Very seldomly does anything newsworthy happen in a seemingly small town such as Eugene, Oregon. Well, I should take that back–this year saw local concerts by Gogol Bordello, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and even the legendary Elton John. (Oh, and our football team went to the national championship game, but that’s an aside.) So when a friend told me she was helping organize an event that would bring artists such as Yeasayer to town, well, I almost had a panic attack. In retrospect, though, I probably shouldn’t have been so surprised: big things are always happening in this city–the trick is knowing when and where to find them.

 

The aforementioned event, Mallard Madness, is a five-day celebration that begins today on the University of Oregon campus. It builds on the UO’s student-organized Street Faire, a biannual event that brings local food and retail vendors to campus. A Facebook event page for Mallard Madness emphasizes the fusion of art and culture, and implores attendees to “explore more connections” and “create your own social norms.”

Highlights include sporting and live art events, as well as performances by the Black Student Union and the Native American Student Union, but what I’m really looking forward to are the free concerts from RJD2, A-Trak and Yeasayer.

YEASAYER: As highlighted in a preview for Sasquatch! 2011, this Brooklyn-based group has a particular brand of “Middle Eastern-psych-snap-gospel,” propelling their musical endeavors to big-name festivals such as Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits Festival and Reading and Leeds Festivals in the U.K. I’m especially hoping the band plays my favorites, “O.N.E.” and “Love Me Girl.” Yeasayer will perform at 10:00 p.m. Saturday night on the UO campus.

Yeasayer by We Are Free

A-TRAK: This Montreal-based DJ isn’t afraid to mash up hip-hop and techno/electronica–in fact, he’s so good at it that he’s won multiple World DJ championships. Wikipedia tells me the DJ has worked with the likes of MSTRKRFT, Lupe Fiasco, Kid Sister and Kanye West, who recruited A-Trak as his personal tour DJ and worked with him on Late Registration and Graduation. Free samples of A-Trak’s music are generously offered on his official website. The DJ plays at 11:15 Saturday night, immediately following Yeasayer.

RJD2: Born with what I consider the best first name ever, Ramble John “RJ” Krohn is a Philadelphia-based DJ who began turntabling in Columbus, Ohio. He hit the music scene in 2002 with the critically-acclaimed Deadringer; his latest effort, Live at the Rave, came out Tuesday on iTunes. RJD2 will play at 9 p.m. Friday night in the EMU Amphitheatre.

Donnis and Baths are also slated to perform.

Mallard Madness continues through Sunday, May 8 at the University of Oregon in Eugene. A full schedule of events can be found on the Oregon Daily Emerald website.