Events

This jam is open to all acoustic instruments. We play a mix of bluegrass, folk, blues, and all around acoustic Jam tunes. Come enjoy!

Create art while enjoying inspiring music!

Art supplies are provided for free, all ages and abilities welcome.

Guided Art Activity:

Donations are appreciated but not required, hope to see you there!

Music by: David Helfand

www.davidhelfand.com

“David Helfand is a multi-instrumentalist who composes and performs original instrumental music on Celtic Harp, mandocello, octave mandolin, guitar, keyboards and performs with violist extraordinaire, Justin Lader.

Their music is an eclectic blend of original multi-cultural inspired music of passion and transcendence with inspirations from the Celtic lands, the Middle East, pentatonic meditation music, space music and progressive rock. They have performed throughout the Northwest and the San Fransisco Bay area and released three albums together to date. From 1996 to 2009, David recorded six albums as a solo artist and with ensembles.

David’s musical journey began in New York where he started as a drummer in high school and played with a band called Ruby Nash. While in school he dabbled with guitar and concentrated on the instrument when he started college. During the ’70s, he had the wondrous opportunity to see incredible concerts of some of the giants of British Progressive rock and folk rock such as Genesis with Peter Gabriel, the Strawbs, Jethro Tull, ELP and Gentle Giant along with a host of American bands.

Later unbeknownst to him, he was introduced to a band that would eventually inspire him to play the Celtic Harp. The group was The Incredible String Band with Robin Williamson and Mike Heron. After collecting all their vinyl albums in used-record shops and finding each one a treasure, in 1979 he had the opportunity to see one of the founding members perform live, which was Robin Williamson. By then, Robin moved to LA and formed a new band called the Merry Band with Sylvia Woods on Celtic Harp. At that point, David was looking for a new instrument to play and was transfixed by the sound of Sylvia’s harp. It was then and there that he said he was going to play the Celtic Harp.

Over the years, David has performed at many Northwest festivals and in 2003 was invited to perform at the environmental center in Cornwall, England, called the Eden Project. That same year, David performed at the harp conference, HarpCon in Bloomington, Indiana. In the mid ’90s he also produced and performed four concerts at the Lane ESD Planetarium with his former acoustic/electronic space music group Mythic Sky.

With Justin, David has performed at the Eugene Irish Festival, Music to Die For series, the Seattle and Santa Cruz library system, house concerts in Berkeley and Alamo Calif., Occidental Center for the Arts and Don Quixote’s near Santa Cruz.

David’s albums with Justin include the all acoustic harp/viola CD called “After the Rain,” their Celtic inspired album “From a Distant Time ” and their new Space Opus album “Through the Portal.”

David’s previous albums include “Beyond the Sea of Reeds,” which was inspired by his first journey to Israel, “At the Edge of the Cornish Sea,” by his first journey to Britain, “First Light,” “Callings From the Quiet Grove,” “Memories and Stardust” and with his former ensemble “Mythic Sky.”

David has performed and opened for Radim Zenkle, Robin Williamson and Tempest. And with Justin he has opened for Patrick Ball, Aryeh Frankfurter and Lisa Lynn.”

Blind Billy Blue and Natty “O” each found their way to the blues on different roads but they sure are two Blues Kindred Spirits. When you hear them play, you’ll know there is passion and feeling behind what they do. To them, this music is a gift, for their own souls and for the people they can share it with. And they are having fun playing and singing the blues. When you see them perform, so will you!

The blues have been at the heart of Natty’s life for as long as he can remember. He started playing guitar, writing music, and singing the blues as a kid and has never looked back. Natty has played with many groups including Michael Tracey and the High Tones, Kelly Thaibeaddus and the Etoufeé band, and he’s been an important musical presence at local blues jams for a long time. Natty has been an important personality in the regional Blues scene through his work as a DJ for “Breakfast with the Blues” on KRVM for over 20 years. When you hear him play and sing, you will know that you are in the presence of a true Blues Man!

Blind Billy Blue has always had music in his blood. He’s been singing his whole life, but now that he’s found the blues, Billy is finally feeding his soul right. Billy has a background performing classical, jazz, and sacred muisc…in his own words, he spent much of his adult life only singing at “weddings, funerals, Christmas, and Easter.” A couple of years ago, Billy was going through some real tough times and a friend told him he needed to find a way to “feed your soul.” So Billy turned to his music. In 2017, Billy started singing some karaoke which led to singing at bluegrass jams locally. He started playing around with the harmonica a few months later and finally found his way to his first blues jam in the Spring of 2018. Did he finally find the Blues or did the Blues finally find Billy? It doesn’t matter because he knows he’s found his way home. And when you hear Dusky Blues lay it down, so will you!

