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“Sounds of the underground resound” with Diminished Men, October 10

by a Eugene Community Member on September 28, 2009

With fierce determination, Abe Nobody – owner of Epic Space – is restoring passion into Eugene’s underground music scene.

Epic Space is reminiscent of the venues that were prolific in the underground music scene of the 1980s and early 90s—welcoming to crowds of all ages, unpretentious, and genuinely open to musical exploration and art. In those days, shows carried out in warehouses, lofts, basements, and fields built strong communities of people that put their differences aside while standing together to listen to good music or view innovative art in its many forms.

Eugene’s music scene has lacked that kind of strong community feeling and shows are often poorly attended.

Eugene’s music scene has lacked that kind of strong community feeling and shows are often poorly attended. The Samurai Duck was one of the few places in town that willingly took a chance, broke out of the mainstream music box, and gave almost anyone the opportunity to take to the stage. Sadly, the Samurai Duck closed its doors this summer leaving a gaping hole in Eugene’s music scene.

Epic Space is filling that critical void and opening its doors to both local and traveling bands and doing it the way it used to be done! On several recent occasions I visited Epic Space and each time it felt welcoming and inclusive; there’s no dress code for hipness and they encourage ALL ages to attend (they don’t care if you are 15 or 70)—it is really all about the music! Their MySpace page shouts “Sounds of the Underground Resound” and indeed the call is being answered by both local bands and those passing through town.

Diminished Men heard that welcoming call and will be in Eugene on October 10 to entertain and mesmerize us as they travel to promote their freshly released LP “Shadow Instrumentals.” Although you may have not heard of this band yet, you will certainly beg for more after you hear them.

According to Abduction Record’s founder, the not-so-easily-impressed Alan Bishop (also of Sublime Frequencies and Sun City Girls), Diminished Men’s latest record “is a superbly crafted mosaic of whip-cracking vengeance, speakeasy hallucinations, and haunted geography. Besides the Italian western overtones, carnivalesque freak show backdrops, Khorshid Egyptian guitar passages, and flipped-out electronic space psych, [they] are perhaps the best surf-inspired tracks I’ve heard in years.”

Just in case that doesn’t have you grabbing for your pen or handheld device to add this to your calendar, Jared Nelson of NORTHWEST MUSIC BLOG says “Diminished Men are grand theater, psychedelic, spaghetti-eastern music, presented under the tonalities of surf rock. Explodo-free jazz-groove drumming, deceivingly insane electric guitar and swanky sax from your wildest Reeperbahn dreams.”

The Diminished Men will be joined by the local experimental noise/punk freak out Chemically Restrained, the french new-wave surfing spyfest Heavenly Oceans, and psych-punk producing Hanging Coffins. The show is October 10 and the doors open at 8 pm. Admission is only $5. Epic Space is located within Epic Electric Tattoo at 245 Van Buren (between 2nd and 3rd) All ages are welcome!

Help build momentum for Eugene’s music scene by going out and supporting live music! The more of us that get out and support live music, the more that bands will make Eugene a tour stop rather than a gas stop along I-5!