Amazing things can happen when people from all walks of life come together for a common cause. I witnessed this firsthand Sunday night at the University of Oregon, where the Arab Student Union held its fifth annual Arabian Nights event at McArthur Court. The students managed to bring to the event world-renowned rapper Omar Offendum, whom I'd previously featured in a politically-charged playlist last month.

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.

Artist: Portugal. The Man Genre: Psychedelic/progressive rock

From the political uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East to the Midwestern United States, a sense of awareness and community seems to be spreading throughout the globe. Personally, I can’t get enough of that hope-y, change-y feeling - but then again, I’m about as far to the political left as anyone can get.

It surprised me, then, to learn that half the members of Portugal. The Man, a band I’d previously thought were from uber-liberal Oregon, are actually from Alaska. The oil drilling-friendly state with the gun-toting, lipstick-wearing pitbull of a former governor? I thought to myself. What business do they have making such transcendental tunes with... messages I actually agree with? Read on to learn why I’ve come to embrace this Pacific Northwest band, and fully support your going to see them on the road this spring.

Genre: Funk, Soul      

Mood: Party time, upbeat

Just like Minneapolis seemed to deliver a slew of talented acts to BNBTV (Hastings 3000, Phantom Tails, The Goondas), Portland area bands have been gracing our internet stage, starting with The Stagger and Sway.  So get your fedoras out, 'cause before us we have a group embracing a genre that doesn't usually reach a younger demographic these days: soulful funk and jazz.  Manimal House makes these historic genres (that often express lifetimes of hardships) young and fun, thanks to an injection of hip-hop and positivity alongside upbeat grooves and danceable beats. It's a deference from the alt-rock indie wave that has washed over the ears of the youth, and one that is welcomed and eye-opening.

CG: Alrighty, who’s who? What are your names, what instruments do you play, etc?

The devastating Reyna Mallare: lead vocals

The prodigy of New Orleans piano Mac Potts: keyboards

The funky and overwhelmingly handsome Dan Lee: guitar

Brody Lowe: lead vocals

Jeff Tummond: bass

Mark Blanding: drums

The powerhouse horn section: Jon Ramm-Gramenz on trombone, Brian Fitzsimmons on trumpet and Reid Neuman on saxophone.

MB: When we made our last album, Body Rock (which the song Comet is from), we had Travis Hanson rapping and playing percussion with us.  He has since moved to Arkansas to pursue a life of crime.  Since then, we've been focused more on funk and soul music and less on hip-hop—although we of course still love hip-hop music and still enjoy playing with MCs as much as possible.  In fact, we backed Serge Severe at his CD release for his amazing new album Back On My Rhymes just last week.

Take a pinch of Death Cab for Cutie’s honest but evocative lyrical style.  Add a dash of Ben Lee-sounding vocals.  Combine with a vintage Tom Petty feel, and mix with a hint of folk-country twang. Sprinkle with a warm sense of community.  Your tasty result? Eugene, Oregon’s The Stagger and Sway.  With this video, “Sam Bond’s Garage,” listeners get a chance to feel what it’s like to be a Eugene resident as the band talks about their favorite local bar, brought to life with lines like “empty pint jar and a bar stool spinnin’.”  Find out more about the story behind “Sam Bond’s Garage” by checking out our BackStory featuring this song.

Claire Gallgher: Alrighty, who’s who? What are your names, what instruments do you play, etc?

Mike Last: Acoustic guitar, vocals

Jerry "Groove" Abelin: upright bass, vocals

Ken Howe: Drums

Brian Patrick: electric guitar, lap steel

Oh, Rocky Votolato, your beautiful voice and sweet songs have been missed. We wondered where you had gone. Your last album, The Brag And Cuss was quite somber, but we loved it all the same. Now we hear that you were feeling low and took a break from the world, quite literally. You did a lot of reading, and thinking, and searching. You have a new album, True Devotion that comes out on February 28, which you recorded almost entirely by yourself. It sounds more hopeful, happier, more centered.

