-old and go out to the bars in Eugene. I saw two bands on Wednesday night at Max's, and one at Turtles on Friday.

Before this week I had hardly ever seen these small venue shows of local music. I'd seen my dad play in restaurants, and had seen some live music in various Eugene parks, but I'd never gone out to see a local band. It had always just been a bonus before. Now it's a mission.

Wednesday night was great. The second band that played, Green for Go, was a pair of fabulous and hilarious musicians. Max's has a great outdoor patio that was comfortable and intimate, the perfect place for a small band and a small audience. The duo played extremely well together, with clever lyrics and great delivery for both their music and their jokes. I was laughing all night.

On Friday night I went to Turtles to finally see my friend Daniel play in his band, Sussuri. They're an awesome group with a great sound. Turtles is an great restaurant/bar, and the stage is literally just a part of the restaurant floor. I'd been listening to bits of Sussuri recordings for months and was so excited to finally see them play together live. Their five piece band plays light folk/rock. Their lyrics are beautiful and the music just sounds amazing together. They were great to watch, too, with really fun interaction on stage. And Daniel (who plays drums) was obviously so happy to be performing.

I went with my friend and former roommate, Megan. It was her last night in Eugene and we sat and talked and watched the band for more than two hours. She's the last of my old roommates to move out, and I'm going to miss her and the old house gang. She and the roommates originally introduced me to Daniel and we'd spent many long hours hanging out together. So it was a fitting end to our time living together that Megan and I were there to see Daniel play in the Susurri gig, and be part of the collective demand for an encore.

I'll be seeing Susurri again. In fact, if you're in town on Halloween, Susurri will be playing at the Saturday Market around 3:00 pm. They're worth seeing, I promise. I'll be there, and in lots of other places offering local music, especially student performers and start-up bands. Susurri will also be recording a bunch of their music in the coming months, and I can't wait to see what they come up with.

Concerts, bands, music... It was a fabulous week to be a music lover in Eugene.