Talk to Me: What the Science of Language Tells Us About Communication

With Melissa Baese-Berk, PhD, Associate Professor of Linguistics, University of Oregon

Doors open @ 5PM | $5 Suggested Donation
 

Imagine a world in which you could send a message from one brain to another through the air. While this sounds like science fiction, this is in fact how we communicate through language. The processes of understanding and producing speech are fast and effortless in most circumstances. However, these processes are hugely complex, and our understanding of them is still developing. Further, circumstances that do challenge the speaker or listener (e.g., noisy environments or communication between individuals with different language backgrounds) can inform our understanding of more effortless language processing.

In this talk, Professor Melissa Baese-Berk will discuss the science that underlies communication through language. Specifically, she will address issues of how individuals understand and produce speech, with a special emphasis on how adults learn new languages. She will conclude with discussions of how individuals with different language backgrounds communicate across language barriers.

Melissa is an Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Oregon where she directs the Speech Perception and Production Laboratory. She earned her BA in Linguistics from Boston University and then her PhD in Linguistics with a specialization in Cognitive Science from Northwestern University. She completed postdoctoral research fellowships at the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain, and Language, and Michigan State University. Her research examines psycholinguistic aspects of second language acquisition and native/non-native communication. She also enjoys teaching a variety of courses and was awarded the AJ Ersted Award for Distinguished Teaching and the Tykeson Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Melissa is also a Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher and enjoys cooking, knitting and crocheting and cheering for the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs.

Science Pub Eugene is a monthly event that is open to anyone and everyone. No RSVP or scientific background required. Just bring your curiosity, sense of humor, and appetite for food, drinks, and knowledge! For more information or to sign up for our mailing list, email: sciencepub@omsi.edu.

Mike Clark – Drums and Vocals

Anthony Forcellini – Guitar and Vocals

Ryan Galas – Bass and Vocals

Dylan Shock – Guitar and Vocals

Contact us at booking @ unclestumbles.com

Since their beginnings in 2003, Eugene’s Uncle Stumbles have grown beyond the “first impression” of their name… over ten years later, the name Uncle Stumbles reminds us that each of us stumbles and trips every once and a while-and your friends cover your back. Uncle Stumbles plays late ’60’s style rock and roll with an Americana tinge. An honest exploratory music that draws from influences as broad as Frank Zappa, to Stravinsky to the Grateful Dead, Uncle Stumbles continues to impress and win over crowds wherever they play. Uncle Stumbles plays to the moment, whatever that may be, often surprising themselves in the process.

Drummer Mike Clark cut his teeth playing in Eugene back in the 90’s. Clark is one of those rare drummers that plays to the front of the music ala Elvin Jones and the Meters’ Joseph Modeleste.
Drums are a solo instrument in Mike’s playing, the beat and groove are trusted and implied in this unique style.

Anthony Forcellini has written the lion’s share of original material for Uncle Stumbles. Forcellini studied saxophone for 13 years including studying at the Berklee College of Music in Boston before switching to guitar for the Detroit area band Resurgency in the late 1980’s. Anthony is also the lead guitar player in the Garcia tribute band Cap’n Trips.

Ryan Galas studied music at LCC as well as playing in Figure It Out and Innerstate. Ryan’s bass playing is heavy on “linear” line playing in the style of Phil Lesh. He also plays upright bass in the roots group the Wainwright Brothers.

Dylan Shock’s first word was guitar. He has been playing for over half his life, approaching a musical intuition and vocabulary of one much older than his years. He started performing publicly with Anthony Forcellini in the Americana duo Dylan and Anthony.

Over the years, members of Uncle Stumbles have opened for the Cast of Clowns, Clinton Fearon, George Porter, The Zen Tricksters, The Bridge, Jefferson Starship, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Quicksilver Messenger Service. They have also been involved in fundraising for community radio stations KRVM and KSOW-LP. Come on down and visit everyone’s favorite uncle sometime. You never know what might happen.

Originally created as a side project in 2008, The BeatCrunchers quickly grew in scope to start carving their own niche in the NW music scene. Borrowing members from bands such as Macaco Velho, Samba Ja, Kef, and the Klezmonauts, the group draws from a variety of genres and sensibilities to form a fresh and distinct sound.

The Beat Crunchers are fresh, funky, and live. They get the booty shaking and keep it shaking with their mighty Brazilian percussion and exuberant horns. The Beat Crunchers take you on a breathless tour of the world’s best dance parties, Afropop to Balkan to Cumbia. This is a band that turns everything it touches to a divine rug-cutting boogie-down, be it a childhood cartoon theme song or a funked-up Rachmaninov prelude. The Beat Crunchers resist boxes, and enable you lovely dancers to do the same.

Ken Sokolov – drum kit, vocals
Matt Noble – bass, vocals
Matt Pilcher – Percussion, vinyl, vocals
Markus Johnson – Surdo, cuica, dub effects
Ashley Wright – Tenor saxophone, keyboard, vocals
Ryan Chaney — trombone
Alex Lowe – trumpet
Cody Simpson – trumpet