By Maddy Yen

Games We Play is a pop-punk band currently on a U.S. headline tour. Frontman Emmyn Calleiro dropped out of school, dedicating himself to this project for nearly a decade. Games We Play signed to Fueled By Ramen and DCD2 Records, of Fall Out Boy and partners, in 2022 and released their debut album “Life’s Going Great” on March 1st, 2024. I got to talk to Emmyn before their set in Portland at the McMenamins Mission Theater. We covered the most important topics like touring with Fall Out Boy, One Direction, and finding his little brother a girlfriend on tour.

Q: Where did the name Games We Play come from?

A: The name Games We Play has no importance to me, I just asked my…

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By Savannah Brown

When Krista Kroiss, the lead guitarist of the Eugene-based band Mothra (and KWVA's former DJ Kryptonite), arrives at Monster House – a popular house show venue – she’s 36 minutes late. Granted, she looks like a rockstar; her hair and makeup are perfect, and she’s wearing a flannel and very ripped jeans. Clearly, she’s done this before. But as she’s leaning against a pool table talking to me, it’s clear that it’s the closest thing she’s done to sitting all day, and the protein bar she’s eating is her dinner (aside from a muffin she had earlier in the day, it’s also her first meal). She cuts our interview short so she can grab her guitar cables because she left them at home. Watching Kroiss run around like this, I relate to her so much. As a young person, it’s difficult to keep up with the world when it feels like it’s always spinning so far ahead of you. Except I don’t have a musical bone in my body, and Kroiss is full of…

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By Sadie Tresnit

The first time I heard Purple Mountains, David Berman’s last release before his death, I was in the perfect mindset to take it all in. Over four years after the album hit the market, I was somehow both late to the party and right on time. It was just weeks after my grandfather had passed away, and I was stuck trying to drown myself in his favorite country western tunes and hating the world. The second “All My Happiness Is Gone” blasted through my earbuds straight into my brain — I knew I was in the right place.

Since that first magical meeting, the album has come to define my whole winter term. Songs like “Darkness and Cold” and “Snow Is Falling in Manhattan” lend themselves well to winter weather, but the whole album fits the season in my mind. “Nights That Won’t Happen” has propelled me through many sleepless nights in the last several weeks, and I love listening to “Margaritas at the Mall” and “She’s…

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By Savannah Brown

Led Zeppelin has always been my favorite band (hot take, I know…said sarcastically). Also, I love going to tribute bands (which probably is actually a hot take). Yet, even though I’d seen WOW’s advertisements for ZOSO: The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience for a while, they didn’t really sink in. But then, I came across the ad again at like 6 p.m., on March 7 — about two hours before the show. I had this impulse to Google “Best Led Zeppelin Tribute Bands in the Country,” and lo and behold, they showed up all over the results. I knew it was my Led Head obligation to go. I called my roommate, who I knew would be out for another hour (and who had never listened to Led Zeppelin), and told her that we were about to do something irresponsibly spontaneous (we both had a lot of work due). By the time she got home, changed, and the bus showed up (late — after we missed the first one) and several other detours, we…

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By Sadie Tresnit

I’ve realized lately that spring is a very temporal thing for me. This certainly isn’t the first seasonal playlist I’ve written for the blog and I’m sure it won’t be the last. I love listening to all of these songs year-round, but I’ve found that they particularly fit the sunny weather and bursts of flowers we’ve had in town lately. If you’re looking for a soundtrack to a sunny day walk through your neighborhood — you’re in the right place. Here’s to spring and all of its wonderful blossoming exuberance!

Honey - Marine Girls

When I first heard this song during the spring of my freshman year at UO, I fell in love instantly. The album “Beach Party” is on the list of Kurt Cobain's fifty favorites. The minimal instrumentation and somewhat unpolished…

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By Maddy Yen

Starting to work for a major record label at 20 years old has brought so many fun opportunities. For about a year now, I’ve been working for Warner Music Group (WMG) with a college program Warner Music U. I have gotten to work with many artists, but February 21st was the most fun yet.

I got a text from the VP of Promotion and Radio Marketing I had met once on a team call. She asked if I would attend the Alicia Creti show in Portland on February 21st. When I confirmed I was, she invited me to join her and Alicia’s team for content capture before the show, and I, of course, said yes. She sent a link to the Portland Goats Parties website and told me to meet here at 1 p.m. I thought she was kidding. Soon after, I realized this was not a joke, and I was missing my…

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By Samantha Lozano

Some iconic figures from the 90s New York social scene that many can resonate with include Chloe Sevigny, the Beastie Boys, and A Tribe Called Quest. These influential personalities all played a role in the 1995 film "KIDS," directed by Harmony Korine. The movie, known for its raw and controversial nature, revolves around the character Jennie, portrayed by Chloe Sevigne, who contracts HIV from Telly. Telly's primary goal in the film is to engage in sexual encounters with as many virgins as possible without telling them he’s HIV positive. The soundtrack of "KIDS" serves as more than just background music; it becomes a character — deeply immersing itself in the narrative. The carefully curated soundtrack enhances the film's atmosphere and intensifies its impact on the audience. The music, ranging from hip-hop to alternative rock, mirrors the eclectic and diverse sounds of the 90s New York City streets, further connecting…

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By Jack Skidmore

The excitement of discovering a young and promising band is phenomenal. When that band is from your same town, it substantially adds to the enthusiasm towards them. Since I moved to Eugene in 2021, I periodically saw concert fliers and stickers with the colorful cleaning item logo of the local jam band Spunj. From not knowing anything about their music, the sponge symbol alone was enough to catch my attention. The single-word misspelled band name is always something I have found clever, and it certainly is a trope of some of the all-time greats. After hearing Spunj live for the first time at Cervantes’ Other Side in Denver this last summer, I was an instant fan upon returning to Oregon. 

On February 14th, I attended Spunj’s Valentine's Day show at the Big Dirty. They played alongside Portland’s multi-…

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Written by Megan Lorich & Photographed by Max Rosenberg

WOW Hall is known throughout central Oregon as the hot spot for the freshest face in local music. A safe haven for house show fanatics, indie freaks, music dorks, and college kids, it makes more than perfect sense that WOW Hall would host a sweetheart dance. To those who were never asked to the prom or the lonely hearts on Valentine’s Day, WOW’s Sweetheart Dance this past February 16th marked the second year of a tradition that is already gaining love and traction. The show was attended by countless people in their best prom wear, with a killer lineup of classic Eugene college bands and up-and-coming Portland acts. 

The dance floor featured a photo booth with pictures taken by Butterfly Wings Photography with a variety of heart-shaped props for guests to use. Merch tables were manned by members of each act, with tapes, shirts, tote bags, and…

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Written by Samantha Lozano

The Los Angeles native Bek David Campbell, a.k.a Beck, found his place in the music industry as an alternative singer with skateboard hip-hop and Latin influence. His 1994 song “Loser” on his “Mellow Gold” album caused his career to skyrocket, and he continued to put out iconic albums such as “Odelay,” “Midnight Vultures,” and “Guero.” Beck, who was raised by music conductor David Campbell and artist Bibbe Hanson, who worked alongside Andy Warhol, took inspiration for his album covers from his parents. Hanson, who worked at Andy Warhol's factory in uptown Manhattan, spoke about the Zen and Buddhist influence behind the factory, “You can’t really understand Andy Warhol or any of these people—John Cage or any of them—without understanding Zen,” said Bibbe Hansen. This art style was said to have inspired Beck’s albums, especially Midnight Vultures.…

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