Melvins, Redd Kross, Toshi Kasai at WOW Hall Tuesday, Sept. 10

On Tuesday, September 10, the Community Center for the Performing Arts and University of Oregon Campus Radio 88.1 FM KWVA proudly welcome Melvins and Redd Kross to the WOW Hall along with special guest Toshi Kasai. Dale Crover and Steven McDonald will be doing double duty with both Melvins and Redd Kross.

No other band to emerge from the punk/alternative underground would mine Black Sabbath’s slow, monolithic roar with greater effect than the Melvins, and they proved to be wildly influential despite barely breaking out of cult status. Kurt Cobain often sang their praises, helping them land their first major-label recording deal in 1993. While the Melvins were as recognizable as any band of their day, they also proved to be more creatively flexible than nearly all their peers, which helped the band remain productive and prolific more than three decades after it launched. The band formed in Aberdeen, Washington, the same town that produced Nirvana’s Cobain and Krist Novoseic. The Melvins sludge was inspirational. Younger bands took their heaviness, adding a pop song structure, and became famous. Melvins did earn a major-label contract with Atlantic, but after releasing three records for the label, they were dropped in late 1996 and the group returned to indie status. The late '90s and early 2000s saw a flurry of releases by the band: most were issued on Mike Patton’s Ipecac label. In 2018 they began using a lineup featuring two bassists on the album Pinkus Abortion Technician (with J.D. Pinkus returning to the bottom end along with Steve McDonald as Buzz Osborne and Crover handle guitar and drums).

Redd Kross is Steven McDonald (bass/vocals), Jeff McDonald (vocals/guitars,) Dale Crover (drums) and Jason Shapiro (guitars/vocals). They have devoted their career to making subversive entertainment in a high pop celebrity style. Their self-aware pre-spandex Glam bubblegum garage psychedelic Cheap Trick/Kiss/Revolver post-Kim Fowley rock and roll is known for degenerate sweet tongues in cheek song-long winks.

Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 day of show, and are available at U. of O. Ticket Office, WOW Hall and www.ticketweb.com. Doors open at 8:00 pm and showtime is 8:30. The WOW Hall is located at 291 W. 8th Ave. (the corner of 8th and Lincoln in Eugene) and is open for all ages (6-11 half price at the door when accompanied by parent or adult guardian; five and under no charge). Adult refreshments are available downstairs. For more information please call 541-687-2746.