You’re coming to Mississippi Studios in Portland on February 18 at 8:30 p.m. You’re playing with Michael Dean Damron, whom we don’t know much about. But we’re curious. We have 12 dollars, and we’re over 21. We'll be there.

We missed you, Rocky. We’re glad you’re feeling better. We’re glad to have you back.

Love,

Your fans.

P.S. Please play “Portland Is Leaving.” It’s one of our favorites. Don’t worry; we’ll buy your new album, too, here.

<3<3<3

Pepper Rabbit’s off to quite a busy 2011 so far: after releasing their debut album, Beauregard, late last year, the duo of Xander Singh and Luc Laurent has played a non-stop string of shows with the likes of Passion Pit, Freelance Whales and Miniature Tigers.

I recently had the opportunity to interview Xander Singh - here’s what he had to say on Pepper Rabbit’s recent and future endeavors:

MC: Hi Xander! So the last time you spoke with Bestnewbands.com, you were working on material for a new album in between shows with Freelance Whales and Miniature Tigers. Have you been able to take a decent amount of time off since then?

XS: I'm very happy to report that we have finished the record! 10 brand new final mixes just waiting to be mastered and released. We've had the past few days since getting home from the studio to relax and see friends. Luc has been making sure to get in lots of girlfriend time before we head out and I've been hastily getting through my recently acquired and very large Blu-Ray collection.

Spencer "Skip Wicked" Burton of Indubious

Society is a funny thing: from birth we’re immersed into an unspoken set of rules and standards. We come to understand what’s socially acceptable, from how we style our hair to what we wear to the set of core values and traditions we believe we should uphold. And yet, all it takes is a little exposure to another, different society and our views on life, culture and even ourselves shift dramatically.

At Sam Bond’s Garage, there are certain things one can always count on: a packed house, and stronger-than-you’d-suspect beer. Local musicians Stagger & Sway know this, and even penned an ode to the notorious Eugene bar that encaptures the weird quirks that make Sam Bond’s special. Now, I’d consider myself a Monday-night bingo and Tuesday-night bluegrass connoisseur, but I soon discovered Friday nights at Sam Bond’s Garage are an entirely different beast.

The Tara Stonecipher Band was the first act of the night. Composed of Tara Stonecipher on guitar/lead vocals and Gregg Vollstedt on electric guitar/vocals (and with a guest drummer for the night), the Eugene-based Band played a mix of Americana/folk/alternative country tunes. In the middle of their set, the Band performed two post-breakup songs that conveyed so much soul and honesty that they might as well’ve came with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s - meaning they would be extremely helpful to have on hand in that situation. As the crowd grew and the night went on, the Tara Stonecipher Band also performed some more uptempo tracks, prompting some patrons to push aside tables (the few that were unoccupied, at least) near the stage to create room to dance. Some of my favorite tracks performed last night include “Carolina” and “California,” which are not available online anywhere (the Band is currently unsigned) but hopefully will be soon.

2010 was quite the year for Medium Troy - and for me as well. I first met MT this summer at the Oregon Country Fair; the band was my first interview for BestNewBands.com. Since then, I've interviewed artists such as Gogol Bordello and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, while the boys of Troy have toppled the West coast's music scene with their "bohemian dub" beats, performing as locally as Eugene's Whiteaker Block Party to the Northwest corners of the Vans Warped Tour. It's been a pleasure watching this band grow so much in such a short time, and I'm glad I chose to ring in 2011 in their company, as well as some other wonderful Eugenenians.

Medium Troy's New Year's Eve show at the WOW Hall began a little after 8 p.m. with local talents KI and Undermind, who warmed up the modestly-sized crowd with hip-hop beats and freestyle raps. MT frontman Jojo Ferreira offered his thoughts on why so few people had shown up thus far: “They always say the show starts at 8... I think they should say 9 but reeeaaalllly it should be 10:30, ‘cause that’s when everybody shows up.”